Smuggs bans burton

WCAX channel 3 announced that Smuggler’s Notch has banned employees from riding the Love or Primo Line from Burton.   Go figure.

Smuggs in the mountain where I tend to ski.  I wonder what Stowe will do, or Sugarbush?  Hmmmm

Post Script on Burton Snowboards

I have been able to snag the photos of the new line of Burton Boards.

I got a bunch hits on the prior post, Boycott Burton Snowboards.  I also got some flack from Bub.

One reader is named Cortland. He was very upset with my opinion and used some pretty strong language.  Generally I would not have allowed the comment, but I thought it was pretty telling of the reactions, both positive and negative to this issue.

Bub generally edits most of my writing.  He is another set of eyes for my typos and a good sounding board.  His opinion was that the boards are perfectly fine and should be allowed to be sold and allowed on the mountains.  He feels that the market will sort itself out, and that if consumers find the boards distasteful, then they would not sell and that would be that.

My good friend Lili and I talked about freedom of speech yesterday and we both see the snowboards as crossing the line.

Here’s why.

In a museum, there are pieces of art that could be seen as objectionable or indecent.  However you pay to see the art and there is a reasonable expectation of mature content.   Also with movies, which have a rating system to inform the public of a reasonable expectation of the content being suitable for children, rated G or for Mature audience, rated R.  There are now qualifiers, such as rated R, ML (mature language).  You have a reasonable expectation of content.

We have obscenity laws so that the public has a reasonable expectation of behavior in parks and malls and markets.  If someone flashed you, then that is considered Lewd and Lascivious behavior.   But what happens if you are at a beach that is posted as a nude beach?  Then there is a reasonable expectation that you will see some skin.

You, as the public, have the right to subject yourself to mature content with a reasonable expectation that you will see some stuff that might be mature. And you have that choice.

You also have the right and a reasonable expectation to not be subjected to mature content in certain places.  Like Janet Jackson’s boob being flashed at the Superbowl several years ago.  It was reasonable to expect you would not see a bare breast at halftime.

So what is the reasonable expectation at the ski mountain?  Many of our local areas pitch family friendly areas.  There are areas that are reserved for expert skiers, and are labeled as such, with an expectation that the “rider” will make a reasonable choice as to if their skill level, not their maturity level.  Each year, skies go beyond their own common sense and ski beyond their ability level, ending up pretty hurt.

So there are areas that are marked for beginners.  Generally new skiers and young skiers are there.  Also some moms like me who love gentle slopes because of knees and age.  I don’t need to go fast or challenge the mountain anymore.  My boards used to be 195K2, back in the day when I could take a digger and not hurt for days.  I now have a nice short pair of shape skies and I like the green and blue trails on a sunny day, with fresh snow.

There are also areas specifically for snowboarders and access is all about skill level, not age.  You can be a top boarder at 15 and you can be a beginner at age 35.

Also the lifts are not always segregated.  There is almost always a beginner trial that is the complete length of the mountain.   A gentle rider that is often a mile long, prefect for riders like me.  I like the ride all the way up the mountain, and then a 20 minute ride down.

When you get on a lift, on a triple chair, it might be two skiers together and a single rider, perhaps a snowboarder.  There you are, on lift for sometimes 15 minutes.  The singles line sometimes goes faster then waiting for two other friends, so on a triple or quad, you will ride with a stranger.

There has been a reasonable expectation that skiing is a family activity.   Therefore, there is a reasonable expectation that boards and gear will not offend the average family rider.   These boards don’t offend me, but the concept does.

Burton is not in the business of selling art, they are in the business of selling boards and gear that is for snowboarders.  As a company, they help create the culture around their product.  They hire designers for this.  A board that pushes the envelope in construction design or graphics will sell well.  Burton is not stupid.  Look at the targeted audience.  Young teens and adults who live for pushing the envelope.

My objection is that Burton is hiding behind the concept of Artistic expression and free speech.  Marketing 101, skin sells products to males.  If there was a farting board, that would sell to young riders too, because bathroom humor is funny at that age.

The people that choose to spend $400.00 on these designs speak volumes about their maturity level.  They show others on the mountain their vision of women and self mutilation.  Much like  rider1 who commented with vulgarity about my prior posting.

I wonder if I will see one of these boards on the mountain this year.

Edit:  I removed Cortland’s email address on 11/02/08.   My buddy Lili sent me a view of what is stated when you leave a comment on this site.  It appears that WordPress clearly states when you leave a comment that your email address will not be published.   I clearly violated this rule and I apologize to my readers.   Thank you Lili for finding where WordPress stated that and sending me the link.

Boycott Burton Snowboards

Jake Burton Carpender is a local guy, living next door in Stowe.  I was introduced to him once, last year I think, by my neighbor who works as his wife’s personal assistant.  That is the extent that I know him.  He is better known as the founder of Burton snowboards and is a pretty big deal in the world of snow.   He has been a true benefactor to many community programs, including a youth program in Burlington Vt. that servers troubled youth.

This year the company has stepped the line. I can’t seem to snag the pictures of the boards, but the line called “love” is soft porn.  Old playboy pictures on the boards with nude white women.   Here is the tag line. I got this from an online snowboard dealer. http://www.tactics.com

Hi. My name is Love™ and I’m on the market for someone who’s looking to score serious action, no matter where they like to stick it. I enjoy laps through the park; long, hard grinds on my meaty Park Edges; followed by a good, hot waxing. Whether you’re hitting it from the front or the back, my mid wide shape, supple flex, and twin tips like it kinky. Keegan and Mikkel love riding me, I hope you will too.

There is a second line called Primo that has graphics of self mutilation.  Granted it is in a rough cartoon style, but mutilation is mutilation.  Not exactly an image that I want to see prior to going into the lodge for a nice lunch.

Burton has said that they will have the boards wrapped in the stores, as not to offend, and that they will only sell to patrons 18 and up.   WCAX is our local television station and I swiped this from them. http://www.wcax.com

Here is a statement about the boards issued by Burton CEO Laurent Potdevin:

“As a result of the opinions of an isolated group of individuals, we want to clarify where Burton stands on our board graphic artwork. We respect everyone’s right to his or her own opinion, and we also respect the right to protest. That said, here is our position: Burton supports freedom of artistic expression. Board graphics are artwork, and art can be offensive to some and inspiring to others. Snowboarding is a sport and a lifestyle where boundaries are pushed in terms of artwork, similar to the world of music, video games and movies. From Lange ski boot ads since the 1970’s featuring barely clothed women, to the Burton Love series, winter sports have a long history of tongue-in-cheek graphics and advertising. Our product development process is driven by riders, and when some of our pro riders asked for these graphics, we backed them. Burton is a global company, and these boards have been embraced and are a success around the world. We are not breaking any laws by creating these boards, and it is our sincere belief that these graphics do not condone or encourage violence towards women in any way.  Burton’s support of women, from entry level employees here in Burlington to our team riders on Olympic podiums, is unparalleled.  We, as a company, are immensely proud of our record here. We will keep these boards in the market and have no intention of recalling them. “

Well, using an image of a young woman as a sexual object sells products. It just does.  So lets call it for it really is.   Don’t call it freedom of artistic expression and hide behind who you are selling the boards to.   Professionals who actually make a living from riding a board are few and far between. Burton is targeting young mostly male adults.  Why would they pull a product that is potentially going to sell big.

There are several groups here in Vermont that have come out in protest to get the company to pull the boards. Ain’t going to happen.

So it seems to me, if you really want to make a change, then go after the ski mountains and see if you can get them to put a decency limit on boards.  After all, if I can’t legally ride a board naked in a public area, (which is a really terrible idea ) then the naked boards should not be allowed either.

Just a thought.

new born calf

Can you see her down in the pasture?  She was there when I returned home last night after work.  I had thrown some soft apples down there day before yesterday and perhaps she found them.  When I left the driveway yesterday morning, there was a truck parked down the hill, against our land and most likely  a hunter  scoping out our trails.  So far the doe and her little spikehorn buck are the only regular visitors.  You can take a doe with a bow right now.  Still rifle season is a bit off. http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/ Here is the link for the Hunting rules in Vt.

One of my  work companions is getting all geared up for Moose hunting soon.  He won the lottery for a permit this year and is planning a trip with his grandsons. He was just giddy about the whole thing.  We were driving around Vermont yesterday visiting with two different farms and Vermont has many winding roads, lined with beaver meadows and old pastures.  Perfect places for moose and deer.  We passed by a moose corssing, and there was the teltail sign of bits of moose poop on the side of the road.  For a moment I though my companion was going to stop the car and go tracking.

The proper ediquate to begin a  conversation about hunting with someone that you don’t know well is to ask “are you anti-hunting?” .  You really must get  good idea where the other person’s feeling and thoughs are if you want to maintain a decent working relationship.  Be careful if the person has a completely different take on hunting, or on politics, or religion.  These can be deal breakers.  But if you are of the same ilk, then by all means, a conversation about the upcoming season is a wonderful way to pass the time while traveling.

When we got to the farm, we were greeted with a newly born calf.  All the cows had come around to see and to circle around the wee one.  Mother is the one right about calf, but cow right in front was pretty interested in the whole thing. She hung around the longest as the bull calf took his first steps.

It is a bit difficult to get be born, then get up and walk.  But struggle it must if it wants to survive.  The genetic response of first steps are hardwired in this new creature.   Nursing is also an innate drive, rooting around trying to get the first warm sips of colostrum sometimes is confusing.  The new calf knows that the teat is somewhere, but sometimes gets the wrong end of the cow or and entirely misses which cow is his mother.

The general practice a dairy farm is to separate the calf from the cow in the first few hours.  Calves are raised up as replacer stock for the farm, if female.  If bulls, then they tend to be shipped to market shortly after birth.  On this farm, bull calves are shipped out on Mondays.    Separating is the rule, because the cow will have the most milk right after calving. This is the economic bottom line in farming.

My experience is with new lambs which I kept on their mothers and, as practice, didn’t wean.  The ewes knew when it was time to wean and kicked the 12 week old lambs off.   New mother’s don’t always know what to do with a new baby.   The mothering instinct does not always kick in right away, and lambs sometimes need a bit of help getting to the teat.  The mother sometimes needs to be penned up to let the lamb nurse.

With dairy cows that are not allowed to nurse, they also don’t see other cows nursing or with calves.  Separating the newborn from the mother is not as difficult as with sheep that have been allowed to nurse or ones that have bonded with the lamb.

For a moment, I felt a bit sad about the natural process of mother and calf being interrupted.  But then I pulled myself back to the reality of farming.  If I want to enjoy fresh local milk and I want to enjoy seeing the beautiful fields and farms in my state, then this is the way it is.

Nature is not kind.  Those animals that live freely around us, like the deer in our pasture, are free to starve in harsh winters and have a much higher death rate then livestock.  They face threats of hunters and predators, parasites and hunger. They too are beautiful to see and watch in the pasture.

Red Sox and horrible boyfriends.

The Sox lost last night, and they did what they often do. They dragged my heart and hope though the mud on the way out.  I was thrilled, but highly suspicious when they were in the league lead earlier in the season.  I was a bit disappointed that they blew their lead, but I am used to the disappointment, and so it somehow felt natural.

Kind of like a bad boyfriend that you are madly in love with, then you catch him cheating, then you are broken hearted, then you forgive him after he promises you that you are his only one, then you take him back and the whole cycle begins again.  But by the time you have figured this out, you are too damn old and wrinkly, and so you just put up with the disappointment.  Besides, the boy always begs for forgiveness and he has a ton of money.

The Sox are like that too.  They get your hopes up, win the wild card, they even win the first game of the series.  Then they loose.  And loose big.  So big that you don’t watch, what you think is the last game.  You can’t stand to watch it.  So you don’t watch, but the next morning fall in love again, because they came back from the abyss in grand fashion.  7 to 0 in the 7th inning, then little by little they rally, like a boyfriend begging for forgiveness, then they close the deal and win you heart with a 9th inning, 2 outs, homerun.

You are back in love and now can live for another game.  You are back on board telling everyone how much in love you are and how this time is different.

Oh, but they have to close the deal and actually win the pennant.

Then, you get ready for the big date.  You are waiting for them to show and slowly time ticks on and you realize that they are not going to deliver.  Even before the game is over you can tell that you are back there, having your heart dragged through the muck.  It makes you sick to your stomach.  You are so mad at yourself for thinking that this time could be different.

Then you realize that the Red Sox are the team that you hate to love.  It is true.  You suffer with the sox because, well, they are the Red Sox and you are a Red Sox fan, so that is the way it is.

you then turn your attention to other things.