FIS SUCKS – an example brought to you by Ted Ligety.
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Baskilla
Member
FIrst off... I got 11th in the grand prix last year... 5th for Americans so there aren't that many people "above" me... look it up
Second of all... I have to pay membership fee's on top of entry fees to enter USSA comps. 200 for USSA, 100 for FIS, 175 per Grand Prix= $475Dew tour Qualifiers are $100 =$100 plain and simple
Yes everyone can live without drugs but this is a clear example of not being "free"Why if I am getting high two weeks before a comp in the middle of nowhere do I not deserve a place in finals or on the podium. Is there a reason why we have to be regulated against this?
Grand Prix Pays $10,000 to first place, Dew Tour is $15,000. That is a ton of money to the average skier/ me.
Olympic teams have to wear a team uniform and logos are restricted.
These are facts Chug...
Now my opinion... It is offensive when you say the people above me by the way... So are you above all of the skiers on this website and all of the skiers that are not on a FIS sanctioned team. Candide, Seth, Tanner will always be above you and they have no say in how FIS cooperates with "freesking".
When I talk about I am only in FIS for the almighty dollar I mean I see an opportunity to make money by placing well in these comps. I in no way think that staying away from weed and training in an icy halfpipe is fun or is what freeskiing is all about... I see it more of a job and That is why i said i am in FIS for $$$$$. If you think it is really fun to compete in FIS than you are crazy... and that is all good but i am entitled to my opinion.
I represent myself and that is all i speak for. I do believe that there are people out there that can agree with what I am saying here so I will keep my voice strong.
Second of all... I have to pay membership fee's on top of entry fees to enter USSA comps. 200 for USSA, 100 for FIS, 175 per Grand Prix= $475Dew tour Qualifiers are $100 =$100 plain and simple
Yes everyone can live without drugs but this is a clear example of not being "free"Why if I am getting high two weeks before a comp in the middle of nowhere do I not deserve a place in finals or on the podium. Is there a reason why we have to be regulated against this?
Grand Prix Pays $10,000 to first place, Dew Tour is $15,000. That is a ton of money to the average skier/ me.
Olympic teams have to wear a team uniform and logos are restricted.
These are facts Chug...
Now my opinion... It is offensive when you say the people above me by the way... So are you above all of the skiers on this website and all of the skiers that are not on a FIS sanctioned team. Candide, Seth, Tanner will always be above you and they have no say in how FIS cooperates with "freesking".
When I talk about I am only in FIS for the almighty dollar I mean I see an opportunity to make money by placing well in these comps. I in no way think that staying away from weed and training in an icy halfpipe is fun or is what freeskiing is all about... I see it more of a job and That is why i said i am in FIS for $$$$$. If you think it is really fun to compete in FIS than you are crazy... and that is all good but i am entitled to my opinion.
I represent myself and that is all i speak for. I do believe that there are people out there that can agree with what I am saying here so I will keep my voice strong.
Nadia.
Active member
On another note... "Ski Cross" used to be the dark horse of Ski Racing, where racers would go to get away from the spandex, the rules, regulations, teams, coaches, etc. There used to be 2 major thriving pro tours, the Honda Ski Tour (Jeep 48 straight) and the Saab/Salomon Crossmax series with multiple stops and large prize purses and other numerous one-off events and stops (tremblant spin fest). We used to wear the jerseys that were given to us and whatever pants we wanted, races involved concerts, parties and they were super fun and not at all rigid and as "straight edge" as racing was. The courses were always super fun and very innovative, full of big jumps and crazy features.
Boom, Ski-Cross gets in the Olympics. Number of FIS WC stops quadruples. Pro-circuit tours all die out. Spandex is brought back in. People now travel on teams with techs, rules, obligations and it's like alpine racing all over again. Now it seems most of the European Ski Cross races are all like Super G courses with pro bumps in the middle. It's like racing... with bumps. A far cry from the super fun featured courses on pro circuits. (For me, having to give up my snowmobile/pow skis was a deal breaker, and is now why I'm in the backcountry.)
Dahron Rahlves is trying to bring this sort of free spirited event back with the Bonzai tour. Props to him.
Point is, when they start silencing free speech and making it so athletes can't make a buck from headgear sponsors... something has to change.
If you think the rules on 15cm^2 goggle logos wont eventually apply to you, you're sorely mistaken.
Boom, Ski-Cross gets in the Olympics. Number of FIS WC stops quadruples. Pro-circuit tours all die out. Spandex is brought back in. People now travel on teams with techs, rules, obligations and it's like alpine racing all over again. Now it seems most of the European Ski Cross races are all like Super G courses with pro bumps in the middle. It's like racing... with bumps. A far cry from the super fun featured courses on pro circuits. (For me, having to give up my snowmobile/pow skis was a deal breaker, and is now why I'm in the backcountry.)
Dahron Rahlves is trying to bring this sort of free spirited event back with the Bonzai tour. Props to him.
Point is, when they start silencing free speech and making it so athletes can't make a buck from headgear sponsors... something has to change.
If you think the rules on 15cm^2 goggle logos wont eventually apply to you, you're sorely mistaken.
chugLIFE
Active member
Didn't realize "Baskilla" translated to Patrick Baskins haha. I mean no disrespect in anyway my man.
I'm not saying I'm "above" you in skiing, I wouldn't be on the national team if I was american. Seth, Candide, Seany P, etc are way above me and frankly the majority of people in skiing. But they are not involved in slope or pipe competition and the olymics will not affect there skiing in the slightest. And I know Sean doesn't care, he's one of my good friends,
If Tanner does decide to come back into pipe skiing (there were rumours of him wanting to go to the olympics) he most definitely will be someone they contact.
Perhaps I'm speaking to hard from Canada and what our country is doing rather than yours. Because CFSA is backing us hard and telling FIS what we are saying. It's not that slopestyle is being adopted, its collaborating.
I had fun competing at World Champs last year, didn't do very well but that was an FIS contest that was fun. Park City's set up was sick also.
My point about being in FIS for the money was that there is more money outside of FIS. You proved my point by saying that you have to pay $475 to do a Grand Prix, which I didn't know to be honest because I didn't have to pay anything to do World Champs and I've never done a Grand Prix because its always been pipe, but Dew tour pays $5000 more than grand prix for first, and they pay out to 25th, x games $15000 more for first. And I really hope you don't look at skiing as a job because it should never be that way.
Anyways, I understand you have your opinion and I have mine, and I am for sure the 1% at this time haha, I respect your voice, I just hope you can respect mine as well.
I did not mean to offend you in anyway, I apologize for that. People that are on the national team like Simon, Wallisch, Gus and those guys are having some input.
PS-Ffej, first off I miss you. Secondly, I know history is not on my side at all, I just want people to at least consider the option that they might not fuck us, and skiing isn't dead. I'm completely willing to accept the "I TOLD YOU SO" if that does happen, but I assure you my friends and I will not be involved if this is to happen.
Love always,
Chug
I'm not saying I'm "above" you in skiing, I wouldn't be on the national team if I was american. Seth, Candide, Seany P, etc are way above me and frankly the majority of people in skiing. But they are not involved in slope or pipe competition and the olymics will not affect there skiing in the slightest. And I know Sean doesn't care, he's one of my good friends,
If Tanner does decide to come back into pipe skiing (there were rumours of him wanting to go to the olympics) he most definitely will be someone they contact.
Perhaps I'm speaking to hard from Canada and what our country is doing rather than yours. Because CFSA is backing us hard and telling FIS what we are saying. It's not that slopestyle is being adopted, its collaborating.
I had fun competing at World Champs last year, didn't do very well but that was an FIS contest that was fun. Park City's set up was sick also.
My point about being in FIS for the money was that there is more money outside of FIS. You proved my point by saying that you have to pay $475 to do a Grand Prix, which I didn't know to be honest because I didn't have to pay anything to do World Champs and I've never done a Grand Prix because its always been pipe, but Dew tour pays $5000 more than grand prix for first, and they pay out to 25th, x games $15000 more for first. And I really hope you don't look at skiing as a job because it should never be that way.
Anyways, I understand you have your opinion and I have mine, and I am for sure the 1% at this time haha, I respect your voice, I just hope you can respect mine as well.
I did not mean to offend you in anyway, I apologize for that. People that are on the national team like Simon, Wallisch, Gus and those guys are having some input.
PS-Ffej, first off I miss you. Secondly, I know history is not on my side at all, I just want people to at least consider the option that they might not fuck us, and skiing isn't dead. I'm completely willing to accept the "I TOLD YOU SO" if that does happen, but I assure you my friends and I will not be involved if this is to happen.
Love always,
Chug
Yeah I don't think people are saying it's an absolute certainty, but stories like this increase anxieties about the internal machinations of that organization and what that could, potentially, lead to. Might it be all good? Sure. But the fears that it won't be aren't baseless. Nadia's point about ski cross is really pertinent here and because we don't necessarily pay very close attention to that side of the sport it's easy not to draw the parallels or even realize the problems that exist there.
As for whether people will stop being involved if stuff goes south, there are a few things with that. First, it'd likely be a game of inches. You'd have to be an idiot to resign in protest from your chance to ski for your country in the Olympics because of the size of logo that's allowed to be on your goggs, I think everyone would agree with that. But if it's one little thing, then another, then another, that's sort of a different situation than "FIS came in, changed everything and fucked up slopestyle in one fell swoop", it's a lot more insidious and people are more likely to accept the gradual change for the worse and be able to justify that. Human nature.
The other thing is, even in the worst case scenario where things go to hell and FIS ends up micromanaging everything and essentially removing the "free" from freeskiing, the olympics are a massive, massive boost for the sport. In the short term, the cash injection that will result will inevtiably trickle down into pockets like yours, and that's arguably the best part about this. People who have been doing this forever and have eeked out a living, or made it work by swinging a hammer in the summer months, whatever you have to do, might get into a position where they can be well supported and comfortable by skiing. That was already increasingly the case over the years but the Olympics is a great leap forward in that area rather than the gradual expansion that's been happening to date. I couldn't blame anyone, no matter what restrictive, stupid guidelines FIS put in place, for just putting up with them and going forward when that's where all the attention, and consequently the marketing dollars, are headed. Everybody's gotta eat. And even if a few athletes refuse to put up with the restrictions and rules, there will be other people who are willing to and will step in to fill those gaps. It's not like there's going to be a sport-wide athlete strike.
Anyway reasonable people are going to differ on this issue a lot, and people have different stakes in the game which will affect their perspectives. What it all comes down to is we'll pretty much have to wait and see because there's no turning back now. Throughout that process, though, it's crucial to keep this shit in mind, so that the same bad things that have happened to others don't happen again.
As for whether people will stop being involved if stuff goes south, there are a few things with that. First, it'd likely be a game of inches. You'd have to be an idiot to resign in protest from your chance to ski for your country in the Olympics because of the size of logo that's allowed to be on your goggs, I think everyone would agree with that. But if it's one little thing, then another, then another, that's sort of a different situation than "FIS came in, changed everything and fucked up slopestyle in one fell swoop", it's a lot more insidious and people are more likely to accept the gradual change for the worse and be able to justify that. Human nature.
The other thing is, even in the worst case scenario where things go to hell and FIS ends up micromanaging everything and essentially removing the "free" from freeskiing, the olympics are a massive, massive boost for the sport. In the short term, the cash injection that will result will inevtiably trickle down into pockets like yours, and that's arguably the best part about this. People who have been doing this forever and have eeked out a living, or made it work by swinging a hammer in the summer months, whatever you have to do, might get into a position where they can be well supported and comfortable by skiing. That was already increasingly the case over the years but the Olympics is a great leap forward in that area rather than the gradual expansion that's been happening to date. I couldn't blame anyone, no matter what restrictive, stupid guidelines FIS put in place, for just putting up with them and going forward when that's where all the attention, and consequently the marketing dollars, are headed. Everybody's gotta eat. And even if a few athletes refuse to put up with the restrictions and rules, there will be other people who are willing to and will step in to fill those gaps. It's not like there's going to be a sport-wide athlete strike.
Anyway reasonable people are going to differ on this issue a lot, and people have different stakes in the game which will affect their perspectives. What it all comes down to is we'll pretty much have to wait and see because there's no turning back now. Throughout that process, though, it's crucial to keep this shit in mind, so that the same bad things that have happened to others don't happen again.
Baskilla
Member
We all good Chug... I am defiantly part of the 99% and I am going to hold it down for all of the people who don't have a strong voice in FIS decisions. I do however feel like most of the 1% feels like the 99% percent has no idea what they are talking about when in fact there are some of us like me who could make it to the olympics and could help change the way skiing is involved in FIS.
Bottom line is I got to put my money where my mouth is and try to prove that the 99% can make an impact and hopefully make sure that freeskiing isn't taken over by people in a whole other world. My main point is freeskiing will inevitably change when FIS get's more involved and judging by history, I have a feeling like WE are all going to be bossed around in one way or another and in my opinion that is not what freeskiing is about.
See ya'll in Copper. ONELOVE
Bottom line is I got to put my money where my mouth is and try to prove that the 99% can make an impact and hopefully make sure that freeskiing isn't taken over by people in a whole other world. My main point is freeskiing will inevitably change when FIS get's more involved and judging by history, I have a feeling like WE are all going to be bossed around in one way or another and in my opinion that is not what freeskiing is about.
See ya'll in Copper. ONELOVE
onenerdykid
Active member
Turns out, it is not- Ted is faster on the new FIS skis.
http://www.skinet.com/ski/article/more-fun-ted-and-fis
In fact, (despite what he claimed early on) most of the world's top racers have been in favor of the change since the beginning (alot of female racers already made the switch because the skis are easier to control). Especially our racers, since they were faster too so I'm not sure what Ted is saying concerning Atomic... Anyhoo, fun new development.
http://www.skinet.com/ski/article/more-fun-ted-and-fis
In fact, (despite what he claimed early on) most of the world's top racers have been in favor of the change since the beginning (alot of female racers already made the switch because the skis are easier to control). Especially our racers, since they were faster too so I'm not sure what Ted is saying concerning Atomic... Anyhoo, fun new development.
I_liketobutter
Active member
Not to mention the 17-18yo that are trying to qualify for FIS races regionally are fucked. Maybe not so much in the mountains, but try turning a 195 35m ski at a 300-450ft vertical hill in minnnesota at 17 years old. When i was qualifying for FIS back in high school the rule was 180 an 21m. Me being a skinnier guy, 140lbs at 17, it was incredibly tough to turn a ski of that size on such a small hill. Once I got up to speed it was fine, but the first 1/3 of the course was stupid. Guess who always won the GS races? the guys who were 3" taller and 30lbs heavier than me. Now with this new ski? good luck trying to make a decent turn. I feel sorry for the kids that are going to have to deal with this.
I don't understand how you can say OK, 165 and 12m is fine for slalom and then for GS you jump to 195 and 35m? Yes the guys are a little faster on them, but it teaches poor form and a more aggressive/less safe style of skiing
I don't understand how you can say OK, 165 and 12m is fine for slalom and then for GS you jump to 195 and 35m? Yes the guys are a little faster on them, but it teaches poor form and a more aggressive/less safe style of skiing
KillaSeason
Active member
hahaha yea andy!!
Totes_Magotes
Active member
Don't worry guys, you can just join the Bomb Squad... It's FIS legal!
