so i skinned up a bootpack today...

[JerseyDave]

Shadam and I set some fairly agressive skin tracks. When they get postholed, we get a lot of slipback and waste energy making steps to try and avoid such slipback.
We set a lot of skintracks and do so with rockered boards. Hence I get pissed off when a trail that I set is supposed to make my second lap easier, and it only ends up being almost as tough because of lazy postholers. The other option is to set a second skin track that hopefully won't get booted.

yep. If you set a proper (steep) skin track and it gets post holed it sucks and you might as well break a new one. If the booters beat me to the skin track and boot pack an old skin track, I make a new one.

[JerseyDave]

It's annoying but what're you gonna do? Same as asking people to spoon turns in the backcountry - you can ask but isn't being able to do whatever the F you want the whole point of the backcountry?

I could give a crap about that. I don't want to be locked in to the same turns as the guy before me.

[Huckin eh?]

I think these booters are seriously just lurking in the shadows and watching over trailheads for the first sign of a skin track to boot up. !
I get the whole, "its everyones mountain" and "its all better than working anyway" attitudes but its annoying to know that their whole motive is that they are too lazy to go places by setting their own trail. Especially when they are a crew of 4 or 5 and can take turns spreading out the workload.

How many times have you gone to a trailhead with fresh snow and seen that the first and only people to make an ascent and set a trail are boot packers or snowshoers?.........I have yet to see that and I have toured over 400 days in the last 6 years. In the last 2 weeks, I have broken a lot of trail and rarely was I able to skin my trail a second time without postholes or shoe fuckholes. And theres already an established, straight up boot pack in the same vicinity in some of these places, yet they still want to cunt up a fresh skin track.

[old goat]

On a related note--kicking steps on steep firm snow. If you're following kicked steps up and especially down, kick in (if going up) with heel above toe, or heel down aggressively--with heel lower than toe. The point is to keep the steps clean or make them better. What you don't want to do is turn the steps into downsloping messes that then turn to ice. If you didn't kick the original steps respect the person who did.

[powhore]

Shadam and I set some fairly agressive skin tracks. When they get postholed, we get a lot of slipback and waste energy making steps to try and avoid such slipback.
We set a lot of skintracks and do so with rockered boards. Hence I get pissed off when a trail that I set is supposed to make my second lap easier, and it only ends up being almost as tough because of lazy postholers. The other option is to set a second skin track that hopefully won't get booted.

Calling others lazy when whining about a supposed easier second lap is a tad ironic, wouldnt you say?
With rockered fvcking skis no less.
Fuck you.

[Jax]

...If you're following kicked steps up and especially down, kick in (if going up) with heel above toe, or heel down aggressively--with heel lower than toe. The point is to keep the steps clean or make them better. What you don't want to do is turn the steps into downsloping messes that then turn to ice. If you didn't kick the original steps respect the person who did.

Don't forget the pigeon-toed mother fuckers! Also, if I set a perfectly good bootpack for my smaller stride, don't fuck it up because of your long ass chicken legs; step aside and start your own!



Disclaimer: I only bootpack for quick access to goods at/from resorts when/where skinning isn't necessary.

[Pinner]

What concerns me about bootpackers in the skintrack, more than the inconvenience, is the accompanying lack of awareness.

If you are so inexperienced and ill-equipped that you don't know enough to stay out of the skintrack, what else do you not know about? Like avalanches and safe descent.

If you are aware and do it anyway you're just a dick, and in the backcountry that's no good either.

[powder11]

you people do realize that once you set a bootpack or skin track, it doesn't mean you own it. Yeah, pat on the back for the hard work, but someone coming up behind can pretty much do whatever they want. It is the backcountry after all, so if you don't like other people around, find somewhere more remote.

[Jax]

you people do realize that once you set a bootpack or skin track, it doesn't mean you own it. Yeah, pat on the back for the hard work, but someone coming up behind can pretty much do whatever they want. It is the backcountry after all, so if you don't like other people around, find somewhere more remote.

You do realize this thread is tongue-in-cheek right? I'm pretty sure we have covered this like 8 million times.

Now, where were we....oh yeah, thread drifting....








Keep your toes straight you feet-dragging knuckleheads!

[moose pit]

I like to lie in wait outta sight on the track then, at the top I quickly transition and snipe first turns from some poor fucker broke trail the whole way up.

And shittin' in teh post hole is funney especially if you knock a little snow over the poops to hide it.

[Huckin eh?]

Calling others lazy when whining about a supposed easier second lap is a tad ironic, wouldnt you say?
With rockered fvcking skis no less.
Fuck you.

The easier second lap is the REWARD for the effort of putting in the track in the first place (or should be !)

Lazy is not setting out on the trails until someone has set one for you to destroy. Walking a skin track when a boot-pack is already set is extra weak.

So no, Fuck YOU!
!

[powhore]

The easier second lap is the REWARD for the effort of putting in the track in the first place (or should be !)

Lazy is not setting out on the trails until someone has set one for you to destroy. Walking a skin track when a boot-pack is already set is extra weak.

So no, Fuck YOU!
!

Sounds like you're the lazy one.
Do you know how hard bootpacking is? You fvcking toolshed, do you?

[Elkhound Odin]

Stop and take a dump in the booted skin track hole. Problem solved

That's what dogs are for.

[bendtheski]

Mine your skintrack. Problem solved.

[whapworth]

just don't steal my fucking line!!!!

[p@wder]

It is annoying in soft snow but it is criminal in spring conditions when soft snow will freeze overnight into concrete. Hard frozen post holes make some sin tracks impossible.

[garyfromterrace]

It is annoying in soft snow but it is criminal in spring conditions when soft snow will freeze overnight into concrete. Hard frozen post holes make some sin tracks impossible.

OK, so if it froze overnight what's the big deal about "breaking" trail and making a new skin track. No ski pen right? Just move your new skin track away from the post holes.

So about 15 years ago I put in a skin track. I had a great run and was starting up my second lap. The skin trail was totally post holed and un-usable, so then I catch up to the couple of boarders who did the damage. "What the fuck are you doing?" I ask quite rudely. "You're fucking up my skin trail". "Sorry man, we just saw a trail broke and took it" they replied meekly. "Why don't you buy the proper gear then, fuck" I state arrogantly, and stomp off leaving them in the dust (of course, because the poor bastards are post holing every step). So, the one boarder is from out of country the other is a local who was dating the local snowboard shop owner.

So, as I'm heading up for another lap on my now pure skin track I start thinking to myself - what an ass-hole (me). These poor bastards are working so hard, there's enough pow for everyone and really - how hard is it to break 2 or 300m of new trail (with fat skis and tons of flotation). Well, it's not hard at all really. I mean it would be different if they had wrecked a 5000' vert uptrack, but no, this was dick all in the big picture. So I caught up to these kids in the bar after skiing and apologized and bought them a beer. Because I was the asshole here. Me with my fancy touring gear and these kids that didn't have $1,500 for touring boots, binders, skins and skis.

Someone postholes your skin track - suck it up princess, and either make another skin track (which will prolly remain pristine because now the post hole boot packers will already have a trail) OR as another poster said:

Originally Posted by dfinn
A better option would be to quit whining and go ski somewhere with less people around.

[Huckin eh?]

Sounds like you're the lazy one.
Do you know how hard bootpacking is? You fvcking toolshed, do you?

I do know how hard boot packing is. And when I go to the same area with my heavy downhill set-up, I put my skis on my back and boot up the boot pack instead of cunting up the skin track. I toured for many years with a snowboarder. Sometimes thats how you have to get around!

If I didn't work hard breaking lots of trails, I wouldn't be bitching!

Go back to the park so you can boot up the groomer. Its even easier than postholing a skin track!

either make another skin track (which will prolly remain pristine because now the post hole boot packers will already have a trail) OR as another poster said:

Originally Posted by dfinn
A better option would be to quit whining and go ski somewhere with less people around.

Gary: In the area that I'm talking about, even the second skin track gets postholed! The 3rd too.
Help me out here. Is it really easier to posthole a fresh skin track than to hike a previously postholed skin track?

Its the first ridge on the way out to the places where there are less people around.

[moose pit]

Hard frozen post holes make some sin tracks impossible.

Ahhh the sin track, hard, frozen, post hole... impossible...

[garyfromterrace]

If I didn't work hard breaking lots of trails, I wouldn't be bitching!
Gary: In the area that I'm talking about, even the second skin track gets postholed! The 3rd too.
Help me out here. Is it really easier to posthole a fresh skin track than to hike a previously postholed skin track?
Its the first ridge on the way out to the places where there are less people around.

OK, I see the point if the 2nd track & the 3rd track gets post-holed, it's a bit frustrating. BUT, it's the first ridge right? So how much trail are you really breaking here? You've got fat skis, are you really getting 2 or 3 feet of ski pen? I mean really how much additional work is it?
Sorry, I'm not convinced.
(though I do remember reading a little story on Turns All Year called the ski tourer and the snow shoe-er that was pretty funny)

[powhore]

I mean really how much additional work is it?

Enough extra work to whine about it on the nets. Which, I suppose, does not require that much when you can throw up random stupidity on the webz any time.

If I didn't work hard breaking lots of trails, I wouldn't be bitching!

Spoken like a true princess, that needs to suck it up.
I tour too, and could really care less about some speed bumps along the way.
Its like bitching about all the hikers on singletrack within the first mile of the trailhead.

[Nuthon]

I love walking in skin tracks either post holing or in snowshoes. Thanks for the ease of accessing the backcountry. BLAH COMPLAIN BLAH COMPLAIN BLAH BLAH COMPLAIN BLAH COMPLAIN BLAHBLAH COMPLAIN BLAH COMPLAIN BLAH BLAH COMPLAIN BLAH COMPLAIN BLAH

"oh my beautiful skin track has footprints in it, what should i do? I know, i'll get on the internetz & complain. that should fix it, right."

Why don't you go tell your Mommy, she'll make you some hot cocoa & make it all better