Dear Mr. Abbott,
This evening, you posted a tweet that mentioned another magazine had used a photo you took (For your own publication of all things!) to promote their jib of the year award:
Interesting that the other magazine is using a photo I took, for @Freeskier to promote the jib of the year.
— Nate Abbott (@nabbott) December 11, 2013
In light of the semi-recent debates that were centered around your contradicting personal vs published reviews of "Into the Mind," I thought it would be ironic to address the current issue via my personal twitter account. I enjoyed the discussion that followed the previous event, and think there were a few good points made by various individuals that we should remember this time around (including Ryan Dunfee via Brobomb:
http://brobomb.com/a-few-thoughts-on-the-nate-abbot-phenomenon/) More on that in a second.
I believe that what's happened in your most recent situation is extremely unprofessional. As a fellow photographer I have an empathy for that sort of low blow move that is all to common in this day and age and feel such a destructive issue needs to be addressed. The integrity of our larger ski media system is at risk if we allow such childish stealing to occur.
With such adversity comes a new responsibility. I may not be the first person the Senior Editor of Freeskier Magazine would take advice from, but hear me out. To change skiing media for the better you need to address the scumbag move not through a measly 140 character post and private email, but with the great power you hold as a head honcho at Freeskier. Make it known to those outside the ski media world that what has been done by your competition is downright wrong, and better yet, make it known to all of those involved in ski media that you will no longer stand for such bullshit. It appears that the last time this happened oh so recently people prefer to see honest, raw, told-like-it-is press.
Nobody wants you to sit on your hands and let such an opportunity to change the way this industry functions pass you by, and I can only assume that deep down you don't want to just let it happen either. The ripple effect starts with a single drop, Mr. Abbott.
Regards,
Jamie Walter
