Why isn't winning the AFP rankings a bigger deal?

S.J.WNearly every other sport, to be number one at the end of the year in the rankings is the end goal. And a much higher accomplishment than winning X Games or another comp. However, no one really cares about who wins the AFP ranking. Why is this?

Probably because of who is winning

Honestly though, it's because the rankings don't have real meaning. Skiing, overall, isn't a standings sport. It's an individual style and comp sport so nobody really cares about a point system accounting for an entire season. Example: Candide isn't even ranked but he's obviously obviously a better skier, has a bigger following, and puts out better content than pretty much everyone else.

p.s. y u change your name?

DeforestationProbably because of who is winning


Honestly though, it's because the rankings don't have real meaning. Skiing, overall, isn't a standings sport. It's an individual style and comp sport so nobody really cares about a point system accounting for an entire season. Example: Candide isn't even ranked but he's obviously obviously a better skier, has a bigger following, and puts out better content than pretty much everyone else.

p.s. y u change your name?

I get that skiing is an individual sport, and that applies to pretty much every other extreme sport. I don't follow skating, or BMX or any other extreme sports apart from surfing but watching the world title race is a lot more interesting than just watching a surf comp.

That's a good question. I think there is some truth to the fact that it hasn't been a big deal because it doesn't represent who skiers feel best skier in the sport.

I think there is little doubt that Gus is the best overall skier, but until this year he didn't have an X Games medal. Thus, the award kind of felt illegitimate. This year, however, I think he clearly deserves it. But consider 2012 when Wallisch won the Dew cup with 2 golds and a silver, X Games gold, Gran Prix gold and gold in other events. He was clearly the best skier in the world. I don't think anyone will ever have a season that dominant for a long time. Yet he wasn't the champion because he mainly participated in one discipline. I understand that overall means overall, but perception did not match up with reality.

In other sports, like surfing, there aren't multiple disciplines. As a result, the points more clearly align with the undeniable top athlete. As we've seen, in skiing, an athlete can sweep every major event in one discipline, and not win the overall. In every skier's mind, that's the best athlete, but the system doesn't reward that. There's clearly something broken.

Here's three things I think might make the AFP more relevant.

1. Find some way to incentivise all top athletes to compete in all major disciplines. Frankly, this will never happen since most top events are very limited (X Games invites only 12 male athletes to any one event, crowding out too many athletes). Who wants to train hard to come in 14th in one event and 2nd in another? Why not just train in one?

2. Create a new format that encompasses all disciplines into one competion, like Street League. Since few resorts will be able to build the course, you'd have to create a short series that only includes a few events with a limited number of athletes. The remaining traditional events would be a part of a promotion/relegation system. I think this might be to exclusive to work in skiing.

3. Instead of mandating a certain number of results of a certain discipline, count the top 5 or 6 results, regardless of whether it's pipe or slope, etc. Athletes, like Gus that compete in more top level events will still have more opportunities to get platinum results. This system will respect any athlete that had a historic season in any one discipline and thus be more relevant and legitimate.

What do you think would make the championship a bigger deal?

AdrenalineGarageBut consider 2012 when Wallisch won the Dew cup with 2 golds and a silver, X Games gold, Gran Prix gold and gold in other events. He was clearly the best skier in the world.

Just because you win comps doesnt make you best skier in the world.

veetuskagJust because you win comps doesnt make you best skier in the world.

True as fuck. AdrenalineGarage is seriously generalizing when he uses that phrase "bes skier in the world". For example, I seriously doubt that Gus... or even Tommy Walnuts for that matter could shred a line as well as half of the guys on the FWT, and nobody on the FWT could throw down in the park as well as either of them.

Then again, you have ski racers who are technically proficient up the ass and charge at 100+mph but most of them wouldn't be able to hit a rail (I'm oversimplifying here, I'm sure they ski enouh that most have hit the park up once or twice, but still).

Skiing is a multi-discipline sport so it's really almost impossible to label someone the "best skier in the world".

DeforestationSkiing is a multi-discipline sport so it's really almost impossible to label someone the "best skier in the world".

Unless you ball so hard (like Candide) that you can slay every facet of skiing just by thinking about trying it.

Dane Tudor also deserves more credit. The dude is an absolute beast.. no one gives him the credit he deserves for that switch triple off a normal jump at Breck(?) and he just slays and probably does alot of soul skiing which is why he doesn't release content, but really that guy is amazing.

In other sports I really don't see why rankings are a big deal. This is because rankings can be false. For example, if skier A does only one Comp and beats everyone by a huge margin but only does the one comp he's gonna have a low ranking. If skier B does mediocre at every possible comp he can do he's gonna have a higher ranking

I think that the only person who cares about this is Gus.

DeforestationI seriously doubt that Gus... or even Tommy Walnuts for that matter could shred a line as well as half of the guys on the FWT, and nobody on the FWT could throw down in the park as well as either of them.
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I'd like to argue the second point, look at bene mayr and fabio studer, both compete on the fwt, fabio got third at one this year. And then go watch passenger, or any of the legs of steel movies and tell me those two don't throw down in the park, bene was the one who the quad hype was all about in passenger.

Granted this has nothing to do with the thread, I just felt like calling you out because there are guys who absolutely destroy overall in big mountain and park.

TheWeazI'd like to argue the second point, look at bene mayr and fabio studer, both compete on the fwt, fabio got third at one this year. And then go watch passenger, or any of the legs of steel movies and tell me those two don't throw down in the park, bene was the one who the quad hype was all about in passenger.

Granted this has nothing to do with the thread, I just felt like calling you out because there are guys who absolutely destroy overall in big mountain and park.

That's the point. Skiing has so may specialties that it is impossible to say who the best over all is. You can have the fastest racer and you know that for a fact. Everything else is just judge preference. Its hard to get stoked for a comp that really is just a popularity contest. I got over that shit years ago.

Best two skiers- Candide and Tanner Hall they both are crazy and unbelievably good at every aspect of skiing. Look at Tanner he can ski in the pipe, park, free ride, pillows, ALASKA (where you really find out how good of a skier you really are) and id imagine he would be really good at racing or anything else. The whole rating with adding different disciplines is stupid though. There should be a ranking of every discipline to make it makes sense but either way in my opinion nobody can ski the entire mountain like Candide and T Hall.