The Death of the Ski Industry

skierman

skierman

Active member
Essentially the ski industry fucked up and they can no longer pay their best riders. All the top-tier athletes are getting flow at best. What does this mean for the aspiring skiers in our sport? Will this devastating news affect the number of gapers who hope to one day beat the X-Games and/or make Super-unknown finals?

I feel this is a valid question because living the life of luxury like Tom Wallisch is far more appealing than living as a transient in the woods knowing you're one injury away from life-long crushing debt like Joey Ciprari. Regardless of the career children pick, they all have one common end goal of financial and personal comfort. If this doesn't exist in skiing then what incentive do they have? What incentive do the parents have to push their children into it? Personally I'd rather watch that "Bvcsh" edit than living as a failure in the woods like Joey and I think most parents would agree. Watching all ten minutes of that god awful trash edit filled with backseat landings on mediocre tricks and flailing arms from Bunch groupies is far more appealing than crying myself to sleep every night wondering, "what if?".

That brings me to my next question. How will the failing industry affect the b-grade skiers who purposely don't progress and try to create a career in skiing by other means? It was already tough in the industry for people who don't know how to ski but after chatting with Liz Swaney, it seems to have gotten worse. "Its unfortunate the ski industry is doing so poorly. Typically Olympic athletes such as myself have piles of offers to comb through but after this Olympics, that pile is thin. I have one promising offer from Armada but I can't go into that. I just wish I wore suspender pants over a hoodie and mittens that are too big for me. I watch those guys doing pretty much the same thing as me but they seem to have no problem finding sponsors. It doesn't seem fair." While that's technically true, in reality its a case of the grass looking greener on the other side.

I was lucky enough to chat with a member of the Bunch who chooses to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. This is what he had to say... "Look man, at first I thought it was a way to make a living in skiing without having to actually progress and risk injury. Imagine if Rory Walsh came up to you and said, 'Put on this kit, swing your arms around like a jackass, film it with a $50 hi8 camcorder and your insta will blow up, no progression required.' Doesn't that sound great?" I agreed, that does sound like a good deal. He continued on, "I listened and within a few months I had 15k insta followers, flow product from 3 different companies and a 2k travel budget! Its not much but its more than what I had before. I was so grateful... but now its different. The failing ski industry has no more money for us. I'm down to a 40% discount at best. I'm losing my passion for doing basic tricks with bad style and messing up on landings but claiming it was done on purpose... it doesn't seem worth it now. I don't want to be a washed up hack living in the woods on minimum wage like Joey Ciprari. Its scary, I'm not sure what to do now."

As a casual observer, you can say to these people that you have to progress to make it in skiing because taking advantage of loopholes and following fashion/style trends in skiing can only take you so far. Yes, that's true however in the past the ski industry has been strong enough to prop up these fringes. A member of Hood Crew had this to say, "At the time we moved to Park City we had influencers like Tom Wallisch, Joe Brogan and Henrik to look up to. Their baggy clothes and smooth style was the hot shit and we had no problem picking up sponsors after copying them. About three seasons ago we realized the 'Bunch' was becoming popular so we made a group decision. We traded out our clothes along with any sense of dignity to ride this 'new wave'. The sponsors didn't seem to mind and a few of us even improved on our contracts without improving in the park! It was amazing. However this season has been terrible for all of us and its actually worse now than it was before we wore hoodies over our helmets. Its sad and depressing... almost as depressing as Joey Ciprari's situation."

I'm not sure if the consolidation of corporations and global warming are to blame for this, but its clear it has far reaching implications especially for those the groms look up to for inspiration. This is a serious matter that we all need to recognize is happening and what to do about it... if anything can be done. Feel free to leave your thoughts below and please be constructive and respectful in your responses. Thank you.

**This thread was edited on Mar 22nd 2018 at 12:28:42pm
 
we get it skierman, you don't like the bunch or joey ciprari

and there's never been much money in skiing aside from the top few dudes and those who manage to parlay their skiing into something fruitful. none of that is new, not sure what your point here is
 
The new wave is here to ruin skiing for everyone, forever. I've saying this for months and nobody has listened. The goal is make skiing not fun for anyone anymore and to crash the industry, which up until this point was a wellspring of endless fortune for all freestyle skiers.
 
13907158:BASEDJAH said:
The new wave is here to ruin skiing for everyone, forever. I've saying this for months and nobody has listened. The goal is make skiing not fun for anyone anymore and to crash the industry, which up until this point was a wellspring of endless fortune for all freestyle skiers.
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it's about time we built a wall to keep them out!
 
Well if there is one thing we can take away from this winter, its that the olympics are stupid. The format was retarded and the judging sucked ass. Plus FIS is super corrupt and all they care about is racing. I get that this article is a joke, but if I were a ski company i would rather sponsor Magnus or Wabs than McRae or Gus... With the exceptions A-hall/Torin you don't see olympic skiers riding in public parks or just for fun. I mean it seems like all Gus Kenworthy does is just private shit for sponsors, i don't really get a sense that he's passionate about skiing and the park community. I were a kid I would aspire to be like people I actually see skiing. I've riden with the hood crew and they are fucking amazing, people don't realize how hard the shit that bunch and hood crew do until they see it in person.

**This post was edited on Mar 22nd 2018 at 6:07:06pm
 
downvote me all you want, but skiing isn't a career. Its something fun that you do with your friends in your 20s before you settle down and start leading a mundane life.

Only a handful of guys can actually make a career out skiing and they are very very lucky. Truth is though that the ski industry is so small and the market isn't big enough for the pros to make a decent living. I always wished skiing was as popular as like the NHL or NFL. There'd be so much dough at hand
 
13907222:-Dan said:
all of it is completely made up. feel free to use this knowledge to disregard anything OP says.
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Just because they choose to remain anonymous doesn't mean they don't exist... just ask Trump.
 
OP,

I just want to write in hopes of adding some different perspectives and possibly some enlightenment. You seem to be unnecessarily jaded... The title of the post 'the death of the ski industry' is simply wrong. In fact, it is quite the contrary whether you are in favor of the progression of the industry or not.

Realize that within the realm of sports , action sports as a whole is still a relatively new concept; people have been participating in more traditional sports for thousands of years, yet the first origins of skiing only date back a few hundred. The fact that skiing is now in the Olympics is a clear indication that the sport is on the rise, and not the decline. The level of talent only rises at a phenomenal rate with each passing year as well with the addition of these training facilities and what not.

The arguments you raise about the financial stability of skiing as a career is laughable. People choose to participate in skiing as they would just like any other sport. The reality is that only a fraction of people who set out to make a career out of a sport actually succeed; this is no different than if you set out to try and become a professional footballer at a young age or any sport for that matter.

You clearly do not have aptitude for business also if you are upset by the fact that there are now multiple avenues to make a living off of skiing (in fact, since you think this way your whole post tends to contradict itself) .

If you were actually educated on the industry you would understand that many individuals go through the lengthy process of trying to succeed in having a career that revolves around skiing, but won't. Instead, they are appreciative of the experience, skills and knowledge gained, along with all the friends they make along the way.

Something else you aren't realizing is that skiing is expensive, thus the people who are fortunate enough to be able to ski tend to come from affluent situations. Skiing isn't a career choice if you're just looking to ski - there in lies the incentive. What more incentive is necessary than just knowing that skiing is fun.

Again, this response is not meant as an attack - just wanted to provide some more perspective. Also, please if you feel that I have misinterpreted how you're feeling on the state of the industry please elaborate so I can in turn better understand.
 
13907221:JAHSHUA said:
downvote me all you want, but skiing isn't a career. Its something fun that you do with your friends in your 20s before you settle down and start leading a mundane life.

Only a handful of guys can actually make a career out skiing and they are very very lucky. Truth is though that the ski industry is so small and the market isn't big enough for the pros to make a decent living. I always wished skiing was as popular as like the NHL or NFL. There'd be so much dough at hand
Click to expand...

another great point. One reason why soccer players tend to be some of the highest paid athletes is that the 'barriers to entry' are so low, meaning even the poorest countries can participate. The base of skiers is small and the sport is expensive to the point that it prevents a lot of talent from ever being realized and a lot of revenues to be generated. see my post below however, the industry is progressing in a way that is enabling careers which revolve around skiing more feasible
 
13907233:WorkingFTWeekend said:
OP,

I just want to write in hopes of adding some different perspectives and possibly some enlightenment. You seem to be unnecessarily jaded... The title of the post 'the death of the ski industry' is simply wrong. In fact, it is quite the contrary whether you are in favor of the progression of the industry or not.

Realize that within the realm of sports , action sports as a whole is still a relatively new concept; people have been participating in more traditional sports for thousands of years, yet the first origins of skiing only date back a few hundred. The fact that skiing is now in the Olympics is a clear indication that the sport is on the rise, and not the decline. The level of talent only rises at a phenomenal rate with each passing year as well with the addition of these training facilities and what not.

The arguments you raise about the financial stability of skiing as a career is laughable. People choose to participate in skiing as they would just like any other sport. The reality is that only a fraction of people who set out to make a career out of a sport actually succeed; this is no different than if you set out to try and become a professional footballer at a young age or any sport for that matter.

You clearly do not have aptitude for business also if you are upset by the fact that there are now multiple avenues to make a living off of skiing (in fact, since you think this way your whole post tends to contradict itself) .

If you were actually educated on the industry you would understand that many individuals go through the lengthy process of trying to succeed in having a career that revolves around skiing, but won't. Instead, they are appreciative of the experience, skills and knowledge gained, along with all the friends they make along the way.

Something else you aren't realizing is that skiing is expensive, thus the people who are fortunate enough to be able to ski tend to come from affluent situations. Skiing isn't a career choice if you're just looking to ski - there in lies the incentive. What more incentive is necessary than just knowing that skiing is fun.

Again, this response is not meant as an attack - just wanted to provide some more perspective. Also, please if you feel that I have misinterpreted how you're feeling on the state of the industry please elaborate so I can in turn better understand.
Click to expand...

The fact that you took the time to create a new account and type out this response to a skierman thread is laughable
 
13907233:WorkingFTWeekend said:
OP, You seem to be unnecessarily jaded... The title of the post 'the death of the ski industry' is simply wrong. In fact, it is quite the contrary whether you are in favor of the progression of the industry or not.

The arguments you raise about the financial stability of skiing as a career is laughable. .
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Come on man, don't be "that" guy. I'm just bringing awareness to a serious issue facing our people right now. If you can't follow the rules of being constructive and positive, then I respectfully request you no longer post in this thread. Thank you.
 
13907256:skierman said:
Come on man, don't be "that" guy. I'm just bringing awareness to a serious issue facing our people right now. If you can't follow the rules of being constructive and positive, then I respectfully request you no longer post in this thread. Thank you.
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I am in accordance with the rules, was just trying to help you out you seem stressed. I will say though you don't have the full picture in mind - I wanted to try and help fill in some of the gaps. I will respect your post and leave you alone but note that your post is full of criticism, just something to be mindful of when asking other people to respect it.
 
13907249:FBGM said:
The fact that you took the time to create a new account and type out this response to a skierman thread is laughable
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right, fuck this guy for not knowing who's a troll or not! right? study up loser!!
 
Is this that inner struggle where you don't want to like new wave, but you respect it so hard? You're putting this out as a feeler to gauge hate before you fully make the switch?

Just embrace it. It's ok
 
13907251:WorkingFTWeekend said:
to each their own boss. Bet I spent less time on it than your thousands of posts
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Maybe, although I'm sure you spent plenty of time on the thousands of posts you've made from your main account
 
13907280:FBGM said:
Maybe, although I'm sure you spent plenty of time on the thousands of posts you've made from your main account
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you were actually right- I created an account to post to skierman's thread. Why that is such an issue I am not sure I will be able to understand...
 
13907249:FBGM said:
The fact that you took the time to create a new account and type out this response to a skierman thread is laughable
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The fact that skierman made an alias account to respond to his own thread is sad.
 
What companies now know is that dumping money into marketing for free skiing will not result in an acceptable ROI. The people who actually contribute to ski corporations bottom line are weekend warriors or week-a-year skiers who don't give a fuck what the bunch is wearing. They are buying Nordica Cruise 90's and SX 100s and renting a set of RTM 84's regardless of what Joss wears at the olympics or what Magnus has on in his instagram videos. Sure, you can make a profit in the freeski industry, but if you wan't to maximize profits, you won't be investing very much money into your freestyle skiing marketing campaign.
 
13907199:Feldstez said:
Well if there is one thing we can take away from this winter, its that the olympics are stupid. The format was retarded and the judging sucked ass. Plus FIS is super corrupt and all they care about is racing. I get that this article is a joke, but if I were a ski company i would rather sponsor Magnus or Wabs than McRae or Gus... With the exceptions A-hall/Torin you don't see olympic skiers riding in public parks or just for fun. I mean it seems like all Gus Kenworthy does is just private shit for sponsors, i don't really get a sense that he's passionate about skiing and the park community. I were a kid I would aspire to be like people I actually see skiing. I've riden the the hood crew and they are fucking amazing, people don't realize how hard the shit that bunch and hood crew do until they see it in person.
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You sir are an idiot ..
 
hey skierman (Scott Townes) your life is a joke, you've been posting bullshit like this since i joined this site at age 15 in 2005, you guys can do the math on how old this dude is still trolling on a skiing forum. On here talkin some mean spirited shit about Joey, he's a genuine person with a love for skiing and the respect of his peers. You however are just a bully, a small man with nothing better to do than THIS. get a fucking life for real.

**This post was edited on Mar 22nd 2018 at 8:24:40pm

**This post was edited on Mar 22nd 2018 at 8:25:41pm
 
13907412:ThaLetterM. said:
hey skierman (Scott Townes) your life is a joke, you've been posting bullshit like this since i joined this site at age 15 in 2005, you guys can do the math on how old this dude is still trolling on a skiing forum. On here talkin some mean spirited shit about Joey, he's a genuine person with a love for skiing and the respect of his peers. You however are just a bully, a small man with nothing better to do than THIS. get a fucking life for real.

**This post was edited on Mar 22nd 2018 at 8:24:40pm

**This post was edited on Mar 22nd 2018 at 8:25:41pm
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Wow man, like totally uncalled for. If you cannot be respectful in this thread, please do not post.
 
13907244:WorkingFTWeekend said:
another great point. One reason why soccer players tend to be some of the highest paid athletes is that the 'barriers to entry' are so low, meaning even the poorest countries can participate. The base of skiers is small and the sport is expensive to the point that it prevents a lot of talent from ever being realized and a lot of revenues to be generated. see my post below however, the industry is progressing in a way that is enabling careers which revolve around skiing more feasible
Click to expand...

Yeah skiing is not only financially inaccesible for a lot of people but it also requires a mountain. You can toss a football, kick a soccer ball, or skateboard just about anywhere. Skiing is very particular. Not like you can just step out of your house in Houston and ski.
 
I wonder if its just that the money has become more spread out. We have to remember that company's sponsor people to get recognition and there is so many different platforms to gain recognition on and then factor in different markets within the platforms too. It would make sense to give a bit to a lot of people than give a lot to a few that may only hold a small amount of the markets attention.

Also ski industry is 100% not dying . Just the freestyle section of it suffers
 
Imagine how sad your life must be if you're 30 years old, without a girlfriend, and making posts like these.
 
does this mean we wont be puffin tough in a costa rican national park with sloths

on the ski industry's dime?

i blame rob story
 
We need to stop with the super neiche ski edits and tricks. While things like the new wave and can be appealing to us already into skiing, it won't get kids to come into skiing because they won't understand the trend. The gangster shit of the tall t era got more kids into freeskiing than swerving around. Also normal people would rather watch a clean edit with tom wallisch rather than something like "eat the guts" (not saying eat the guts isint sick but normal people wouldn't understand it).

Also the industry must adapt to the change of social media and new pros must be able to be good with using it, if they ever want to be moderately successful.

But the industry must make skiing a more memorable experience for beginners rather than just a huge money trap. Cost is a huge deterring factor for many people who want to try it out. Also saftey must be taken very seriously for beginners because the mountain I used to ski at (blue mt in PA) has had multiple beginner deaths this season, so it's scared quite a few people away.

Bottom line the ski industry must re evalute how they do things if they want to last a long time.
 
to keep things simple, what you're witnessing within the ski industry is a paradigm shift; things change and haters are gonna hate. just be content skiing in your own lane or stop complaining (you don't have to get with the times) - more people are skiing now than ever and the industry is only expanding..
 
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