Skiing, and The Best Segment of This Year...

J.D.

J.D.

Active member
Staff member
I bet 10 people actually read this.

In light of recent discussions, I felt this thread was necessary. I'm not trying to be condescending here, but I really, honestly do think that a lot of the people on this site have lost their way. Sure, there used to be posts on here that would make you raise an eyebrow and wonder what the guy was thinking, but they were few and far between, and misinformed attitudes corrected... we all went on our way and the sport was as it should be, appreciating its different aspects and generally everybody pushing to get better, and have a good time doing it. But it's not that way anymore. So many kids these days are so worried about looking cool and making the sport the next hot thing to do, the next snowboarding or skateboarding or whatever, buying up the newest outerwear to look badass, picking up the image or riding style of their favourite X-games champ... and along the way, a lot of people have lost a feel for what skiing is supposed to be.

It's not about looking cool for the mainstream, or about being able to say "I'm a skier" and make that a legitimate way to impress people. It's not even about looking cool for ourselves, doing what the rest of the industry will think is awesome, because the more time passes, the more obvious it becomes that a lot of this industry is in it for the wrong reasons. It's not about "progressing the sport in the right direction" or "making skiing into this that or the other thing" or "moving towards this or that style". It's not about gaining legitimacy in the world of action sports. A lot of people seem to think that it is these things. No. It's about enjoying the sport for what it is. Skiing doesn't need to improve itself. Of course we all love to see new things, and to push new limits, but when you make that the focus of everything, you lose a lot of the point of taking part in the sport to begin with. Pro skiers have to look at it like a job, because that's what it is to them. But the rest of us shouldn't be taking it all so seriously. Of course this is going to work differently off the mountain; we'll all be concerned for the growth of the industry, the way new companies are going, what new gear is going to come out and all that... but once we're up on the snow, once you or anyone else is skiing, you need to leave all that behind and just ski.

And a lot of people seem to be having trouble doing that nowadays. They take their fashionista demeanor and their "you're gay you did a daffy" smug, superior "I ride with a crew of people who dress and think and ski exactly like me and we're all imitating someone else and we all think alike so you, the minority, must be wrong" attitudes to the hill.

And then we get people saying things like "Hucking backs and lincolns off cliffs is harming the sport." Of course it's not... it's that attitude, that "these tricks are old skool, and aren't cool anymore, so they shouldn't be in our videos, because it makes us look bad, and we want to be cool" way of looking at skiing that's hurting the sport. Almost anyone here will agree that they wish it wasn't the way it is in skiing right now. Well, then... stop making it the way it is. Wake up, realize that none of the things you're all so worried about, and appear to be getting increasingly worried about the worse the situation in the sport gets, really matters. All that matters is having a good time in the snow. Standing on a peak above a big sheet of fresh is the best feeling any one of us can ever experience. Skiing a new line clean and smooth, stomping some big trick you've never even tried before, just riding with people you know... it's not about showing off, looking good, or making the sport into something. It's about having fun and sharing in a mutual enjoyment of a sport that all of us love and none of us would be able to live without. Don't worry about making the sport worse. Don't worry about trying to make it better. Just enjoy it, and skiing will move in its own direction. Let everything else go, and go ski.

With that in mind, the best segment from ski movies this year is from UP1.2, the Alaska segment with Seth Morrison and JP Auclair. It's chapters 8-9 if you're looking for it.

Are there any 80 foot cliff hucks? No. Are there a bunch of gnar inverts? No. Are there any doublegrab switch 5s in the BC? No. Switch 10s in the park? No. Urban dfd switchups? None. And yet there is no segment in any movie this year that could make me want to ski more than this one. It's not about what these guys can do on skis. It's not, "Holy shit they're good, look at them show off their ridiculous talent"; we know Seth and JP are good at what they do. That's not what this part is about. It's not a competition, either; even though there are two guys sharing a segment there isn't any sense that we should be comparing them, like "JP is skiing way better than Seth here", or whatever. There's a good line in the second song of this 3-song seg where it focusses on JP's face and just says "Freedom is not competition". This segment is not about competition, pushing each other, or pushing the sport in any overt, obvious way. This segment is about freeskiing. This segment is about what skiing is all about: "Being friends and going out in the mountains, and having a great time", as Seth says. The commentary isn't pretentious, or boring, it's just how they see things... you almost don't want to call it "athlete commentary" like MSP does, it's just Seth and JP talking. The skiing isn't overblown, it isn't trying to be more than it really is, hell, both JP and Seth fall once or twice, and they aren't even necessarily spectacular bails, they just get up and keep skiing. The whole thing doesn't have that feel of, "Look what good skiers can do". It has the feel of, "Seth and JP went on a ski trip, and this is what it was like." And that's what skiing really is. Or what it should be, and can be, if you look at it a certain way. That's what I think, and as long as I can watch things like that, and think about how much fun it is to have days like that, I'll always want to be a skier. It's the exact thing that makes the sport so beyond anything else, so indescribably incredible, the way it makes you feel to just stand up there ready to drop into waist deep snow and charge... it's the closest thing I can think of to heaven, or nirvana, or whatever state of perfect bliss you can come up with.

I hope some of the people who've lost touch with that can find their way back to it. Because the moment you do is the moment you come back to truly appreciating skiing for what it is, instead of what you're trying to do with it.
 
and i didnt read that, like you said, but when it comes to best segment of the year, its all personal prefrence..... i hope you said that in your little writeup........
 
I expect a lot of these, which I guess is fine, it's just not really all that interesting and isn't really the point of the thread at all.

But if you want to post your favourite seg, feel free.

Sammy's skiing impressed me more than I thought it would.
 
ok, so i did read it, and i would like to say this..... i think if people want to showing off or look good let them, if people want to be cool, and wear what they want, let them.......
 
I couldn't stop them if I tried, and it would be stupid to... people are going to do what they want. I just think the way everyone's so upset with "what skiing has become" or the state of the sport, that leads to so many complaints and so much negativity, are really contributing to it in a lot of cases... I honestly believe if you stop trying to focus on things other than just having fun skiing when it comes to what goes down on the hill, you'll get a lot more enjoyment out of the sport.
 
but, people do what they want to have more fun, like your idea of having fun is probably very diffrent from a rich park rat that only skis every 3rd saturday at some east coast resort...... but if there having fun, and your having fun, you cant complain........
 
See I'm not sure they really do... I mean, some rich park rat weekend warrior probably isn't who I'm talking to here, because he probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about. But a lot of these people who seem to want to focus so much on their clothes or having the latest gear or pushing it to get that 450 on looking as steezy as possible ultimately don't seem to be having as much fun... they don't seem to be getting that feeling of complete contentment that washes over one when one is really in the right frame of mind on a good day with a couple of friends on the hill. And as a result, a lot of people aren't happy with the sport, it seems. There's a lot of complaining. And that just fuels more complaining, more worry, and more attempts to "make skiing better", when trying to "make it better" is what caused the problem in the first place. Skiing is already great. If it gets better, it'll happen, go ski and have fun and see if the sport "changes". But if you worry too much about it, you're just going to make it worse, the way so many people seem to feel it's been getting. And I'm not saying park skiing is the wrong way to go, you can definitely get in that same zone of pure good in the park, though I don't personally tend to as much. The problem seems to be rooted a lot in the park as to people worrying too much about what's "gay" and what's "cool" and what we "should be doing" in the sport. I've been guilty of it myself at times, and I was wrong when I thought that way.
 
I DID read what you said, and I DO agree with you completely. The best part of buying war was that I got UP1.2. I love how its not standard eye-candy segments and how it shows larger chunks of the trips these cats go on and what goes on as they do it.

I loved JP's and Seth's joint segment/ski trip thing. It was something I could identify with. Not that I've been Heli-skiing with a good buddy of mine, but that it is something I want to do, and can see myself doing soon. It was real skiing and it made me want to get up there. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy JPs regular segment in War, or didn't like Sammy's, or Jacob's, or Candide's or whatever, they were all sweet, but it just didn't do it for me as much as the JP/Seth trip.
 
good post j.d. i think you are mostly right. i do think that we should stop trying to be cool, stop trying to impress, and stop jumping on any bandwagons.

with that being said i think that if we become an individual sport where we hold out own and keep comming innovative then skiing has potential to be a really "cool" respected sport.

favorite seg of a movie this year- mike wilson in TBC
 
Hahaha, I know what you mean... I mean, how can you not love JP's segment? Sure it's full of backflips, bails, daffys and twister-twister-spreads, but let's face it, none of that it's just fun as hell to watch. UP1.2 kicks ass.

And that big backflip off the cliff JP skis away from is nasty.
 
I can't believe you of all people agreed with me... anyway, if it happens, it happens... that'd be cool. I just don't think we should be focussing on it as a goal, or trying as hard to get there as some people are right now, because it's taking all the fun out of skiing. And I like fun!
 
I think you easily just wrote the most intelligent piece in NS history. There is not one part of what you said that I disagree with. Our sport is turning into an image. I talk to kids younger than myself (I am 20) and all they can talk about is there clothes, what they are riding, and who is doing well in comps. I do not hate on them because it is there own decision to focus on those things. But, they are getting away from the true side of skiing, the pure love of the sport and your own...personal...fun!! I can say that every single day for myself on the slopes has been for my friends and I. We are getting the opportunity in this sport to see and experience things that most people will never get to. The best place on earth for me is on some lone peak with your friends just standing there in disbelief and silence of what is around you...But right after that is the single best feeling in the whorld. The knowing that the run you have coming up is going to amazing beyond belief. There no place I would rather be than that exact point.

But this place can be anywhere. In the east hittin' up some urban, dropping huge lines in AK, BC in BC, the Alps towering peaks or any park you can find around the world. We are all in this just to ski. Embrace the diversity of this sport and everyone who enjoys those facets. Stop the hate....we are all here to just have fun. Be different, don't follow trends, make someone say "Whoa what was that" from the chairlift, throw a huge spread eagle off a cliff....nothing says " HEY LOOK AT ME" like a spread eagle. All I trying to say is be individual and embrace this sport that we have blessed with. Pure Love.
 
i have a short attention span and i'm very very tired. i'll read it sometime.... ok who am i kidding, i'm never going to read it. i'm sure what you said was very classy and inspirational. so props. i gotta say gaginer's skiing never ceases to impress me
 
wow those were deffinately some powerful words from both yourself and ryan i cant help but feel that sometimes i fall victim to those stereotypes of kids just wanting the coolest gear but i mean who doesnt. I'm not saying thats what i'm about at all, its just everyone likes new schtuff haha. Anyways skiing is a beautiful sport and i think what you said is very true skiing is becoming just an image i mean everyone just wnats to copy tanner hall and simon dumont. Its getting to the point where people are no longer skiing for fun but for fame and glory. I am a ski instructor and i see tons of kids that are new to the sport. and with everynew skier i see that gleam in their eye, that gleam that we all had and many of us still have from just being out there skiing. Just being out there to ride the mountain. Just being out there to have fun. Since when has skiing become a sport that people do souly for popularity and fame we all talk about things selling out, well let me tell you this, as hard as this is to say, if thats the route skiing takes, i fear that this sport will become just as we have so gravely hoped for it not to be. I could not stand that, i will not stand and let the sport i love become a sellout to fame. Ask yourselves right now as you read this when you were younger did u start skiing so that you could be the next tanner hall, the next seth morrison, the next jp auclair, no. You started for the fun of it, the joy it brought you, you started for the love. So why let that die, why let the love fade. This is why hate on newschoolers saddens me soo much i see people hating each other for not being as good as the guys in the top films, or hating someone for not knowing something. Skiers have always been known as the nice guys, the sport of happiness, a sport filled with love. I would not only be shocked but very saddened if our image were to change. I am not saying that all people have lost that spark, that gleam in there eye. There are people out there just skiing to ski. Just skiing for fun. There are people out there who dont give a fuck about filming the just sit around a big fire and share their fondest memories of ski days that had passed long ago. I dont know about you but i know that i am gunna be one of those 60 yearold guys up at the hill with touring gear on my back skis on my feet and a smile on my face. I will be true to the sport for the rest of my life, and i will participate as long as my body allows me. My mind will forever been on skiing, as will my heart, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for as long as i live.
 
I've said it once and I'll say it again, enjoying the sport is all that should really matter to anyone, however that is manifested, is up to the person.

My favorite days up on the hill are when it's just be and a buddy touring the backcountry, getting on top of our line, looking at each other and not even having to say a word, just knowing what the other person is thinking. No cameras, no crowd, no spectators, no bullshit, no ego, just you and your buddy out skiing an untracked face, pure bliss.

Your rant reminds me of a friend of mine who is unbelieveably talented at park, he seems to enjoy himself the least of anyone in my crew because he is so damn hard on himself, because he wants to be the best and go pro. You can't really say what is the right or wrong reason for someone to strap on skis, but you can tell when people are doing it for reasons you do not agree with.

If I hear one more kid talk about sponsorship or "what my best trick is" I'm gonna start snowblading.

I'll admit I'm hard on myself from time to time if I'm skiing poorly, I know my enjoyment is related to my ability to ski somewhat, but theres a lot more than that for me in skiing. I've never found a sport quite like it and I'm not even sure one exists.
 
some of the best times i've had have just been out with one or two friends, just cruising, doing stupid little things, having a good time, and pushing each other to try new stuff that we normally wouldn't try on our own. that's what it should about, not caring about how you look, how other percieve you. and that's how it usually is in life, too.

take, for instance, this clothing company i started about a year ago (check out the link in my sig if you wanna take a look...i'm not whoring [ok, maybe a little], just making it an aside) with one of my best friends was to just see what we could do as artists and as individuals. we started out with just wanting to make some cool designs, to collaborate with each other and push each other to improve on whatever it is that we weren't too good at (i, for instance, suck at drawing. i'm a graphic artist/designer and i suck at drawing...go figure), but to not take it too seriously. in short, we started it out as an experiment. a year later, and we're so much farther than we ever imagined. this time last year, i didn't think we'd make it past the summer of 2005. but a couple of lucky breaks, a whole lot of work, and keeping the same attitude throughout has gotten us so much farther than we could have hoped. and what started out as an experiment is turning into a business and career choice for us. it's weird to say that, but what started out as a little test is turning into something that we are willing to invest a lot of time, effort, and money into, and we stand to lose a lot if we don't get it right (and very rarely are we going to get second chances, so it's gotta be perfect the first time...that's pressure). but that was never the point. it was never about looking cool or saying "hey i own a clothing company," (although i do drop that here and there now just cause i can) but it was always about just having fun, not taking ourselves too seriously, and to just go out and do what we do.

that's what everything, skiing included, should be about.
 
I dont know who has the best segment but I really like your new book. Actually no I dont and I will never read a thred that long ever.
 
very good points. and along the same lines, who gives a fuck if someone raced or is still racing just beause they want to learn how to ski better. seriously look at the pros they all got their start there, why is everyone who does racing hated on. i think it is because they think that racers are destroying the image of skiers, and that the only people that should be allowed to ski are the people that are "core." i say, if someone enjoys it, and does it for fun, who cares, let them. just dont diss on someone for doing something that you dont find fun or cool. as long as you are doing what you like and arent forcing your way on others i dont think anyone else should care what you do.
 
i honestly think that everyone already knew all of this, but thank your for spending your evening immortalizing these sentiments.

it is interesting that this is being discussed on a website that may have been instrumental in creating this current attitude.

maybe it is time that www.newschoolers.com is finally put down, laid to rest. i think that removing this parasite would allow a lot more energy to be focused on having fun on our skis.
 
Beside us in Russia Newschool will bad develop, and us much little, beside us more simply to get the sponsor and be considered one of the best skier in Russia... so move to us hahaha
 
UP1.2 is sweet. i like the 'raw seth' bit the most. you can smell the adrenaline. standing at the top of a sick line, especially when you've something planned...i'll pop some turns here and launch that...and anticipating the feeling of swimming in it is soooo good.

i like what you've written. but image has always been a huge part of skiing. since it has been marketable to the general population it has been an elitist sport. it was for the 'jet-set', the yuppies, the ones who could afford it- besides the 'core' locals and the few committed. 'seeming like you're' and 'actually being' committed says something about your life choices.

i commend anyone who is trying to progress- for whatever reasons- be it their snowplough or gates or blind switch ups. and the ones who dont want to risk anything (pussies) are probably having as much fun.

i have bought a new jacket for this season and cant wait to don it but thats not why i'm there, i'm there for the love of it. and there's a lot of love.
 
I think Im going to have to agree but also disagree.

I, for one, love skiing for what it is. I go out on the mountain and ski to enjoy myself, as well as to produce something, as well as to be with my friends etc. I am nto on the mountain thinking about seth morrison hucking backs off 80 foot cliffs and tanner hall doign switch 9s over chads gap.

However, when not on the mountain, or just in general. I think it is important for our professional athletes to be doing things in a progressive way, so that it keeps the sport alive first of all, and interesting, creative etc. I mean, we all watch ski movies, buy skis, ski, ski parks, ski lines, ski rails, buy clothing. So why wouldnt we care how these things are progressing?

I personally would like to see outerwear progress because I think that its a cool outlet for design, as well as just comfortable and nice to wear.

I would like to see big mountain, park, and handrail skiing progress because I watch ski movies, and would like to see something sick go down.

I would love to see ski movies in general progress artisitically and cinematographically, because I watch them , and love seen nicely made films, just like I enjoy watching hollywood movies.

I would like all these things and more, because they are growth in our sport. And that is more important than I think you gave credit.

But I do agree with you in the sense that all of that comes second to just a great day on the hill.
 
Best segment of this year has to be tanner hall in either TBC or PYB. Thats if we arent talking snowboarding. If so I have a very different view.
 
To tell someone that the progression of skiing isnt important is like saying that listening to music and hoping the next album yor favorite band comes out with is good, is wrong. People can take enjoyment out of things others have created.
 
Great stuff! JD

Ski Gabber hasnt seen a thread this good in a while.

Im skiing for the first time in 2 years since i bust my ACL. In Colorado with lane... Gonna be sweet!

YAAAAA
 
I agree with J.D, but I must say, that the kids "who only care about their equipments and learning that 450" and whatnot... they are obviously doing what is fun to them, and they wouldn't be doing it if they didn't think it was fun.

I agree though that it might be a little too focused on the non-skiing parts of the business.
 
The hype being generated by the members of the skiing community makes me ill. If skiing becomes the "next big thing," so be it. But the trendy, half-hearted bullshit that comes with it is completely unbareable.

Fuck the hype. Just ski.
 
to whoever talked about kids who talk bout their gear and what the pros are doing...well, it also gives you a common ground of conversation to start off...

Otherwise, all the reasons you pointed out seth and Jp's segment i think are the reasons why i like whiteshine so much. Its not so much about the individual, but a group of guys having fun skiing.
 
yeah I DID read it. I have alot of things to say about this and I read yours so read mine. Well first of all I totally agree with what your saying about the whole fun thing, If you watch 11th hour (big hit where I live) most of it is all about having fun especially the park city part. I love the whole atmosphere of just having fun and thats what I like to be like, if someone gives you a bad look in the park you smile and tell them happy birthday and then they realize being nice is the way to go.

On the other hand Its sooo much fun going to the park with the "I am going to learn new tricks today" feeling and I think its soo much fun having a day you are focusing towards progression. Thats where I think you went wrong because if I dream about skiing the next day in bed then I am dreaming about progresing and doing tricks that would be really cool or something and then I go to the mountain the next day and I try learning the tricks and I maybe land some and that would have to be the #1 best feeling and is soo fun to progress. If people have fun by proggressing like that then I think you are missing the point that people have fun how they have fun. and it just seems like your shutting people down by saying they shouldnt have a load of fun a certain way.

I mean I totally agree with you about the whole, material things (like outerwear) shouldnt make you happy. Also I totally agree with you about the what way is the sport going but its kinda kool thinking woah, I wonder what new park features and tricks will be in the movie this year. But who cares let people think what they wanna think.
 
I just thought of something else...

This blurb here isn't about me disliking park skiers (I ski park) and it's not about me telling you what is better. I'm just attempting to highlight some of the underlying reasons for the increasingly powerful hype machine gaining more and more control over the minds of the skiing community.

To me, the hype machine and the general decline of our sport that JD is referring to, has been created through the industry's efforts to popularize park and urban skiing.

The reason many of us agree with JD is because we've stood atop a peak or thrashed a line in waste deep powder. There are tons of "skiers" out there who have never even considered the backcountry/big mountain aspects of skiing. But that's where the soul of this sport lies--in the serenity of the mountains and in the peacefullness of a blanket of fresh snow.

The nature of that aspect of our sport is inherently prone to manifesting the very attributes and attitudes many of you in this thread hope to vanquish. It's new, it's hip, it's HYPE. It's a mimmicking of other action sports that exist in the realm of "cool" (i.e. snowboading, skating) and because of this, many members of our community are attempting to associate skiing with that life style, and if you look around this site, you can see that they are SUCCEEDING.

It's not that sliding a rail is wrong. Riding the park is not wrong. It's that the athletes who first started sliding rails have become "corrupted" through mainstream attention and corporate business practice and by associating ourselves as skiers with that movement, we immediately opened ourselves up to the same bullshit that goes along with those industries, the same bullshit many of you wish would be minimized.

If we push long enough on this path towards mainstream exposure, we'll get it. It's only a matter of time--it's already happening. If that's the direction you want the sport to go in, fine. I'm not going to fight it, it's a worthless battle because, in the end, skiing is about what you like to do.
 
Yea, you got a few good points in there. Im stuck looking cool in Frankfurt (moved for some good work) with some fresh gear but with no mountains. Now that really sucks man!

I guess i sold out. Still, a man's got to make some cash some day.
 
good thread, but as someone said before, the definition of "fun" for yourself is probably not the same as the guy who throws 450s with steeze.
 
first of all, jd's opening statement totally reminded me of that disney movie about the "soul skating" kids. it's not about the sponsors or the hype. it's realizing that, in our own terms, "skiing is what you do, not who you are."

on the other hand, money is the beast that fuels this industry. small companies in the ski industry can look at burton and their success with the mainstream market. who doesn't want to mimic that? larger corporations have just now realized what an untapped market freeskiing is and are pushing hard to expose and cater to it. all of this, no one can control. the only thing you can ever control is yourself and the decisions you make. do what you want not because someone tells you otherwise. this goes both ways. if people tell you to buy something cause it's hot shit or if someone tells you not to buy something because it's supporting the push towards mainstream it ultimately comes down to what you want. if you like something, just fucking buy it. i'd like to believe that the majority of people practice this. it's just the minority in this very tiny, yet ever growing, section of the snowsports industry that choose to voice it on ns.com.

the same goes for where on the mountain you choose to ski. yes, skiing in the park is fun and yes, skiing huge lines is just as fun. kids need to realize these differences and respect them instead of bashing them. leading by example is the first step.
 
I personally don't think it really is all that important at all when it comes down to it. It's always good to see new dimensions added to what skiers are doing, and we often see these things in ski movies. But I think we're way too caught up in making that what everything is all about. Last year I heard a lot of "Snowboarding kicked our ass this year, we need to step it up", as if there's some reason we should be worried that Rice can doublecork10 over pyramid. I just look at that and say "Good for him, that was sick"... not "our sport needs to keep up with that". I don't need ski movies to be defined in terms of how they push the boundaries of the sport. I don't need them to make me proud to be a skier, so that I can show them off to non-skiers and say "look what's happening in my sport, isn't that cool?" I just don't care. And what I'm trying to say, in large part, is that all of the focus towards "progression", which has become such a hollow cliched concept given how much it's been used in the past 5+ years, is really making the sport less fun, and in my mind, that translates to hurting it.

I know where you stand. If everyone skiied like Pep, and oozed style off everything they did, it would make you happier with where skiing is, and that's what you want to see. What I'm saying is sure, that might be cool if it ends up there, but I'd rather see everyone just having a good time like Seth and JP do in that UP1.2 segment. That, and not whether switch landings in pow look good, is what makes skiing so great, to me. That's why I love it. Put your focus on just skiing, not on making skiing better.

People have said that the guy who 450s on smooth will have a different idea of fun... and I'm not disputing that... I think he can probably get a similar great feeling from riding perfect park features smooth and styled. But if he's doing it to impress someone, or to push the sport, if he feels like tossing a backflip but doesn't because he wants to look "core", if he looks down on the guy doing twister-twister-spreads off the jumps... then I think he's looking at things in the wrong way and could be having a lot more fun if he'd stop worrying so much about what's cool.
 
I couldn't agree with Bach more. And to be perfectly honest with you, I could care less about the progression or direction of pros, yeah I enjoy watching ski movies but I won't get butt hurt if next year they don't exist. I have plenty of fun with my friends on the hill and it has nothing to do with what the industry or the pros are doing. I'm just so tired of hearing about what is core, non-core and everything else in between getting an acceptable and non-acceptable label from you fake ass image skiers. You guys have turned this sport into a fashion show. This entire website is more or less dedicated to the politics of skiing, it doesn't have to be like that.
 
I think we agree in more ways than we think.

I dont really feel that ski movies should just be uber sick things. But dont you think that progressing movies to be fun and in touch with the riders is a progression right there? Progressing to the point where everyone is happy, and doing their own thing, and we have variety and creativity and fun and love and respect has to be better than not doing that. I definitely dont think it's as important as some may think, but it still pretty important.
 
When I say I want skiing to progress, it doesnt only mean in the tricks that riders are doing. There is a progression of love and respect, as well as understanding and creativity, along with variety. Those are the most important things.
 
sniff sniff so touching etc ....

but i can't read all the replies, i'm a slow reader.

but yea, despite the sarcasm i just used, i agree with a lot of what you wrote in that thing.
 
Excellent post JD...literally took the words right out of my mouth. This should be a sticky on the top of the forum.
 
J.D. that was a good post....and I agree with you choice for segment and the year and I generally agree with your philosophy on skiing. But, since you don't know me - I'm prefacing this by saying that this is just for the sake of argument.

Let's take a step back and analyze this once again....If you take skiing as a metaphor for life - I think you've just articulated a very common argument. About how we shouldn't take life so seriously and "appreciate it's different aspects" and learn to "feel" what life truly is about. Furthermore, it's about "enjoying life for what it is," not about what the powers that be say it should be. Because all that matters is "having a good time," and doing what you want.

However, doesn't that seem a little romantic? Don't you have to throw the reality of our capitalistic society into the equation. We all, whether we admit it or not, live in a society dedicated to greed and wealth external definitions; where the vitality of the truly inspirational individuals is appropriated by the masses.

In short, I think to expect Skiing (or life), as an ideology, to revert to a time whereby your aforementioned wishes are answered is as frugle as asking some huge giant oil corporation to return to the days where they just pumped oil out the ground to support the local community....Skiing is growing, it's becoming a huge machine - What should we do? Become communists? We could try...

This expansion is inevitable, even though I dispise it...Are there not some benefits?...like bigger profits, more ski areas, larger access, cheaper goods, more CHOICES, money, money moneyyy...What you get out skiing, or life, is up to you, but they way our society is set up, this rapid growth to the point of exhaustion will always happen to everything...

word up to a good post devoid of insults and retarded replys! keep um coming...everybody....it's the cool thing to do.
 
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