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Poach, poach, poach, and poach again!


wavechaser

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I'm trying to follow the thread, but it's hard with all the replies. I'm wondering why no one has tried to poach with a split board? Take the chairlift with the board in ski mode. Get off the lift, go a couple of meters away, change to snowboard, go down the hill, before getting to the bottom, change to ski mode, go to the chairlift, go up again. Do it nough to get some footage, I'm sure it can get tiring after a while to do this.

A guy did that in TWS about 10 years ago.

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i guess what i heard was somewhat true?

Yes and no - Eric Freidman's comments in the Free Press article seem to indicate it's OK to board if you don't use the lift, but after my confrontation riding it early season when MRG was still closed, it would seem to depend on WHO sees you as to whether or not it gets ugly.

I have posted on our local forum about this and the official word is that MRG is only on NFS land right at the top, next to the Long Trail - the rest is private land.

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very nice wavechaser:biggthump

I think it is key to do it at the end of the day - everyone is too tired to care or chase you, the day is over (lifts were closed when I got to the bottom) and you aren't taking any fresh lines away from anyone...well, at least that is the perception. ;)

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Walked in via LT and poached a run at MRG yesterday - very nice! No video - just me solo. No incidents ensued...some shouting here and there. The woods are sweet!

Explain? What is LT?

Good job btw.

Taos opens this weekend. They've been getting some good snow the past few days.

So I should poach it now before it turns into a mogul field, right? :)

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Explain? What is LT?

Good job btw.

Taos opens this weekend. They've been getting some good snow the past few days.

So I should poach it now before it turns into a mogul field, right? :)

LT is the Long Trail, a hiking trail that runs down the spine of the Green Mountains and eventually connects with the Appalaichian Trail. You can drive up Rte. 17 from the Mad River Valley to the summit of Appalachian Gap, where the road intersects the Long Trail, park, and hike south on the LT basically right into MRG. Ride down, then hitch back up to your car, or if you have a driver or two cars even better.

Just about at the "T" in turnpike on this map.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=44.204974,-72.931194&spn=0.029595,0.05785&t=h&z=14&om=1

As far as moguls - depends if you like 'em!! ;)

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http://www.longtrail.com/home.html

rick can confirm if it's still on tap at the Bush.

Had a whole bunch of 7.2% Double Bags at the ski show before I took this pic with TM.so I look like a stoooge...hey moe, hey larrrry :freak3:

Poached the ski show, it was soooo killer.

Man, you and Tommy could be brothers...:lol:

Not sure what's on tap at SB...I usually show up, ride, and go home...don't really hang around the base lodge much.

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I assumed ski resorts had the same deal because last summer I was riding my mountain bike at the Kirkwood ski area (USFS land) for work (radio site surveys). It was legit, but it was sure weird getting paid to go mountain biking :-) Anyway, they sell lift tickets where you can ride the chair to the top with your bike. I asked them what would happen if people just came up and rode without buying lift tickets, and they said that since it was USFS land, they couldn't keep anyone from doing that, they only controlled who got to ride the lift.

I don't know if this means you can ride anything you want (on snow) as long as you hike to the top yourself. Anyone know about this or have connections at a resort and can ask?

Now, I know nothing about the way the American system works, and what the legalities are, but, over here in stalinist frenchistan, it generally works this way:

Most resorts are on a mixture of public and private land, and the company running the resort has special permission to do x, y and z to that land (specifically, to place and use lifts, to run groomers, snowmaking equipment, etc).

This all costs money, and generally speaking they aren't doing it from the goodness of their hearts, so they need to sell something. In fact, they sell 2 things...

Product 1 is lift passes. These are a *just* a transport ticket, and give you the right to use the lifts as long as your equipment is in the "acceptable" list (sledges are definitely not allowed, for example, where I work we don't allow "snow scoots", snowskates or noboards either, the rule is basically that you need to have your equipment attached to your feet), and as long as you are not causing a danger to others (not drunk, for example).

The second product is rescues. Now that's an interesting one, because French law makes it illegal to leave someone in a life threatening situation, but rescues are a product. Either you buy your insurance before skiing (which is a bloody good idea) or you pay when you are rescued (which is bloody expensive). Your insurance (apart from 3rd party insurance) is *only* valid in conjunction with a valid lift pass.

Once you're on the mountain (with or without "authorised" equipment), there's very little than can be done. If you hike up with sledges, for example, you *will* get told to fsck off by the patrollers, mainly for "endangering others", but they can't actually throw you off the mountain, they would have to call the police, who would have to arrest you. If you hurt someone with your sledge, of course, you will get involved in a lawsuit, but that's a purely private affair between you and your victim.

As an aside, this (sledges) is a major issue where I work, at the bottom of the slopes there's an "authorised" sledging area, all netted off and "at your own risk", but about 100 yards away there is the final wall of a nice blue run; it's steep, icy, and easily accessible by foot (and worse, from the terrace of the road-accessible bar). So, there are regularly idiots who decide to sledge on it, utterly ignorant of the facts that they can't be seen by skiers coming over the top and hitting the wall, and that if they manage to sledge down without wiping out, they are going to arrive, mach schnell, in the ski school meeting area, which is often full of several hundred kids with skis on. So, the patrollers have to wander over on a regular basis and say "no, sledging is over there", and have, on at least two occasions to my knowledge, had people arrested.

So, if you wanted to snowskate or noboard where I work, you'd have to hike up; once there, there's nothing that can be done. Have a nice day, enjoy the snow, but don't expect to be able to use the lifts, and most certainly don't hurt yourself because being rescued is expensive. Even if you have a valid lift pass, and a valid insurance, because you've hiked up with "disallowed" equipment, your insurance is void, and you will be required to pay.

Simon

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As an aside, this (sledges) is a major issue where I work, at the bottom of the slopes there's an "authorised" sledging area, all netted off and "at your own risk", but about 100 yards away there is the final wall of a nice blue run; it's steep, icy, and easily accessible by foot (and worse, from the terrace of the road-accessible bar). So, there are regularly idiots who decide to sledge on it, utterly ignorant of the facts that they can't be seen by skiers coming over the top and hitting the wall, and that if they manage to sledge down without wiping out, they are going to arrive, mach schnell, in the ski school meeting area, which is often full of several hundred kids with skis on. So, the patrollers have to wander over on a regular basis and say "no, sledging is over there", and have, on at least two occasions to my knowledge, had people arrested.

Simon

Simon - cool to hear another angle on this...and forgive me, but - what is a "sledge"?

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First Taos goes down, so we can go up...then a bunch of VT kids get this idea...I can hear the crying at Mad River Glen already! :eek:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/COLUMNISTS05/712200301/1007

...and I though our "official sport" was cow-tipping...silly me.

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  • 2 months later...
IIRC, there was a lawsuit about snowboarder access to the federal land a few years back and the riders lost.

Was it on some sort of wildlife preserve that is restricted, at a ski area, or on unmaintained public land (i.e. the backcountry)? What state was it in? I doubt it was in Colorado, because they are clearly ok with it. They have parking for "backcountry users" and signs warning of avalanche blastings. Nowhere on the signs does it say that backcountry "using" is not permitted.

Also, since ski areas are on land that is managed by a private company (the resort), would the laws be changed to count as a private land vs. a federal one?

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