Just got banned from a hiking forum for asking about trail closures

I was planning a trip up to Mount Whitney next month, so I posted in this big hiking forum asking if anyone knew which trails were still closed after the winter snowpack. Some mod said my question was "spreading unnecessary panic" about trail conditions and deleted it. I tried to explain I just wanted to plan ahead, but they perma-banned me within 10 minutes. Has anyone else run into mods that are that touchy about basic questions?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverhill1mo ago

That mod sounds like they've got some weird personal hang-up about people asking about conditions. Idk maybe they think any mention of closures reflects badly on the trail or something, but that's just ridiculous for a hiking forum. The whole point of those spaces is to share practical info, especially for a spike like Whitney where snow can hang around way into summer. They could've just posted a sticky thread about current closures instead of banning people for asking normal planning questions.

ryang651mo ago

Man I gotta admit, you totally changed my view on this. I used to think mods were just being strict for good reason on those forums. But you're right, banning people for asking about conditions is just WEIRD on a hiking forum. The whole point is to share real info about things like snowpack on Whitney or trail closures in the Sierra. A sticky thread would fix all of this overnight. Now I'm wondering what else that mod is sensitive about.