Why do people hate racers?

addie.

addie.

Member
Ok, so before I get robbed of all karma, hear me out. I ski race. I also enjoy park, pow, and other assorted fun things. What promoted me to write this thread involves today where a group of guys who were obviously skiing park started to make some snarky comments about my race suit and my hard ear helmet. If these same guys caught me on a different day in the park or the backcountry where I'm not dressed that way, they'd be saying things completely different things. I can't speak for everyone but I can speak for myself. I love racing. I love freesking. I just love to fuckin' ski. So, let's hear it: why do you hate racers? or if you don't, what's your opinion on the subject?
 
they r dum

Just kidding. I have no idea why people hate racers, but I really don't care. It's a mountain, and everyone is there because they love some form of skiing.
 
I raced for quite a few years and let me tell you that it definitely gave me a great foundation for freestyle.

That being said I think the racing competition style where its all about perfect form and being the fastest is so foreign compared to what we do as freeriders, whereas we want to feel free and try to be as imaginative as possible while it seems like they are basically robots.

Also i feel like in racing there is this elitist culture, back at my home mountain the racers were all definitely a little stuck up, and their parents are even worse. It felt like them and their families were definitely focused on being the best, while we were all just focused on having fun. While the race parents were tuning their kids skis on saturday nights our parents were getting drunk together and trashing rental houses.

Bottom line theres just a fundamental difference between the two and even though were all just skiers theirs bound to be some friction between us.
 
I dont think we really hate racers per-say. Its just that Ski Racing sort of embodies the "FASTER, FASTER, WIN WIN WIN" side of skiing that freeskiing generally clashes with. I ski because I love it and seeing that harsh side of the sport kinda freaks me out. That being said, Im friends with a lot of racers, although they seem to be more on the chill side, like me and just love to ski.
 
13554653:SDrvper said:
I personally don't hate all racers, but a majority of kids who race are stuck up, rich and just don't treat anyone else on the mountain with respect.

Now you could say the same thing about park skiers, but there are far less douchebags riding around in the park than who are racing. The main thing for me is that racers think that they are the most talented skiers on the mountain and try and act like they are. maybe us park rats do stupid shit but at least we aren't flocking around the mountain showing off our mediocre skiing abilities. I was a racer, it helped me become a better park skier, but i couldn't stand being around the people in that part of our sport
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What you're talking about with the egos and stuff is exactly why I got into park skiing. I met some really nice, chill people who showed me a side of skiing I never knew growing up in the racing community. But yeah I understand.
 
Racers are cool depending where you're at. I worked at one mountain where the racers were pretty much told they could do anything they wanted, and they were assholes. Even the coaches. They would do things in the park and I would nicely explain park etiquette and they'd be douchers.Remember this one lady telling me she was going to report me because I asked her not to bring her kids through the jumpline to roll over the takeoffs and fall on each other/create a hazard. Another guy for side jumping where he argued that that's why it was there. I was like nah bro, I built that takeoff, so Im pretty sure I know why it's there.

Idk, racing is cool though. A lot of park skiers have garbage forum and can barely ski. Also one place I worked used to help run the races certain nights. It was chill.

Racers are cool, unless they aren't, but that's the same with people in general. Just don't try and set up gates in the middle of my park.
 
13554670:AlsoKnownAs said:
kids through the jumpline to roll over the takeoffs and fall on each other/create a hazard.
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I dont hate racers, unless they're in the park with race skis, barely making it up the towrope and just getting in the way
 
13554664:addie. said:
What you're talking about with the egos and stuff is exactly why I got into park skiing. I met some really nice, chill people who showed me a side of skiing I never knew growing up in the racing community. But yeah I understand.
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I like racers.

I talked to the ski racing team at my school and they're letting me go on their busses to trainings with them (ofcourse I'd go off skiing on my own) but yeah it's super nice/chill of them to do that!
 
13554647:Seanlynch11 said:
Because of their tight helmets
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13554649:addie. said:
FIS makes us do it. Trust me we dont like it either.
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Pretty sure any good fitting helmet is just as tight. I'm a big fan of racing and I like watching it as much as freestyle. I don't like it when anyone is a jerk whether they are in a race suit or a g suit but I'm not going to let it fill me with hate.
 
I raced back in high school at a fairly high level. I used to be a ski racer first and foremost but got into park. I click more with the park kids and my approach to racing was much more laid back. I trained hard but didn't eat/sleep/breathe racing like most kids at the level. Speaking from experience I can see why people hate racers. Not all of them are shitty but a lot of people just associate them with with the "elitist" bunch the same way normal people associate park skiers with knocked over trash cans and kids screaming at their moms.

Lets just put it this way. If you associate with a group you are bound to fall prey to the stereotypes. I know I hated being grouped with the racers and even got trash talked at event for being a "park rat".

But let your skiing do the talking.

There's no better feeling than showing up all the haters at a ranked event.
 
I come from a racer family. I like most racers. Growing up, I felt more comfortable skiing with them than I did in the park. Contrary to popular belief, racers know how to have a good time. You might get the spoiled one or the arrogant one from time to time, but imo they're not as bad as spoiled/arrogant park kids. But racer parents can be vile people. Racers are alot more chill than most people think.
 
I don't hate racers, a lot of them are decent people... I just hate assholes that are uptight/close-minded about skiing, think they are better then everyone else because they can ski "correctly", and think that everyone should ski "properly" like them.
 
The hatred towards racers on NS for being obnoxious is one of NS's strangest trends, considering that park rats are just as obnoxious as racers are most of the time. One of those being blind to your own faults sort of things.
 
I hate them because for one reason, the "suck tuck pop". Getting snaked by someone, fully decked out in spandex, who absorbs the lip of the jump to the full capability of their legs and proceeds to fly through the air taking on the position of defecating dog. All so that they can make it to the knuckle of the landing FASTER. Is definitely one of the worst things.
 
I don't hate racers. I just hate that there can't be a terrain park over the whole mountain because of racing.
 
13554863:CQBMN said:
I don't hate racers. I just hate that there can't be a terrain park over the whole mountain because of racing.
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what about little kids? and old people? and your average joe who doesn't want to maybe only ski park? and (my favorite part of skiing) backcountry??
 
13554865:addie. said:
what about little kids? and old people? and your average joe who doesn't want to maybe only ski park? and (my favorite part of skiing) backcountry??
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Maybe just a little bit more of the mountain should be park. There's so many possible park setups that you can never have enough.
 
From my experience with racing, all the kids are wicked serious and don't do any actual fun skiing things and their parents are bitchy as hell. Though if you race and are willing to ski something other than gates it does make you a good skier
 
13554855:shortbusgangster said:
I hate them because for one reason, the "suck tuck pop". Getting snaked by someone, fully decked out in spandex, who absorbs the lip of the jump to the full capability of their legs and proceeds to fly through the air taking on the position of defecating dog. All so that they can make it to the knuckle of the landing FASTER. Is definitely one of the worst things.
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please stop
 
13554653:SDrvper said:
I personally don't hate all racers, but a majority of kids who race are stuck up, rich and just don't treat anyone else on the mountain with respect.

Now you could say the same thing about park skiers, but there are far less douchebags riding around in the park than who are racing. The main thing for me is that racers think that they are the most talented skiers on the mountain and try and act like they are. maybe us park rats do stupid shit but at least we aren't flocking around the mountain showing off our mediocre skiing abilities. I was a racer, it helped me become a better park skier, but i couldn't stand being around the people in that part of our sport
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^^^^^^^ Exactly. Racers make skiing not seem fun. They always cut the lines because they have "practice."
 
13554653:SDrvper said:
I personally don't hate all racers, but a majority of kids who race are stuck up, rich and just don't treat anyone else on the mountain with respect.

Now you could say the same thing about park skiers, but there are far less douchebags riding around in the park than who are racing. The main thing for me is that racers think that they are the most talented skiers on the mountain and try and act like they are. maybe us park rats do stupid shit but at least we aren't flocking around the mountain showing off our mediocre skiing abilities. I was a racer, it helped me become a better park skier, but i couldn't stand being around the people in that part of our sport
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Fuckin amen brother... That hit the nail on the head; its that rich-kid attitude that pisses me off the most.
 
13554653:SDrvper said:
I personally don't hate all racers, but a majority of kids who race are stuck up, rich and just don't treat anyone else on the mountain with respect.

Now you could say the same thing about park skiers, but there are far less douchebags riding around in the park than who are racing. The main thing for me is that racers think that they are the most talented skiers on the mountain and try and act like they are. maybe us park rats do stupid shit but at least we aren't flocking around the mountain showing off our mediocre skiing abilities. I was a racer, it helped me become a better park skier, but i couldn't stand being around the people in that part of our sport
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I would argue that 13-17 year old racers are way less douchey than the typical obnoxious no edge using back seat baggy pant stuck up goggle sagging park rat. I think that racers are more stuck up but are also waaaaayyyy less obnoxious and in general better skiers. They are more proper and better technical skiers. But the only real truth is that bumps skiers are the best skiers on the mountain.
 
I don't mind racers unless they give me a reason to dislike them. I have a ton of good friends that race. There's racers that I don't like, but there's also park kids that I'm not particularly fond of. I wouldn't be the skier I am today if I hadn't raced.
 
13554885:uturn said:
From my experience with racing, all the kids are wicked serious and don't do any actual fun skiing things and their parents are bitchy as hell. Though if you race and are willing to ski something other than gates it does make you a good skier
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But you have to understand that to racer kids being super serious is fun. I can relate I am very competitive and love taking things seriously. Just like you enjoy goofing off they enjoy ripping as fast as they can.
 
Race skiers are perfectly fine until they interfere with my park riding. At my local hill the racing isn't the problem, its the little kids in ski club who take over the park riding over the lips of rails and jumps. I remember I had to hop over a kid into a quarter pipe so I didn't hit him. My hill that I was at last season had no good park riders. If you could even slide a rail all the way through then everybody on the lift would go crazy. One time a friend of mine did a switch up on a flat bar and everybody started screaming lol. At most mountains the racers fill the role of ski club at my hill lol. I'm even turning down working at my hill so I don't have to deal with the little kids.
 
People hate because they want to be in a group, and it's easier to define yourself as "in" when you can collectively make fun of the people who are "out."

Really though, it comes down to this: skiers of any stripe have more in common with each other than people who don't ski at all. We can choose to let skis and the love of skiing be a common ground, or we can fall victim to the divisiveness that ultimately makes being out there a lot less fun.
 
Racers remind me of the hockey, football, basketball "ATTACK ATTACK WIN WIN WIN" Gladiator culture, basically the "jock" culture. It exists in freeskiing in slope and pipe, but even those guys are generally down to earth dudes who just love to ski. I don't "hate" racers but a fair amount of them fall into the "jock" category that I rejected growing up and still do. For them it's all competition and "who's the best by .2 seconds". We all ski for our own reasons though: alongside freeskiing I cross-country ski raced until I was 16 and it was the same culture, really just took the fun out of skiing. Don't hate, understand and realize how these people are conditioned to basically be Gladiators like hockey, football, and basketball players. It's just a different culture. Having a backround in racing though can have a dramatic and beneficial effect on your overall skiing technique weather you buy into the culture or not.
 
Because they often behave like dicks when they better check their ego.

That said I had the fortune to come across a few top athletes racing on the world cup and they were all chill and down to earth, no attitude at all.
 
Because they often behave like dicks when they better check their ego.

That said I had the fortune to come across a few top athletes racing on the world cup and they were all chill and down to earth, no attitude at all.
 
A lot o racers cut me off in the park and make fun of people who are in the park. I tried the race team one year and all of them were assholes. Some racers can be nice, but overall they are dicks.
 
13555229:loafer102110 said:
A lot o racers cut me off in the park and make fun of people who are in the park. I tried the race team one year and all of them were assholes. Some racers can be nice, but overall they are dicks.
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Translation: I tried out for the race team one year and I wasn't good enough, so I hate all racers now
 
I see just as many douche bag park skiers as racers. Perhaps even worse, when you see a douche bag park kid who thinks hes the shit in line in his xxxxxxl saggy gear cursing, talking loud, acting like a moron...see it all the time.

Also, I think freeskiers generally hate on racers as well is because they are purely jealous. Most racers would blow a freeskier out of the water any day of the week on the slopes. Probably in the park to.

Go look at an everyday park....9/10 kids just striaght up suck. I would bet most racers are better than most park kids at skiing park.

Granted there are a lot of dbag racers and it does have a bit of an elitist vibe.....but at the end of the day racing develops skiing foundation that the vast majority of freeskiers will never ever develop.

Looking forward to when the park rats get older and attempt to actually ski.
 
13555238:KravtZ said:
I see just as many douche bag park skiers as racers. Perhaps even worse, when you see a douche bag park kid who thinks hes the shit in line in his xxxxxxl saggy gear cursing, talking loud, acting like a moron...see it all the time.

Also, I think freeskiers generally hate on racers as well is because they are purely jealous. Most racers would blow a freeskier out of the water any day of the week on the slopes. Probably in the park to.

Go look at an everyday park....9/10 kids just striaght up suck. I would bet most racers are better than most park kids at skiing park.

Granted there are a lot of dbag racers and it does have a bit of an elitist vibe.....but at the end of the day racing develops skiing foundation that the vast majority of freeskiers will never ever develop.

Looking forward to when the park rats get older and attempt to actually ski.
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Im like 99% sure that 9/10 kids don't suck haha. But entertain me what qualifies as sucking in your book? Maybe its you that sucks? I feel that you may be very hypocritical in this response, I mean what you are basically saying in your response is that park riders are hating on ski racers but what I'm sensing is that you are a racer and you're hating on park skiers... I don't know that you have the credentials to go ahead and say that a lot of park skiers suck and that most racers could beet them in the park, Thats just comical.
 
13555263:robert.clarkeiii said:
Im like 99% sure that 9/10 kids don't suck haha. But entertain me what qualifies as sucking in your book? Maybe its you that sucks? I feel that you may be very hypocritical in this response, I mean what you are basically saying in your response is that park riders are hating on ski racers but what I'm sensing is that you are a racer and you're hating on park skiers... I don't know that you have the credentials to go ahead and say that a lot of park skiers suck and that most racers could beet them in the park, Thats just comical.
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I ski a pretty big resort in Southern VT often. The race kids kill it. All amazing skiers. Text book definitions...could out ski most "park" kids any day of the week on groomers, trees, powder, etc. I am a ex racer and am a very good skier myself something I pride myself in.

I see / know a bunch of these kids who bring up twin tips also for runs here and there between races, etc. Many of them are really solid park riders.

I would say the average park rider couldnt hit every rail in the park, cant 360, ride switch well, the list goes on. Its VERY obvious of this...go take a few laps through the park and watch other people. Most people are horrendous. Obviously NS is a different demographic since most people here ski a lot.
 
I like racers, the female coaches are hot. And when their work is done, they met us at the bar.
 
Racers are cool until they loose it. Tons of racers are just plain dicks to park skiers such as shouting of the chair "you are so cool! I want to be just like you" sarcastically. I actually am starting to think that these types of racers are just jealous that they took the more boring side of skiing and would rather be skiing park. In the end, which one would you rather do. Be busting backflips or running into plastic poles at high speeds.
 
I think it's the parents. Even the kids that are there to race, it seems like they just get complaints from their parents the whole time. I think the parents throw their kids into racing because the other option - for parents to understand, is snowboarding and with that comes with the whole rebellious aspect. I dont think a lot of parents understand the other side of skiing yet. Just my insightful opinion. Go easy.
 
13554692:Tasty_Bread said:
even got trash talked at event for being a "park rat".

But let your skiing do the talking.

There's no better feeling than showing up all the haters at a ranked event.
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Nothing better than a park rat who out-races all the stuck-up 'strictly racing' kids. Expecially if they call you out for being a 'park rat'.
 
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