As an arrogant AT skier, I always enjoy a little telemark bashing…maybe a little too much.
Many of you may have already seen this video, since it has been on most of the backcountry skiing forums already. But I think there are a significant number of TetonAT.com viewers that may not visit those websites. The Dark Side video is a product of AT Anonymous who lives in California.
Please click on the picture to watch the video.
Steve,
What can I say, you are an arrogant individual, period.
You know – we were all (ATers, TELErs & Snowboarders) psyched in the office when your website initially went on-line…cool pictures of local skiers, great trip descriptions, incredible routes in our back yard, nice links, but recently I’ve been truly disappointed – and this last post totally turned me off. I actually have your website set as my homepage when my computer boots up – but no longer – your rants, brags, bro bra language, and this recent jab have turned me off.
One of the great things about living in this mountain town (and many of the other mountain towns that I’ve lived in) is the amazing amount of humble kick ass folks that live here. You sit down at dinner and your waiter just skied the Grand Teton yesterday on his day off, the guy and the gal quietly sitting across from you at Picas just put up a new climbing route on Moran and your pharmacist just returned from a three week bike trip from Mongolia…all without the hoopla that you seem to need and get off on.
Who cares that you skied 4 laps on the King, then did two laps on Shovel Slide and that you were able to raise your heartrate to 175 bpm? I sure as hell don’t. It seems like you’ve got some serious Napoleon Complex Issues running your life that you need to have an internet megaphone announcing to the world about your amazing talents and abilities – shut up and give us trip photos and details.
I don’t see “Reeders” or the thousands of other amazingly gifted athletes in this town engaged in a full-on electric pissing match with anyone who is worthy enough to read your website.
Now granted, it’s your right to have a website. It is also your right to publish whatever the hell you want to on your site. I have chosen for some time to read your website – no one has forced me. Just know that you lost one reader – there are plenty of other great websites out there and until you get back to the basics I’m not going to waste my time on your sic site ‘cuz life is too short, bro.
Well Complex…I’m am sorry you feel that way, hopefully you will return at sometime down the road.
However, I feel that this video was just a funny spoof…not to be taken too seriously. I also feel like some people do care about heartrate, times and training…or else they wouldn’t ask me about them so much. I personally visit Greg Hill’s site to see how motivated he is to ski 1,000,000″ in one season…and it’s all about goals and numbers and times.
The thing about the web, is that it is hard to always get the jist of what someone is printing. My advice would be to not take things so serioulsy…especially me, cuz I sure don’t.
Randosteve.
Well, somewhat of a relief to see that others had the same thoughts as I have had.
I just found this site a week ago, and had to say I chuckled at some of its contents.
I say that, because having spent approximately 12 + years in the greater teton area, this site appeared to bring back some long forgotten bad memories. Perhaps why i departed to other locales.
As newtons law of physics states:
AGGRO = EGGROLL (or something like that)
next time i am skiing from teepee col, I will be sure to take an extra 30 minutes (maybe even an hour) to take in the sights and mountains for you rondosteve, since I suspect you will be trying to set a new speed record.
Since when is speed a bad thing??
To each his own.
Maybe you like to get to the top of something and hang out, take in the view, relax. Maybe Steve likes to see how fast he can get up and down things as a way of measuring his fitness, and thereby measuring his readiness for big, serious endeavors.
There’s reward in doing both, and absurdity in denigrating one or the other. Are you really going to tell us that your enjoyment of moving deliberately through the mountains is superior to Steve’s enjoyment of moving quickly through mountains?
Don’t be an asshole. Nobody’s forcing you to be here. If they are, you have a better job than I do.
Well, I enjoy this site. I like to hear about folks speeding around the Tetons, training to be more efficient, enjoying the mountains in whatever way they want.
I suspect some level of insecurity in the negativity of others. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure your uber core, and have skied K2, but lighten up a bit. Why the harsh negativity? Do you live your entire life that way?
This site is about good vibes. I don’t see any negativity in it at all.
Thanks for the support Fellas!
Gotta say I agree with Derek, I’ve enjoyed the site and never understood that people equate speed of travel with lack of appreciation for natural surroundings (comment #3) Moving efficiently through the mountains allows more, not less, opportunity to appreciate the natural splendor
I’ve been waiting for someone to chime in about RS’ blog style! I find this discussion, on both sides, extremely ridiculous.
It’s easy to see that Randosteve, RS, is a bit full of himself and his accomplishments. However, it seems to me that he has accomplished substantial and notable feats in the ski mountaineering world. Not that others have not….RS just chooses to share his passion on his PERSONAL website and blog.
I don’t agree with the way RS goes about his blogs either but I’m not gonna let it bother me….At least he keeps it in his own forum that HE pays for, instead of boasting on other large BC skiing forums.
To me, RS is a blooming ski mountaineer, maybe with a bit of the “I’m cool attitude”, that will be around making a statement in his arena for many years. Go RS! Get out there and keep kicking ass! AND, keep reporting your adventures however the fuck you want to! It’s not my style and obviously there are others out there that feel the same way but this is YOUR site and you can do things however you want….Oh, BTW, I’ll keep coming back! Maybe laughing a bit, but I’ll be checking in none-the-less and enjoying the pics and gathering beta for my next adventure.
If you don’t like it…GO AWAY!
what else can i say, really? I thought rando steve was one of us…you know…a good guy. someone who respected all forms of glisse alpinism as a brother and sisterhood of righteousness. i downloaded every form of photo and adventure blog i could find on your pages and actually studied them. Yes, STUDIED them. i wanted to read your words and be in your photos and, all of sudden, found myself immersed in your world. totally hooked. and then, that film. how childish. i know you’ve been under a lot of physical stress. climbing snow king each morning, thinking of other mountain ranges around the world. sorry, i’m getting a little caught up in this. what i meant to say at the start was…well…that i was living your life. climbing and skiing with you. and then you made that silly little jab at tele and i felt that we were, you know, split apart. much like a splitboard, only different–disconnected. another brother lost…so sorry for you rando steve. tele forever.
You guys are funny.
cheers to randosteve. bring on the claw to all fellow tele hippy dudes, to all those double pole planting, fanny pack, anaorak, OR overmitt wearing, gaiter cinching pinheads. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve been out on some sweet teton peak and then comes along a neat happy family of telefreaks, pulling out sprouted wheat bagels and baby carrots and talking about the latest squeal from Al Gore and something about the Environment. after all 7 of their dogs shit everywhere and they snap off a few super gay group photos, they hoot and holler their way down, criss-crossing their tracks and leave a patchwork of crater-sites and a few spare leash clips.
i hope someday we can all enjoy the mountains equally, until then i’m happy laying down the hip as i smear past a tele dope whose face planted in the “crud”.
telewarrior
Now that’s more the bro-bra that I know! 😉
so i gotta say, that little vid just really moved me, gave me something to hold onto in a time of great confusion in my soul. i gave up my hippie stix just recently. yeah, i was one of those tele girls. full of self riteous spirulina drinking female energy. i only skied with chicks, preferably with braids and hairy armpits, toting my tupperware full of steamed sweet potatoes to even the steepest of the steeps. now post 35, i am more grounded in myself, no longer need to get all girl power in my insular elitist little clit clicks. and fuck it, my knees hurt.
so i have discovered AT. i will herald it as my new form of self expression. a stronger, more stable me, with the tightest little package on the market. i will create a whole new level of elitism through this. since i have ‘been there, done that’ it gives me an extra level of riteousness. hell, i am even going to cut my hair and wax my bikini line for the first time in over a decade. AT has really stirred something within me, thank you for heralding in my new era. i just hope patagonia can make some new edgier more radical clothing to keep up with my new AT lifestyle.
Wow, nice one Steve.
You would think you were the one that had make “THE DARK SIDE” (Which is the best flim I have seen in ages!).
All you guys (telemarkers I am guessing) need to lighten up, learn to laught at your self. And if you are going to go on to a web site, read some bodys blog, and then attack them, at least leave your really name, don`t hide behide some fake web name. What your writing about Steve is alot wrose than any thing Steve has posted.
I still think your a good guy Steve, don`t change a thing about TetonAT.
Grant
The first time I meet Steve was in the mid 90’s. He was a liftie at the village. Steve was always smiling and joking with the skiers and riders. Steve never displayed a superior attitude. He’s a great skier who is sharing his love of the Tetons with the rest of the world.
As far as the movie goes…good stuff. Made me laugh. It’s a good thing to laugh at ones shortcomings. In fact, I hope you can post a movie spoofing alpine skiers, AT skiers, snowboarders, trail runners, mountain bikers, road cyclists, fly fishing, kayaking, and all forms of climbing. Did I forget anything?
Keep up the good work Steve!
Hey Steve,
Thought I would add my two cents. I ski the backcountry most every day. Lots of times it’s at our little local hill in shitty snow conditions, or dawn patrolling on work days while hiding from park rangers(no Dawn Patrol allowed). When I get home I check your site to see what you skied (love the pictures), and dream a little about the Tetons. Next year I’m leaving my firefighting job in Spokane to move back to the mountains. It’s guys like you keepin’ it real every day that inspire me to dream even when the dream means uprooting my family and leaving my comfortable salary and pension to start over again as a probie in a new department.
I go to Greg’s site too, for his epic 10k days. I love to hear how much vert you guys got, how long it took and even what your heart rate was. There are a few of us out here training hard for Randonee Racing and it’s good to read that others share the same sickness. I’ve picked up a few training tips and lots of inspiration from your site. I’ll bet you’ve inspired others to push their limits too, and maybe ski something steep or try a Rando Rally.
Keep skiin’ the good stuff and telling us about it!
Scott Coldiron
Scott Coldiron
hah- i am radder than you all so everyone go home, locals only and snowboarders suck.
Complex – panties bunched choking off o2?? For someone who asks Mr R to not take himself so seriously you sure took yourself seriously.
Nice posts Steve. Enjoy reading them
As a former tele zealot (class of ’78) I am enjoying the comments. Atarrior and teledeserter…you guys are a howl!!! I remember hiding the plastic alpine cuff modifications for my leather Asolos under my gaiters while riding the lifts in Sun Valley, ’81. We felt like outlaws.
Fix the heel, fix the problem. (uh, that’s a joke!)
BH
Steve,
This is frickin’ hilarious….still confused as to what set the negative folks off??
I posted a 28’34” up glory on Wednesday. Amazingly, despite hypoxic physical conditions, I do know that I was hiking up Glory and I even enjoyed the view from the top as well. Golly gee, the skiing was pretty fun too. Weird…
Complex, we know you are still reading this thread. Rough week at work?
Hammer Steve. Call me for Glory intervals.
Dan K
733-7004
Most excellent Steve! Keep it up (all of it).
Andrew
I thought you would approve…Thanks ATA!
Have fun skiing in Alberta!
We’re opening up a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan but it’s a little tough to find well…uh…you know but alot of you have the attitude we’re looking for…Ya’ll come join us.