What is core

powpatrolme and yo girl be doing linguistic anthropology

andrewtpreveryone will have different definitions with varying specifics, but i think where they intersect is that "being core" is a counter-culture to what comp jocks/academy kids represent (maybe not comp skiing itself but rather, how judging has steered the direction of comp skiing, e.g. rewarding spin to win).

modern comp skiing essentially frowns upon anything that isn't the biggest gnarliest tricks, which has become completely unrelatable to 99% of normal everyday park skiers. you can pick up a basketball and try to mimic nba players, but your local mountain likely has nothing which resembles a comp level slopestyle course, let alone a park at all. of course, kids who grow up skiing at copper/whistler still have to put in the work to get that level, but nonetheless an individual's park ceiling is often heavily influenced by extraneous circumstances.

i've watched park skiing my entire life and try to keep up with everything from comps to street edits, but every year i become less and less interested in comps because i no longer see the possibility to implement the things i see into my own skiing. to contrast something recent-ish, i loved funkrx by nico porteous because it showed a lot of simple tricks on simple features yet done at a professional level-- stuff similar to what i could find at my home mountain and tricks i could realistically learn. generally this seems to be why core skiing is appealing to so many people.

in summary: core is like the comfort food of skiing; simple things that many can relate to and enjoy, but done very well. comp skiing is like fine dining; posh ingredients you could never find at your local grocery store and chefs/diners with an off-putting attitude that simple food is beneath them

_brrettThis is so wrong. The fact that so many people in skiing don’t know what core means is funny af but also sad because it goes to show how not core the skiing community is.

In the simplest terms. Core brands are brands that are essential to the growth and development of freeskiing and give back to the community. Contrary to popular belief, a brand doesn’t need to be underground to be core. But if you’re a core skier. You know about the underground skiers and/or support core brands.style of skiing and others from the standpoint of brands. you can buy core brands without being a core skier but you can be a core skier without buying core brands no?

andrewtpri mean sure you’re right i didn’t discuss the branding side and only talked about the style of skiing, but you can extrapolate my point about relatability to brands— giving back to normal everyday park skiers, sponsoring them, running events, etc. but it can’t have nothing to do with the style of skiing no? a park beginner wearing core brands won’t be thought of as a core skier


yes it is absolutely important to back community-driven brands, but defining core solely on what brands/skiers you support seems to not apply in practice, and reduces being core to something you can buy. i thought calebsiphone had a good take on exactly this in the park stereotypes video when he talked about posers

_brrettNah. Being core doesn’t have to do with skill level or whether or not you’re a comp skier. Were Henrik and Phil not core when they were comp skiers? They still dropped the B&E videos and pioneered modern trick selection. Sure you can wear Arsenic and ride V’s and not have any idea what you’re talking about in skiing. In which case you aren’t very core. But thats why I said “in simplest terms”, theres definitely some nuance involved. I get that a lot of comp riders don’t seem to care about the underground scene and aren’t as core in general but just because you have a coach and can double cork doesn’t automatically make you unable to be core lmao, thats fucked up. I know people that do, what you would refer to as “core” tricks and they wear some core brands but have no idea about anything in skiing.

Aidan.OkellyHello steeze machines of Newschoolers. For a linguistic anthropology class project I am writing about this community, its influence on skiing culture, and the idea of being "core" within the context of skiing.

And so, as users of a forum which was created by diehard skiers for diehard skiers, what does it mean to be core to you?

And also,

Has Newschoolers played a role in your development as a skier? And how has Newschoolers changed since you first joined?

Any commentary on the current state of freestyle skiing and culture shifts you have noticed are welcome.

Thank you for any and all responses.

-Aidan

SmokedGouda

_brrettMan If I ever say the word core again im gonna kms straight up idec

hi_vis360

hi_vis360

powpatrolme and yo girl be doing linguistic anthropology

Aidan.OkellyHello steeze machines of Newschoolers. For a linguistic anthropology class project I am writing about this community, its influence on skiing culture, and the idea of being "core" within the context of skiing.

And so, as users of a forum which was created by diehard skiers for diehard skiers, what does it mean to be core to you?

And also,

Has Newschoolers played a role in your development as a skier? And how has Newschoolers changed since you first joined?

Any commentary on the current state of freestyle skiing and culture shifts you have noticed are welcome.

Thank you for any and all responses.

-Aidan