Rando Races at ski areas. Why?

**mtnjam** · 12-20-2016, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by muted

Making something as cool as skinning up, being in the mountains and skiing down a competitive experience is a bit weird. Some people have to feed their ego and/or very goal oriented, some people just like the hanging out with fellow geeks/similar minds, other people....well I don't know.

Similarly, people who do speed climbing/running/hiking peaks are missing the whole point of being tin the mountains. I know this is not a popular view, but I'll say it anyways: humans making every peak into a contest is the farthest away from being the moment that you can be. Compete compete compete...that's not what life is about.

Well said. This is exactly what I was going for. I just couldn't put it to words better than this.

And no, I am not in my 20's or 30's to whoever mentioned that. I am in my mid forties, thank you very much.

**AKbruin** · 12-20-2016, 01:56 PM

Good lord. That's some serious sanctimony. Pray tell us what "the point" of being the mountains is?

I always thought there were several points (plural), but apparently there is only one and only some of us have found it.

**irul&ublo** · 12-20-2016, 02:08 PM

I bet if The Rog was there, he would have won.

**muted** · 12-20-2016, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by AKbruin

Good lord. That's some serious sanctimony. Pray tell us what "the point" of being the mountains is?

I always thought there were several points (plural), but apparently there is only one and only some of us have found it.

It's more a of a zen things combined with a shitload of fun, and a recharge station too. My fun is not ego-driven through beating people or conquering the mountain, but challenge is a great motivator. Sometimes my ego takes over though, like anyone.

Do you call tibetan monks teachings sanctimonious bullshit too?

**mall walker** · 12-20-2016, 02:15 PM

Lol lot of funny opinions ITT. If every trip out for you is some sort of spiritual journey for the purity of the experience, that's cool. If you want to train at a specific activity to get better at it so you can go bigger/further/faster, and racing helps you do that, that's cool too.

Btw, have any of the naysayers/purists here ever entered a running race? The overwhelming majority of people don't run races to win them, it's often just to motivate themselves / set a goal to train for in order to self-improve / find a community of like-minded people / put a new spin on something they do anyway all the time. The idea that every skimo racer at your local hill is some olympic nutjob trying to compete is pretty silly. Also, when you aren't in the ultra competitive elite, races can be really supportive places, which is one of the cool things about them.

**muted** · 12-20-2016, 02:19 PM

I competed for many years in the mountains.

**cmcrawfo** · 12-20-2016, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by muted

It's more a of a zen things combined with a shitload of fun, and a recharge station too. My fun is not ego-driven through beating people or conquering the mountain, but challenge is a great motivator. Sometimes my ego takes over though, like anyone.

Do you call tibetan monks teachings sanctimonious bullshit too?

Its not really a stretch to suggest that... many people have.

That was a poor analogy.

**AKbruin** · 12-20-2016, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by muted

Do you call tibetan monks teachings sanctimonious bullshit too?

I would if they preached that anybody who does not give up all their worldly possessions, shave their head, and wear robes all the time is missing "the point to life."

**Mofro261** · 12-20-2016, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by muted

Making something as cool as skinning up, being in the mountains and skiing down a competitive experience is a bit weird. Some people have to feed their ego and/or very goal oriented, some people just like the hanging out with fellow geeks/similar minds, other people....well I don't know.

Similarly, people who do speed climbing/running/hiking peaks are missing the whole point of being tin the mountains. I know this is not a popular view, but I'll say it anyways: humans making every peak into a contest is the farthest away from being the moment that you can be. Compete compete compete...that's not what life is ALL about.

Type A behavior is type A. I don't know a single person who competes/has competed in any of the endurance sports who doesn't fall into that category at least partly.

As long as you are bagging on Rando racers ya'll might just as well bag on anyone competing in Freeride comps, ski racing, park comps, big air, X games, etc.
Unless you are drifting aimlessly through life, most people set goals for themselves to bring some added meaning and depth to their lives, put in the hard work to achieve those goals, and ultimately succeed or fail depending on how realistic those goals were to begin with. It's easy to shit on other peoples goals because they are all highly personal and we see them as unimportant if they don't match our own- if it's someones goal to compete in a rando race then lets bag on em but if the goal to land a 720 or hit that cliff or line you've been eyeing then that's OK. All the comps do is provide the venue for people like minded goals to succeed or fail. The only way it becomes "the farthest away from being in the moment" is if we deem the entire experience a failure based solely on whether the goal is obtained.

I'm not rando racer, but have done a few previously. I probably won't do it again because that's no longer one of my goals.

**muted** · 12-20-2016, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by cmcrawfo

Its not really a stretch to suggest that... many people have.

That was a poor analogy.

Not really, I can't think of a better analogy. They are nice, friendly, peaceful and don't force anything on anyone. They don't think they are morally superior aka sanctimonious, they think everyone is the same.

**Norseman** · 12-20-2016, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by Mofro261

Type A behavior is type A. I don't know a single person who competes/has competed in any of the endurance sports who doesn't fall into that category at least partly.

As long as you are bagging on Rando racers ya'll might just as well bag on anyone competing in Freeride comps, ski racing, park comps, big air, X games, etc.
Unless you are drifting aimlessly through life, most people set goals for themselves to bring some added meaning and depth to their lives, put in the hard work to achieve those goals, and ultimately succeed or fail depending on how realistic those goals were to begin with. It's easy to shit on other peoples goals because they are all highly personal and we see them as unimportant if they don't match our own- if it's someones goal to compete in a rando race then lets bag on em but if the goal to land a 720 or hit that cliff or line you've been eyeing then that's OK. All the comps do is provide the venue for people like minded goals to succeed or fail. The only way it becomes "the farthest away from being in the moment" is if we deem the entire experience a failure based solely on whether the goal is obtained.

I'm not rando racer, but have done a few previously. I probably won't do it again because that's no longer one of my goals.

mofro for president

**TAFKALVS** · 12-20-2016, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by Mofro261

Type A behavior is type A. I don't know a single person who competes/has competed in any of the endurance sports who doesn't fall into that category at least partly.

As long as you are bagging on Rando racers ya'll might just as well bag on anyone competing in Freeride comps, ski racing, park comps, big air, X games, etc.
Unless you are drifting aimlessly through life, most people set goals for themselves to bring some added meaning and depth to their lives, put in the hard work to achieve those goals, and ultimately succeed or fail depending on how realistic those goals were to begin with. It's easy to shit on other peoples goals because they are all highly personal and we see them as unimportant if they don't match our own- if it's someones goal to compete in a rando race then lets bag on em but if the goal to land a 720 or hit that cliff or line you've been eyeing then that's OK. All the comps do is provide the venue for people like minded goals to succeed or fail. The only way it becomes "the farthest away from being in the moment" is if we deem the entire experience a failure based solely on whether the goal is obtained.

I'm not rando racer, but have done a few previously. I probably won't do it again because that's no longer one of my goals.

But what about Olympic downhill ski racing? What if the goal goes beyond the skiing?

**PNWbrit** · 12-20-2016, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by Norseman

Amen.

Originally Posted by Norseman

mofro for president

floating voter?

**Mofro261** · 12-20-2016, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier

But what about Olympic downhill ski racing? What if the goal goes beyond the skiing?

If the goal is to pull tail...

**Dantheman** · 12-20-2016, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by muted

Making something as cool as skinning up, being in the mountains and skiing down a competitive experience is a bit weird. Some people have to feed their ego and/or very goal oriented, some people just like the hanging out with fellow geeks/similar minds, other people....well I don't know.

Similarly, people who do speed climbing/running/hiking peaks are missing the whole point of being tin the mountains. I know this is not a popular view, but I'll say it anyways: humans making every peak into a contest is the farthest away from being the moment that you can be. Compete compete compete...that's not what life is about.

Competitions are sort of like Rule 34: If it exists, there are contests to see who is the best at it. People compete at far more baffling shit than rando races. Beyond that though, you can apply that logic to nearly any outdoor sport. Do you feel the same way about big mountain comps, surf comps, adventure racing, etc?

As to your second point, someone trying to set a PR/FKT/etc. has to embrace a singular, all-consuming focus on the task at hand and is living more "in the moment" than anyone on a casual outing.

**TAFKALVS** · 12-20-2016, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by alto

Definitely not that wide.

Skimo is really stupid but the couple races I've done were also really stupidly fun.

alto, since you've done both sports - would you say SkiMo or FWT groupies are hotter?

**Norseman** · 12-20-2016, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

floating voter?

Yes, both. Folks are free to do what they want and I appreciate their effort and fitness, though I find competitions annoying at times (most of the time).

**XXX-er** · 12-20-2016, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by muted

Similarly, people who do speed climbing/running/hiking peaks are missing the whole point of being tin the mountains. I know this is not a popular view, but I'll say it anyways: humans making every peak into a contest is the farthest away from being the moment that you can be. Compete compete compete...that's not what life is about.

Thats what I tried to tell them kids racing their tricycles in front of my place but they didn't wana listen and they blew raspberries at me

So fuck them they can figure out their own mutherfucking Karma

next time I'm gona stick with "stay off my lawn!"

TG · 12-20-2016, 03:47 PM

I'm mostly cool with racers doing their thing.
Only a couple of things I don't personally get :

ski buddies missing big bc powder days because of sore legs from interval work, scheduled training, tapering for the race, the race itself, recovery from the race. I'll never get it. (ends up in less competition for the fresh lines, so it's awesome for me, but still)

Race outcomes can depend very much on how fast you can get your skins on & off. I have no interest in this at all. Plenty of practice and efficiency from years of bc skiing. Don't need to get faster. Don't need to carry spare skins at all times because I keep fucking up my glue from trying to race through the process.

Kinda like some of the speed ski ascents/descents of the grand that were popular here in the Tetons for a while. A large factor in overall times was often how fast you could run down the lower dirt trails in your ski boots. Who gives a fuck?

If your ego leads you to be competitive in the outdoors, where others look for peace, zen, whatever, then good for you. It only sucks when it affects others. I only notice it when I encounter trail runners speeding for the big loops/summits. Just because you are running does not mean you have right of way on the trail. So many cunts, I don't know why. I only hope the grizz around the corner notices the lack of bear spray on your ultralight running vest as you speed silently around the blind corner, obliviously sweating it out to the tunes blasting through your earbuds.

TG · 12-20-2016, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Competitions are sort of like Rule 34: If it exists, there are contests to see who is the best at it. People compete at far more baffling shit than rando races. Beyond that though, you can apply that logic to nearly any outdoor sport. Do you feel the same way about big mountain comps, surf comps, adventure racing, etc?

As to your second point, someone trying to set a PR/FKT/etc. has to embrace a singular, all-consuming focus on the task at hand and is living more "in the moment" than anyone on a casual outing.

yep, no shit. And if you're in their way, well, you're in their way.
Fuck that, and fuck them.

**XXX-er** · 12-20-2016, 04:04 PM

Slow eh?

sb · 12-20-2016, 05:42 PM

clearly this thread needs a survey

and moar pics of these hot chicks throwing panties I keep hearing aboot

sb · 12-20-2016, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by AKbruin

I wish people would stop having fun and enjoying the mountains in a manner that is different than how I have fun and enjoy the mountains, which is on monoski in a giant cowboy hat and jeans a with a Miller High Life in each hand.

I saw you once, you were having a good time.