Unpopular opinion thread skier's edition

[Jems]

here's an unpopular opinion....... "freestyle/freeski" coaching shouldn't exist

paying thousands of dollars for a mf to give you advice before you do a trick

 

[Christian_Bale]

This is a very niche observation but as a ski coach myself, I really do get annoyed sometimes when we get these families that sign their kids up for ski team that can struggle with the fundamentals. Some days it feels like ski school daycare because mom and dad don't want to deal with their kids and want to go take laps on their own. Stragglers do sometimes slow down the groups and especially when the rest of the group is keen to work on stuff and get after it. For all the parents on NS that may consider a freeski program for their kids: Please get them dialed on the basics. We run them through drills and everything but this isn't a free for all. We want to get kids on podium and hopefully living out their dreams

As a coach I fully agree. In pretty much all the groups I've coached there's always been a split where I gotta focus on the basics with some kids while other kids have it dialed and are starting to expand their park skills. But for me the goal isn't really getting the kids on the podium. To me it's more about getting the kids in love with park skiing to the point where it's something they stick with after the coaching stops and that they find it super fulfilling throughout their adult life.

 

[hank.ski]

Oh look, the non-binary skier is turning everything into an issue about sexuality and identity. I'M SHOCKED!

I didn't say any of that my guy, you got some stuff you wanna get off your chest?

 

[hank.ski]

Kind of agree. Freeski was born out of the rebelliousness that drove the action sports boom of the 90s and 2000s in an effort to break down stale culture. Once the so called golden era of freeskiing came a segment of the sport decided that's when changed and challenging culture needed to stop and that sentiment is very popular on this site.

Yeah, I agree with this phrasing too. There are so many old heads on this site and throughout the ski community who act like freeskiing was invented for them, and the vibe they give off leads me to think that if they were born 20 or 30 years earlier, they would have been the racers and mogul jocks resting on their laurels, shit-talking the punk teenagers bending the tails of their skis up.

 

[hank.ski]

This is a very niche observation but as a ski coach myself, I really do get annoyed sometimes when we get these families that sign their kids up for ski team that can struggle with the fundamentals. Some days it feels like ski school daycare because mom and dad don't want to deal with their kids and want to go take laps on their own. Stragglers do sometimes slow down the groups and especially when the rest of the group is keen to work on stuff and get after it. For all the parents on NS that may consider a freeski program for their kids: Please get them dialed on the basics. We run them through drills and everything but this isn't a free for all. We want to get kids on podium and hopefully living out their dreams

Yo this is some elitist bullshit, and you definitely should not be viewing coaching this way. Unless you are a coach for the U.S. junior team or some other legitimate farm team, your job is to meet young skiers where they are at, and support them in the growth that they want, to achieve the goals that they want. If your program doesn't have a good system for grouping by skill level, that's a problem...but if you are looking tailoring your coaching to the best skier on the team, you're doing it wrong.

Also, I'm not talking out of my ass. I've been a coach, my brother runs a freestyle program that has coached up kids who are now olympians. This isn't the way.

 

[Slowbro]

paying thousands of dollars for a mf to give you advice before you do a trick

Don't forget that they also scream "PULL!!!!" at you for some reason whenever you go off a jump

 

[Slowbro]

Skiing is on the verge of its first real renaissance since the New Canadian Air Force era, and NS/NSers are missing it. The user base and staff of this site are obsessed with an era of skiing that posterity will recall as being mostly uninspired, and characterized primarily by a culture of exclusivity.

Not trying to be a dick but I have no idea what you mean honestly. can you please explain yourself a bit more clearly lol.

 

[GrandThings]

This is a very niche observation but as a ski coach myself, I really do get annoyed sometimes when we get these families that sign their kids up for ski team that can struggle with the fundamentals. Some days it feels like ski school daycare because mom and dad don't want to deal with their kids and want to go take laps on their own. Stragglers do sometimes slow down the groups and especially when the rest of the group is keen to work on stuff and get after it. For all the parents on NS that may consider a freeski program for their kids: Please get them dialed on the basics. We run them through drills and everything but this isn't a free for all. We want to get kids on podium and hopefully living out their dreams

I literally know nothing about coaching/ski schools, but couldn't you just tell these kids/parents that they need to be in a more junior level class? Seems like it could be a genuine liability to have a kid who doesn't know the basics yet in a park program.

 

[FruitBootPro]

Skiing is on the verge of its first real renaissance since the New Canadian Air Force era, and NS/NSers are missing it. The user base and staff of this site are obsessed with an era of skiing that posterity will recall as being mostly uninspired, and characterized primarily by a culture of exclusivity.

first sentence is spot on. second sentence is wack

 

[FruitBootPro]

paying thousands of dollars for a mf to give you advice before you do a trick

you'd be surprised how much difference even a simple piece of advice can make. you can try learning a trick for months and keep fucking it up, and then someone gives you a suggestion/observation and you'll get it the next try.

not saying people should default to coaches, but it makes a huge difference esp for people who don't learn quickly on their own

 

[hank.ski]

Not trying to be a dick but I have no idea what you mean honestly. can you please explain yourself a bit more clearly lol.

Yeah no worries.

I'm not going to go into all of the detail about the history of freeskiing because it's really dense, but suffice to say this: The 90s was an era of skiing that changed the sport completely, because a group of competitive skiers decided that the program and criteria of skiing developed by FIS and IOC was wack. This was the birth of the "newschool generation" of skiers (literally, newschooler used to be a word used to derogatorily characterize skiers whose style and terrain choice were being influenced by snowboarding). Our niche of the sport was born as an act of rebellion from the predominant financial and cultural institutions. The financial implications of this were massive, because the future of skiing was no longer in FIS's hands. Kids could climb the ranks and become professionals, nay rockstars, without paying 5 or 6 digits out to follow the "olympic path". Cases in point would be Candide, Seth Morrison, Sarah Burke, Ingrid Backstrom. Badasses, rebels, outside-the-box thinkers.

Fast forward 25 years, and Newschoolers is mostly a forum for discussing elite, enfranchised skiers and ski companies. We are still celebrating our niche of the sport, but it is no longer a rebellion from institutions that capitalize on making skiing inaccessible and expensive. We fed our ingenuity right back to institutions for a quick paycheck, and now X games and the olympics and a handful of fortune 500 companies own the rights to the most visible expressions of our sport and culture. NS likes to think of itself as subverting that culture because we make threads complaining about it, but on the whole, it's manufacturing the same sport culture that FIS and IOC want. We alienate newcomers from our sport with a culture of gatekeeping knowledge, shaming novice and inability (I could link to a hundred threads bashing people's edits, clothing style, music choice, etc... but I think you all know what I'm talking about). We laude skiers and film crews who have been doing pretty much the same thing over and over for 15 years. The most reputable personalities on this site are just grumpy washed up late 20-something dudes who have earned their clout by shit talking everything new and interesting.

But if you log off of NS and go outside, the world of Freeskiing is thriving. There are dozens of programs getting disenfranchised folks out on the slopes, turning fresh faces and perspectives into potential future visionaries for the sport. Films like The Approach and Spirit of the Peaks are telling stories that connect with people everywhere, not just skiers, and sharing our connection with the land, the history, and the potential of the future with a wider audience. Skiers and companies are taking accountability for our environmental impact, and finding creative ways to sustain the tenuous future of our sport. Social media communities are being grown on the premise of supporting all levels of ability and experience...not to mention breaking down barriers of exclusivity by providing knowledge that you could never find on a site like NS (i.e. how to start skiing, where you can find community as a newcomer, and how to understand the complex vernacular that we've created). Skiing is getting cool again, because people are taking steps to make it available for more people. And NS is just rewatching edits from rich park city kids, rehashing the same jokes with Jerrys (aka new skiers who are probably insecure about their ability) as the punchline, and complaining about the changes that don't prioritize them. We're missing the train.

 

[hank.ski]

Yeah no worries.

Also just want to say this up front because I know people will read this the wrong way. I think that young kids out creating the culture are fucking rad. share your edits, discuss your learning experiences, that shit is cool as hell and exactly what this platform was made for. My critiques are reserved for the population of folks who want skiing and ski culture now to feel and look the exact way it did in the mid 2010s, which seems to be a majority of NSers.

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 3:31:37pm

 

[GrandThings]

Also just want to say this up front because I know people will read this the wrong way. I think that young kids out creating the culture are fucking rad. share your edits, discuss your learning experiences, that shit is cool as hell and exactly what this platform was made for. My critiques are reserved for the population of folks who want skiing and ski culture now to feel and look the exact way it did in the mid 2010s, which seems to be a majority of NSers.

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 3:31:37pm

Love this, love you

 

[GayWolf420]

Yo this is some elitist bullshit, and you definitely should not be viewing coaching this way. Unless you are a coach for the U.S. junior team or some other legitimate farm team, your job is to meet young skiers where they are at, and support them in the growth that they want, to achieve the goals that they want. If your program doesn't have a good system for grouping by skill level, that's a problem...but if you are looking tailoring your coaching to the best skier on the team, you're doing it wrong.

Also, I'm not talking out of my ass. I've been a coach, my brother runs a freestyle program that has coached up kids who are now olympians. This isn't the way.

You literally just described my day in/out duties as a National and Regional comp freeride coach so ty. Elitist or not, they're there to podium at the end of the day. I've been skiing with kids i know since they were 12 up to 18 so i don't think it's a tailoring issue at all. The development and growth of these young athletes comes with the drive to win and succeed and that's why every kid plays sports. I respect what you're saying but also disagree. Comp skiing isn't a cup cake social everyday

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 5:29:18pm

 

[GayWolf420]

I literally know nothing about coaching/ski schools, but couldn't you just tell these kids/parents that they need to be in a more junior level class? Seems like it could be a genuine liability to have a kid who doesn't know the basics yet in a park program.

It's not so much a liability like having someone fresh out of ski school joining a team because they do have fun at the end of the day. But also you can't just tell parents spending good money on tuition, training, travel costs, etc. That their child needs to essentially "learn how to ski" because that boat was missed if they didn't get those skills built before. We can only do so much without re teaching everyone so you have to be extremely careful when telling a parent that their kid can't hang.

Plus you can't just like throw a kid who is say 15/16/17 or so into a group of kids that are younger because age gaps do matter at early stages in kids lives and that messes with them mentally. After a while with repetition and enough time on skis they figure it out. Like we had athletes that struggled immensely at the start of the winter end up in top 5 positions at comps come spring time so something must be working. Some kids just learn by watching and feeling and no one is specifically one type of learner

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 5:36:35pm

 

[GayWolf420]

And meeting with families is a very delicate balance of seeing how we can all meet in the middle in terms of goals and expectations but it usually works out in the end. We do have problematic families but we try our best to make it work. Issues with athletes off the hill does get in the way of on-hill activities and we try to provide mentorship, but everyone's parenting styles are different and teenagers are gonna be teenagers. I don't see that as an elitist viewpoint at all. I was once a dumbass ski team kid myself so i get what they go through in terms of pressure and expectations from all over

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 5:40:51pm

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 5:42:03pm

 

[skierman]

Yeah no worries.

I'm not going to go into all of the detail about the history of freeskiing because it's really dense, but suffice to say this: The 90s was an era of skiing that changed the sport completely, because a group of competitive skiers decided that the program and criteria of skiing developed by FIS and IOC was wack. This was the birth of the "newschool generation" of skiers (literally, newschooler used to be a word used to derogatorily characterize skiers whose style and terrain choice were being influenced by snowboarding). Our niche of the sport was born as an act of rebellion from the predominant financial and cultural institutions. The financial implications of this were massive, because the future of skiing was no longer in FIS's hands. Kids could climb the ranks and become professionals, nay rockstars, without paying 5 or 6 digits out to follow the "olympic path". Cases in point would be Candide, Seth Morrison, Sarah Burke, Ingrid Backstrom. Badasses, rebels, outside-the-box thinkers.

Fast forward 25 years, and Newschoolers is mostly a forum for discussing elite, enfranchised skiers and ski companies. We are still celebrating our niche of the sport, but it is no longer a rebellion from institutions that capitalize on making skiing inaccessible and expensive. We fed our ingenuity right back to institutions for a quick paycheck, and now X games and the olympics and a handful of fortune 500 companies own the rights to the most visible expressions of our sport and culture. NS likes to think of itself as subverting that culture because we make threads complaining about it, but on the whole, it's manufacturing the same sport culture that FIS and IOC want. We alienate newcomers from our sport with a culture of gatekeeping knowledge, shaming novice and inability (I could link to a hundred threads bashing people's edits, clothing style, music choice, etc... but I think you all know what I'm talking about). We laude skiers and film crews who have been doing pretty much the same thing over and over for 15 years. The most reputable personalities on this site are just grumpy washed up late 20-something dudes who have earned their clout by shit talking everything new and interesting.

But if you log off of NS and go outside, the world of Freeskiing is thriving. There are dozens of programs getting disenfranchised folks out on the slopes, turning fresh faces and perspectives into potential future visionaries for the sport. Films like The Approach and Spirit of the Peaks are telling stories that connect with people everywhere, not just skiers, and sharing our connection with the land, the history, and the potential of the future with a wider audience. Skiers and companies are taking accountability for our environmental impact, and finding creative ways to sustain the tenuous future of our sport. Social media communities are being grown on the premise of supporting all levels of ability and experience...not to mention breaking down barriers of exclusivity by providing knowledge that you could never find on a site like NS (i.e. how to start skiing, where you can find community as a newcomer, and how to understand the complex vernacular that we've created). Skiing is getting cool again, because people are taking steps to make it available for more people. And NS is just rewatching edits from rich park city kids, rehashing the same jokes with Jerrys (aka new skiers who are probably insecure about their ability) as the punchline, and complaining about the changes that don't prioritize them. We're missing the train.

LOL your response was definitely not long enough. Why aren't you doing something more productive like watching Rachel Maddow?

 

[hank.ski]

Oh..yeah that actually makes sense. I guess I assumed that the team you coach for was a development team, not a comp team. Tbh I'm surprised that parents are chucking their grom kids into a comp team without experience....are there programs tailored to developmental athletes at your hill?

You literally just described my day in/out duties as a National and Regional comp freeride coach so ty. Elitist or not, they're there to podium at the end of the day. I've been skiing with kids i know since they were 12 up to 18 so i don't think it's a tailoring issue at all. The development and growth of these young athletes comes with the drive to win and succeed and that's why every kid plays sports. I respect what you're saying but also disagree. Comp skiing isn't a cup cake social everyday

**This post was edited on Jul 25th 2022 at 5:29:18pm

**This post was edited on Jul 26th 2022 at 10:56:31pm

 

[hank.ski]

Bro you're gonna be at deaths door with your life flashing before your eyes and it's just gonna be a montage of keyboard warrior antics ?

LOL your response was definitely not long enough. Why aren't you doing something more productive like watching Rachel Maddow?

 

[skierman]

Bro you're gonna be at deaths door with your life flashing before your eyes and it's just gonna be a montage of keyboard warrior antics ?

Bro, you're going to be at death's door with your life flashing before your eyes and it'll be a montage of multi-paragraph responses on a ski website and arguing on Twitter with Russian bots about gender identity.

DUDE, MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

 

[hank.ski]

I don't have a Twitter

Bro, you're going to be at death's door with your life flashing before your eyes and it'll be a montage of multi-paragraph responses on a ski website and arguing on Twitter with Russian bots about gender identity.

DUDE, MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

 

[Farmville420]

Hank ski dropping some bars gawd damn

 

[HiHowAreYou]

It is my God-given right as an American to cut in front of any skis that are being used to hold someone's spot in the line.

 

[Abomber22]

 

[FruitBootPro]

Bro, you're going to be at death's door with your life flashing before your eyes and it'll be a montage of multi-paragraph responses on a ski website and arguing on Twitter with Russian bots about gender identity.

DUDE, MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

Please die

**This post was edited on Jul 28th 2022 at 9:11:34pm

 

[Jems]

gotta say it - new oski skis are butt fucking ugly but not and idc what any fanboys think

 

[Pakanaka]

weed is safer and better than alcohol.

 

[mrk127]

It is my God-given right as an American to cut in front of any skis that are being used to hold someone's spot in the line.

I can’t believe people actually leave their skis in line to save their spot, that shit would never fly at the resort I ride

 

[Jems]

$950?!?!

y’all are fucking trippin on3p ???

 

[SchizoSkier]

Ya no shit they’re supposed to be ugly they just held a a contest for making ugly skis and I think this was the winner

gotta say it - new oski skis are butt fucking ugly but not and idc what any fanboys think

 

[nmwninjart]

View attachment 1047622

$950?!?!

y’all are fucking trippin on3p ???

I like the base graphics better than the topsheet but not paying $950?

 

[TOAST.]

View attachment 1047622

$950?!?!

y’all are fucking trippin on3p ???

Guy Fieri pro model

 

[Slowbro]

View attachment 1047622

$950?!?!

y’all are fucking trippin on3p ???

$1215 CAD : D

 

[Pakanaka]

View attachment 1047591

don't understand the downvotes on this one.

 

[Abomber22]

Lmao.....then you're not hep to the hate hatched here to harass helpless old huckers.....

don't understand the downvotes on this one.

It's now formulaic to DV any OldStoke post .... it's law.

 

[WoFlowz]

Idk if it’s really unpopular but k2’s snowboarding videos are way better than their ski. Kinda sad considering the amazing like up k2 has. Or maybe they’re snowboarding marketing team put more money into street projects and personal stuff than ski. Most of their ski videos are pow skiing too :/

like these two above are about the extent and only two k2 park videos in the past two years. ^^^

Below is three of my favorite videos from k2 snowboarding. They have put out three movies in two years and the vintage sponsor park video along with some other park/bc videos

[video]https://youtu.be/WdvXdp_0e1s[/video]

 

[GrandThings]

Idk if it’s really unpopular but k2’s snowboarding videos are way better than their ski. Kinda sad considering the amazing like up k2 has.

K2 must be going thru some sorta revamp/revival because a few different Bombhole guest have talked some shit about them as a company (Nick Dirks getting let go after a long career with them, Cooper Whittier mentioning that they don't pay their Dustbox riders etc...)

 

[cool270out]

Ski media and culture is bland compared to skateboarding and snowboarding. We need more variety, discussion, hype and creativity.

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

In my mind, the “golden era” was more about the filming than anything else. Big budgets, big productions. Renting out resorts. Big premieres.

The skis, selection, gear, clothes etc. were limited and not as good as today. Nor was the accessibility.

 

[Goretex_Vidal]

If I’m watching an edit and see someone pizza before a rail I just shut it off.

 

[Slowbro]

In my mind, the “golden era” was more about the filming than anything else. Big budgets, big productions. Renting out resorts. Big premieres.

The skis, selection, gear, clothes etc. were limited and not as good as today. Nor was the accessibility.

Yeah. I miss the higher production values and crazy park builds that came with older movies. I also liked the more cinematic presentation (with actual good b-roll, skiers names on screen, introductions to segments, more exotic locations etc) that is never in new edits.

Field, PBP, Level 1, Rage, Stept, and MSP were all very distinct too which meant there was good variety in content.

New school stuff is good too but feels weirdly samey and without professional stuff to contrast against the camcorder dadcam stuff has become the dominant style and is already getting tired IMO.

 

[Jacobthesadskier]

There's no variety in edits anymore, as was said before, Music, tricks, style, filming, even the goddamn parks are the same. I don't really even watch new edits that much anymore, because I know one's basically the same as the next by this point.

 

[Rparr]

Field, PBP, Level 1, Rage, Stept, and MSP

Miss this era so much. I guess I'm officially old

 

[Farmville420]

Yeah. I miss the higher production values and crazy park builds that came with older movies. I also liked the more cinematic presentation (with actual good b-roll, skiers names on screen, introductions to segments, more exotic locations etc) that is never in new edits.

Field, PBP, Level 1, Rage, Stept, and MSP were all very distinct too which meant there was good variety in content.

New school stuff is good too but feels weirdly samey and without professional stuff to contrast against the camcorder dadcam stuff has become the dominant style and is already getting tired IMO.

B-roll in a lot of new edits is honestly a big turn off for me too. Like idk, I feel like older films showed b roll that was more relevant to the skiing in the edit/movie. Like people carrying equipment, building spots, breaking stuff, police interactions, slams and that kinda shit. Lately I feel like I see a lot of people doing goofy stuff and it’s like, you might be funny as fuck but does it really contribute to the edit if it’s just you saying dumb stuff, dancing, or drinking a beer? Idk I feel like I’m some videos the skiing is secondary and the skier and their personality is the primary focus, which might be too deep of an analysis but I kinda see it like that. Idk. Strictly doin it right tho their movies are like those golden age cinematic masterpieces with a little extra gnar

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

I think the smoking a blunt b roll is the lamest lately. You don’t look like Wiz or Snoop

B-roll in a lot of new edits is honestly a big turn off for me too. Like idk, I feel like older films showed b roll that was more relevant to the skiing in the edit/movie. Like people carrying equipment, building spots, breaking stuff, police interactions, slams and that kinda shit. Lately I feel like I see a lot of people doing goofy stuff and it’s like, you might be funny as fuck but does it really contribute to the edit if it’s just you saying dumb stuff, dancing, or drinking a beer? Idk I feel like I’m some videos the skiing is secondary and the skier and their personality is the primary focus, which might be too deep of an analysis but I kinda see it like that. Idk. Strictly doin it right tho their movies are like those golden age cinematic masterpieces with a little extra gnar

 

[Farmville420]

I think the smoking a blunt b roll is the lamest lately. You don’t look like Wiz or Snoop

For real. It’s not really an issue in a lot of the latest and greatest movies of the past season (forrmula, slim to none, most gutter, chargeur, etc.) but I feel like with edits and mini-movies it’s superrrr potent and kinda gets old fast.

Ofc b roll is necessary but sometimes it can be too much and just straight up kill the flow of a project

 

[WoFlowz]

B-roll in a lot of new edits is honestly a big turn off for me too. Like idk, I feel like older films showed b roll that was more relevant to the skiing in the edit/movie. Like people carrying equipment, building spots, breaking stuff, police interactions, slams and that kinda shit. Lately I feel like I see a lot of people doing goofy stuff and it’s like, you might be funny as fuck but does it really contribute to the edit if it’s just you saying dumb stuff, dancing, or drinking a beer? Idk I feel like I’m some videos the skiing is secondary and the skier and their personality is the primary focus, which might be too deep of an analysis but I kinda see it like that. Idk. Strictly doin it right tho their movies are like those golden age cinematic masterpieces with a little extra gnar

For real. It’s not really an issue in a lot of the latest and greatest movies of the past season (forrmula, slim to none, most gutter, chargeur, etc.) but I feel like with edits and mini-movies it’s superrrr potent and kinda gets old fast.

Ofc b roll is necessary but sometimes it can be too much and just straight up kill the flow of a project

Interesting takes. I can agree B-Roll can get excessive. But I think having more BRoll if done right makes it more than a ski movie. Movies I love seem too have more than just the skiing, Nevermind, Eat the Guts, Capeesh?, 12dB, and snowboard flics like How dark blue feels, I wanted most, dream castle etc. all have clips that show a little personality not just ski ski ski. And I think these kinda can bridge the gap between a strictly ski movie and a hate to say it but vlog or documentary

 

[Slowbro]

Interesting takes. I can agree B-Roll can get excessive. But I think having more BRoll if done right makes it more than a ski movie. Movies I love seem too have more than just the skiing, Nevermind, Eat the Guts, Capeesh?, 12dB, and snowboard flics like How dark blue feels, I wanted most, dream castle etc. all have clips that show a little personality not just ski ski ski. And I think these kinda can bridge the gap between a strictly ski movie and a hate to say it but vlog or documentary

This is true a lot of the capeesh b roll makes me laugh, and shows a lot of personality. Without it capeesh edits would be a lot worse.

I wish they had slightly better flow though, sometimes b roll and skiing end right when they’re getting good.

 

[GrandThings]

I still have no idea who/what/the actual deal behind Jetskis actually is, but I think they're cool asf and love everything they do

 

[WoFlowz]

I still have no idea who/what/the actual deal behind Jetskis actually is, but I think they're cool asf and love everything they do

Charlie Gnoza on Jets at a USFreeski camp trip to Whis is possibly the coolest thing I’ve seen recently