Why I've become a Hater

What is wrong with you kids. Lets get something straight here, how hard you work, how talented you are, does not mean you are entitled to certain amount of money.

Her sponsors pay her whatever they do because the market dictates that price. Stop blaming the companies, stop blaming the industry, the reason why there is no money in skiing is because skiing isn't popular and being in entertainment business it makes it pretty hard to make $ if no one really watches your shit. The olympics is a great way to grow the popularity of this sport, and by doing that it will affect every aspect from this sport from filming to competitions.

I don't even know why Logan made this thread. Logan isn't even a professional skiier, you have a full time job as a engineer, who are you to pass judgement on money and finances when it doesn't even affect you.

I don't give a shit about the roots of this sport, we all fucking decided to start skiing because we love it, no skiier will ever be a sell out because there is no fucking money in skiing. But if a skier needs to be in a hair commercial to help pay some bills don't be a arrogant retard and call him out for wanting to make a living, mom and dad can't pay the bills for everyone. I also find it funny how the majority of people who are so against competition skiing are also riders who simply do not have the raw talent to compete with the best right now.

Money goes to competitions because that is how most people watch our sport, that is how sponsors advertise their brand through their riders. If you want that to change, you need to change the general populations idea of what freeskiing is, so that film companies will have a larger market to sell to. Hopefully will be the Olympics will be the catalyst to do that.
 
I appreciate the shoutout Logan, and you're absolutely right. I don't even have money to pay rent and its stressing me the fuck out cuz all I want to worry about is hitting Chad's gap, not how I'm gonna pay rent.

Then again, I surfed all summer and edited for free at Poor Boyz so its definitely my fault that I'm in this predicament. But GODDAMN is it irritating some of the people that make bank while us "film skiers" are just scrapin by.
 
Yes this may blow your mind, but work ethic/talent do not equate to making money for a company. It just so happens that in many other professions that these attributes correlate to success. But having them does not mean you should magically make $.

Esp in the entertainment industry, for example lets look at many musicians... There are plenty of no talent ass clowns who make millions and then there are some extremely hard working talented people who make nothing.

We are in the entertainment industry, if you want to make money you need to be marketable, and for that to happen there are a lot other variables than just being able to stomp some dope ski tricks. But what I will say if we can increase our target market it will be a lot easier for anyone to make a influence on someone to make them buy a product, and the olympics have the best chance at growing our target market.
 
There is a pretty obvious answer, they don't make the money because they don't have the right marketability. The reason warren miller has been so successful over the years is because he gives the punters what they want. The average joe cannot relate to 95% of the tricks freeskiers do, however they can relate to a story like setting with a bunch of x alpine skiers skiing safe backcountry and going to exotic locations, yeah it's boring as hell but for a person who has little skiing ability, it's exciting. As for the competitors getting most of the money, sponsors want people to see their products, they throw money at athletes that are going to get the eyeballs. Competitions have always been the main point of exposure for not only skiing but most sports. I'm sorry dude but freeskiing is a reasonably niche sport, if anything the olympics will increase awareness.
 
So you fucked off all summer and now you're mad that someone else, some company, has not given you enough money to do whatever you want all winter? There are "film skiers" who work 2-3 jobs all summer to be able to afford to be "pro skiers" during the winter.

This whole thread is turning into a bitch-fest void of any facts or brain activity whatsoever. The people who market their shit are the ones who get paid. It's not biased. It's not "not fair". It's a business. Skiers are the employees. Don't want to work for the man? Fine, don't. But then don't bitch when you don't have Bobby or Sammy or Tom's budget.
 
And no offense, Karl. I know that seemed like it was directed at you. It wasn't. You just happened to bring up the exact argument that makes no sense to me.
 
whoa Whoa WHOAA. First off, I didn't "fuck off" all summer. I pursued two new hobbies that I am finding a lot of enjoyment. This is actually the first summer in 10 years that I didn't make a wage labor, and it has been one of my most memorable.

Second off, I'm not, and never said I was mad. I'm as stoked as ever, just financially stressed. It's alright though, I just got a new credit card, and I'm planning on winning X Games this year, so I'll pay it off when that happens :)
 
a.beezy, YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT. Skiing is not a "business" for most core riders, its a way of life. Sure, many of us could make more profit if we chose to focus our attention on becoming more marketable to brands, but if we did that it would ruin the whole phenomenon of this amazing lifestyle.

Skiing is what you make of it. If you can have fun spending your whole year perfecting tricks for a comp run thats awesome. Good for you. For me, I don't find pleasure in that. I find pleasure in exploring all different kinds of terrain, and trying to progress the creative aspects of skiing. The Olympics are going to bring a lot of exposure to a style of skiing that represents of sliver of what is possible. Kids are going to start training to become the next comp jock, and miss out on a world of opportunity outside of the slopestyle course. Unfortunately, brands can only sponsor so many riders, and before we know it mediocre slopestyle skiers that are doing the exact same tricks as everyone else are going to be soaking up budget that could go to skiers that are actually progressing the sport.
 
You have a solid point - but I don't think that it really serves the discussion much either. I don't think anyone is denying what you are stating above. I think people are becoming conciously aware of the fact that skiing is funded primarily by publicity and marketing, and its disappointing. The romantic, idealistic ski bum lifestyle we all grew up dreaming about isn't financially realistic and it likely never will be.

I think many people are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that the ski industry's primary market is not the dedicated, 15-30 year old male skier who poors all his money and energy into skiing. The target market, and the primary source of funds, is the recreational skier. The gaper, if you will. The dude that skis at sun valley 4 days a year, and makes a trip to aspen with his family in December. That guy, and all his gaper buddies, literally run this shit. The money any vendor in the ski industry accumulates from sales to folks like us (folks willing to argue about this shit) is EXTREMELY marginal in comparison to the amount of sales made to recreational skiers.

And that gaper; you better bet he watches the olympics. And the x games.

Does he preorder mutiny? Nope.

Does he acknowledge/appreciate half the incredible shit that not-so-well known skiers accomplish every year in the way of film segments? Nope.

Does he buy or embrace the product these not-so-well-known skiers use? Likely not.

So if a company invests a lot of money in a particular athlete, chances are he/she will be an athlete that gets in front of that recreational audience. Doesn't mean these athletes are any better, or more worthy skiers by any means.

I, and I am sure many of you, find these not-so-well-known skiers to be refreshing. An honest, kick-ass representation of what skiing should be like.

As I understand it, the point of this thread is to emphasize the difference between the way the ski industry is currently operated, and the way we wish it was. Doesn't change anything, but an interesting, thought-provoking statement for sure.

 
you're right. i guess i didn't really see what your point was and just took it as you, or whoever else is in your same position, not understanding why other skiers are making money and you're not. i know most of the posts on here stem from frustration but a lot of it just comes off as entitlement.

i know it's not a "business" to you. it's what you do and what you sacrifice your time/money/body for. but at the same time, there are plenty of people who live a certain lifestyle without that lifestyle necessarily being how they make a living. most people don't get to surf and edit and pursue other hobbies while also knowing that they'll be able to ski all winter. so you're lucky there.

maybe it'll change. look at snowboarding. and skating. plenty of those non-comp guys survive happily off of what they make. and hopefully instead of all the current hate, things will eventually split off in a few different directions. comp skiers do their thing. film skiers do theirs. and everyone makes a little money in the process. it just might take a while.
 
I'm with you there...

thanks for posting your rant. And you say I'm on meth.

Anyhow, here's my rant...

First, there is an another thread complaining about Candide receiving money and it not going into "the messed up ski industry that allocates money to people like him, just takes away money that should all be going straight into competitions, training facilities, and contest skiers, because that's what the sport is about!"

Skiing is primarily about lift tickets, hotel beds, equipment and films. It's not really about gold medals... not freeskiing anyway. Not yet. It's also about superheroes like Shaun White and any big-time Winner... no matter what the competition. Fun to watch, instills pride, and people want to emulate.. and pay to emulate.

But Olympians have always been broke. Government should help, as it's a matter of national pride and entertainment. The payback for freeskiing being in the Olympics is long-term -- because it's the massive exposure it gives athletes no matter what their paycheck. The Olympics means that TYW can get sponsors from household names. In your terms, the Olympics is the equivalent of a Warren Miller 80's film for freeskiing regarding marketing.

The new Olympic disciplines are halfpipe, slopestyle and skicross.. where's the big mountain? It's just the beginning.

But here's what's holding back skiing... injuries[/b]... and what could be more injury prone than free-skiing? Just imagine if people sigged all their current injuries (or it was in the profile pages).. it'd scare the living daylights out of parents, whose kids have just seen TYW win gold. Underlying that is health insurance costs, and poor health in general.

Also, skiing doesn't have they mystique it used to in the past.. it still does, and it's still a status symbol, but for people that can't go skiing: I don't they aspire to it as much as they did in the past. It's still very expensive (arguably super-expensive) and there's just too much else around to do. James Bond needs to go skiiing again. What'd be great for skiing is a mainstream blockbuster film with skiing or snowboarding... with a new take on it ;)

Here's what else is holding back freeskiing... haters and toolbags, of all ages. On this website, other websites, and in the park (life in general really.) Who wants to go to a terrain park and come back injured and traumatized?

Also, once something is in the Olympics, it's not Newschool. So in my view, freeskiing being in the Olympics is both a positive and a negative in terms of it being something to strive for.

The other problem, is that with it, it has become niche and specialized... and unaccessible.. who wants to spend long-periods of time on a water jump, trampoline, airbag.. let alone injure oneself in the quest to emulate? Maybe that's why Edollo held back on triples.

In my view craptrails in the sky are what's really destroying the mountain experience, and the Earth too.

 
Shouldn't some of the sponsors for the skiers, if they're not going to give enough budget, let the skiers work at their company during some months and earn minimum/the wage and save up for next season on top of budget?
 
Shouldn't some of the sponsors for the skiers, if they're not going to give enough budget, let the skiers work at their company during some months and earn minimum/the wage and save up for next season on top of budget?
 
Thanks, Obama.

...but seriously, There's a lot of reasons to answer your question why film companies don't play to 20k people like in the 80's. Back then, you didn't have DVD's. Fuck, back then you didn't have VHS, betamax, or anything recorded. You sure as fuck didn't have youtube/internet, and you might not have even had a car because back then they only lasted about a decade if you were lucky, and were way more expensive and novelty. Which is what skiing was. It was a novelty. People went one week out of the year, even if they lived in Denver. Seeing people skiing on a volcano in Ecuador or finding freshies in Africa was a mindfuck. Now? we've come to expect it, because so many people are trying to follow in those footsteps.

Basically, nowadays we are BLASTED with entertainment options, and we don't need to go to the theatre to see skiing. Shit, we can just go down to the park at Breck or in some cases our local ski hills and watch insanity happen. Random kids these days can throw tricks that didn't even exist 6 years ago, and if they did, they were new, only the legends could do them, and made old fucks like me lose our fucking shit and give up on life because we'd never be that rad. Then our younger brothers started throwing these tricks and we became suicidal... and that's the thing... there is so much talent that didn't exist back in 1985. Racing was way way way more the thing to do back then, and snowboarding only existed in Tahoe - at like one ski area. Hell, on that note, as much as I don't want to blame it four our issues we DO have this giant thing called SNOWBOARDING that we've all grown to kinda despise because it more/less took away the mainstream revenue (or at least created a whole new thing that people started doing instead) and also took away that 'hot dog' lifestyle from skiing, and now cunts like Shaun White are snorting blow out of hookers asscracks rather than tammy wallfart.

But back to skiing... Now? Even as what was formerly our little niche within the sport has become more or less the forefront of the ski world, everything has become so oversaturated. There's soo much talent. There's soo many companies trying to snag a piece of the ski-building pie. There are too many people trying to make money off of something that 30 years ago, was exactly what it should be - a recreational FUN activity, and there really were only a handful of players who could really make it work.

Think about it. These days, every other kid with a t3i thinks he can be the next Scott Markewitz or Josh Berman. Every other kid who can land a 270 off or can throw a 10 thinks they can compete. Every other kid who builds a pair of skis in his garage for his high school project thinks they might be able to be the next Jason Levinthal.

These are things that were not happening, at least to this extent, in Warren Miller's heyday. Today, the industry has so many people trying to make money off of fun, that there's just not enough money going around. The very few people who are making enough to really have a living and buy a house? they barely get to ski, and those who aren't absolutely working their ass off to the point where caffiene and adderol have no more effect, end up living in a trailer on the side of the highway in summit county, working at a KFC all summer long to try to save up enough so they don't have to work as much in the winter, and can afford the time and the money to ski and film and travel.

But you know what? Lets not get angry about why there's not enough money. Lets just enjoy the fact that shit we've worked on for years is actually recognized by enough of the mainstream pie, that many of us do make at least some sort of living off of it. Might not be much, might not be what we deserve but... hey, I've worked in the ski industry in some way or form since highschool, and I'm still waiting to see where all the money is that people from outside the industry think and/or believe exists.

 
America is broke.... Do you really think there is that amount of money in skiing industry ... I do work for skiing , i do work for traveling and pursuit winter to other countries... Isnt what you have to do really love skiing and not doing it for the money??? Its no about the money in the olympics is all the bullshit that skiers thats spin more , get the medals so finallt they make the money??? And remember they do get tons of money because competitions pays tons of cash if you win like 15 gran in the xgames??? Do think about that???
 
for the record I'm the most extreme flyflinger on this forum and i can't believe your a proInteresting comparison

A river runs through it didn't make fly fishing cool

already was

It just put a bunch of fuckin toolbags on the water trying to become cool. Sure some peeps cashed in on it

Hell i did as did most guides.

Just like shaun white and the gay tray xgames sellout revolution that (cough) saved skiing(cough)

best get in on the toolbag tour now if your hopin to cash in on the pursuit of the fishes

http://www.pfatour.org/

skiing will be fine a few less people doin it may mean some washed up never wasers

will have to get cube jobs or find other means to support their passions

so be it
 
Sean hit the nail on the head about over saturation. I'm on mobile so I cannot pick the exact sentence out so bear with me on the quote block.

Skiing HAS become over saturated. There are so many people trying to make a living from the recreational activity that they love.

The pie is only so big and it is not growing, and the more times you divide it, the less everyone will get. There are two solutions, reduce the people that want pie, or make a bigger pie.
 
There is money in this industry, it had a revenue last year of around $3.5bn.

When it comes down to it, the guilty parties are the brands and the consumers. Yes the Olympics will raise the profile of radical newschool trickery but the only beneficiaries will be the brands and maybe the handful of guys on the podium. You think the fact that twin tip sales rise 20% is going to benefit Cam Riley? I don't, that money will go 99% in the pockets of the big brands with maybe 1% distributed to the big comp riders, everyone else will remain the same (or worse off).

The brands dont pay the riders more because the consumers don't really demand it. If a relatively large 'core skier' group like NS didn't exist, I think theres a good chance that skiers like Cam wouldnt be paid at all, they aren't paid out of good will, they are only sponsored at all to 'legitimize' brands in the eyes of the 'core skier':

"Shit Cam Riley rides on K2s in that radgnarly stept movie, legit dude, I'll buy some cheap domains, K2 are cool!"

It's the same reason that when Nike/Adidas moved in to skateboarding, they didn't sponsor Nyjah Huston(example, he was like 9), because that isn't 'legit', they picked up Reese Forbes/Dennis Busenitz, it made/makes them look like they support the industry. Skateboarding is huge, so those guys did ok, but not compared to how the companies have done. Nike are almost certainly the biggest selling skate shoe, with Adidas second. I very much doubt that is good for skateboarding, and the big companies aren't good for us.

I'm sorry but K2 come off badly in this shit. They are (or at least were in like 2011) by far the biggest selling brand of 'twin tips' in the industry. Yet Cam Riley can't buy a coffee and Margetts is the number 2 pipe rider in Canada but can't even get to the Olympics!

As consumers, we have a degree of power in this. If we legitimately want to support 'film skiing' and 'style' skiers, then buy the brands that really back that type of skiing. I don't mean big conglomerates with huge race programs and a little side project in park skiing, sponsoring stept or whoever to make them look good, I mean the independents that only make 'newschool' skis, I mean NS Magazine, I mean buy the damn ski movies! If we get to a situation where Moment, Surface and ON3P (examples) suddenly sell the most park skis and can outbid the sports companies for riders, only then will the big brands up their paycheques and the riders we love to watch get the support they deserve.

Here in the UK a brand called Palace Skateboards, set up by a London local rider has gone viral, suddenly they are paying more than the bigger brands will pay UK riders. Old friends of mine are now making some money in the UK Skateboard industry, which is more or less unheard of. This stuff can and does work. I'm sure Salomon have felt the backlash of making shitty skis and booting most of thier team. If you the skiers realise that these big brands aren't supporting their skiers well enough, buy skis from people from our own industry, people who actually come from what we do.

NS as a whole, don't do enough of this. I am guilty of hypocrisy, I currently ride K2 Domains but plan to change that. This isn't a fair world, the only thing you can do is 'vote' with your money. It would seem you can't buy for a rider because buying a pair of domains isn't getting Cam coffee, support a brand that supports out industry, in turn, your favourite skiers might just be able to ski for a living without needing competition money.

 
I agree on where the focus should be but its not like the olympics will have a negative impact on skiing, there will be some benefit.
 
Wait wtf did you just say? Cause everything you just typed out made absolute no sense and made you sound like a total jackass
 
That's just like, your opinion man. Of the top of my head: Nick G won x games slope last year, before that it was wallisch with his record breaking score. The year before that it was Sammy C with his sick rightside 3 dub handplant on the second feature, a lollipop in the middle of the rail pad. Before that it was Bobby with his switch unnatty 9 to dub cork 12 to switch dub misty 12. Pretty sure TJ took it the year before that and the previous seasons I didn't really follow the comp scene. I'm sorry, but I can't remember a single individual sequence from any of Pep's segments.

I just fucking love competitions and seeing hard workers just face off against each other and lay down their runs perfectly under pressure. Or seeing who will pull off that unexpected move to blow past the rest oft he field.

That's just like, my opinion man. I guess it comes from myself competing on a high level (not skiing, though) and having a special appreciation for people who manage to perform under pressure. It gets my adrenaline flowing in a way that regular segments just can't.

I completely understand the film fans as well, I just thought I'd put this out there :)
 
are you fucking me? no offense to anyone repping in the Olympics but free Skiing in the Olympics is a joke. Can someone tell me the best trick they saw in whistler? NO! But can someone tell me the best trick they saw in aspen? Fuck yeah, Henrik threw a fucking 1620 nose butter triple. So let me know when that shit happens in the Olympics, not to say i wont be watching, but you get my point. Also side-note i think our sport is being maxed out and we're basically not being mindfucked by shit that should be mindfucking us anymore like logan kinda said a few posts up.

 
You steal poles from rental stores. You are one of the reasons pros aren't paid enough. You're an entitled little shit who thinks he knows what shredding is. You talk about skiing being maxed out, yet you like seeing a nose butter triple? You know nothing. Fuck kids like you.

Skiing is what you make it though, and it is only my opinion that triples are dumb. I won't go out stopping Kenworthy or Jesper going out and doing one, but it isn't how shredding should be portrayed to me. It's about having fun doing what you like, not stealing poles when you BLATANTLY have enough to buy some or caring too much about what you wear to look "hyphy" or "skater" on hill. It's about having fun, and Fuck you
 
Imma buy a tall t from you just for this post. But Logan is right, your on here basically sayin youre not down with the comp jock style, and this is creating some serious hate between the so called comp jocks and the creative ski/surfer guys. I think there is room and plenty of time for creative style to be incorporated into slope runs. Id say the two runners up this year at xgames were more style riders, and its dudes like you, walker, clo, james woods, etc., who can change the idea of ever increasing opposite spinning robots. Judges views are based on whatever is the best and most pleasing to them. You are also judged by a wider audience of kids who are more in tune to the sport. So basically I guess the goal is to be the ultimate skier like tom or edollo. Get the best film parts and win comps and dont think about how in debt you are until you win. This olympic created hate between park rats and purests is skiing getting ripped apart to be built back up again. Were going to reach the nadir soon after triples so it only makes sense that skiing splits into factions like snowboarding and kings rise like rice above their respective fields. Maybe its just becoming apples to oranges, nick to Karl.
 
I dont know dude, creative awesome skiers like you, logan, TC crew, and a gang of others have been pushing the sport with the limited budget you have by supporting yourself. and to be honest, i think if you get fed up with not getting paid (you probably wont for a while cause your life seems pretty ill, minus financial stress), someone 4 years younger who has a bunch of new creative talent and is content with being broke for a few years will come along and progress the sport in a new and interesting direction

my point is, there will always be guys pushing the sport outside of the contest scene. EVEN IF THEY DONT GET PAID, or get the support they are looking for, there will still be people content with living your current lifestyle because of the allure of doing something new and creative for skiing. and if you think that aspect of the sport is gonna die because of the olympics, id say no, no its not. that is the essence of freeskiing, and the funding inequality will only emphasize what it is that you guys do that is so unique. no, you probably still wont get sponsored by pop tarts, but your side of the progression will continue even if more money gets pumped into contest riders
 
The olympics haven't even happened yet and you're already whining like a little bitch. Once kids at home see how cool it is to wear a tall t and do a penciled out triple cork 1620 every little shaver is going to be asking their mom for the gus kenworthy pro model. It's going to take time for money to start coming into the industry and big news flash, you and 99% of other pros are not going to see a fuckin dime of it.

I'm perfectly fine with where skiing is at right now, in fact, it was perfect 3-4 years ago. All the olympics is going to do is fill parks with gapers, make one pro skier really rich and make our sport a whole lot gayer than it's already become in the last couple of years.

 
fuck me? i go out and i ski how I want to and i dont need peices of shit like you ripping on anything i say on newschoolers, and what makes you think YOU know what freeskiing is? freeskiing is what you make of it. so that means that everyones definition of it is different.

oh yeah and for the pole stealing. you can go fuck yourself, i dont have 40 dollars to buy poles and yeah, i am pretty entitled, but what does that make you? More entitled?

and if you think all i do is take life seriously and steal poles from kids, you have never met me and frankly, go fuck yourself.
 
Buy your poles, support the industry. You do have 40 dollars, stop pretending you're broke. Using my own writing as well in your post is also dumb as shit, just like you. You sound like a whiny little bitch who has perceived problems, not real ones.
 
i think i supported the industry well enough when i bought a new saga sweatshirt, or $500 skis, or and arm and a leg for boots? and i do have 40 dollars but what would you rather spend it on paying $40 to ski a 300 foot hill or to buy poles and wait until the next big snow comes to shovel some driveways then ski? and i guess you could say im a whiny bitch, but real things cost real money
 
I'm just going to say one thing. We might be the "core" of the industry, well more or less the people that work their ass off to keep things running. But in the end we're not where the money is. Most of us are the people that buy a season pass at one resort, ski as much as physically possible, pack ramen for lunch and drink beer in the parking lot. The money is in those weekend warriors that go up a few times a year and just dump money into the resorts and into the industry.

I'm not saying we're not a huge part of things as freeskiing has done nothing but grown. I'm not saying this from a perspective of one of you guys that dedicate you life to supporting what you love and work so hard to be professional at what you do, but its just like you're pursuing something you guys love and have a huge passion for, and Logan for one works his fucking ass of to do what he does.

The Olympics isn't something to say fuck you to, its brings awareness to our sector and brings people in, which makes us have opportunities to keep doing what we love. All you guys can circle jerk the Olympics all you want but its not the Olympics that are the problem.

In a way its ourselves who are the problem, over-thinking what is what, thinking that we are all just better then other people yet we are all out for the same goal in the end. We are all skiers and these divides we have set in the industry is driving our small community apart.

Does this answer any of the questions of this thread? no. Will i get downvoted beyond all hell for having a different opinion on the Olympics? yes, but it needs to be said. We aren't the only part to the ski industry.
 
This right here is the sad truth. I just hope that some companies stay true to their roots and focus more on sponsoring creative skiers who have never set foot in a comp over some generic robot style kid who is an "olympic hopeful"
 
God Bless the Olympics. Strange how this hasn't popped up yet. This run changed my life. Seeing a mute 3 for the first time as a 8 year old caught my attention enough to keep me skiing, and away from what was way cooler at the time, snowboarding. From ripping around with my friends trying "iron cross helicopter 360s", to competing in slopestyle and big mountain, to landing a dream job with an independent ski company where I can honestly say I am stoked to go to work everyday, I can give a little credit to this run in the olympics. I didn't come from a skiing family. If it wasn't for significant moments like this, or the x games, or Freeze magazine, I probably wouldn't be a skier now. I'm not saying this is why I ski, but over 15 years later I remember running around my parents house freaking out and wanting a jonny mosely huck doll for christmas, this moment definitely impacted me in a positive light towards skiing.

How many kids are going to see Bobby, Torin, Tom, Gus, Mcrae, Dave, Simon or whoever qualifies in Sochi and have their interest grabbed immediately because its someone other than douchey shawn white throwing down? Seeing one of these dudes get lit up like crazy by NBC can only do good things for us.

Do your thing. Go skiing. Competition has been around before, and will be around after. Twin tip sales are up. Market is growing. More money isn't the answer to anything. The olympics are just another part of that growth that will draw more people to the most awesome sport on this earth. It may change a few things for a few people, but i'm still going to go ski pow and parks as much as humanly possible. Life is full of choices, if scraping by to make segments or ski everyday is what you want to do then awesome! If making money is what you want to do, then go work in a suit and tie. Just don't blame everything wrong in skiing on the olympics and money, because that isn't quite it.

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