Yup. But it ain’t only adventure sports crowd,
game Tuesday night the area behind the curtain was empty except for roped off areas where a few folks who paid extra could sit and feel important. Used to be thousands of folks mingling in groups & having a dome foam before tip off. Gimme back Manley Field House with the dirt floor or a couch with the clicker.
The same has occurred in surfing, to an extreme extent too. Luckily in New Jersey there is ample coastline for uncrowded waves but in places with feature surf breaks and heavy metro centers, it has become an absolute free-for-all. No etiquette, no taking turns, everyone snaking each other, lack of a "hierarchy" for maintaining control and safety. Many places have become downright dangerous with boards flying everywhere and little to no effort taken by newcomers to learn the "rules" of the lineup. Rockaway queens is our nearest example. What a scene that place is!
Exactly the same as mountain biking in New Jersey. Absolutely no yielding for oncoming riders or any consideration given to other trail users, riding year round regardless of weather conditions through freeze thaw and rain wrecking trail surfaces, and total disregard for trail maintainers and their work while they are out making improvements. When I was growing up in this sport there was an extreme amount of gatekeeping, trails were unsanctioned and kept under wraps for all but those that had sweat equity. I don't think gatekeeping is the solution, but something needs to be done about the commoditization of these outdoor activities by large corporations. I'm not hopeful about the situation improving however it does seem that the onslaught of participants brought in throughout the pandemic is beginning to wane even if just slightly, maybe along with that will come a loss in corporate interest. Only time will tell.
Yes it's a problem with people riding in marginal conditions..But I have had very few interactions regarding yielding to up hill traffic..In fact sometimes i don't even see a sole on a saturday in Ring...
& boomer grommer rippin laps in the sunshine weekdays on a local bump.
My one day at Alta we were lined up about 10 deep from the gates on a boot deep morning and everyone was walking up and scanning their passes, when I asked what was up was told if your pass doesn’t scan you might get trampled lol.
The difficulty of terrain keeps the the worst offenders away from Ringwood, that and sheer mileage and acreage to spread people out. I've almost been mowed over on the Redback decent at Sterling on multiple occasions and don't even get me started with Alpine. Just a few weeks back I was working at Sterling on a day no one should have been out riding in the first place. At least 10 people rolled right through our active worksite hardly acknowledging us. From my perspective, the easier the trails and terrain the worse the user etiquette, it has gotten to the point where I move off trail and yield for everyone regardless of whether I'm traveling uphill or down. I'm not on Strava and have nothing to prove to anyone but myself.
