When the fuck did freestyle skiing become so 'gangster'?

hoya

hoya

Member
seriously, in a traditionaly white sport that is currently dominated by rich white teens from the suburbs driving their mom's volvo suv... why is there such a huge presense of this so called 'gangsterness'? yea, i aggree that style is just as important as skill, but the fact that you don't look like a straight up retard doesnt make you gangster in the least bit

i actually want to hear some other opinions on this so dont just post some bullshit
 
Idk man, I think it's weird because in snowboarding there's all different styles from punk to gangsta to emo to skater and even 'normal' (!) but in skiing (mostly park skiing) gangsta seems to dominate. Maybe because tanner hall is so dominant, it's just a trend thing that's caught on, whereas in snowboarding there's not one lone dominant rider in both comps and vids for the kids to idolize, but many different riders with different styles.
 
possible although snowboarding is a way bigger sport that newschool

also i guess just why would the whole sport gravitate toward one athlete's style? it doesnt seem like one person would have that much influence.,.
 
Well, I don't think every freeskier I influenced by tanner, hence why every freeskier is not 'gangsta', but I think there's a small portion who were influenced by tanner and the other gansta pros and that's snowballed, then kids see other gangsta's in the park and they think that's cool so they adopt that style as well. A trend is kind of like a pyramid and it trickles down through the different levels to hook more people, if that makes sense.

And granted snowboarding is a bigger sport, but even back when it was starting out there were different styles (punk/hip hop etc)...probably because it took more from the skate scene in that sense.
 
Hip-hop culture is pretty dominant in the states anyway. It's only natural that it would eventually incorporate itself into skiing (it has everywhere). It is known as a suburban white sport now, but it will diversify. (Fuck, look at Basketball's history.)

If anything is to diversify, even us black kids who listen to indie need to first be exposed to it. If we hate on someone because of the music one listens to, or the way they dress... There is no progression. True progression comes from pushing the norm. Hip-hop did that for skiing in a way.

Frankly though... I just think a lot of people like it.
 
Agreed. Many do both... The skate scene had a lot to draw on, including the surf scene - which is way diverse. You've got everything from 8 year olds to 80 year olds ripping waves on the daily. From all walk of life.
 
no doubt hip hop culture would incorperate itself into skiing but fuck, go watch 10 random edits in the video section, i guarentee 9 of them will have rap, and at least 1 will feature the song 'straight outa compton'

(note: before you shoot me in the face, i dont mean to dis hip hop, let it be known i am a dj, and hip hop is the shit, its just interesting how it got into a sport that seems to have a totally opposite background)
 
No disrespect bro. You're right, there may be a bit of posering in the world of skiing. I think the people that brought hip-hop into the world of skiing were into it straight up though. Now it just helps sell it.

For real though... Don't let it get you bent. You being a DJ (I as well...) know there are just as many DJs out there that spin hip-hop that don't truly feel it either.

It's going to take some for real guts from the kids to be a part of something real. I personally prefer to listen to indie (rock AND hip-hop) when I'm out in the elements (which include the skate park), but I'm a truer product of my environment. We keep it real in Pittsburgh because we are all hard ass workers.
 
Even though alot of people do the gangsta look its really all about how you feel. If that makes you ahppy when u ski then fuck it do what you got to do and if you dont like that style then you shuold do what you want and not get shit for it. But i think alot of people get made fun of for having no style when i think that isnt fair becuase they are happy and they are skiing so why should someone try to put them down. So in the end i think that style should be about what you want and how you feel and not baes upon what other people think or do!
 
styles come and styles go. 20 years ago everyone on the hill had neon pink jackets with skin tight pants. hip hop and rap and skiing seem to go well together at this point in time. when you watch ski movies and such, they have the rap because it just seems to flow with what you are watching. pretty soon something else will come along in style and only a few people will be wearin gangster clothes
 
Its because we're still a bunch of immature bitches. Skiing will progress to other styles once we collectively grow up a few years and let go the wigger shit.

Skiing is still clinging on to what is considered mainstream. We just have no guts to let go. I mean remember how much people hated on the last cover because Max was wearing tight pants?

 
The more I think about it... A true G would never be on the slopes. They'd be jacking your shit in the parking lot and selling it out the back of an Escalade.

Now THAT's gangster.
 
i really dont care what happens to the sport because ill keep doing it if every one else stops. i just prefer the way bigger things fit, but i dont really give a fuck what i wear so.......
 
the look skiing...loike actually on the slopes may be gangsta..but then again, it's mostly that way snowboarding too. and while people dress ghetto on the slopes, there not always the same outside, take jon olsson, hes just like normal, into his fashion, and how about anthony boronowski, and jacob wester, there both like artsy emo'ish into the music. then with that, theres travis red and steele spence, there like skaters. and what about the 3 phils, what do you call them. there is lots of indeviduality, people just get cought up in what people wear skiing.
 
To be honest... I don't think I would ever wear anything tight to ski. I know why they did, but now we can be comfortable and warm (and not look like asses). Mainly though, I think this convo is more about attitude than fashion.
 
The reason skiing has become 'gangster' is because most people cant think for themselves. Like publicity, if a rich and famous person has it, the ordinary joe automaticly thinks that he needs it too.

Then the compagnies sees the need and put out more publicity to make sure people buy their stuff.

 
when tanner hall started skiing. when rap became widespread. and when we got made fun of and snowboarding became cool
 
well for one thing, I have seen more wiggers than niggers throughout my life, so I am not suprised.
 
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i dont dress gangster, i just like loose cloths. gangsta is bling bling shit and usualy most gangster kids suck.
 
skiing went gangsta over a decade after suburban, white kids embraced black/hip-hop culture. who do you think drove N.W.A, Tupac, B.I.G. and Jay-Z album sales through the '90s? you guessed it, white kids!

it was only a matter of time that the new generation of skiers brought their 'street' style to the slopes.

so if i were you, i'd date it back to '98 or so with Evan Raps: first pro skier to bring in the attitude, fashion, style, music, persona of hip-hop/thug/gangsta/black.

 
Cause the mountain is the only place you can dress black and not get hammered for dressing black because theres no blacks on the mountain. Duh. And don't bash other people.
 
there are gangster skiier but not all skiiers with baggy pants are gangster. i think baggy pants just help with movement, but then again i dont see the point in baggy jackets.
 
You're taking shit way too seriously man.

I sport tall tees and way baggy XL shit and blah blah blah. But that is far from reflective of my true personality. Sure, I listen to a whole SHITLOAD of hip hop. Weather it be kidz in the hall or the GZA, all the way to Mistah F.A.B. and Mac Dre. I LOVE the music. But my true nature of dress is a fusion between san jose skate culture (krew jeans whatttttt)  and skiing/snowboarding culture.

On top of that, I'm a designer that deals with clients through e-mail and in person, all the time. So I'm not sitting there acting a fool when it comes down to business. Schoolwise?  I get a 3.7GPA. I don't constantly spit black dialogue nor do I have a lot of disrespect for others on the mountain. 

But because of the way I choose to dress while riding..tons of older skiers give me a lot of shit and seem to treat me as if I were some teenage moron.

Put all those kids with there parents. Put them in an environment where they are forced to be less "gangster",  and I'm sure you will see that all these kids are "normal" by your standards. They are all just having fun! Hip hop culture is damn sick,  and you should just let people do what they like.

And as for white people in general. They are DAMN silly. Go to your mountain and look at every white guy thats over 30. All dressed up in the tight Helly suit they bought 14 years ago. I sit on my mountain, and almost feel ashamed. So many white people are so boring, plain, and typical. Glen Plake still finds a way to ride in style, why can't others?

I mean, hell, the other day, I sat on a lift chair with 3 white guys, all above the ages of 40. One started talking to me and made a comment that it was his first day on a chair with all skiers. He then proceeded to call snowboarders "Fucking morons" and "knuckle draggers". You tell me what kind of an attitude is that? Any person on the mountain can be an idiot. I've come across just as many stupid skiers as boarders. Strapping a board on your feet doesn't entitle you to losing 60 IQ points.

lastly. NATION OF JIBLAM LIKE WHAT HYPHY HYPHY YEEEEEEEEEEEE.

the bayconf doin it real b-i-g from the yay. bright tall teez and hyphy slap.

yay to the a. planet o' the baypes! stay slayin on emmm. 

YARRRRRRRRRRAMEAN?

hahahaha
 
the way you dress has little to do with how you carry yourself as a person. the majority baggy clothes wearing, hip hop listening, tall tee sporting skiers are not trying to be 'gangster'. they are simply expressing themselves and it shouldn't bother you.

when on hill ski by shootings and turf wars over specific parts of the park start going down then you might have a decent argument, but until then it's still just kids wearing clothes and listening to music.
 
not everybody has baggy ass clothes, look at jon hartman, most heshed out mother fucker around.
 
I'm not blasting you by any means, but why does it matter?? Hip-Hop is "cool" hip and all that shit. The style the fashion, lingo, and just some cool mutherfucker shit. Would you prefer country on the slopes? how about that good old disco?

It's just music and a image, nothing else. Be real to yourself and just do your thing on the slopes. Thats all you really can do.
 
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