Professionalism and Skiing -
Photo Courtesy of Steamboattoday.com
"You have to look professional" is a phrase I hear far too often when working as a Ski Instructor. I usually hear it from the older skiers I work with, or from the managers. I even had a veteran instructor once tell me flat out "We have to get you a real set of poles, yours don't look 'professional' enough" as I stood on the magic carpet teaching a group of first-time skiers.
Our mountain dress-code mandates that we wear our blue-jackets and black snow-pants. I understand the need for a 'uniform' to make us instructors identifiable from afar, but I feel a bright blue jacket with the mountain logo plastered across the back probably does that already. Somehow, if I want to wear neon yellow snow pants, it makes me less 'professional' or identifiable (despite neon yellow being far more eye catching than black).
My short park-poles also apparently make me less 'professional' than the other ski instructors, despite the fact that correctly sized poles are actually a hindrance for the type of skiing I do. No poles is ok, but god help you if you have ones that are 12 inches shorter than they should be. If I need to teach someone the proper use of poles, I will go and fetch my 'real' poles from the locker room, but considering 99% of the teaching I do is to people who cannot even stand on skis, the fact that I am leaning on shorties does not seem to be relevant to my level of 'Professionalism'. The 22 years of skiing experience and the fact that I work in the industry is what makes me a 'Professional'.
Now this post is not intended to be a bitch-fest at the mountain I work at. I love my mountain and love being an instructor, but it is something I see everywhere. Unless you are a professional racer or are being paid to ride the park, skiing is a hobby. It is something you do for fun. How much 'Professionalism' do you really want in the things you do for fun? When I am on the mountain, instructing or not, I am there to have fun. I want to be as far away from my professional life as possible. The same goes for any student I teach. They are there to learn something FUN. I would assume as well, that the top level ski racers and freestylers continue to do what they do because they love skiing. Why else would you risk your life doing something you don't need to do?
Now I have been toying with the idea of this post for awhile, but after watching the freestyle skiing in the Olympics over the past few days, I finally decided to write it up. The general media had a field day with ski-slopestyle. It was apparently completely shocking to both the announcers and the general public that there is more to skiing then Lycra skin suits and matching LL Bean snow suits. Even some Newschoolers expressed major displeasure in how 'Unprofessional' the freestyle skiers were. Take this for example-
"Nice and professional. That kid needs to grow up, for real. As much a I like Henrik. The kid needs to grow the fuck up, especially if he is going to be competing in the Olympics. He looks like a complete moron. With the dreads, and ass hanging out of his pants." - Speedin, - Ski Gabber NS forum
Would it have been more professional for the entire freestyle field to dress in speed suits like the aerialist and ski-jumpers so they look like giant flying sperms as they spun through the air? The fact is that most of the people in our (freestyle skiing) sport who are being paid to ski dress much more like Henrik than like Bode Miller. Somehow wearing baggy clothes in a sport that hinges around throwing your body over metal rails and off jumps makes you less professional. Skiing, in general, is not a 'professional' thing. Is this really what we are looking for when we talk about professionalism in skiing? How is this...
Photo Courtesy of Brittanica.com
...any more 'professional' looking than this, when you consider both are hobbies that we do for fun?
View attachment 576760
Photo Courtesy of Newschoolers.com - Skier Ian Adams
Frankly, when you compare the two, I personally think the Freestyle skier looks more 'professional'. If taken out of context, you would not give the freestyler a second thought, but would question the sanity of the racer wearing such a thing in public. Because the general public associates skiing with Lycra Skin suits and matching LL Bean snow suits, we, the freeskiers are considered 'Unprofessional' even though our clothing looks substantially more normal that a race suit. I am personally proud of every athlete in the Olympics who did not change their style because it was expected of them, particularly Henrik Harlaut. Without people like him, the general public would have never know that skiing has another, less 'professional' side. If you look at me when I am dressed in my park clothes and think that I am less 'professional' than you, I feel bad for you, as you are missing the point of skiing. Its not about professionalism, its about having fun.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, please let me know what you think! Do you agree? Disagree? Lets hear it fellow Newschoolers.
Photo Courtesy of Steamboattoday.com
"You have to look professional" is a phrase I hear far too often when working as a Ski Instructor. I usually hear it from the older skiers I work with, or from the managers. I even had a veteran instructor once tell me flat out "We have to get you a real set of poles, yours don't look 'professional' enough" as I stood on the magic carpet teaching a group of first-time skiers.
Our mountain dress-code mandates that we wear our blue-jackets and black snow-pants. I understand the need for a 'uniform' to make us instructors identifiable from afar, but I feel a bright blue jacket with the mountain logo plastered across the back probably does that already. Somehow, if I want to wear neon yellow snow pants, it makes me less 'professional' or identifiable (despite neon yellow being far more eye catching than black).
My short park-poles also apparently make me less 'professional' than the other ski instructors, despite the fact that correctly sized poles are actually a hindrance for the type of skiing I do. No poles is ok, but god help you if you have ones that are 12 inches shorter than they should be. If I need to teach someone the proper use of poles, I will go and fetch my 'real' poles from the locker room, but considering 99% of the teaching I do is to people who cannot even stand on skis, the fact that I am leaning on shorties does not seem to be relevant to my level of 'Professionalism'. The 22 years of skiing experience and the fact that I work in the industry is what makes me a 'Professional'.
Now this post is not intended to be a bitch-fest at the mountain I work at. I love my mountain and love being an instructor, but it is something I see everywhere. Unless you are a professional racer or are being paid to ride the park, skiing is a hobby. It is something you do for fun. How much 'Professionalism' do you really want in the things you do for fun? When I am on the mountain, instructing or not, I am there to have fun. I want to be as far away from my professional life as possible. The same goes for any student I teach. They are there to learn something FUN. I would assume as well, that the top level ski racers and freestylers continue to do what they do because they love skiing. Why else would you risk your life doing something you don't need to do?
Now I have been toying with the idea of this post for awhile, but after watching the freestyle skiing in the Olympics over the past few days, I finally decided to write it up. The general media had a field day with ski-slopestyle. It was apparently completely shocking to both the announcers and the general public that there is more to skiing then Lycra skin suits and matching LL Bean snow suits. Even some Newschoolers expressed major displeasure in how 'Unprofessional' the freestyle skiers were. Take this for example-
"Nice and professional. That kid needs to grow up, for real. As much a I like Henrik. The kid needs to grow the fuck up, especially if he is going to be competing in the Olympics. He looks like a complete moron. With the dreads, and ass hanging out of his pants." - Speedin, - Ski Gabber NS forum
Would it have been more professional for the entire freestyle field to dress in speed suits like the aerialist and ski-jumpers so they look like giant flying sperms as they spun through the air? The fact is that most of the people in our (freestyle skiing) sport who are being paid to ski dress much more like Henrik than like Bode Miller. Somehow wearing baggy clothes in a sport that hinges around throwing your body over metal rails and off jumps makes you less professional. Skiing, in general, is not a 'professional' thing. Is this really what we are looking for when we talk about professionalism in skiing? How is this...
Photo Courtesy of Brittanica.com
...any more 'professional' looking than this, when you consider both are hobbies that we do for fun?
View attachment 576760
Photo Courtesy of Newschoolers.com - Skier Ian Adams
Frankly, when you compare the two, I personally think the Freestyle skier looks more 'professional'. If taken out of context, you would not give the freestyler a second thought, but would question the sanity of the racer wearing such a thing in public. Because the general public associates skiing with Lycra Skin suits and matching LL Bean snow suits, we, the freeskiers are considered 'Unprofessional' even though our clothing looks substantially more normal that a race suit. I am personally proud of every athlete in the Olympics who did not change their style because it was expected of them, particularly Henrik Harlaut. Without people like him, the general public would have never know that skiing has another, less 'professional' side. If you look at me when I am dressed in my park clothes and think that I am less 'professional' than you, I feel bad for you, as you are missing the point of skiing. Its not about professionalism, its about having fun.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, please let me know what you think! Do you agree? Disagree? Lets hear it fellow Newschoolers.
