Is big mountain underrated here in newschoolers?

I think its been trickling in with rapid pace for quite a while now. Looking at NS at a meta level, I've seen tonnes of pow/big mountain content flooding the site in increasing amounts. POD during the winter would turn into a pow fest any time there was solid dumps.

The idea that NS is only park rats is completely a perception thing. Here its just OK to talk about it, and thats the roots of the Newschool movement. Everyone is growing up and diversifying what they want to do, and as you said:

"Park skiing isn't just in the park. It's an extension of your game, a card in your deck to be played at a time when it's appropriate whether that's a park booter or a BC cliff huck."

I mean look at dudes like Sage. Dope tricks in the BC. Candide. Pollard. Pep.... list goes on. Not to mention that the guys like B&E are fucking around with it too.

Every skier eventually plays in the pow if they can access it.
 
I'am a skier who is far more motivated in the backcountry then i'am in the park. It's funny to read all the threads about backcountry stuff from people that are basically guessing. HuckNorris, there is more terrain out west for sure and accessibility is a bit easier because of the networks of logging and fire roads out this way. To say things are just off the road and a half hour to get to is just very far fetched though. I've been skiing and snowmobiling around the tahoe backcountry for 8 seasons and can assure you that unless you're talking about side country stuff off resorts you couldn't be more wrong. I couldn't tell you how many hours I've bushwhacked hiked snowmobiled and skinned to get to lines and either found it was more then I was looking for and not skiable because everything looks sick from the side of a road, not possible to get to the top, Avy conditions aren't right or we're exhausted and its dark. I don't think backcountry gets nearly the credit it deserves on the site unless it is a big name. I've also made a web inside series with friends that's focused around big mountain and or backcountry stuff and even with sick lines and good tricks off backcountry jumps or cliffs no one ever seems to care. Not that that's why we do it but it just doesn't get the same response as someone sliding some dumb flat bars at PC or Breck. That being said I wish there was more emphasize on the backcountry stuff. I've always wondered when they did the public vote for funding for a web inside not a single one I remember was backcountry based, no that's not ns's fault by any means but there is no way that'd make it up against a park rats edit. Maybe they should set up a contest for funding a bc series and a park series I'm not sure. Either way the demographic I think more so doesn't understand what's really going on in the backcountry, they don't realize that so many turns over exposure that you see aren't just casual turns they're moments of pucker worse then spinning over any 80+ foot jump, I've been there believe me. It's easy to watch things and say it looks easy because people are on skis going down a mountain and also I've seen quite a few lines that were terrifying when I skied them and so gratifying to get down safely yet on film it looks about as steep as an east coast blue square haha. Regardless and I think most people devoted to backcountry would agree that you don't do it for anyone but you and your friends sharing that experience together weather on film or not. Park or BC go out and have fun on your skis and don't hate on one another.
 
complete truth!

also i've missed your series but will definitely check the vids out. bc edits are so much more meaningful and fun to watch.
 
I think you may have mistook what I was getting at, and was by no means dogging Western BC. I actually spend a ton of $$$ getting out there as often as possible so trust me, I'm right there with ya on that one. I know exactly what you're talking about, I was just trying to outline the major differences in the types of terrain one normally could expect in the different environments to the fucking retards that think ECers are all out here slogging bushwhacks to ski a 200ft vert line, y'know?

I mean, I just went on a 2 week trip to the Wasatch and skied every single day- only touched lifts once. Every day was an average of 2-3 hour approaches and often the best line was the one the farthest out/hardest to get to- so be it. The west isn't easy, but it certainly is visible. That's what I was getting at. Most aren't really hidden at all, they're just hard/terrifying to get to.

I mean I've also never shimmied my toes across a ledge whilst gripping a cable for dear life and then scooched down a shark tooth ridge to get to a steep coolie in the east either but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth my time getting there. It's just a different world altogether and each has their own merits but all to often imo the East is overlooked because it isn't an open playground like you see int he movies- like many western mountain ranges have all over the place.

Certainly didn't mean to dog on the West though. Sorry if that's how that came across.
 
I can assure you that I for sure would not be skiing park if I lived out west.

Sure I ski park most of the time, but groomers out east just don't cut it for me and get boring quickly unless there is a good snow fall.

This is the mountain I had to ski at for two years, show me some backcountry lines.

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I agree with your post. But wasn't newschoolers original intention to cater to the park-skiing scene? From there newschool skiing evolved and changed the way skiers ski in the backcountry like you mentioned with Nimbus?

I'm all for big mountain discussions to take place on Newschoolers, until kids like Session out west start hating on kids out east for not being able to relate, and being too much of a "park rat".
 
Blackbird, it's not backcountry if it's on your resort at most people call that side country. You have to go looking for it and search out backcountry zones, get away from people that's what backcountry is. It's not getting off the lift and ducking a rope. I'am an east coast kid from new hampshire, i moved west to follow dreams of backcountry which i fulfill everyday in the winter but, there is plenty of backcountry in the east just different from the west totally. Watch a Meathead movie those guys inspire me out west from what they do out east.
 
I see what you mean with backcountry not being just unmarked trails at a resort. My plan is and always was to move out west to do some backcountry once I'm done my bachelor's (two more years). Good to hear someone has followed his dream.
 
big mountain is underrated on newschoolers cause it takes alot to make a good edit out of it. Takes lots of days to put an edit together. where in the park you can get all your shots in a day. Allowing the filmer many angels and creative shots. When your in the backcountry your just lucky if someone filming let alone trying to shoot some creative shit. There for you get tons of cool park edit and every now and then you see a creative bc edit but most of them are pov edited on imovie by ski bum who care about skiing more than filming. I live in alaska and bc ski all damn day, but most the time i'd rather watch a park edit cause they get creative shot.
 
Well when you live in place like Utah (sorry for the biased comparison) with both killer parks and unreal terrain, You really have to learn how to appreciate and love both aspects. I enjoy given' er on cruddies, chunder, pow, whatever just as much as I love hot laps with the crew in the park. And more importantly because its FREEskiing. I love the ability to ski where ever you want, and however you want.
 
what people don't understand is that if youve ever met tanner hall, he he left a lot of park to go to some BC/Big Mountain/Whatever and i think i could call him a newschooler. newschooling is much more than park. it just needs some more appreciacion or however you spell that shit.
 
and yeah i do ski a lotta park and mostly because i live in illinois. but when i ski west, i dont focus on park to much, just powpow
 
No - this would be a fucking atrocity if that is the direction it went in. Nothing drives me more insane than west coast skiers telling east coast park kids they aren't real skiers.

When you live somewhere with less than 800' of vertical, park is the absolute shit.

I simply think that there's a place for us to all expand our minds. WHen you say newschoolers original intention was to cater to park skiing - that is only partially true. Sure, Newschoolers and the whole newschool movement was built on a foundation of park skiing - but I don't think that it was about the park. The park was simply a great way to express that you wanted to break the competitive model that had become so prevalent in skiing. The park was freedom, where moguls and racing were the crushing prison of the man.

Big mountain is sweet, and there's always been a certain element of freedom there. Its part of it. However, the spirit of the hot dogging movement was lost for a bit there. Big mountain was about summiting crazy shit and doing lines.

The newschool movement is about freedom and being playful on your skis no matter what terrain it is that you have to play on.

 
I skid much more big mtn this year and it was amazing. The people are much better people and more chill. so fun to get out there and shred the Washington pow every weekend. crystal still going strong till June 16th
 
I whole heartily agree with what you said, and you said it well. I'll also admit my first post was a little bit of an outburst post, it does also drives me insane when west coast skiers tell east coast park skiers they aren't real skiers.
 
is it just me or hiking up scarier than actually skiing down. I just went to tucks this year (the only thing backcountry I have skied) and if I was leaning too far back I was going to roll to the bottom but on the decent on the way down I felt pretty comfortable.
 
Crampons and ice ax are a big part of climbing in conditions like that. Makes it way safer and easier.

That being said, I did not use either in that picture, and it was terrifying.
 
My park skis see far less mountain time than my other skis and that isn't going to change anytime soon. Much of my time spent on park skis is ripping groomers and finding fun shit to mess around on. I don't classify myself as a park skier at all either though. Than again, I've never really dedicated a lot of time in the park so my park skills are far from as good as some of the people on here. I'm not bashing on park skiers because watching the edits is one of my favorite things to do on here. It's just never really been my scene as much as other people. I guess hate me for it.

Park skiing was and will never be the reason I started skiing. I've always enjoyed the feeling of staring down a steep ass line and the openness and freedom I have to make my way down.

I would say 10% of my time is spent in the park on a box or just flying a few junps and that may even be a long stretch. I like finding that natural shit.

I am not a park rat, a big line chaser, a big mountain junkie. I am a skier.

Inb4 go to TGR.
 
oh please. we're lucky enough to be centrally located so that we can drive 2 hours to VT. there's your backcountry, and plenty of it mind you.
 


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Some of our frothy shredding might be considered big mountain, and I would consider us newschoolers
 
Nah i'm fine with my ski sundown, actually. Why go to Mount Snow for "backcountry"? If you're gonna drive that far you might as well go to Jay Peak.
 
"Nah i'm fine with my ski sundown, actually. Why go to Mount Snow for "backcountry"? If you're gonna drive that far you might as well go to Jay Peak."

Well for starters, BACKCOUNTRY SKIING ISN'T AT A FUCKING RESORT, YOU GODDAM ASSHAT.

Nobody is going to Mt. Snow for fucking backcountry skiing or it's surrounding environs for that matter. Also, Jay Peak is a good 4 hours from Mt. Snow ad there are literally thousands of runs between those locations. AND AGAIN, THERE IS NO BC AT A RESORT WHETHER IT'S MT BLOW OR JAY OR ANYTHING IN BETWEEN.

Basically I'm saying you're trying to shoot your mouth off about something you very clearly do not understand and you're acting like a prick when it's pointed out to you that you're a being a fucking idiot. It's one thing if you don't get it, that's fine- but if you don't get it and still attempt to talk down to others like you've got something to say well then fuck you in your ass with a flaming cactus covered in fire ants and angry bees you fucking shit-for-brains asshat retard.

Well, that and the fact that you're totally satisfied skiing Sundown... That alone screams breast feeder. If you'd like to continue to show us exactly how little you know- and how loudly you can yell it- then by all means continue, oh little french boy. Just give me a minute to pop some popcorn please.

 
so many people watch people ski big lines in the movies and think they can do it seeing that they are decent in the park but when you get on top of an actually big mountain line it gets the nerves goin
 
Well that's 100% flase. I did 7 days at tremblant before I moved so December an jan, and 5 of which I was skiing fresh snow. Tremblant has very legit sidecountry, no I will not take you, and touring of the mountain if you know where you going and have a car to drop on the highway....
 
hey guyz take it eazzyyyy east coast skiiers arent any less of a skiier than us they just arent skiing as big bc as west coasters!
 
I know i'll get ripped on for this post, especially since it is my first one.

Go over to TGR and read around. Everyone on NS hates on TGR but there is no denying that their community is full of people with a lot of true knowledge of the backcountry and some kick-ass skiers. Look over some TR's and see what backcountry skiing is all about. Check out the slide zone and become educated. If you really want to learn about the backcountry, it's a great place to start.
 
I have no stance on this argument that I feel like posting, but I'm gonna go ahead and stick this in my threads because some sick edits have been posted.
 
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