Halfpipe Skiing Approved For 2014 Winter Olympics

I was stoked to comment in a 100% positive, with possibly one sarcastic near the top referencing 'training', then SAronson had to drop the F-Bomb.

I think this is a huge moment for the sport. No matter what happens, skiers have proved time and time again that we will break from the comp scene if it gets too outta hand. We will always be able to hike and shred however the fuck we want (i.e. nimbus). This is just gonna pump more support into the sport, and get the attention of masses. For me personally, it may only be one more exciting event on the TV once every four years. But you never know, my future offspring could make a daddy proud.

It's nice to have good news instead of reading about nuclear disasters and oil spills and shit!

This is great news! However, slopestyle needs more love....even on television, the events are almost always shown late at night on the east coast.

FUCK YEAH!

WERDDDD !!

congrats!

YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Its on Pipe Skiers!!!! Super fucking stoked!

YESSSS!!!!! Best news, great for the athletes and our sport!!!!

Now, Slopestyle just needs to get in...

dooooooppe!

Should be interesting...and to the Shaun White comment, don't all the NBA players play on the Olympic basketball teams? Aren't they pros? Also: hockey. A lot of the players are NHL or AHL players. All the pros are allowed so it's not gonna be a problem.

I'm super super stoked for our guys and girls to represent in the Olympics...

SOCHI isn't gonna come fast enough!

OOOHHHHH YYYEEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I, for one, am totally against pipe being in the Olympics

Of course, it will bring more exposure, and more money for the sport, but at what cost?

The FIS and IOC, as seen in moguls, have a nasty habit of regulating competition into oblivion. They will take out any incentives for style or progression, and it will be a case of spinning to win, and riders being forced to hit a set of judging criteria. For the IOC, objective judging is a lot more important, to protect its reputation for fairness. Which is why standardised, progression-less runs will become the norm.

Also, it now gives people an incentive to ski for money and fame, instead of skiing because they enjoy, or because it's a release. Sure, pro skiers need money, so they can keep competing and pushing the sport. But it saddens me to think that when I see kids in the pipe next, it will be because they want to be rich and famous, rather than because soaring out of that pipe is the greatest feeling in the world.

So excited for this, I think the world will be more impressed by skiing pipe than snowboarding pipe. This is great

history

to nickyp above me: when I watch skiing halfpipe right now it all seams very spin to win for me already. two or three doubles with 9's to 12's, all with amplitude needed to win a pro halfpipe comp... even slopestyle is spin to win. Actually, since I can remember, professional skiing has always been spin to win... have you ever heard of a big air comp where the winner didn't spin more than other competitors? I remember years ago I was in a big air competition where I knew the judges, and knew what they liked. It wasn't set judging criteria, but I knew that if I threw a grab that made my skis cross (mute, tail, etc) instead of grabs that didn't make them cross (japan, safety, etc) I would get a higher score because said judge didn't like the uncrossed grabs. Freeskiing is a judged sport, it always has been, always will be... the venue doesn't change that.

And as for the whole money argument... look at what's happened in snowboarding since they got into the Olympics... the backcountry and jib movement in snowboarding is bigger and better than ever, and had no slowing down at any point. Travis Rice and "Brain Farm", the Think Thank crew, endless crews of snowboarders pushing their niche because that's what snowboarding is to them. Do you really think Max Hill or the Traveling Circus will drop what they're doing and try to get into the Olympics because of money? Let's be honest here - if they wanted money, they would have gotten out of skiing years ago.

^How about its giving people the opportunity to achieve fame and fortune doing something they enjoy?

^that was directed at nickyp

Deep in our hearts, and when we are out there, freeskiing will always be freeskiing. If rules our made or added, then we'll just have to have some new skiiers, step up and break them. And as our Shane proved to us many times, breaking rules is awesome!

On that note, congrats to all our futur olympians! Riddle, Jbone, Marg, Im counting on you guys!

Drink the Koolaid, this is an amazing news for Freeskiing!

YES THIS IS SICK

THEY SHOULD PUT SLOPESTYLE IN ALSO

..bring in the moneyyy