David Wise (the Undude) - New York Times

Lol Spriggs gets all defensive when someone makes fun of him ... meanwhile he hates on a kid that is fucking badass in the pipe, and is actually being original just by being himself.

I guess you are pretty original too spriggs. I mean no one else seems to have that rasta thing going on....
 
"Wise is a gold-medal favorite, a two-planked version of the snowboarder Shaun White."

noooooo
 
Yeah you're really pushing the sport man...show me a trick you've tossed that's actually innovative. And rasta style eh...definitely a new one for the sport, no one is doing that...
 
when should i start? in 2005 , 07, 10, 12, 13? your ignorance must be bliss .. Im not gonna sit here and list my "innovative" tricks.... go watch my videos before you say some ignorant shit like that
 
Hahaha! Yeah every pro skier should have a personal style that no other pro skiers has.. Oh and yes they should change that style every few years because else it would get boring..
 
I mean....Spriggs isn't the greatest poster, but for real?

I'd say the dub rodeo 10 from Yeah Dude, what in '07? was pretty damn unique. Jon was doing 9's as was maybe Jacob, but I don't think anyone else was (probably some other rando Scandos) taking it to 10 and it looked fresh.

That first hit, dumb big backie into Corbett's was pretty fucking next level.
 
its tough to be "innovative" when your draggin around 2 ton balls.

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How are you gonna sit here and make fun of the big, bad boy, John Spriggs. Get a life, kid. You wish you were half the man he is... (pun intended)
 
I hate every one of your posts so much. No matter how great you think you are the way you THINK skiing "should be" is not what is it to someone else. You honestly look like a fool making fun of another athlete who like yourself is doing what he loves and trying to make a living off of it whether that be by competitions, filming or whatever. Wise is letting his skiing do the talking and while you are on NS making a straight fool of yourself.

 
Only in the park rat infested free skiing scene would kids like Nick Goepper and David Wise receive hate. It's un fucking real.

Sorry they aren't barking like dogs, wearing tall tees, and trying to be something they aren't…We all can't be delusional pieces of shit and wastes of life.
 
I don't understand the hate Goepper or Wise receive and I have immense respect for both of them, but theres no need to make a low blow at someone you have obviously never met. I'm pretty sure guys like Henrick are just as stoked on skiing and having fun as either of those two even though they have different approaches. If your going to make an attack at someone aim it at someone like Spriggs who despite being an awesome skier isn't able to comprehend that other people do things differently or have different goals in life.
 
I realize that people like Henrik and Spriggs are nice guys. However, I do not understand how that type of image is so accepted in the freeskiing scene and the image of a normal person is not. TIght clothes? JOCK! Isn't smoking weed in the woods and raging at Monster and Rockstar parties? PLAIN AS A RITZ CRACKER! Competing? BAD FOR THE SPORT OF SKIING!

Not to mention that people like T-Hall, Spriggs, and Henrik are the biggest hypocrites when it comes to the competitive scene since they were a huge driving factor within it at one point or another.

I just don't get why the big names in the freeskiing society just can't respect each other's goals and ambitions. Don't like the Olympics? Then don't give a shit about it and stick to skiing pow and pillows, no one is going to stop you from doing your thing. That's the beauty of skiing, you can turn it into whatever you want it to be. It can be your relaxation or it can be the outlet/sport that quenches your super competitive thirst. Either way, everyone needs to calm the fuck down and stop bitching, just ski.

 
well its because the image of a "normal person" is boring as hell. There are thousands of gym jocks in every other sport and they are all the same. I dont want to see an interview with one of those guys, Im much more entertained with someone who I can relate to who loves skiing, parties hard and generally doesnt give a fuck. I cant relate to Wise one bit, really the only thing that Goepper and I have in common is that we strap skis to our feet.

Saying Henrik is a hypocrite is also a bit ridiculous, I dont think he has ever voiced his opinion about anything to do with the olympics, comp scene, state of skiing etc. He sort of just skis and wins.
 
Sorry that certain people are too boring for you. That's just ridiculous reasoning in general right there.

Also, I was pushing the "hypocrite" point more towards T-Hall and Spriggs, but I've seen Henrik make fun of the whole Olympic scene a number of times.

And either way, David Wise and Goepper aren't even close to "gym jocks." Are you serious with that? Just shut the fuck up,you sound like an idiot.
 
Clearly you would probably be too boring of a person to be around if you feel the need to defend that 2x4 named David Wise.
 
IMO, i would much rather see an interview with tanner, ahmet, lafa etc. telling it how it is than GKen, bobby b, Geopper etc telling us all how they is stoked to be part of such a great team blah blah blah. Nothing against any of those guys. Everyone has their own way of doing things and thats fine.

Most people on here will prefer the, outspoken, in your face approach. However, to the general public, GKen and all the comp stars are be portrayed in a way in which they understand or "like every other high-level proffessional athlete. If we didnt have people like Kenworthy, Brown, Geopper, park skiing would not be nearly as popular as it is today.

TL;DR both "sides" need each other for the sport to grow and therefore more cash will flow to all.
 
I think what many people are thinking is that he is boring from a marketing standpoint. You have to stand out from the crowd at least a little bit, especially in an industry where everyone is trying to do the same stuff, in the same outfits, at the same place. While it's refreshing to see an interest piece on somebody who isnt a caricature of the unkempt, stony boardsport enthusiast, its pretty obvious why guys like Walter dont get more attention (from the looks of it, he probably wants it that way, anyways). But you dont have to be a dreaded kushbeast to be popular, just look at Jon (buy Jon has the whole billionaire playboy thing going for him) or Candide (all you have to do is stomp Chads at 16 and then go on to be one of the greatest to ever click in). Also, it would be interesting to see the division of opinions between those who ski for skiing, and those who ski (or everything but) for the image. Skiers appreciate skiers, stoners appreciate stoners. Now of course the two are not mutually exclusive and there is some overlap, but its easy to see how cliquey the industry is, even from a distance.
 
over the past year and a half I have become increasingly disillusioned- not by skiing but by the ski community and culture. I'm convinced that there is not a more vain, self-centered, egotistic pursuit than this niche of freeskiing.... hell, the whole concept of being filmed is about as vain as it gets. You'll get to a certain point in life where you realize that clothes, image, perceived style does not matter- I want to be around good, honest people- point blank... I don't care where they come from, and I now more than ever respect those people in this sport who embrace the same mindset. Spriggs is the man and Wise is a great guy, I don't see why both realms can't mutual coexist peacefully- while Spriggs skiing is by far more what I enjoy to watch, life is much bigger than skiing.
 
Eh, I don't fully agree. Sure, for some people being filmed is a vain experience because they like watching themselves do tricks. I know that there are a lot of those people in the game, and 99% of kids that get into it for that reason. I know that I did, but then you realize there's so much more to it than that. There's a whole mess of people that really truly don't do it to watch themselves. Personally, I get way more pumped watching people's shots that I was a part in helping them get. I've watched Will's PC part way more than any other part, and I can't even count how many times I've watched Wrecka's Sunny segment. I think that segment is almost a cult classic, it's completely timeless, and every time I watch it I feel a sense of fulfillment knowing that dude worked his ass off and I played a part in him getting the shots he was after whether it was pulling a bungee, filming a lock off, or providing moral support. I can't speak for a lot of people, but I lived my shots, so there's not a need to watch them. It's awesome seeing all of your work come together as a full piece, but after a few watches there's really no point in my opinion. I'm sure there's quite the contingent that feels the same. Save it for the grand kids.
 
yea, freeskiing needs a specific flavor or else its not free! everyone should ski more like me and less the way that they want to! and don't even get me started on how lame it is to have a family, and to support that family with skiing.

fuck off. the dude lives the lifestyle he wants to and has a blast doing it. if you have a problem with it, its your problem, and quite frankly, it sounds like something a 14 year old pot head would complain about.
 
yeah you're right Logan and that sweeping claim was more out of just being fuckin over people being shitty to other people in these threads. Like I was saying, I know what skiing I like and want to watch and it sure as shit isn't pipe, I just don't feel the need to bash people for not embracing what styles I enjoy the most. I know there are a lot of reasons people enjoy filming and I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love freezing my ass off and putting in work with my friends to see them do something cool- the work and reward that is a part of that process is one of the best feelings out there and familiarity with that process is why I appreciate your's, will's, dale's, wrecka's skiing that much more..... but on a very fundamental level there is an aspect of vanity and self-centeredness involved in filming skiiing, skating, whatever- not to say you guys embrace it, but I have seen athletes from all realms of skiiing obsess with how they look in shots and how personal they take making "such and such shot never see the light of day" because of how they look. From a basic perspective, what makes so and so think they what they are doing is worth being captured on film? clearly there is a little ego involved in the answer to that question.... and not to say I'm not a part of that either, because I am, it's just interesting to break it down to a fundamental level.
 
Skiing, as a whole has nothing to do with American values, irregardless of their distance in Km from the coast. Sweeping generalizations like the that are for close-minded idiots.

Telling an American that their country is fucked is like telling a devout Christian that they're religion is pointless. We're aware on some level, but I'm still going to berate you with my beliefs and ignore all your valid points.

I'd be pissed too if I were a skier living in the Bahamas... you stay mad over there, I'll ski all the pow here... okay? And if you're gonna be derogatory to my country, do it better, you coconut-scrambling, sand-dwellin, equator-loving, goombah.

 
I respect them for saying what they think, it's a good quality to have. However, I don't think that they deliver their message in the best context most of the time. Usually it involves bashing other aspects, companies, and athletes within their own sport, which is just fucking stupid and obnoxious.
 


This whole hate movement is only due to people hopping on the "anti-Olympic" bandwagon that began because of a select few within the industry. There are plenty of "plain jane personality" pro's out there (Candide, for one example, and I will name a shit ton of other skiers if need be) who are loved by the ski community. But enter David Wise and Nick Goepper into a park skiing scene that is already comprised of a shit ton of hate toward high levels of competition, and this is what happens.

Half of the kids on here saying that David Wise is boring and stupid:

a.) Do not know anything about him

b.) Have no idea why they are even hating and they just want to hop on the "FUCK THE OLYMPICS" bitching bandwagon.
 


Plain Jane? Let's not bring Candide into this. Just don't. Bad idea.

Olympics aside, I'm sure David Wise is a very down-to-earth person to hang out with, but absolutely nothing makes me excited about watching him when he skis. Like no feelings whatsoever good or bad. That is what's hurting him in my opinion.
 
I fucking love Candide. He's just a perfect example of someone who keeps to himself, does not flaunt anything, is not obnoxious, and is a man of few words who lets the skiing do the talking. You don't see him bashing other aspects of the industry or bitching about Olympics/triples/competition like the Level 1 kids do. Kids are hating on Wise because of his personality and how it's not crazy enough, I was simply offering an example of someone else who has a personality on the "drier" side. Don't make me out to be some anti-Candide guy here, chief.
 
i think what all the hate stems from is that wise seems to take skiing as a job, and nothing more. He gets up, goes to work, and comes home. A lot of us on this site live and breathe skiing, no matter what. It isn't our job, we aren't getting paid. A lot of pros are also like this, even though they are getting paid. It's almost like Wise hates skiing, but he makes money so he keeps doing it.
 
Agreed. Good elaboration.

And yes, straight up, the Olympics have turned quite a few guys into whiny little bitches that are focusing way too much on something that really doesn't involve them- while taking attention away from the things that make the current state of skiing so great. We need more Candide's, I'm just not sold that David Wise is one of them.
 
lets face it David Wise is great at pipe competing, but thats not all the sport is. I dont think all these pipe skiers deserve all the $$$ and sponsors because all they do is stay in the pipe. drop a fucking segment show us your personality, do something. he's fucking boring as fuck and probably doesnt sell one pair of skis for his sponsors.
 
the problem i have is "training"....if you're not skiing because its fun and its what you love, then why?

seems to me wise just wants a paycheck...not who i want representing the sport that truly is my life. "just tryin to make a buck then fuck this sport it isnt shit", thats the vibe i get

i dont want to see the same 6 tricks you(anyone) worked on all year, i dont care how dialed they are, you've just made skiing boring

then you have guys like Henrick who can spend a month in the midwest spreading stoke to randoms, then go to X and do the most mind-blowing big air trick ever...first fucking try. Guys like Tanner who pushed themselves and our sport simply for the love of skiing and because its fun to test your limits..if you hate on Tanner then you dont know him or what he's about

and no i dont get paid to ski, i work my ass off to ski as much as possible...because i love to ski.

and that is what i will do until my body can no longer ski, because i'll never love anything more

$0.02
 
It's possible to train for something AND enjoy it. It's also possible to find meaning in other parts of life, and still absolutely love skiing. Y'all are twisting what he said
 
I don't see how/why training implies a lack of love of the sport. If its a competitive sport (and not just skiing), any top athlete has to stay in good shape to be at the top of their game...on and off the "field". Henrick and Tanner train plenty too.

Imagine if someone said: if you're in the NFL and do anything other than straight up play football to train then you must not love the sport. That sounds retarded dosent it?

The bit about him wearing blacked out ski goggles and his ski boots in the basement seemed a bit odd to me tho.
 
but the difference i see is you train for football, but you just go skiing....there is a reason that the guys who've led our sport through the years aren't the guys that have limited themselves to just one tiny aspect of the sport. its because skiing makes you better at skiing faster than anything else...and all parts of skiing make you better in the other parts...you just cant tell me that one hit hiking the pipe for a week is making the most of your time..

this training mentality is more prevalent because of the olympics..thats no hate on the olympics, because fuck yeah for skiing....but if all you do is train pipe(and the way i took it, look down on the rest of us), then i barely even see you as a skier(let alone respect you as one).

i will say again, i love skiing(all of it) more than life...and i love skiers who are stoked skiing..

and i want the face of our sport to have the same mentality, regardless of who they are and what they do in their free time.

go TYW!!! i hope olympic pipe skiing doesnt become the undude show. i.e. "the flying tomato"..i want to watch an unbiased competition.
 
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