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Skiers Who Changed the World

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EasternLove
Posts: 6 - Karma: 14
Hey guys,

So I have to write a paper for one of my classes on an individual who is a "change agent"... someone who has changed the world for the better.

I wrote a huge paper last year on successful fundraising related to Sarah Burke's death and would really like to focus on another skier for this assignment.

Any ideas? Thanks!
Nov 16 2012 3:24PM
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andrewblackie
Posts: 292 - Karma: 109
As much as we would all love to think it is the case, I don't think any skiers have changed the world in the same way that, say, Gandhi...I'm not sure you're gonna be able to write an essay of any substance. The Sarah Burke one does sound really good though
Nov 16 2012 3:29PM
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ILLinoisance
Posts: 3527 - Karma: 5,398
Terry Whistleblower, Tommy Wetnaps, and Wimmy Tinsnips.
Nov 16 2012 3:29PM
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K-Thomas
Posts: 2700 - Karma: 604
JP Auclair - Alpine Initiatives
Nov 16 2012 3:29PM
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HWW
Posts: 3084 - Karma: 3,436
Saucer boy.
Nov 16 2012 3:30PM
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SteveStepp
Posts: 9529 - Karma: 20,647
THALL
Nov 16 2012 3:35PM
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EasternLove
Posts: 6 - Karma: 14
Thanks K-Thomas... I just checked out the Alpine Initiative site and it looks like a really cool organization!
Nov 16 2012 3:37PM
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Shukovski
Posts: 470 - Karma: 433
Candide Thovex
Nov 16 2012 3:38PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
Shane McConkey. Any other answer is wrong.

-Kept the soul of skiing alive through the dark days of the late 80's/early 90's by doing things like competing in a mogul competition naked (getting banned by Vail while doing it) in '95.

-He was the first pro to use fat skis in powder, at the time thought of only as a way of 'cheeting' for rich guests at heli operations who couldn't ski powder on normal skis.

-He was the first to experiment with reverse sidecut and different cambers (once went heli skiing in Alaska on water skis)

-He has won a professional competition in muguls, big mountain, big air, amongst others

-He pretty much invented the sport of ski base jump wing suiting single handedly

-The game of GNAR

-His mentality towards skiing was never serious and through that inspired many, many people to chill out and not take thing so seriously (You could include Saucer Boy with this point I guess)

Pretty much, he changed the game more then, I think, any other athlete ever (not just skiing), all while staying really awesome.

If there's another skier who has done more, I've never heard of him.
Nov 16 2012 4:04PM
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SloanKettering
Posts: 691 - Karma: 465
Shane McConkey
Nov 16 2012 4:12PM
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SKI.ING
Posts: 2695 - Karma: 2,535
CR Johnson could be one. While it's not on a global scale I think the High-Five Foundation in Tahoe and a lot of other non-profit groups that he helped out during his career or through his passing are pretty instrumental these days because more and more skiers are having life-altering accidents. I just also think that out of all skiers, his character and morals were legit.
Nov 16 2012 5:42PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5240 - Karma: 20,806
Shane for sure
Nov 16 2012 6:22PM
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NotGhood
Posts: 2809 - Karma: 1,255
definitely saucer boy, or if you're talking about changing the sport/industry THall
Nov 16 2012 7:02PM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,459
Decasare.
Nov 16 2012 7:17PM
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UFOsarereal
Posts: 2285 - Karma: 1,132
The New Canadian Air Force

those dudes kind of saved skiing back in the late nineties/early 00s
Nov 16 2012 7:22PM
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Bozite
Posts: 981 - Karma: 561
shane or CR
Nov 16 2012 7:24PM
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J-C
Posts: 1138 - Karma: 3,683
i think splice is definitely the most relevant here
Nov 16 2012 7:35PM
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Poikenz
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 3,827
not that it has to do with skiing, but it would be cool to see someone argue that hitler changed the world for the better, not through his own beliefs and actions but through what happened as a result of what he did and how it changed every ones views blah blah blah, we learn from history and so on.
Nov 16 2012 7:41PM
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Giulio
Posts: 107 - Karma: 70
Skiing is a sport for Hedonists who couldn't come up with anything better to do. That's what we are. There is nothing wrong with it. However, It has not changed the world.
Nov 16 2012 8:17PM
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Mr.Sloth
Posts: 5091 - Karma: 13,469
Splice? Splice.
Nov 16 2012 8:38PM
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skimanskimanskim
Posts: 1515 - Karma: 1,715
ME
Nov 16 2012 8:38PM
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Stose
Posts: 7109 - Karma: 4,123
Sarah Burke
Nov 17 2012 12:27AM
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andrewblackie
Posts: 292 - Karma: 109
This a ridiculous thread, none of these people have the world - they've changed the skiing world.
Nov 17 2012 8:51AM
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KLovelace
Posts: 2118 - Karma: 289
if I am honest I don't think your teacher will be very impressed with a paper about a skier. I know the temptation to make everything about skiing when possible, especially when writing papers for school (although your paper about Burke sounds like a good one, sometimes you can get away with it).

Generally the reality is most people won't know who you are referring to... and will likely disagree about the notion that they have changed the world. Shane McConkey and CR have certainly changed our (tiny niche skier) world... but changes in the ski community have not really benefited the world as a whole. imo.
Nov 17 2012 9:08AM
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Skiingsnow
Posts: 1567 - Karma: 797
Probably me
Nov 17 2012 9:11AM
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smuggs
Posts: 6561 - Karma: 1,375
skiers who changed the world ? hahahahahahahaha

some die and then foundations are made in their name, but really skiing is too self righteous to help anyone in the world out. you cant take time off of aerials training, i mean slopestyle training to help people out if you want to stay at the top of the game.
Nov 17 2012 12:20PM
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bkozzz
Posts: 41 - Karma: 17
Shawn White
Nov 17 2012 12:35PM
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tgm
Posts: 278 - Karma: 325
This for sure.
Nov 17 2012 12:57PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
most obvious answer .....
Nov 17 2012 1:16PM
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Rosbif
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 930
I'm really not sure any skier has 'changed the world', it's an amazing sport, but really it doesn't have much impact on the world at large.
Nov 17 2012 1:20PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
probably right, unless ofcourse someone like the dalai llama or josef stalin happened to be skiers ...
Nov 17 2012 1:24PM
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Bumblesteeze
Posts: 3092 - Karma: 748
Scott Vail - The world will never be the same.
Nov 17 2012 2:50PM
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baaangthat
Posts: 2245 - Karma: 2,587
for as great as he was for skiing and BASE....im not sure he "Changed the world"

he definitely changed the sport. a few sports. he definitely was a great human being who influenced possibly hundreds of thousands. but his impact on humanity as a whole was minute at best and borderline universally insignificant.

OP, if you do your paper on a skier you deserve a bad grade for poor subject choice.
Nov 17 2012 4:00PM
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BrothaBrote
Posts: 402 - Karma: 115
HAHAHA every freakin time!!!!
Nov 17 2012 5:13PM
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