Well, not exactly a prophet, but Tanner Hall always seems to have a few words about the sport, and I finally gave him a listen. The guy makes a good point. Free skiing HAS changed, a lot, and maybe even in a negative way. All of the fun has taken out of competing and has been replaced with wanting to be better than everyone else. The seriousness of the sport has changed. As Tanner recalls "Laughing and cracking jokes atop the course while smoking a J" is now coaches, cameras, and ambassadors. Also I noticed an extreme decline in "style" with the professionals who compete. Now what is considered "stylish" is "flawlessness". There is no more afterbang or even single flips. We've been pushing the limits of skiing way too far. After seeing the Olympic course jumps I don't even want to see my self or younger brother (Who is a snowboarding prodigy) to ever reach that level. If you make a mistake at 45 feet in the air going about 40 mph, its just too big a risk. People focus far to much on rotation, revolution and basic grabs. When was the last time you saw a Cuban or Liu Kang in a competition? And what is with all of the coaching and training? Skiing is about doing what you love, and having a good laugh, and throwing some crazy shit with your friends. look, I'm not saying the change is all bad, its perfectly fine if you like the whole red bull "Bigger better faster" but there has came a point where the fun has been taken out of the sport, and we are willingly accepting this. Pretty soon the sport is going to be reaching for quads, and even maybe 5x flips, but there will come a point where "Skiing will not progress anymore, and we will be forced to move backward".
I don't get why people think that this is actually hurting the sport. Just because the comp scene has changed, doesn't mean that there aren't still lots of pros sticking to their style and putting out banger edits.
Other people doing quads and future spins does not have any impact on what you do on the hill. Ski how you want and disregard the spin to win movement.
cultraraI don't get why people think that this is actually hurting the sport. Just because the comp scene has changed, doesn't mean that there aren't still lots of pros sticking to their style and putting out banger edits.Other people doing quads and future spins does not have any impact on what you do on the hill. Ski how you want and disregard the spin to win movement.
Couldn't have said it better. If you don't like then kind of skiing in comps, then don't do it. Its that simple. Just ski however you want to. Thats what makes skiing so great.
cultraraI don't get why people think that this is actually hurting the sport. Just because the comp scene has changed, doesn't mean that there aren't still lots of pros sticking to their style and putting out banger edits.Other people doing quads and future spins does not have any impact on what you do on the hill. Ski how you want and disregard the spin to win movement.
NohaCouldn't have said it better. If you don't like then kind of skiing in comps, then don't do it. Its that simple. Just ski however you want to. Thats what makes skiing so great.
Totally this. I dont give a shit about the comp scene. I cant even say who won last years X-games slope.
The problem with this, is that in popular media all that gets attention is the competition aspect ( other than that one BBC article about urban) which propogates the wrong image of skiing. This doesn't affect us as much, but completely changes what skiing appears to be to people considering taking up the sport.
The great part of skiing is that you can do whatever the fuck you want. Like if you wanna go hard and train and compete and do robot dubs, you can do that!! If you want to nosebutter everything and never spin over 540 degrees, YOU CAN DO THAT TOO! Idk why people complain about how others choose to ski. It has no impact on you (or shouldn't at least)
Yes competition skiing has changed, just like any sport. Culture is never stagnent, you could argue that Tanner Hall had less fun than a Hot Dogger in the 70's but its irrelevant and impossible to say.
I'm not sure why you guys are all so worried about the development of comp skiing. There are multiple streams of skiing now, there is room for all. We have the Olympics, b&e invitational, and individual film projects. While the Olympics take the majority of the spot light it does not take away from the experience of the others.
The feeling I get from skiing now is no different than it was in 2006. I still have fun, I still want to improve and just because it is a formal sport doesn't mean I'll receive any less enjoyment.
Seriously,
What the fuck is so difficult to understand about this sport? It's like you've all created a catch 22 where FREEskiing is expected to be done in a certain way shape or form. Perhaps you all need to remember, that those guys out there hucking and stomping triples are having as much fun as the rest. If they werent enjoying themselves, and would find it more fun just to hotlap parks without coaches, then they would retreat from the comp scene wouldn't they?
There is clearly something to be said about this. The whole notion of free-skiing fits the current situation of the sport, perfectly. You have diversity. You have those who strive for perfection in technicality, those who strive for perfection in style, and those who ski because they can, and its a fun thing to do.
What anyone thinks about the sport, is, and only ever is, an opinion, and should be taken lightly by others.
So OP, Tanner Hall, The rest of fucking newschoolers, If you say skiing has to be/should be a certain way, then you are contradicting the sport, and therefore your skiing is not FREE
at the end of the day, i have fun skiing!
And personally, i love watching the pros throw down big! there are still plenty of stylish skiers out there who just film, and thats their decision.
The sport isnt exactly changing, there is just a new side to the sport in the new age competitions. Those athletes choose to go out and go big, and i respect that as its what they may enjoy! While other skiers dont enjoy that (E.g. P white) so he films stylish and fun videos.
Skiers should be able to do what that want without people having a cry about the sport 'changing'.
if someone enjoys comps and perfecting tricks, let them. Its not your place to tell them that what they are doing is bad or wrong for skiing. worry about yourself and just do what you love
cultraraI don't get why people think that this is actually hurting the sport. Just because the comp scene has changed, doesn't mean that there aren't still lots of pros sticking to their style and putting out banger edits.Other people doing quads and future spins does not have any impact on what you do on the hill. Ski how you want and disregard the spin to win movement.
Unfortunately my friend, it impacts people on the mountain. Winter olympics comes on and never before skiiers see wonderous triples done by gus abm bobby etc.. now they want to do triples and they want to join the sport, before you know it you have even more of a cluster fuck of wanna be park skiiers fucking up your good time. happened with surfing, and it will happen to skiing too.
sharkeishaUnfortunately my friend, it impacts people on the mountain. Winter olympics comes on and never before skiiers see wonderous triples done by gus abm bobby etc.. now they want to do triples and they want to join the sport, before you know it you have even more of a cluster fuck of wanna be park skiiers fucking up your good time. happened with surfing, and it will happen to skiing too.
Just so you know, You having your little cry about how people do triples isnt going to change the sport. so how about you go out and just ski for fun instead of worrying about bobby and gus changing your ideal skiing day of empty runs...
sharkeishaUnfortunately my friend, it impacts people on the mountain. Winter olympics comes on and never before skiiers see wonderous triples done by gus abm bobby etc.. now they want to do triples and they want to join the sport, before you know it you have even more of a cluster fuck of wanna be park skiiers fucking up your good time. happened with surfing, and it will happen to skiing too.
the problem in surfing is that there are few spots an lots of surfers, in skiing that is not a problem because if the snowparks get crowded as fuck you can still build your own stuff, hike into the backcountry or hit urban features where the amount of people will never be a problem.
sharkeishaUnfortunately my friend, it impacts people on the mountain. Winter olympics comes on and never before skiiers see wonderous triples done by gus abm bobby etc.. now they want to do triples and they want to join the sport, before you know it you have even more of a cluster fuck of wanna be park skiiers fucking up your good time. happened with surfing, and it will happen to skiing too.
Thats a good point, but I don't think thats going to impact me much as I ski mostly mid week.
I feel as if everyone should have the choice of how the participate in this sport. Whether your a pro throwing triples or just smoking a j with friends while hot lapping, you have a choice. The only thing I would like to do is play devils advocate... What about people like tanner who want to compete, but don't want it to be robot like. Maybe we should make a sub level of competition with like a max rotation or something of the sort. People like tanner are stuck between wanting to have fun but not spending hours on hours on beating others.
Just a suggestion. Maybe its time for this sport to make another change
Oh my god, how dare more people want to get into our great sport! How dare they inject money into our sport!
All of you bitching about numbers only contribute to the problem. Look at it this way, more people=more money. More money=bigger parks and also better technology and also more money for our athletes.
Hypothetically if we have 100,000 people who will join our sport next season, they all buy $400 boots, $500 skis, $250 bindings and $300 on outerwear that comes to a total of %145,000,000 into the skiing economy.
If 10% of said people buy a level 1 DVD and stept DVD both priced $2.99, that comes to a total of $29,900.
More people into our sport is a good thing. More money for parks, more money for RnD and more money for smaller film companies.
@nonymousSeriously,What the fuck is so difficult to understand about this sport? It's like you've all created a catch 22 where FREEskiing is expected to be done in a certain way shape or form. Perhaps you all need to remember, that those guys out there hucking and stomping triples are having as much fun as the rest. If they werent enjoying themselves, and would find it more fun just to hotlap parks without coaches, then they would retreat from the comp scene wouldn't they?
There is clearly something to be said about this. The whole notion of free-skiing fits the current situation of the sport, perfectly. You have diversity. You have those who strive for perfection in technicality, those who strive for perfection in style, and those who ski because they can, and its a fun thing to do.
What anyone thinks about the sport, is, and only ever is, an opinion, and should be taken lightly by others.
So OP, Tanner Hall, The rest of fucking newschoolers, If you say skiing has to be/should be a certain way, then you are contradicting the sport, and therefore your skiing is not FREE
This exactly.
Few things are funnier about NS culture than the dumbass kids who come on here and bitch about how comp skiing isn't freeskiing and shouldn't count, and ruins the sport, and how comp skiers don't follow the rules or ideals that they personally think freeskiing should have. As if the spirit of freeskiing is a strict definition of smoking weed and getting high all the time and anyone who doesn't do that is not a real freeskier because making the choice to have fun training and competing should not be allowed/goes against the spirit of a sport that preaches freedom of expression.
Vincent.CrudoAnd what is with all of the coaching and training?
I disagree that this is a bad thing, I'm a big mountain competitor and even if I wasn't, there is no harm done in getting help from successful others. my coaches, all successful competitors and all around professional skiers, they can give me tips on handle different types of conditions, how to look at terrain differently, stay within better control and approve my technique, mostly all so I don't fall and kill myself. like you said,
Vincent.CrudoIf you make a mistake at 45 feet in the air going about 40 mph, its just too big a risk.If you don't know how to fall in a circumstance like this, it is way to big of a risk no matter what, but if you can learn to pull yourself to land on a safer part of your body or on your feet than it helps a lot! I have blown my knees in the last 2 seasons and I have trained very very hard every summer so I can get out skiing the next season. and if I don't blow my knees this season, I am still gonna work all summer on my legs and body so I dont hurt my ligaments when I crash and my body can just take it. These guys are doing massive triples with lots of consequence, if they weren't training their bodies to do it, lots of these guys would be living really hard, shitty lives wishing they could still ski. Even tanner blew his knees and trained for years to be doing what he is right now, and even back in the day, I'm sure you've seen his tramp videos simulating a half pipe, tanner trains himself too! I agree it has become a lot different but Tanner too was wishing for himself to make it to the olympics, he thought it was crazy that it had finally made Olympics and he wanted to be a part of it, but when he didn't make the team he started badmouthing it. No disrespect to Tanner at all but he does talk a lot of shit about stuff that he truly would love to be a part of, just got unlucky with his circumstances.
And also.. I'm sure a lot of these guys would rather just hang out with all their friends and ski wherever they want whenever they want and ski how they want but, skiing is extremely fucking expensive, and if you want to do it for a living you need support and money to do it. Competing promotes big companies because its all over tv and the internet because it is all being filmed and people can go watch, and thats why these guys can ski (do what they want) for a living. No company will pay you to do fuck all for them, it sucks but makes complete sense, I think the sport is exactly where it needs to be to get enough recognition to keep these companies that w get all our shit from in buisness so that we can do what we want, it's all in a loop.
Eh. Skiing is never going to be the same as it was when he competed. End of story. It's not really any sort of wisdom to get overly nostalgic and talk shit about some of the most skilled skiers in the world.
Just relax, this direction of change isn't anything new and if you really love skiing things will be just fine.