It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post.
Register to become a member today!
How do I know when I've actually failed at making it in the ski community? At what age should you just give up the dream of becoming someone people will look up to in terms of skiing? Should I even bother to continue filming or competing?
BrendanBusato11How do I know when I've actually failed at making it in the ski community? At what age should you just give up the dream of becoming someone people will look up to in terms of skiing? Should I even bother to continue filming or competing?
Skiing isn't something we do for other people. We do it because we love it and it's something that's important to us all. Skiing should never be about trying to impress other people. If you ski to do that then you need to go back to your roots in skiing and assess why you ski? Try to inspire yourself and then you might find that you inspire others too. And being a ski bum may not be glamorous but there is no way to live that is more true to yourself than that.
CabbyArrantSkiing isn't something we do for other people. We do it because we love it and it's something that's important to us all. Skiing should never be about trying to impress other people. If you ski to do that then you need to go back to your roots in skiing and assess why you ski? Try to inspire yourself and then you might find that you inspire others too. And being a ski bum may not be glamorous but there is no way to live that is more true to yourself than that.
This exactly
Op if you're just skiing to become someone that other skiers look up to, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Skiing is about having fun, having the time of your life for the 7 hours that you're on the hill. Some of the people that i look up to the most in skiing aren't even that good, but when i see them, i see how stoked they are and their stoke is contagious. i'd much rather look back on my skiing career and realize that yeah maybe i wasn't that good but that i had the most fun out of anyone else on the mountain. I would hate looking back on my skiing career and realize that i didn't have fun at all because skiing should be fun, so when you're not having fun on the hill anymore, there's something wrong
well first of all this is kind of a ridiculous question in the sense that in this day in age, unless you are sending doubles by the time your 16 you will likely never truly make it in skiing ie. make a shit ton of money off it. With that being said, if you just want to make an impact by in the sport by dropping video parts you will likely never truly "make it" in a traditional sense as in not having to work a summer job of sorts unless you are the styyy lord. So, if your getting real good at shredding and the industry fails to recognize, odds are you will be in it for your own reasons at that point aside from money or recognition. You'll likely see skiing as a great form of addrenaline, creative expression and love the lifestyle to much to just "give up". I think kids have these grand dreams of making it, and then along the way somewhere realize it isnt about making it, but rather traveling the country with your best homies, having fun and absurd times, struggling to get the shot, seeing reward, and the satisfaction of seeing your skiing progress and watching your own visions for the sport be met as you get better through the years. In a sense the journey is the reward as corny as that sounds.
Emma_Watsonits not about having people to look up at you, its about looking down at them.
Interesting, I think underneath it all, we are the one energy and looking up or down disrupts that flow. It's a trap if you're really bad or good and have people then perceive you as up/down and you then accept that illusion as truth in terms of self-worth.
BUT, if you want some straight answers to the question rather than fluff, I would give up as "making it" as soon as you stop significantly improving and the joy leaves you on the whole across an entire season. "Significantly" is the key word here.. it's subjective.
You may also make it as a 32 year old or more.. the turtle can beat the hare.. as other people stop improving or get injured or uninterested. Danny Davis won his first x_games medal in 2014 at 26 with a gold in superpipe.. and interestingly that's with a spinal fusion.
Also, I wouldn't limit yourself to park skiing.
Try to find complimentary activities like trampolining but only if you enjoy that a lot or are captivated by it.
You could also give up when there's something you want to do a lot more than skiing. But rather than give up, just have a rest.
Also, do not gauge yourself within the context of other people until you reach your peak, but rather where you are versus where you think you can get to.. so try to determine when and how long it will take to get to your peak, and only then compare that peak to the competition. If you are sub-standard, then you might want to think about giving up if you want to be very cold-hearted about it.
I gave up on making is when I was 19 and started to understand that there is no such thing as making it. At least not as I perceived. Now I'm 24 and I feel like I've made it because I have found likeminded individuals who will travel and film with me, offer couches to sleep on, invite me along even tho my ability falls far short of theirs'. To sum it up I've made friends, my best friends, and that's what making it in skiing really is.
CabbyArrantSkiing isn't something we do for other people. We do it because we love it and it's something that's important to us all. Skiing should never be about trying to impress other people. If you ski to do that then you need to go back to your roots in skiing and assess why you ski? Try to inspire yourself and then you might find that you inspire others too. And being a ski bum may not be glamorous but there is no way to live that is more true to yourself than that.
If your one goal in skiing is to "make-it" you'll never make it. You can become better and better, more popular and well known, but you'll never make it. If your one goal is to make it, you'll never be satisfied with your level of skiing ability or popularity. You'll always be in search of the next best thing to the point where skiing won't be satisfying anymore. After that point, you'll stop trying on skiing because it's not enjoyable anymore because you were so focused on making it big time but you felt that you didn't make the cut you put on yourself which will lead to you feeling even less satisfied with skiing. It's based off the same idea business men typically have about becoming very wealthy and working their lives towards that goal of wealth. They'll always want to be a little richer and almost never satisfied with what they have/what they've done.
Don't ski to make it, ski because it's fun and you really enjoy it.
I know I'll never ever be pro but that doesn't matter to me. It's all about passion for the sport. I get just as stoked when I land something easy like a back 2 out as when I land something a bit harder like an invert. It's all about loving being on the mountain and finding joy in everything you do on the mountain. Don't worry about being pro, worry about having the best time you can when you're on your skis.
HC__skierInteresting, I think underneath it all, we are the one energy and looking up or down disrupts that flow. It's a trap if you're really bad or good and have people then perceive you as up/down and you then accept that illusion as truth in terms of self-worth.
Holy shit dud it all makes sense I'll never look at the sport the same way again thank you for altering my selfish and bigoted perception of reality!
making it in the ski industry is an oxy moron, the industry that barely exists is owned by a small amount of corporate companies. these companies make money from freestyle skiing and scough at the idea of giving back to the community. vail resorts caters to rich people and hates "park rats"... k2 sports owns line skis... the few professional skiers, that are not ski bums have professional coaching and agents, yes real hollywood agents landing them real contracts outside of skiing.
"I have a dream",
where All the kids that started the movement will take back the sport, the next generation supporting the core generation of skiers and the business they forged from the floor of their ski vans.... if you want to make it in this industry, you must make the industry!!!!
support J skis !
support Wizard WAX and Andy Parry!
Support Corey Vanular/superproof and Ahmet / LAFA, support your favorite riders as they drop these solo video projects!
maybe someday there will a scene that OP could give up on trying to be a part of...
swisscheeseHoly shit dud it all makes sense I'll never look at the sport the same way again thank you for altering my selfish and bigoted perception of reality!
Yeah man.
"Never stop exploring and do all to support one's innate gaiety."
I kinda have the same feeling about ski racing. I've been in the gates since before I could talk and I got pretty damn good at it but I'm starting to ask myself if it's worth all the money when clearly I'm not good enough for the USST. I could maybe use it for a college scholarship but I'm just not as stoked on speed suits as I used to be.
BrendanBusato11How do I know when I've actually failed at making it in the ski community? At what age should you just give up the dream of becoming someone people will look up to in terms of skiing? Should I even bother to continue filming or competing?
Who ever said you need to be an athlete to make it in the industry?
the.wenchI kinda have the same feeling about ski racing. I've been in the gates since before I could talk and I got pretty damn good at it but I'm starting to ask myself if it's worth all the money when clearly I'm not good enough for the USST. I could maybe use it for a college scholarship but I'm just not as stoked on speed suits as I used to be.
Would you give up the spandex tho? Maybe you could still wear it freeskiing and change your username to SpandexTugger or Spandex4Eva!!
Why would you want to "make it"? Honestly there are so many little skittle thugs with GoPros around throwing edits on here, Vimo, and YouTube....I don't think the world needs anymore.
Just fucking love skiing. Honestly I look at all these edits and academy programs and private clubs and it just gets me down. That is what is killing skiing. Just have fun.
He may be better off playing basketball, tennis or bowling all winter, or whatever activity will get him what he wants. Skiing might just be a distraction in that respect.
Also, to think how many skiers commit to spandex never to win anything nor have fun. They should've been doing something else.
hoodcrewwell first of all this is kind of a ridiculous question in the sense that in this day in age, unless you are sending doubles by the time your 16 you will likely never truly make it in skiing ie. make a shit ton of money off it. With that being said, if you just want to make an impact by in the sport by dropping video parts you will likely never truly "make it" in a traditional sense as in not having to work a summer job of sorts unless you are the styyy lord. So, if your getting real good at shredding and the industry fails to recognize, odds are you will be in it for your own reasons at that point aside from money or recognition. You'll likely see skiing as a great form of addrenaline, creative expression and love the lifestyle to much to just "give up". I think kids have these grand dreams of making it, and then along the way somewhere realize it isnt about making it, but rather traveling the country with your best homies, having fun and absurd times, struggling to get the shot, seeing reward, and the satisfaction of seeing your skiing progress and watching your own visions for the sport be met as you get better through the years. In a sense the journey is the reward as corny as that sounds.
Im 16 and can dub (claim) and I still don't think I will "make it"
Man, making it doesn't matter for shit. It's about following the dream. Not to be cliche. I'm never going to make it as a jazz pianist. But it's fun as fuck to go around and play gigs with people, stay with people and do random crazy shit. Same goes for skiing. I'll never do a triple or a double. But I get to live my life and do it with some really cool people. That's what drives me. Not the idea that I need to get good at skiing to get money, but to ski and have a fuckiing good time doing it. If I'm meant to make it I will if not we'll..I'm skiing. There's nothing I'd rather be doing than eating some shitty Taco Bell at 7 in the morning driving up to the mountain with the homeboys talking shit and driving fast. Then getting to the hill and spraying snowboarders doing stupid looking tricks and finding stupid shit to do. That's what it's all about imo.
Passion is what fuels the fire yo, saying shit like that tells me you aren't that passionate about skiiing anymore and I thought that was the sole reason why we are all here in the first place, regardless of our skill level.
IMO Making it in skiing isn't about trying to make money or seeing yourself in big competitions. Its about finding what style of skiing makes you get stoked the most. If that means putting all your efforts into being a comp skier and hitting x games by age 24 then then thats dope. If it means finding a group of homies thats down to film and travel all winter then more power to ya. If it means working full time all summer to ski all winter then thats tight. If it just means skiing with your buddies at your home mountain and having the time of your life, then you go do that. Do whatever the fuck you want, cause thats what freeskiing is all about.
swisscheeseHoly shit dud it all makes sense I'll never look at the sport the same way again thank you for altering my selfish and bigoted perception of reality!
His Buddhist Zen Chi transcends skiing my friend. You're just a plebian struggling to understand the essence of God, that we all call righteous powder dumping JAH
CabbyArrantSkiing isn't something we do for other people. We do it because we love it and it's something that's important to us all. Skiing should never be about trying to impress other people. If you ski to do that then you need to go back to your roots in skiing and assess why you ski? Try to inspire yourself and then you might find that you inspire others too. And being a ski bum may not be glamorous but there is no way to live that is more true to yourself than that.
Nailed it! Can't agree more! Just stop doing it when you realized that you really don't love it.
hoodcrewwell first of all this is kind of a ridiculous question in the sense that in this day in age, unless you are sending doubles by the time your 16 you will likely never truly make it in skiing ie. make a shit ton of money off it. With that being said, if you just want to make an impact by in the sport by dropping video parts you will likely never truly "make it" in a traditional sense as in not having to work a summer job of sorts unless you are the styyy lord. So, if your getting real good at shredding and the industry fails to recognize, odds are you will be in it for your own reasons at that point aside from money or recognition. You'll likely see skiing as a great form of addrenaline, creative expression and love the lifestyle to much to just "give up". I think kids have these grand dreams of making it, and then along the way somewhere realize it isnt about making it, but rather traveling the country with your best homies, having fun and absurd times, struggling to get the shot, seeing reward, and the satisfaction of seeing your skiing progress and watching your own visions for the sport be met as you get better through the years. In a sense the journey is the reward as corny as that sounds.
Ski with people better than you if you want to improve and make yourself keep up with them.
Anyone who "makes" it in the traditional sense as a free skiier is an athlete talented enough to get a d1 scholarship in a team sport (baseball, hockey, football not something like track) AND would be better at gymnastics than all the asian kids in their high school.
If you aren't better at gymnastics than the kids on your high school gymnastics team and better at basketball/football than most of the kids on varsity you aren't anywhere near a good enough athlete to ever get sponsored enjoy yourself and don't get hurt trying to do something stupidly dangerous because you think it will lead to money and getting paid to ski.
You people need to understand this was a general question that I actually wanted to know. I wanted to see what people think is the right age or time to quit looking at skiing as a career and more as a passion. I am currently a broke 17 year old high school student with one small town ski shop sponsor and a small hookup with line skis (not much but I'm still internally grateful for) who has been working his ass of since he was 12 years old just so he can ski because he can't get any financial help from his parents like a lot of other kids. I've done everything in my power to try and come up with edits and the money to keep trying to compete because overall I just like to compete and film so I can look back one day and remember the great times. I like to keep trying. Since day one skiing has meant much more to me than just trying make money and wanting people to look up to me. For me it's the only time I can achieve peace in this fucked up world. It's the only time anything makes sense. So please understand that
As alot of people already said your reasons for wanting to make it are completly wrong. The main reason why I would like to "make it" is that i could be skiing full time and do the thing in life wich satisfies me the most.
BrendanBusato11How do I know when I've actually failed at making it in the ski community? At what age should you just give up the dream of becoming someone people will look up to in terms of skiing? Should I even bother to continue filming or competing?
This was really not worded properly. Do know I am a very broke 17 year old coming out of high school was has been working his ass off to compete and film because he has never had financial help from his parents because they are broke too. I just wanted people's opinions on should I continue to pursue skiing as a career or just pursue it more of a passion than I ever have. Skiing means way more to me than just making it. It's the only time I've ever able to achieve peace in this fucked up world. So please take my apology and understand what I'm saying
BrendanBusato11This was really not worded properly. Do know I am a very broke 17 year old coming out of high school was has been working his ass off to compete and film because he has never had financial help from his parents because they are broke too. I just wanted people's opinions on should I continue to pursue skiing as a career or just pursue it more of a passion than I ever have. Skiing means way more to me than just making it. It's the only time I've ever able to achieve peace in this fucked up world. So please take my apology and understand what I'm saying
Even if you do go pro, VERY few people make a career out of skiing. For most pros, skiing isn't their source of income.
For a long time I compared myself to others. I competed in a few USASA events when I was younger and got mediocre results, but after awhile I realized that skiing is my own thing. And that if I make my skiing as individualized as possible I'd have way more fun, and become successful in my own right.
Its a creative outlet and something that makes me ridiculously happy.
I've also realized that skiing is something that I enjoy sharing with others, and that sharing my passion for the sport makes me love skiing even more.
When I coach I get to see kids get stoked on learning everything from a rail slide to a 720.
I think about how stoked I was when I was their age, and its an inexplicable feeling to be able to help spark someones love for the sport and get them going own their own journey.
