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November, 2024

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Could there be a US Open in skiing today?

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Boston_Skier
Posts: 89 - Karma: 321
After watching a ton of old films, edits and podcasts this fall in prep for the season, I am now wondering if there could be a US Open today. It seems like in the Old Head/New Head Two Planker podcast most of those guys reference the US Open as to where they really blew up. I am not super versed in the history of the skiing side of the US Open due to age, but could there be a way to run a true open invite event in the sport today?

Similar to the golf side of things, you could have the top 25-50-75 ranked skiers get the auto invite, but then have 10-12 regional qualifiers that would get the top three or five competitors into the actual event. If you capped it at 100-120 skiers, run heats of 10-12 and then have a 10-12 person final, it doesn’t seem like it would be too chaotic.

Has this been tried in recent years? Do you think this could work? Curious to hear if anyone else has thought of this.

**This thread was edited on Oct 25th 2024 at 9:26:32am
Oct 25 2024 9:25AM
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Rock_Inhabitant
Posts: 1192 - Karma: 12,098
You basically just described the freeride world tour with their wildcard system
Oct 25 2024 10:34AM
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BallClapper
Posts: 3004 - Karma: 12,473
Rock_InhabitantYou basically just described the freeride world tour with their wildcard system


NST has a similar ish thing too.
Oct 25 2024 3:33PM
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Jibbcore
Posts: 365 - Karma: 247
imagine every country (where freeskiing is popular) has an open like us open and then have a couple skiers who placed well from every country to go to like a world championship comp. It would be cool
Oct 25 2024 8:04PM
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soup
Posts: 6345 - Karma: 4,436
The beauty of the us open, was that it was open. Anyone could go. 200-300 dudes would like up for a spot on the drop list. The place was anarchy. The best pros competing against the best skier from your home mountain. Legends were made.

My favourite story is of dumont, skiing over 30 skiers skis at the top and just dropping during practice. No care for a drop order just full sick swinging his way in. So sick.

It should happen these days.
Oct 25 2024 10:00PM
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corona
Posts: 12803 - Karma: 32,817
Jibbcoreimagine every country (where freeskiing is popular) has an open like us open and then have a couple skiers who placed well from every country to go to like a world championship comp. It would be cool


That's essentially the Olympics
Oct 25 2024 11:03PM
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Jibbcore
Posts: 365 - Karma: 247
coronaThat's essentially the Olympics

No its open no fis points or anything just open comp and then some people qualify
Oct 26 2024 3:03AM
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gravel
Posts: 5520 - Karma: 42,295
soupThe beauty of the us open, was that it was open. Anyone could go. 200-300 dudes would like up for a spot on the drop list. The place was anarchy. The best pros competing against the best skier from your home mountain. Legends were made.

My favourite story is of dumont, skiing over 30 skiers skis at the top and just dropping during practice. No care for a drop order just full sick swinging his way in. So sick.

It should happen these days.


That's a sick story. As I'm sure you know, but probably some don't, he kept the spirit of an open contest alive. Before FIS ran the game and AFP managed rankings for skiing contests, I think that the Dumont Cup was the last available platinum-level event that anybody could enter.
Oct 26 2024 4:12AM
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midwestcoast
Posts: 204 - Karma: 2,085
The Open wouldn't have the impact today as it did back then. This was pre-social media. There were kids slaying at their home mountain that had no exposure. The Open was a right of passage to get on the map for ski teams and sponsors. I feel like the entire industry is much more streamlined and selective now. If you're young and talented these days, you're already hooked up with a pathway to the Olympics, no matter where you live...

RIP the good'ole days...
Oct 26 2024 11:25AM
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gravel
Posts: 5520 - Karma: 42,295
midwestcoastThe Open wouldn't have the impact today as it did back then. This was pre-social media. There were kids slaying at their home mountain that had no exposure. The Open was a right of passage to get on the map for ski teams and sponsors. I feel like the entire industry is much more streamlined and selective now. If you're young and talented these days, you're already hooked up with a pathway to the Olympics, no matter where you live...

RIP the good'ole days...


Money talks. Not to devalue the talent of the youth, but most of the kids vying at a chance to go to the Olympics come from a lot of privilege. Most of them aren’t “hooked up”, they have parents who can afford to pay for years of coaching, travel to low-level events to accumulate FIS points to climb the comp ladder, and go session airbags to build their bag of tricks. While that’s always been somewhat true in skiing, the hyper-talented grom from a modest income family has far less of a shot at a route in competitive skiing than 15 years ago.
Oct 28 2024 4:03AM
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9323 - Karma: 61,214
soupThe beauty of the us open, was that it was open. Anyone could go. 200-300 dudes would like up for a spot on the drop list. The place was anarchy. The best pros competing against the best skier from your home mountain. Legends were made.

My favourite story is of dumont, skiing over 30 skiers skis at the top and just dropping during practice. No care for a drop order just full sick swinging his way in. So sick.

It should happen these days.


for every negative dumont story there's a positive one about him doing something gnarly haha. i vaguely remember multiple stories of him back in the day, throwing switch heaters first hit off big mean contest jumps that scared everyone else
Oct 28 2024 4:23PM
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9395 - Karma: 68,834
midwestcoastThe Open wouldn't have the impact today as it did back then. This was pre-social media. There were kids slaying at their home mountain that had no exposure. The Open was a right of passage to get on the map for ski teams and sponsors. I feel like the entire industry is much more streamlined and selective now. If you're young and talented these days, you're already hooked up with a pathway to the Olympics, no matter where you live...

RIP the good'ole days...


yes that's gone now, but there are still local rippers that no one really knows about outside of their home mountains. Also some people just don't like using social media. For example I doubt many outside little cottonwood know who Max Meza is and yet I'd say he's one the best if not the best skier at Snowbird. I'm sure there are even more in Canada.
Oct 28 2024 4:35PM
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soup
Posts: 6345 - Karma: 4,436
SofaKingSickfor every negative dumont story there's a positive one about him doing something gnarly haha. i vaguely remember multiple stories of him back in the day, throwing switch heaters first hit off big mean contest jumps that scared everyone else


A buddy of mine went one year and he said it was the gnarliest shit ever. Dumont snaking the entire field of people during practice. No regard for who's dropping, who was in the air, and just sending, every lap.
Oct 28 2024 5:19PM
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