Where has it all gone?

S

SensayMaster

Member
Hello newschoolers,

I know the topic of this thread is one that manny people can get into heated debate about and so for all you who believe that my point is far-fetched and off the mark, sorry for wasteing your precious forum surfing time that could easily be better spent being "sociable" on facebook...

There seems to be a current trend in most competitions today where all the competitors are all doing the same trick. I dont need to spell it out to you because if you cant notice the abundance of switch big spins with mute grabs, then once agian, facebook would be a better use of your time.

When skiing first came about there were so many different styles and tricks being thrown all across the scene. Skiing was about soul and style and ultimately the expression of both. Since when have we lost our roots and begun to focus of show-casing a cookie cutter image?

There are so many kids out there who are trying DIFFERENT things and looking at freatures in UNIQUE ways and are doing things that have never been done or even thought of before. Personally I like to watch low budget films because the characterisitcs of the riders embody what our freestyle revolution was all about.

Through out history, revolutions have always started to try and escape from a negative status quo. The New Canadian Air Force took the steps to start the freeskiing industry by creating a promotional video to send out to companys to create a ski that would allow them to step out of the industrial box and move into a realm of progression and originality.

Maybe the progression of skiing has gone so far across such a wide range of talented persons, that the next set of "fads" and "trends" aren't possible. Jf Houle said it wll in his recent interview with newschoolers when he said something along the lines of double-flips and big spins aren't the only way to progress. When a well known big name says that, you know somethings up.

I give kudos out to Tanner Hall for his work in "Believe" and how the entire movie had a very laid back, fun-loving feel towards it. The one thing I quesiton now though, is since Tanner took the step out of the box to do it, now will everyone and their brother hop on board the bandwagon and follow a possible new trend?

Skiings future is as far away from black and white as you could possibly get. We dont have analysits who work for newschoolers who have shows and talk about the future and things to come because the evolution of out sport has fueled so heavily from the indviduality of each and every person. The phrase united we stand, divided we fall cant say it any worse in the world of freestyle skiing.

*Disclaimer*

Piece didnt have much direction. Made to really raise a question and hopefully to get people to wonder as well. Not looking to change the world, just discuss issues.
 
sounds like youve got alot to say, i agree that following a trend isnt the way to ski, but you could for sure argue that going on newschoolers is a trend amongst skiiers..

but judging by the amount of kids coming into the shop wanting to buy the latest pro gear so they can go look just like everyone else in the park, its becoming alot more mainstream then maybe we want it to be. i think its a mixed blessing, because i wouldnt want to go back to the days where skiiers werent even allowed in the park, and now were getting some great park features to ride, and lots of park specific skis to choose from. but then it means more people want to ride the park, and all it takes is one idiot to ruin it for the rest of us.

but me personally, i dont rele care about contests, i only ski for myself. i dont go to the hill trying to impress anyone (sure its cool if i do, but im not like "wow that guys good, time to show him up") i go just to have fun skiing how i want to. i think that thats the whole point of skiing, you should do it for yourself, if it gives you satisfaction. if youre just doing it to try and show off then you should be playing football or something

oh and i love the comparisons to facebook, i just built the most kickass snowman on there

 
"There seems to be a current trend in most competitions today where all the competitors are all doing the same trick. I dont need to spell it out to you because if you cant notice the abundance of switch big spins with mute grabs"

i gotta diagree here, most big airs are won by double flips or tech grabs nowadays. i dont think a sw 10 mute has won anything since last years king of style
 
Okay well if i would have said specifically a 10 then ya maybe i would be off. The fact of the matter is, switch big spins, either 10, 12, 14, or whatever with crossed up grabs has been pretty synonymous with big air comps in the last few years. This isnt the first year double flips have been thrown. Mike Wilson has done some pretty crazy shit in video segs way before the whole double flip campaign started. Check out mind the addiction, an early tgr film, and scope chris collins, sage cattabriga, & chris mennici doing double flips and cork 7's over chads gap from almost day one. That shoot was considered their breakthrough performance for collins and cattabriga. Mennici never made it and was and possibly still is a painter in SLC.

Chris collins has bein doin double flips since many of us have been in our diapers. Double lincolns, triple backflips off of a cliff for christ sake! I think if Dumont did his double front flip over chads, people would think that it was so dope, where many people who arent well known in the mainstream popularity contest of park skiing have done that, many years before.

Sure new "Tech" grabs have been done, but in small amounts and constantly repeated. Two words can some up what I'm trying to say. Truck Driver. I think the only person who's never done one would have to be pollard.

I didnt check last years king of style, but watching this years highlights, I ask anyone to count the amount of switch spins in there over 540 and then compare it to total amount of shots and then try and tell me how reflective that is of a trend...
 
I don't really know where skiing will go. I think the reason skiing has gotten a little stagnent lately is because we are going through growing pains. Skiing has gotten to the point where it is becoming more mainstream and therefore people just start doing what everyone else is doing. Jon Olsson introducing the double flip is deffinately innovative but it could move things too much in the direction of aerials which is not very stylish. What Tanner is doing is good, the fact that he is actually doing new things and also Eric Pollard. Both are helping to bring technicality to the backcountry. As you said how you liked how Believe had a fun feel to it, this is how most snowboard movies are. That is where skiing really has a problem if you look at Yeah Dude the skiing in the movie is good but the movie has very aggressive flow. Yeah Dude just doesn't make you one want to go skiing and second it doesn't make you excited about it. Right now we need to be very carefull to make sure skiing doesn't get stuck in another rut much like it did from the 70s until the late 90s. I don't know really if a push to the backcountry is the best place for skiing to go since how many of us can ski spine lines on huge mountains. Right now i think skiing should keep the focus on park but try to re- invent some of the features. But we should still all try to get out of the park more and ski powder and cliffs and so on. But for the most part skiing is still progressing at a good rate, you can look around and definately stll see the progression.
 
Addressing the first part of this about big switch spins winning everything or any repeated trick winning everything for that matter. I like the rule at the Jon's contest where you are not allowed to repeat any tricks during the competition, it keeps things fresh and doesn't allow abyone to just dial a single trick and throw it over and over. (All though this is a little hypocritical because Jon hasn't entered many comps where he hasnt thrown a Kangaroo in while)

But I think that this kind of rule should be put in place more often, such as in serries events, if there are three stops to a comp then no competitor should be allowed to do the same run and any of the events. This will make the people on top have a large bag of tricks and hopefully a varied one.

Also hopefully this will start to make people throw different things then their competitors, there is nothing more boring to watch or hard to judge than a comp where every competitor throws a switch 10. If the competitors tricks were a switch 10, a cork 7, a rodeo 9, a switch rodeo 7, a what ever. The variety will make the comp more fun for everyone because each competitor will be trying to throw a trick the crowd and the judges will like better for what ever reason. If competitors just atempt to throw the same trick as everyone else it just sets up a feeling of "I can do that better than you" and that can lead to the cocky claiming attitude that is begining to be a problem in skiing.

If you look at comps from back when free skiing was started there was never a repeated trick and there were always high fives and cheers between the competitors at the bottom who were smiling and super stoked just to be there. Im not saything that that still isnt there at competitors but it is certainly not as evident. So I guess I would just like to see everyone throw what they like and what is their style this winter at comps. You might as well have fun at comps if your going becase if your not well you wasted a lot of time, money and effort to be there for a big dispointment. If you had a blast and didnt win its no big deal. But if you were too focused to talk to anyone in the start house or tell a joke on the lift and crash well then what did you gain at that event?
 
I think it's funny that you put forward Tanner as your example of what people should be doing. He was double flipping all over the place this summer. In any case, this debate has been beaten to death. Some people want gnarkill xtreme rotations, some people want to do small tricks into powder all day, some people want to wear tight pants and name tricks after breakfast foods. All those people are skiing and enjoying it, so I don't really care.
 
Add me to that list, I've never done a single Truck Driver. Why? They are ugly ass shit, and I have no desire to try them. I feel the same as the double flips and switch 12's + 14's. Granted I can't even spin a 10 but I could care less. If the "progression" doesn't take a slight turn soon, aerials and "newschool" could be bastard red headed step children.
 
Skiing is at a great place now. We have the best products we ever have. The best skis, the best boots, the best parks. There is outerwear available that will appeal to a wide variety of different styles.

Sure, maybe big rotations may be winning competitions, but they always (for the most part) have. With the exception of a few occassions, bigger spins typically took the cake when it came to comps. The difference now though is that we have film options with athletes that don't even compete and many segments with smooth mellow tricks.

I could care less if someone likes to spin big, or mellow it out. So long as they are having a good time skiing.

The ONLY part that I do care about, is the attitudes of some people where they look down on those with less skill then them.
 
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