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KilaTsunami
October, 2024

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Our sport beeing controlled by ski organisations vs. Our sport beeing controlled by corporations

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DedicatedPicturs
Posts: 358 - Karma: 2,515
Lately, a lot of people have been asking the same question: In what direction is our sport and our community heading?

The Norwegians just announced that there will be a national team of jibbing, organized by the Norwegian Ski Association, whom again are a part of FIS.

Not everybody sees this as good news, and with good reason. Will newschool skiing in 2020 be what cross country and aerials is today? Where it´s all about serious training and winning world championships?

On the other hand, one needs to realize who pulls the strings to day. One may say that because of the laws of the free market, we, the consumers and active participants of this sport and in this community, control the involved companies and corporations who are pretty much in total control as of today. But one must never forget the ultimate goal of any company that is not truly and fully built on the love to the sport: To make $$, either for their shareholders or owners.
Nov 13 2009 12:51PM
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N.L.
Posts: 2420 - Karma: 2,744
our sport is about to be hi-jacked



Nov 13 2009 1:03PM
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*DrewT*
Posts: 7768 - Karma: 481

Skiing will indefinately move towards serious training and competition.  You may have noticed it's already at that point.  But that is just one aspect of the sport.  You may have noticed that people like Tanner Hall spend lots of time training halfpipe.  It's something you have to do to be able to do those kinds of tricks consistently and safely.  But there's a reason not everyone is a competition skier.  Not everyone enjoys the competition scene.  Some people can't get enough though, the feeling of accomplishment after you land the last trick of that halfpipe run is something special.

In the end what you take from skiing is up to you.  Nobody can tell you what skiing is.  Skiing will always be our sport.  It will continue to grow out in all directions, there are those who want skiing to gain in popularity and get into the olympics and what not.  And why not?  These people love the sport as much as those guys who are out hunting for the powder in the backcountry.  These are completely different areas of the sport but that's what's so incredible about skiing, there's so much to it.

Nov 13 2009 1:30PM
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nitsua
Posts: 4631 - Karma: 726
I ignore all this, because I ski for the love of it. If stuff like that happens I will just keep on skiing for the rest of my life. If skiing is heading in that direction I will go head the opposite way and keep skiing for myself.
Nov 13 2009 1:40PM
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A_Thomas
Posts: 1498 - Karma: 254
very nice.
Nov 13 2009 1:40PM
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DedicatedPicturs
Posts: 358 - Karma: 2,515
I say the same to some degree. But with all my love for this sport, I wish for it to last, in it´s true form.
Nov 13 2009 2:02PM
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CS_Films
Posts: 468 - Karma: 466
The direction of the sport really shouldidnt matter its more the direction you take. People always talk bad about arealists and downhill racing. Its all skiing. One of my good friends is on the US Ski team for Areal and he loves it. The kid absolutely launches off a jump and every day he talks about how much fun it is. So no mater what part of skiing you love is shouldn't mater just go out there and have fun.
Nov 13 2009 2:08PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,507
well it's going to happen one day there not to much we can do.
Nov 13 2009 2:23PM
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Klick_2_klaim
Posts: 3396 - Karma: 25
So, why is this a concern? Who cares? do what you wanna do... and get crazy.


Nov 13 2009 2:28PM
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Fish_Sandwich.
Posts: 9108 - Karma: 16
As long as I can still ski pow I could care less, The pro, comp, and filming scene isn't more than a novelty for me to watch.  Skiing to me is freedom, nobody can change that no matter what they do, unless mountains become too over crowded, that's the only way for anything bad to happen.  I'll get hated on for saying this but I wish a lot less people skied and snowboarded, to an extent.
Nov 13 2009 2:32PM
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Mr.Panda
Posts: 17711 - Karma: 564
Be honest, why did you start skiing? Many people started regular skiing (gaper skiing) when their parents thought it would be fun. We only started getting into the newschool stuff after we saw the videos and the comps so ultimately, skiing for the normal weekend warrior, ski bum, or one mega trip a year person won't really change. I mean, for years people have been wanting a skiing halfpipe at the Olympics. Well, if you have that then it is moving its way to the World Championship Tour stuff and training for those few comps so you can be crowned World Champ.
Nov 13 2009 2:46PM
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ShadyHillGroup
Posts: 2881 - Karma: 213
Im not completely apposed to the idea of a seriously competitive aspect in freestyle skiing. I mean aren't the pros already doing this, just in a less organized form than FIS? I think something like that would really help our part of the sport take off and gain even more popularity. Either way you choose how you want to take your skiing, you could continue to just use it as a form of recreation or your could go the other way.
Nov 13 2009 4:02PM
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s.g.
Posts: 355 - Karma: 11
YES, that would be good

i think getting fis into our sport is good.Yes,FIS hates freeskiers and snowboarders and they only go where the money is but this would bring a lot of opportunities to new riders.You see,fis organises big air contests like the one in Barcelona or Stockholm.If you take a look on a snowboarders side of those comps,you will see no Shaun White or Torsein homogo,because they just dont like fis.On those contests you'll see riders you never heared of that are on there with THEIR NATIONAL TEAM.National team covers all the expences of fis trips,not the likes of dew tour and opens.sport would be controled both by corporations and organisations.

anyway i dont really care because organisations and corporations wont effect my love for skiing
Nov 13 2009 4:20PM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,085
Blah. As long manufacturers that care about their products and skiing make the stuff I need to go shred pow, I'm happy.
Nov 13 2009 4:20PM
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General_Shredgnar
Posts: 3024 - Karma: 34
I mean sure, the sport is moving in a new and exciting direction, but I will remember.

I remember when freestyle skiing was composed exclusively of the individuals, the athletes, and the people somewhere in between who had said fuck it and tried to establish a business. There wasn't anything more exciting as a teenager to go to the slopes, and go home and hit newschoolers, and try to make ski videos, and know that my actions as an individual, despite being nothing special, were directly shaping the sport. That is truly what is being robbed. Slowly. Freestyle used to be defined by the little guy as a collective, just as much as the pros. Now it's shifting towards being defined almost exclusively by companies and professionals, just like any other sport. Don't get me wrong, I am so stoked for everyone at newschoolers.com and all the athletes and little companies who have been working their asses off to get paid jack shit, who are now starting to actually make a living by doing what they love. And it's great to finally have people realize what your sport is. No longer will people think of skiboarding when I say I freestyle. But I think we're moving away from something that was really, really special.

Maybe I'm wrong though.
Nov 13 2009 6:25PM
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swanyd
Posts: 103 - Karma: 32
Uhhhhh...Sorry, I didn't understand a word you said, I was too busy deciding which Scott skis to buy now that they signed Twall.
Nov 13 2009 8:06PM
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DedicatedPicturs
Posts: 358 - Karma: 2,515
Nice post bro.
Nov 13 2009 8:17PM
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nellyyy
Posts: 1676 - Karma: 3,269
there have always been people that take their training seriously within any sect of the sport. Those are the people winning most of the competitions, especially in pipe skiing. What I find wrong with the opinion of most people on NS is that so many people think that the idea of "training" is the Devil. We all know that we ski to have fun, and while training is taking your skiing more seriously than going and dicking around on flat boxes and doing liu kangs and backies on jumps, training is still fun, but a little focusing of one's skiing can actually get your shit on point once in a while.

On the contrary, no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to train. The sport of freeskiing can go in any direction that you want it to go in on a personal level. People always worry about whether or not the sport is going in the right t direction, but if people would learn to think for themselves and not be swayed by trends and patterns within skiing, they could go in any direction that they want to with their skiing and their style. There will always be people that want to train hard and win events, and those will probably be the ones winning the big events. At the same time, competing is only a small part of the sport, and you never should feel obligated to compete. Skiing is something that you need to figure out for yourself and find out what makes you happy doing it, whether that's going out and travelling to every major event on the continent or just shredding and doing fun, relaxed tricks in the park or in the backcountry.
Nov 13 2009 11:13PM
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.peter
Posts: 1222 - Karma: 63
In my opinion, after having dealt with ruling organizations in the past, especially FIS; freeskiing should stay as far away from them as possible and go to any means necessary to prevent them from taking over our "sport." the fact of the matter is, that freeskiing should not be approached like a sport, and rather a form of expression, kindof like the way skateboarding is today. there are simply too many different styles, to create a formula for judging that would be unbiased/make any sense what so ever.
The FIS sucks, they're just a bunch of fun hating bureaucrats who've ruined other ski sports in the past. If they do try to take control, no one should one should join, they'll just take your money, and turn you into a monkey who does the same tricks the same way that everyone else does, like aerials or moguls or racing.
Nov 14 2009 3:54AM
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Willard
Posts: 5117 - Karma: 429
i like the way you think theres gonna be those who just go out and train and do comps all the time....and others who are just doing it for the love
Nov 14 2009 12:12PM
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mer-man
Posts: 1079 - Karma: 10
vey, very well said
Nov 14 2009 3:26PM
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.peter
Posts: 1222 - Karma: 63
He left out a huge aspect that for some reason always gets neglected in these discussions, and thats the people who re really into filming. Every other action sport has a huge group of riders who almost exclusively film with maybe 1 or 2 comps here and there in their season. I think the filming aspect of skiing needs to be expanded and supported better.
Nov 14 2009 3:33PM
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