Over the course of the last year or so, the ski industry has been engulfed in Olympic hype. There are various opinions of what the Games will bring for our sport, and up until a few weeks ago, there were questions of who would even represent the good old Red, White and Blue. With all of the turmoil surrounding the Sochi games, I wasn’t sure how I felt about slope being included amongst the many disciplines of skiing that were on display. The varying opinions of the Olympics displayed by industry elite furthered my mixed emotions, which ultimately resulted in me not being that stoked come yesterday. That is, until Bobby dropped and the finals started firing.

Witnessing Goepper and Gus hug and congratulate Joss as he finished his second run was absolutely epic. I was overpowered with stoke as Joss layed down his second run, not even pausing to think about a victory lap, just getting straight to business throwing hammers. Watching those three just frothing at the bottom of the course made me so happy to be a skier, and part of this amazing community.

I have always leaned towards rejecting certain formalities that I perceive as restraining towards skiing. I fell into the belief that competitions and judging kill the ‘free’ aspect of skiing, and thus restrain it from maximizing its cool potential. I was wrong in so many ways.

Something about seeing three American dudes sweep the podium in Sochi made me a believer. Competitive skiing is fucking sick. Just because I can’t send unnatty triples doesn’t mean I should hate and claim these guys are killing the style of skiing. I have gained a much-needed respect for the time and effort these dudes put out on a regular basis to be at the top of the sport we call our own. Although I associate more closely with those skiers who dedicate their seasons to stacking footage and releasing a banger segment, I must admit that I am impressed with how well these competitors handle the pressure and hectic scenarios that unfold in competitive skiing.

So a huge FUCK YEAH to Joss, Gus, and Goepper for absolutely killing it in Sochi and, more importantly, forcing me to recognize that comp skiing is cool in its own way. Get down tonight boys.

These guys are legends. Photo property of FIS