The OG’s

musclehamster

musclehamster

Member
Maybe its a full glass of whiskey, or countless PBR's today but I have a bone to pick. Growing up in southeast AK I grew up with serious rippers. Not gonna drop names but JW, OK, KB, WG, NJ, these kids just fuckin send. All these cats are 30+ nowadays and they still send. Even got a bunch of young cats comin up absolutely sending. Today we saw the entire TGR crew come into one of our local bars and just run the place. Jeremy Jones, Griffin Post, Elena Height just to name a few. Theyre nice people and great skiers but lets be honest. I would put a plethora amount of money down on any of my home rippers up against these entitled professional skiers. These guys (and gals) were given the golden ticket, they were in the right place at the right time and boom. There are so many chick snowboarders from my hometown that rip and could easily kill it on any heli ski day over any of these professionals.

If you guys take this as a ripper thats butt hurt fine however that’s not the case because we get on our sleds and are in every spot these heli skiers are daily up in Haines.

These guys are all about protecting our winters (as we are too) but theyve got 2 sometimes 3 choppers filming for TGR for a ski segment for the following season. I grew up in Haines, AK. I've flown Tatum (gorgeous and super nice) Wiley Miller, Tanner, Henrik, Adam Delorme, Seth Morrison and even Shane McConkey (rip brother) back in the day. All these guys were so nice to the locals and treated us like family. However this "newschool" movement (pardon my french to our boys at newschoolers) are just kind of dicks. Offended, unlikely, we come from a rough and tough crowd. They think theyre better than all of us, and trust me man the kids i grew up with fuckin throw down. I sure hope theres a new movement of these people realizing what kinda environment they've stepped into.

If youre gonna use 2 choppers to "protect our environment" all while getting the shot you dream of off the Riggs Glacier/Stormtroopers then stop acting like your helping the environment. We love our choppers, we love our fixed wing aircraft.

Be more like Tanner and Henrik and be in it for the love of skiing as opposed to the paycheck.

lastly, there are kids on this site who hands down can throw down. Maybe they’re not lucky enough to have a filmer or sometime dedicated to stick with em thru the tough shit. So many countless rippers out there who send who just aren’t as lucky as some of these big name guys. I miss the old school days of candle, tanner, Seth and Shane. We need another Saucer boy. And the stoke that came from skiing with Him!
 
mark abma lived in a dome for a season to be eco friendly and had a helicopter parked next to it. Pretty sure that wasn't a veggie oil heli.
 
There's definitely some truth in this. Skiing seems like a meritocracy but it's not a perfect system by any means. Wasn't Sam Kuch just some BC rando before he was a pro skier? I know John and Dan Egan were carpenters in VT before they met Warren Miller. Pretty sure Sander Hadley had a similar path before he was discovered. But not every ripper gets a lucky break, I mean, a lot of people don't even really seek one.

I see pro skiers as skill + exposure, you can be mediocre in one if you have a surplus of the other.
 
14270926:IsaacNW82 said:
There's definitely some truth in this. Skiing seems like a meritocracy but it's not a perfect system by any means. Wasn't Sam Kuch just some BC rando before he was a pro skier? I know John and Dan Egan were carpenters in VT before they met Warren Miller. Pretty sure Sander Hadley had a similar path before he was discovered. But not every ripper gets a lucky break, I mean, a lot of people don't even really seek one.

I see pro skiers as skill + exposure, you can be mediocre in one if you have a surplus of the other.
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Really well put man! Appreciate that
 
I mean part of being professional at anything is getting people to buy what you’re selling. You gotta market yourself, connect with media companies and hype your content, do events, kiss babies and sign autographs to stay in the game.

Shooting whiskey in a yert out in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness isn’t a path to stardom. If I am wrong about that let me know and I will move out there ASAP
 
14270933:Casey said:
I mean part of being professional at anything is getting people to buy what you’re selling. You gotta market yourself, connect with media companies and hype your content, do events, kiss babies and sign autographs to stay in the game.

Shooting whiskey in a yert out in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness isn’t a path to stardom. If I am wrong about that let me know and I will move out there ASAP
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Haha you can come shoot up some hard chargin whiskey in the backcountry with us anytime you want. Bring the whiskey from the lower 48, stuff is so expensive up here
 
Kai Jones. We all talk about this all the time. He places in the midfield all the time in comps. If anybody in my group had a filming crew, Tim Durtschi as our babysitter, we would be crushing it. hate to see so many "outsiders" idolize him like their arent a 100 kids the same age as him who throw down just (if not harder) than him. He would definitely be sponsored, but no way in the world he would have a Redbull sponsorship if his dad did not own tgr.

Freeride comps take away the silver platter he was handed, and he usually doesn't perform without it.
 
14271019:musclehamster said:
Just when your moms around so I get that extra 15 seconds...
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My mother died in a hot dog eating contest at the Sheboygan State Fair in 1997. That’s F’d up to say something like that man.
 
like it's been said, it's about marketability. and i don't just mean being a marketable person, i mean making it a personal daily job and profession to market yourself and build a platform and audience etc... everyone knows that the modern TGR heads aren't the greatest skiers in the world - but they are the most successful at selling themselves, their sponsors' products, and a certain "lifestyle."

i agree, too. i know there are skiers in AK, skiers on this site, skiers all over the world who are lowkey yet better rippers than the TGR ensemble. but those aren't the folks that can help outfits like TGR make the money they need to make for their mega budget endeavors, so they won't be getting that opportunity any time soon.

i think you're wrong by just saying these high profile athletes were "just lucky" and "given the golden ticket," which is disingenuous. they are in their positions because they are the biggest hustlers at marketing, and riding has barely anything to do with it anymore. it's not like they didn't work for their opportunities, they just worked harder at a different angle in building a personal brand and market.

don't get me twisted, i think it's bullshit, too. i wish that opportunity in the world of skiing was merit-based, that you had the chance to go film with TGR because you were the best ripper, not because you were sponsored as fuck and had a few ten thousand followers. i'm just saying you gotta recognize that the problem here is really way more systemic/corporate than really being something you can blame a couple entitled pros for. those pros are a shitty side affect of an industry that values marketability over ability.

we need another saucer boy.
 
topic:musclehamster said:
Maybe its a full glass of whiskey, or countless PBR's today but I have a bone to pick. Growing up in southeast AK I grew up with serious rippers. Not gonna drop names but JW, OK, KB, WG, NJ, these kids just fuckin send. All these cats are 30+ nowadays and they still send. Even got a bunch of young cats comin up absolutely sending. Today we saw the entire TGR crew come into one of our local bars and just run the place. Jeremy Jones, Griffin Post, Elena Height just to name a few. Theyre nice people and great skiers but lets be honest. I would put a plethora amount of money down on any of my home rippers up against these entitled professional skiers. These guys (and gals) were given the golden ticket, they were in the right place at the right time and boom. There are so many chick snowboarders from my hometown that rip and could easily kill it on any heli ski day over any of these professionals.

If you guys take this as a ripper thats butt hurt fine however that’s not the case because we get on our sleds and are in every spot these heli skiers are daily up in Haines.

These guys are all about protecting our winters (as we are too) but theyve got 2 sometimes 3 choppers filming for TGR for a ski segment for the following season. I grew up in Haines, AK. I've flown Tatum (gorgeous and super nice) Wiley Miller, Tanner, Henrik, Adam Delorme, Seth Morrison and even Shane McConkey (rip brother) back in the day. All these guys were so nice to the locals and treated us like family. However this "newschool" movement (pardon my french to our boys at newschoolers) are just kind of dicks. Offended, unlikely, we come from a rough and tough crowd. They think theyre better than all of us, and trust me man the kids i grew up with fuckin throw down. I sure hope theres a new movement of these people realizing what kinda environment they've stepped into.

If youre gonna use 2 choppers to "protect our environment" all while getting the shot you dream of off the Riggs Glacier/Stormtroopers then stop acting like your helping the environment. We love our choppers, we love our fixed wing aircraft.

Be more like Tanner and Henrik and be in it for the love of skiing as opposed to the paycheck.

lastly, there are kids on this site who hands down can throw down. Maybe they’re not lucky enough to have a filmer or sometime dedicated to stick with em thru the tough shit. So many countless rippers out there who send who just aren’t as lucky as some of these big name guys. I miss the old school days of candle, tanner, Seth and Shane. We need another Saucer boy. And the stoke that came from skiing with Him!
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AK repppin my dude
 
With social media came cell phones with remarkable cameras. If someone wants their shot it’s not because of a lack of resources like OP states. I’ve literally set up my phone on goggles dangling on the top of my pole and it worked great. Sure a drone or heli would have filmed it better but my point is that these guys may have had a lot handed to them but these days we all have instant access to capture shots and show case our abilities. The excuse that you or your buddies aren’t pro because of this is bull shit. If they rip then fuckin prove it. Your iPhone is better than just about any camera around 10 years ago that was filming the OGs we all love.
 
14271276:partyandBS said:
With social media came cell phones with remarkable cameras. If someone wants their shot it’s not because of a lack of resources like OP states. I’ve literally set up my phone on goggles dangling on the top of my pole and it worked great. Sure a drone or heli would have filmed it better but my point is that these guys may have had a lot handed to them but these days we all have instant access to capture shots and show case our abilities. The excuse that you or your buddies aren’t pro because of this is bull shit. If they rip then fuckin prove it. Your iPhone is better than just about any camera around 10 years ago that was filming the OGs we all love.
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Nobody up here wants to be “pro.” Stating that exposure and how you sell yourself is the name of the game now no matter what your talent is. As some have stated above. Soul skiing man, we live it and love it each and every day. Sure a paycheck would be sweet but unless you’re a top dawg ? like tanner, seth, shane, sammy there’s a minimal chance it’s a liveable wage. Also goes down to the fact that the new school tgr movement are a bunch of pompous dbags where back in the day, the pros treated the equals like family. Just different vibes now man.
 
Lots going on here that I won't dig into, but I think most people over on TGR would be really mad about being called "new school" haha.
 
14271292:cydwhit said:
Lots going on here that I won't dig into, but I think most people over on TGR would be really mad about being called "new school" haha.
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they prefer the three Ds- Dr. , Dentist and Dad
 
Can be difficult to get shots sometimes with out a dedicated filmer. Convincing ur friends to film u a bunch is hard (u don’t wanna be annoying) and u don’t want them to freeze or not get to hit the cliff/powder field/jump themselves

14271276:partyandBS said:
With social media came cell phones with remarkable cameras. If someone wants their shot it’s not because of a lack of resources like OP states. I’ve literally set up my phone on goggles dangling on the top of my pole and it worked great. Sure a drone or heli would have filmed it better but my point is that these guys may have had a lot handed to them but these days we all have instant access to capture shots and show case our abilities. The excuse that you or your buddies aren’t pro because of this is bull shit. If they rip then fuckin prove it. Your iPhone is better than just about any camera around 10 years ago that was filming the OGs we all love.
Click to expand...
 
14271378:ASAPJack said:
Can be difficult to get shots sometimes with out a dedicated filmer. Convincing ur friends to film u a bunch is hard (u don’t wanna be annoying) and u don’t want them to freeze or not get to hit the cliff/powder field/jump themselves
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I feel like in the park its reasonable to ask for a clip but theres no way imma try to convince a homie to get a clip first lap on a pow day
 
I have a friend who met Kai Jones out in targhee for a free ride comp and he confirmed hes not actually THAT good
 
Don't get to salty. Go do your thing. Opportunities and life in general isn't always equal. Social media is a huge source for people now. You can pick up sponsors by ripping and posting it on there.

I think the biggest thing is the field. There are a lot of people that shred. Sometimes knowing the right people, getting the right opportunities, or just being a slight bit better or haveing a good personality.

Just ski as hard as you want to, pursue the contests, get some footy, do big lines, hit rails.

I get hating on somebody that doesnt seem like they have nearly the same skills. I just think it gets down to jealousy and ither whack vibes if you dive too much into it.

I'm not saying I've never or never think things like this, just that it's not going to get you anywhere. Don't let it make you bitter OP. Rant a bit blow off some steam then jump on your skis and go fast.

Brapp
 
I dont get the point of this thread. None of you want to be pros, but are salty that people who are pros come to visit? I'm assuming you guys arent sharing tips and zones with them, so do they really owe you anything? If they drank with you and admitted that you were the best skier on the mountain would everything be okay?
 
14271618:TOAST. said:
I dont get the point of this thread. None of you want to be pros, but are salty that people who are pros come to visit? I'm assuming you guys arent sharing tips and zones with them, so do they really owe you anything? If they drank with you and admitted that you were the best skier on the mountain would everything be okay?
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You may have missed the point. They can act like dbags versus the guys that used to come here. There are rippers that are better that don’t get exposure all over the world or who don’t sell themselves like the new age shredders. They talk, act and preach global warming and protecting our environment yet use 2, sometimes 3 helichoppers to film a segment. They don’t treat locals all that great at times whereas the OG’s did.

hope I could clear it up for you
 
14271606:theabortionator said:
Don't get to salty. Go do your thing. Opportunities and life in general isn't always equal. Social media is a huge source for people now. You can pick up sponsors by ripping and posting it on there.

I think the biggest thing is the field. There are a lot of people that shred. Sometimes knowing the right people, getting the right opportunities, or just being a slight bit better or haveing a good personality.

Just ski as hard as you want to, pursue the contests, get some footy, do big lines, hit rails.

I get hating on somebody that doesnt seem like they have nearly the same skills. I just think it gets down to jealousy and ither whack vibes if you dive too much into it.

I'm not saying I've never or never think things like this, just that it's not going to get you anywhere. Don't let it make you bitter OP. Rant a bit blow off some steam then jump on your skis and go fast.

Brapp
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Brraaaap is the way of life my dude. Appreciate the response.
 
14271619:musclehamster said:
You may have missed the point. They can act like dbags versus the guys that used to come here. There are rippers that are better that don’t get exposure all over the world or who don’t sell themselves like the new age shredders. They talk, act and preach global warming and protecting our environment yet use 2, sometimes 3 helichoppers to film a segment. They don’t treat locals all that great at times whereas the OG’s did.

hope I could clear it up for you
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Okay, so it has nothing to do with skiing, just personalities and influencers garbage.

You should move to Pennsylvania, we dont have to worry about TGR coming and ruining the vibe.
 
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