Release the postholers.

Submitted by JerryKook t3_10ulzjz in vermont

Went out x-country skiing today. After the high winds last night all the tracks were blown in and I had to lay down new tracks by trudging. It was a fair amount of work.

Now there is plenty of room in the fields where I laid these tracks but I know people that come along will walk in my tracks with zero thought about the effort that it took. They won't even consider making their own paths to walk in.

Tomorrow I will move over 10 feet and try to lay a new set of tracks and entitled people will want to walk in those as well. When they see me, they will wonder why I am a curmudgeon.

If I don't go out and lay down a track, they won't walk in the fields.

Edit: post holing is even worse when done to an uphill track laid down by people skinning uphill.

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AnyRound5042 t1_j7cs664 wrote

Tbh I never knew anything about xc skiing (still don't really) they probably don't even realize

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JLHuston t1_j7h48r7 wrote

I just had this very conversation with my husband yesterday while we were out skiing. I was annoyed that there were a lot of boot prints in the tracks (in a public park—not dedicated trails). But then I remembered that before I took up x country skiing, we were snowshoeing in the same park, and my husband had to point out that I was ruining the ski tracks, because I was oblivious. I suspect this is the case a lot of the time—people just aren’t aware. If they are, and do it anyway, it’s not cool. But I realized I had to give people some slack because that was me just a few years ago.

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AnyRound5042 t1_j7h6y3e wrote

I feel like it's natural instinct to want to walk in the path somebody already made, it's just tough when it's xcs because nobody really knows anything about it

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JLHuston t1_j7hbluk wrote

They are pretty easily identifiable. Long, continuous skinny tracks.

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Ok-Address-1768 t1_j7dbnbl wrote

Isn't this literally blazing a trail for the good of the whole?

I for one, am honored when someone walks in my snowshoe path and I'm always excited to be the one who has the privilege of marking the trail for what could be the whole winter, or at least till a thaw.

I feel like a super old timey Ethan Allen type dude laying down a trail for my fellow winter towns folk

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Verity41 t1_j7d0twd wrote

While I don’t agree with entitled aholes, sometimes you just can’t fight stupid.

Got a friend to snowshoe beside you maybe and make a path for the walkers??

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Twombls t1_j7d9lwy wrote

Yeah it sounds like he is the only skiier in this particular area. Probably can't do much about it

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raqnroll t1_j7ebcs7 wrote

Obviously he should snowshoe first then ski the fresh track...

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Twombls t1_j7d9blu wrote

Is this a dedicated ski track or just a skin track in a field you layed out? If its the latter you may just be sol.

Especially if you are the only skiier in an area with mostly walkers.

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snuffy_tentpeg t1_j7dam37 wrote

May the gods turn postholer's ankles so that by their limp we shall know them

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peterhanraddy t1_j7dbpck wrote

What’s the area you’re referencing?

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_j7cm0yx wrote

I’m wondering - if it’s lack of education - maybe a spray paint symbol on snow would help? A stick figure (walking) on one side, a stick figure (on skis) on the other?

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VTsnowboarder42 t1_j7g8eg8 wrote

I’ve been yelled at for snowshoeing, in unmarked areas mind you. I have never once had a XC skier take a moment to explain their self righteous indignation.

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BudsKind802 t1_j7d3pjb wrote

I remember skiers bitching about snowboarders fucking up their ski areas. They were gatekeeping then, and OP is gatekeeping now. Put a sign up on the entrance if it hurts your fee fees so much.

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Twombls t1_j7d9w2t wrote

Its a serious problem in like actual groomed cross country trails or popular backcountry areas. The catamount trail gets constantly post holed.

If its just a trail you knock out in a field in your neighborhood its kinda a free for all

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VTsnowboarder42 t1_j7g7r87 wrote

OP isn’t bitching about catamount, a managed area with rules… They are just bitching

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Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_j7i3vb8 wrote

I didn't get the impression this was a groomed ski trail.

Posts like these make me really glad I don't ski.

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