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New attitude

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brov1
Posts: 1826 - Karma: 8,837
i dont want this to be thought of just another freeski boom hate thread, but here i go.

right now ns is my favorite website, it allows me to see the ever growing ever progressing sport of freeskiing. at the moment my favorite thing about ns is connecting with the community and seeing it develop and grow but i really enjoy the closeness of the community. i live in washington dc where until now there really haven't been a lot of skiers and unlike many i WAS super optimistic about freeskiing entering the the world stage. i already knew that with the gaining popularity of the sport more and more people that weren't previously hyped about the sport are becoming hyped which i think is great, but what i have begun to notice is that people aren't starting to get excited about it for the love of skiing but because it is cool.

before this year there were 3 kids in my grade who skied just to ski, for the overwhelming feeling of happiness that sliding down a mountain on a pair of curved sticks and taking turns in deep pow and finding trannies and even hitting the park, gives all of us. what is troubling to me is that i now now have a ton of new skiing friends, which would be great, but as i go skiing with them they all have the "i am better than you attitude." the new recruits to the sport(at least in my experience) don't go out to ski with the bros but instead go out to ski and see if they are better than the rest of the kids there.
i enjoy hitting the park for a good time but it definitely isn't my favorite part of skiing, i would much rather be hitting cliffs, booters, pow, finding fun new jumps and challenges around the mountain and just ripping the whole mountain like many of us here on ns. but the kids who are beginning around me don't seem to care about the fun aspect of the sport they just hit the park all day every day just to become better than the kid sitting next to them on the lift. no one i have seen wants to develop their fundamentals in skiing they just want to be able to spin the most or be able to do the most tricks. that being said since its their first couple month actually skiing a lot they aren't very good, but the attitude still is apparent.

this is the attitude i do not want infecting ns. i come to ns to see the sport and to talk to people like me who just love to ski, but i see more and more of this attitude in and around freeskiing. if there is any way to limit this on ns that would be geat.

i just had to rant it out. sorry
Jan 12 2014 4:28PM
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skiersupreme
Posts: 1549 - Karma: 4,872
theres deffinetley not enough people out there searching for fresh snow or natural features. and dont get me wrong, parks fun, but not enough people enjoy the full experience of skiing. for me at least, its a way better feeling to hike a sweet line and rip it, rather than learn a new trick in the park.
Jan 12 2014 4:34PM
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Turner.
Posts: 1987 - Karma: 11,892
I think there is a ton to be said about this topic, but my condensed answer/outlook is essentially this:

You can curate your own version of skiing that includes and centres on the aspects of it that you love and are passionate about. By doing so you tune out and ignore the parts you don't like, and are probably better off for it. Live and let live, don't let someone else's interpretation of skiing ruin your vibe. (Oh, but also remember to mock them from your morally-superior distance. That's the best.)
Jan 12 2014 4:50PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,010
I never quite understood what is actually wrong with this idea. When snowboarding got 'cool' and the hill saw an influx of people who were just there to be seen with a board on their feet it didn't change the sport at a personal level. Think about how far snowboarding has come since the late 90's I sure as he'll wouldn't say that snowboarding was ruined by its popularity. If you think its bad for park skiing when people start to participate because they think its cool, I say you are the one who is skiing for the wrong reasons.

Being there at the beginning of the park movement when we had less than a handful of like minded skiers to ski with and just as few skis available to choose from, I can say that popularity is a very, very good thing for the sport.

If you really love skiing, how could you perceive it as a bad thing for more people to experience what you love so much?
Jan 12 2014 5:03PM
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DIX~
Posts: 4695 - Karma: 6,502
Just ski for fun, whatever allows you to have the most fun skiing should be the aspect you allocate the majority of your shred time to doing. For some people that may be trying to get a trick that none of your buddies can do. I'm sure we can all relate in some way to that. Most kids trying to one up the next guy are usually fairly new to the sport and props to them for having the balls to huck their shit. As they mature both as people and as skiers that attitude tends to fade and transition into an overall love for the sport that we all know.

I do agree that newcomers to the freeskiing scene should spend more time exploring the rest of the mountain, but there's nothing wrong with being a park rat if that's what you enjoy. I feel like too many kids see park as the only "cool" thing to do while skiing and thus neglect other aspects, which is too bad. But in the end it's all about having fun so let them have it in their own way, right?
Jan 12 2014 5:14PM
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brov1
Posts: 1826 - Karma: 8,837
you are misunderstanding. i think its awesome that their are tons of people that are coming into the skiing community and its sick that such an awesome sport is becoming deservedly popular. i just don't like the over competitive attitude that is coming with it in my case the new skiers aren't coming in just to be seen on skis but come to the mountain just to prove their are better than the next guy and not for the fun of it
Jan 12 2014 5:14PM
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brov1
Posts: 1826 - Karma: 8,837
i think its great for park skiing to get popular i just dont like the vibe coming off the newer kids on the hill

Jan 12 2014 5:17PM
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brov1
Posts: 1826 - Karma: 8,837
at least from my school
Jan 12 2014 5:17PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,010
Nothing new about that though. When shit first started there was a lot of that going on with racers, mogul folk, etc coming into the park with their competitive attitude.

Also, who's to say that being competitive isn't their way of having fun? Jocks are jocks, no sport is escapable.
Jan 12 2014 5:35PM
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galardogod
Posts: 1698 - Karma: 5,209
I mean I think people looking from the outside looking in confuse trying to get better for your own sake and trying to be better than the person next to you. I personally love to compete. Does that mean i have the " wow im so much better than you" attitude ? No
Also i personally use other people as goals like if one of my friends nails a cork 7 it gives me the fire to do one. I think this is where people get confused and think what you think
Jan 12 2014 7:37PM
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brov1
Posts: 1826 - Karma: 8,837
true.
Jan 12 2014 8:36PM
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Lou.
Posts: 1787 - Karma: 3,876
I love this damn sport. Its really all I think about and I know im "skiing for thr right reasons". Soley for mme. Aidan Sheahan is easily my favorite skier because of his outlook on skiing and life. If any of you habe seen his new edit with vital films ypu will remember when he says "starting with why im even doing this. My friends say I'm good? My parents?" And then he starts talking about doing it cuz he loves it. And thats what I feel like. If my friends wanna ski cuz they think a photo of them riding a rail on ig will get them a ton of likes. Then have at it. But ik that I do it because I love it
Jan 12 2014 10:02PM
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Ender
Posts: 2348 - Karma: 112
I agree with you man. There is definitely a different vibe then when I started skiing park in like 2002. Back then if there was one other person on the hill with twins you would say whatup and ski with them all day. Now I feel like I am being judged and one-upped by most people in the park. I definitely see what you are describing.
Jan 12 2014 10:08PM
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gotti
Posts: 4269 - Karma: 4,550
For sure but I will always respect a dude slaying and throwing down new tricks without a camera more than one with
Jan 12 2014 10:25PM
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CJ_S
Posts: 543 - Karma: 312
I agree with you 100%. The only problem is that when you live in the Midwest and your home mountain's max very is 259, there isn't much else to do besides park.
Jan 13 2014 11:47PM
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CJ_S
Posts: 543 - Karma: 312
*vert* not *very*
Jan 13 2014 11:47PM
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FuckAllOfYou
Posts: 3864 - Karma: 2,518
I agree, i like to film some stuff (mostly to document to other skiers) but i always feel the most comfortable off camera and just having fun/learning stuff with my friends. I love skiing outside of the park too
Jan 13 2014 11:55PM
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