Skiing's Biggest Problem...

[tone capone]

I agree that this is a problem, especially if you were hacking around on toothpicks 20 yrs ago with no crowds and there were "stashes" for days... Poor bastards, now you have to watch the daily carnage of beaters like myself pretend to rip and track out way too much shit way too fast...I give alot of credit to the people that could really rip back then, it must have taken enourmous skill and athleticism, but that said praise to Mr. McConkey for helping us all go bigger and faster with ease. The biggest problem in skiing is without contest, pole mounted go pros, hands down. They make me as ornery as a crusty old local watching the pow that used to last for a week get shredded in an hour.

[spook]

i like gopros on poles. it practically guarantees that at some point we're going to get to see somebody bludgeoned to death with their gopro. probably a snowboarder for running into some clueless douchebag ski dad's genetic issue.

[neck beard]

eesh man, unofficialurinalcakes died because their content blew. yer just rehashing the same stale stokeless bullshit.

Wasn't that supposed to be some rich venture capitalist's idea of "saving skiing". What happened that that?

[Mofro261]

Now how can I say it
And how can I come on
When I know I'm guilty

Hang on to your ego
Hang on, but I know that you're gonna lose the fight

[dmgod]

Ok, obligatory JONG post here...

So here's my thing, I don't get what your point is... Your last two posts on your site have been this sort've tongue in cheek, cooler than thou attitude because I'm a total bro. Its exactly like every other dude who moved to Jackson and who's been there a few years.

So this is honest feedback and I'm guessing that you are a somewhat intelligent entrepreneur: what is your market? If you're shitting on mass market skiers, shitting on ski schoolers, shitting on wannabe pros, shitting on people who enjoy skiing more now because of better technology, than my question who does your website and articles target? (Just ask ol' Dunf when he ripped on the slednecks to see how it went with an article that was "just for laughs"). If you want your site to grow, maybe think about who you're appealing to and why. At least UN makes itself somewhat neutral, and Snowbrains tries to bring some local flavor, but I'm curious to see what value earlyups brings to the ski community.

Finally, who cares if everyone rips through the pow first thing - it means more people get their stoke on and are fired up (wasn't that the point of the first article - that its about skiing and not being "pro"). Don't forget that the more people who get up and enjoy skiing means that our ski areas are healthier and can avoid the Vail death grip.

[spook]

hey dumbfuck. to whom do you speak?

[spook]

and then i can post tl:dr

[JeffreyJim]

Skiing biggest problem? Skiing doesn't have a problem. Skiing is fine.

Regarding your article, I quite like fat skis, skinny-light skis, 18-din looks, pintech race Plums, carbon boots and fly-looking goggles.

If you read between the lines, this is exactly what I was (trying) to stay (that nothing is wrong with skiing...technology has made it easier, its fun, and its more enjoyable than ever). In any case, you can't win em all. This article missed the mark as far as overall quality goes although it certainly did get a discussion going. Which was the initial goal

Oh, and nobody at Earlyups truly believes skiing is "too easy". I promise.

[JeffreyJim]

Ok, obligatory JONG post here...

So here's my thing, I don't get what your point is... Your last two posts on your site have been this sort've tongue in cheek, cooler than thou attitude because I'm a total bro. Its exactly like every other dude who moved to Jackson and who's been there a few years.

So this is honest feedback and I'm guessing that you are a somewhat intelligent entrepreneur: what is your market? If you're shitting on mass market skiers, shitting on ski schoolers, shitting on wannabe pros, shitting on people who enjoy skiing more now because of better technology, than my question who does your website and articles target? (Just ask ol' Dunf when he ripped on the slednecks to see how it went with an article that was "just for laughs"). If you want your site to grow, maybe think about who you're appealing to and why. At least UN makes itself somewhat neutral, and Snowbrains tries to bring some local flavor, but I'm curious to see what value earlyups brings to the ski community.

Finally, who cares if everyone rips through the pow first thing - it means more people get their stoke on and are fired up (wasn't that the point of the first article - that its about skiing and not being "pro"). Don't forget that the more people who get up and enjoy skiing means that our ski areas are healthier and can avoid the Vail death grip.

Thanks for the feedback dmgod.

Couple things - Firstly, we do feel we contribute a lot more to the skiing community than two "ranting blog posts". This is just some colorful banter and served just as much as an experiment for us as it did anything else. If you'll note, we seldom post opinion into a post, we've built a pretty cool weather database for those in the Tetons and do our best to keep our audience up to speed on ski related news and happenings throughout the year in a timely, quality fashion (just scroll through our hundreds of pages for an example)

We aren't shitting on anyone specifically, it was intended to be taken as satire. As a "fun" piece. It was also a way for me to post what i considered to be a very insightful TED talk a bit more "creatively".

Sometimes banter misses the mark. This one appears to. But again, it was to be taken not as MY opinion (it most certainly isn't) but as AN opinion one could have. The opinion of "Skiing is too easy and everyone thinks they are special". Neither ideas are true in an absolute sense but maybe, at times, it could be seen as such.

Fact is, nobody likes high performing ski gear as me.

Skiing is fun. Beers are cheap. High fives are free.

[JeffreyJim]

Now how can I say it
And how can I come on
When I know I'm guilty

Hang on to your ego
Hang on, but I know that you're gonna lose the fight

Beach Boys? Great tune.

[buttahflake]

is yer name really Roy?
that's almost as shitty a name as Carl.
get fucked.

[BushwackerinPA]

bumps are still hard to do well.(and "well" is debatable on so many levels) Not that anyone cares but thats only a because most people bouncing down the hill on fat powder sticks would do not have clue how to ski fall line a bump run so they just say bumps are lame instead.

Not that I think bumps are the end all to be all, I was hiking up A basin a couple weeks ago and my buddy wanted to drop in to slot one, to which I replied hell no, I do not hike to ski bumps.

[raisingarizona13]

No matter what people still can't purchase style. Style takes time, natural ability, and/or milage.

[old goat]

I wonder if that Ted Talk guy can run a four minute mile?
Biggest tech advance in sport? Steel tennis raquets. Meant I could get pissed off and throw the raquet over the fence and not break it.

[yeahman]

Skiing powder has never been hard, whether on my 210 Dynastar M5 Geants or my Tua telemark skis with leather boots back in the '80s, or on my fat skis today.

Skiing ice and shit conditions, now, that's always been hard, and it's even harder on fat skis.

So as I've just proved, skiing has actually gotten harder, not easier.

[beer30]

Skiings biggest problem is that it costs to much and going up every year.

[wolfelot]

Weak article OP. I live in Ohio if you need a frame of reference. Yup Ohio.

[XXX-er]

I don't really have any valid complaints cuz anything I could complain about is really a 1st world problem, IME/IMO skiing's biggest problem is summer and ... 7 months of shitty skiing

[Tri-Ungulate]

Nope, not Skiing's biggest problem. Not even close. As if.

Porter Fox knows it.

I figger if I get old enough, I'll experience a time where the act of skiing itself will be a distant memory to a lot of people, perhaps even me.

[spook]

fuck you and your conspiracy bullshit from the rag of propaganda record

[alev]

Nope, not Skiing's biggest problem. Not even close. As if.

Porter Fox knows it.

I figger if I get old enough, I'll experience a time where the act of skiing itself will be a distant memory to a lot of people, perhaps even me.

That's our biggest problem. Bros, beers, stoke, powder, fat skis will not change this small bit of irreversible change

[Tri-Ungulate]

fuck you and your conspiracy bullshit from the rag of propaganda record

channeling axebiker?

[spook]

yeah i don't even know what an axebiker is

[neck beard]

So here's my thing, I don't get what your point is... Your last two posts on your site have been this sort've tongue in cheek, cooler than thou attitude because I'm a total bro.

+1

...and these put downs only add to the !yeah-buddy! pro-ho theme that I think gets laid on too thick. What bigger compliment can you pay your gods than ridicule their puny underlings who pale pathetically in comparison no matter how much they strive. OP might not realize that most of his readers don't give a damn about his gods. We just ski, and, god forbid!!!... frequently on low angle terrain unfit for internet entertainment.

And snowbrains.com

[Hugh Conway]

Wasn't that supposed to be some rich venture capitalist's idea of "saving skiing". What happened that that?

Some too cool for school bros took the cash and "lived the dream"? I dunno, they kinda have a lock on the assholes who read forums and like rehashed forum bullshit market, no sense in competing with them earlyups... try content.