If you can’t stand the heat, it would be best if you didn’t post your opinion in public. It’s cowardly to post an opinion piece and not allow others to voice their opinion. Especially when you describe yourself as “wildly opinionated.” I compare it to a drive-by shooting. Poke someone in the eye with a stick and run away.
Phil Tomlinson. Self-described as “Grumpy, cantankerous, wildly opinionated and so much more!”
In my recent update, I referenced an article, brought to my attention by a reader named Jake. Riding with the fat bike liberation front posted by Phil Tomlinson. Jake suggested we should all read the article.
The post contains numerous inaccuracies, distortions and falsehoods which my readers obviously started pointing out to the author in his comment section.
The author of the article has deleted the comments which were posted, and disallowed any new comments.
It’s easy to dismiss others by calling their comments hateful. I call it a disagreement that should be open to discussion. Through all the fat bike controversy on here, I never deleted one comment, and there have been dozens. Many of the comments have offered insight and remedies to the conflict. Every comment is a reflection upon the commenter, and readers can decide if it’s credible.
As always, I have no issue with fat bikers unless they are damaging the trail or creating a dangerous situation. I’ve been proactive in creating situations where fat bikers and skiers can safely share trails and the new grooming configuration on Goat Creek is a good example of that.
If you are one of the people who voiced your opinion and had it deleted, you are free to submit your comment here.
I think Skier Bob is amazing. He has created a network to share stories, trail reports and information about the wilderness we all should love, protect and experience. I don’t know much about Fat Biking but I do know that a entry level Fat Bike runs about $1200. This seems like a lot compared to my $150 skies, $100 boots and $20 poles that I have had for almost a decade with minimal maintenance.
Love the outdoors and take care of it! And share POSITIVE tales of your times. Thanks Skier Bob for your dedication to all of this.
Very well said Katie. Thank for providing reason and perspective.
Signed,
All season bicyclist, nordic & DH skier, backpacker, snowshoer, canoeist, swimmer, woodsman…
(Editor’s note: “Thu Madre” is actually Corey Kruchkowski, the fat biker who was leading the group in the Blueberry Hill escapade. He’s posting under a different name for some reason.)
I don’t blame Phil T for disabling commentary. Skier Bob has proven to be a ingracious and wrathful cyberbully and a divisive force, and enabling comments only allows more of his vitriol to be spilled upon the world.
The generally white and elitist sport of cross country skiing is dying. That is a fact and it is IMHO due to a combination of global warming and an evolving diverse population very concerned about sustainability. People likely dont want to participate in sports that require a massive grooming machine to trundle across the landscape, but prefer human power instead.
Thu
I’m letting you spill your vitriol and gratuitous insults because it shows everyone who you are. I have enough self-esteem to let the readers decide if your comment is credible. You should follow the advice of your friend Phil and do “more hugs, less hate.” By the way, fat bikers want groomed trails, too. -Bob
Did you take the time to read the statistics file? Perhaps you are either an English major who can’t count, or a Math major who can’t read?
The number of XC skiers in 2014-15 was about 1.2 million, up about 0.3% from 2011 (but down from 2012 and 2013). That was slightly more than the number of snow boarders in Canada.
How many million fat bikers are there?
So, XC skiing is elitist because it needs grooming? Geez, I guess the times that I have summited Castle Mountain, or Snow Dome on skis don’t count as skiing? Perhaps you feel that there was not enough exercise involved and that I should have dragged a bike up there?
You’re telling us that fat bikers are going to ski up a winter trail that has not been groomed? Oh, I want to see that.
“The generally white and elitist sport of cross country skiing”
Wow, what a moronic thing to say. Go (bleep!) yourself.
Rick, this poster’s only purpose was to sow discontent. And to think that he claims that Bob’s comments are filled with vitriol. It’s more than irony. I suspect their this person is neither in the ski or biking community. Again, so ironic because many of us love both activities.
Bravo to the way Bob has kept his discourse polite and courteous.
I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did – I actually am more sympathetic towards the fat bikers than many. I thought Calgary Cycle responded beautifully and it should have been left at left. But I have no patience for the idiotic diversity white privilege garbage.
I had thought your comment was spot on -)
Hello Bob Just want to say thanks for this website and all your efforts. We appreciate the time you generously give to updates pertaining to trail information. We are looking forward to running into you on the trails this winter.
Joanne and Allan
Regina
Your opinion will change very rapidly Bob, when an injury will occur and the consequences will drag for months; the 2 activities are simply not compatible, besides, there is plenty of areas where mountain biking is taking place in the summer and it would be quite obvious that the same trails be dedicated to fat biking and not to x-country skiing.
Would the High Rockies Trail through Peter Lougheed Park be a good example of a summer trail that should be dedicated to fat bikers in the winter?
Phil Tomlinson is a master of deflection and obfuscation. By promoting illegal activity, he damages the reputation of the fat bike community and I’m not impressed. Nowhere does he mention the fat bikers were causing a dangerous situation on Blueberry Hill. Nowhere does he mention they were on the trail illegally. He’s upset that SkierBob posted photos of the fat bikers who were in a public location breaking the law. If you tried pointing this out to him, he runs away and hides by deleting and disabling comments.
Phil advocates for rule breaking by fat biking where it’s not allowed, yet he’s deleted comments on his blog because he doesn’t want to “promote civil discourse.” Hypocritical.
I love my skis and I love my mountain bike.
It was ‘quaint’ that the ACC climber got to play George Plimpton and go for a neat stealth fat bike night ride. But I question why, for the second half of his blog article, that he simply spouts the narrative of the original fat bikers on an issue which has already been dead and buried?
We’ve moved on. A bunch of adult bikers were parked across a hill on an XC ski trail where they were not allowed and they almost caused an XC skier (who is also an avid mountain biker, I may add) who was going downhill to have an accident. What could be more simple? This does not give them rights to a seat at some negotiating table. This does not give them the right to now police dangerous, speeding skiers and to comment wrongly on a skier’s ability level.
And for heavens sake, why should XC skiers, or anyone else, concede anything to fat bikers because of this incident where they were completely in the wrong?
Bikers, move on. You did wrong. Admit it and move forward.
Let’s all try to do the right thing next time and if we happen to do wrong, let’s own up, admit it, and apologize.
Now, let’s go out and enjoy the outdoors and all of those wonderful smiling faces, along with those cool owl feather markings in the snow!
“he simply spouts the narrative of the original fat bikers on an issue which has already been dead and buried?”
There’s something fishy about this. Fat bikers inviting a cross country skier to join them on an illegal ride? It’s clear there’s a lot more to this story which Phil isn’t telling us. I am guessing the fat bikers who were caught red-handed on Blueberry are his friends or relatives and he’s butt-hurt about them being caught.