Granite Peak Resort to experiment with "skier only" areas this winter
November 9, 2009, 2:28 PM
By: Jesse Huffman
Granite Ski Resort
This season, Wisconsin's Granite Peak Resort is restricting snowboarders from certain areas of their mountain.
Remember when you had to get a special snowboard certification to shred at your local hill? Probably not, because that was a long, long time ago. For most kids these days, it's an all fair, all equal rights world of shred -- plus, most resorts have a terrain park to boot.
Currently, there are three resorts in America that remain as no-snowboarding holdouts: Mad River Glen in Vermont, and Alta and Deer Valley in Utah. Taos in New Mexico dropped their ban in 2008 (and now feature a shredder on their website homepage), following a bold contest by Burton requesting the best video of shredders poaching at the then four resorts.
Granite Ski Resort
The resort claims that their terrain parks balance the new "no snowboarding" restriction.
As for Granite Peak, the resort is citing differing usage (the worn comparison of wiggling skiers vs. scraping snowboarders), stating that skiers are requesting a few runs that reflect this difference. From this, the resort is planning to have three "shorter and narrower" runs for skiers only. In an interesting claim to "balance," Granite Peak pointed out the creation and maintenance of five terrain parks as a response to snowboarder's request.
As the overwhelming number of comments on this Transworld article point out, skiers are welcome and able to swoosh right through any of these terrain parks. Segregated terrain is a tired and lame argument, and the general sentiment of snowboarders' is that they really don't care to have an area sectioned off for their own use. Although, if you think about it, those narrow, steep slopes probably wouldn't get quite as moguled up without the certain back-and-forth proclivities of winter recreationists with two boards.
The resort announced the plans as a one-season experiment, to be "evaluated at the end of the season based on feedback from customers." If you make Granite your hill of choice, you might want to take the resort up on this request for feedback by visiting their website, or calling 715-845-2846.
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Contributors
Liam Gallagher
Raised in the NW. Wandered for a bit. Returned with a renewed love for rain. Likes hearing people's stories.
Mary Fenton
Would rather be riding pow, sucking at skateboarding or thinking up new names for her deaf dog and fake band.
Colin Whyte
Below the Fold. Beyond the Pale. Between the Lines. Beneath the Rose. He's a Secret Society of One.
Jesse Huffman
Loves a cold a.m. shred and late day skate. Thinks green is the new black, but should really be the new normal.
Brad Farmer
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Blair Habenicht
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Tim Brodhagen
Tim Brodhagen shreds the ice coast on the reg, speaks Portuguese and almost never eats breakfast.
