Bird Patroler took my pass

[powderhound]

So yesterday the Bird was pretty empty come 3:30 in the afternoon. I had just gotten off the tram and figured I would fit another one in, so I booted in quickly and headed out while everyone was still gawking over the 80's ski stars.
Halfway down where Primrose and Silver Fox flatten out for a bit a patroller is working his backpack wedge turn looking steez. At this point the trail splits one leg heading towards Andersons and the other more direct route towards Chips. The patrol dork was somewhere between going left and center, so I headed right, using the speed I was carring to air off the lip, nothing huge, completely in control and nobody else on the slope.
I'm at the tram base about to have my pass scanned and this patroller shows up and asks what kind of pass I have(I'm boarding the tram dumbass). Next thing I know he's telling me to give him the pass. What?!? He went on some rant about how he's skiied there 30 years and nobody goes though there that fast, some more bullshit about skiing like I own the mountain and going on about how I couldn't see over the lip. I surrendered my pass with a couple fuck yous, fuck thats and fuck this'.
I'm still f-ing pissed about the whole matter, he told me two weeks and I can have it back. Why the hell didn't he give me a warning? Or just ask me to slow in down a bit? I wasn't in a place with "SLOW" ski signs or skiing out of control that would be justifiable. He was working on a bunch of what ifs at the end of day when the slopes where empty.

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

weaksauce.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Sounds like bullshit the way you describe it, sometimes those guys are just on ego-fueled powertrips.

[ptavv]

You should have refused to surrender it without talking to the patrol manager.

[Beaver]

Sounds like bullshit the way you describe it, sometimes those guys are just on ego-fueled powertrips.

And sometimes the other side sees it completely different.

[powderhound]

You should have refused to surrender it without talking to the patrol manager.

I thought of a bunch of things I should have done after it all went down. I guess I just was so pissed, confused and frustrated to the point I wasn't thinking straight. I have a contact on the patrol up there that has been around for awhile and see what he thinks. Next day I have some time off to ski, I'm definately heading up there.

[cj001f]

And sometimes the other side sees it completely different.

Yup.

You should be able to talk to the patrol now. They might relent if you are courteous. Odds are if he yanked your pass the first time around... you weren't nice. edit: and the

fuck yous, fuck thats and fuck this'.

are exactly why you got your pass yanked.

[Below Zero]

Was it a green run?

[powderhound]

no, just a big long groomer

[Below Zero]

Well, that's fucked up then. I was thinking maybe if it was a green run, he may have been pissed. If no slow sign, like you said, then I'll have to say that's bullshit.

[pointedem]

next time try not to use the F bomb.

i guarantee you will have better results.

you gotta respect the patrolers, esp. the old timers.--- they could give two shits, esp. when you start mouthing off to them

maybe a little quicker and next time u keep your pass.

[Tippster]

"Yes Sir. No sir. Sorry 'bout that. Yep, got a little excited - last run you know? Nope, won't happen again."

The above costs you nothing, and in this case regains you 2 weeks of skiing. At some point just about everybody learns this. Works on cops, too.

[Dexter Rutecki]

That sounds great, but from the way he described it the pass was already pulled by the time he said anything. At that point he likely wasn't getting the pass back (from that guy) regardless.

[Red Baron]

I bet he was only pissed because the sonic boom you left behind knocked him on his ass...

For those that have never skied with Powderhound, here's a picture...
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and no, he doesn't go left or right either...

(edit - but he is always in control)

[Endlessseason]

The almost exact same thing happened to me a few years ago at the bird. Only it was a girl troller who thought I flew by her too fast. She told me she wanted my pass, I argued with her, she called Dusty, and I got my season pass pulled anyway. They made me wait two weeks before I could even go in to plead my case in front of the head of mountain ops (it wasn't automatically given back). He told me that the incident would always be in a file and to make sure I don't have to come in for something again because they keep track of these cases.

I was so pissed I didn't buy a season pass there for a couple of years. It was only after they put in the Mineral quad that I went back to check it out and got interested in the bird again. Yeah, some of those trollers have real attitudes, but, it's WAY better than when Bob Black and Dusty were in charge. There's a whole lot better attitude now. Be glad you didn't do this then.

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

Exactamundoski, dex. I'da prolly flipped out at that point too. Most would.

But yes, it does usually work pertty well before the decision has been made.

[cj001f]

That sounds great, but from the way he described it the pass was already pulled by the time he said anything. At that point he likely wasn't getting the pass back (from that guy) regardless.

He handed the guy swearing up a storm according to his account. Often they'll just mark the pass unless someone's an ass, then they yank, or in this case take it for 2 weeks.

[powderhound]

The conversation started with him asking to see my pass, me showing it too him, then him immediately saying "I want it."
There was no "Do you realize how fast you were going son?" or "Can you please slow down it down a bit?"
A direct "I want it." As I struggled to get the lanyard over my helmet I asked "Why?" and that's when he went into his rant. Which escalated me to put in my two cents, but he wouldn't see the other side. So then I started throwing the F-bomb around.

[Danno]

The conversation started with him asking to see my pass, me showing it too him, then him immediately saying "I want it."
There was no "Do you realize how fast you were going son?" or "Can you please slow down it down a bit?"
A direct "I want it." As I struggled to get the lanyard over my helmet I asked "Why?" and that's when he went into his rant.

Which escalated me to put in my two cents, but he wouldn't see the other side. So then I started throwing the F-bomb around.

and what some here are saying is swallow that pride. I put a few returns in my quote of your post. Right there is the point that you should become sheepish and apologetic and say how sorry you were and that you were over exuberant, end of the day, nobody around, you know it was stupid, won't happen again, etc. That is not the time to put in your 2 cents. The object is not to convince him to see your side. The object is to suck up and be soooo freaking nice that he won't want to yank your pass for 2 weeks. Look where trying to convince him you were right got you.

It sucks, and I'm not trying to imply that you were wrong, but wouldn't all of this been much easier to stomach if you just got a warning?

[schindlerpiste]

It prolly has to do with end of year quotas.

During the end of April, RENT -A-COPS come out in force.

[fluffballs]

Hmm, I ducked a rope at Northstar (yes I know) after a week of dumpage. They backside lift was not running because the power was out due to the storm. Mind you it was bluebird and there is a .0001% anything at Northstar will ever slide. So we skied it, knowing it was closed. On the hike out we were busted by patrol on a sled, "passes please". There was no arguing to be had, we were in the wrong, but we talked with him briefly, short lecture and he told us where we could pick them up that evening. In this case we were clearly in the wrong, no question, no explanation needed. I think in your case he definetly could have given you a little talk to start things out.

[splat]

Go to the pass office and report your pass lost.

Who knows???

[Huckit]

Just be glad you don't have to go to court like me for going through a closed gate (I didn't know it was against the law). Wish I could have got off with a warning. $1000 hike just isn't worth it.

[TurxSki]

Hey FluffBalls, bad luck.
Where was it ? (edit: on re-reading, I guess you were hiking/skiing the backside)

As you mentioned a Sled, I reckon skiers left of Challenger (Lost Cindy area).
Or was it skiers left of Lookout boundary, Tree's skiers right of Loggers, or White Rabbit ?
I noticed yesterday, on the big map top of Lookout lift, that a bunch of N*'s OOB is "future terrain".
You can see where on their Online map too.
The areas with white dotted lines, and a b&w mountain with a windy road logo.

Oh, stuff does slide, btw. Especially on Lookout

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

and what some here are saying is swallow that pride. I put a few returns in my quote of your post. Right there is the point that you should become sheepish and apologetic and say how sorry you were and that you were over exuberant, end of the day, nobody around, you know it was stupid, won't happen again, etc. That is not the time to put in your 2 cents. The object is not to convince him to see your side. The object is to suck up and be soooo freaking nice that he won't want to yank your pass for 2 weeks. Look where trying to convince him you were right got you.

It sucks, and I'm not trying to imply that you were wrong, but wouldn't all of this been much easier to stomach if you just got a warning?

So you're saying kiss his ass even if you're in the right? No way, dude. Being a patroller comes with it's share of responsibilities, and respecting the customer is one of them. A simple, "Would you mind slowing down through that area, please? I know theres no slow sign, but we've had a fair share of injuries over that particular roller this year, blah, blah, blah..... whatever" would have more than sufficed. The holier-than-thou troller doesn't have a place on ANY patrol. It's not good for the resort, the customers, or the patrol community in general. Powderhound needed to speak to the ops manager or the head troller, at the very least. THEN evaluated the entire situation and made the decision to/not to employ colorful verbage.