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  1. #26
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    i'm with him^^^^ very well said and i totally agree, and think about this, anyone can become a good free skier...not everyone can become a good racer, there's a huge difference there

  2. #27
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    Stop quoting Blurred, please. I don't have to read his idiocy otherwise, and him questioning Daron and Bode's 'soul' is starting to hurt my head.
    Stupid fucking poser.
    [quote][//quote]

  3. #28
    Blurred Elevens Guest
    Originally posted by dipstik
    Soulful? These guys eat, drink, and sleep skiing, just like you. Except they do it 10 times more. These guys ski and train year round and do it for the love of the sport. You think Bode is rich? Hell no. He loves the sport, this is why he does it. America has so little play in ski racing anyway, so not like they are even a factor.

    These are the guys that thousands of people, myself included, look up to. Everyone needs a role model.


    And as for them skiing down "groomers"? Well, I don't think you call going down a 50 degree pitch at 80 mph a "groomer" by any means. In my mind ski racing is the most progressive and most important part of skiing. It's where it all comes from. But this is just me.
    Trust me. Some whiteboy rastafarian living in his car, washing dishes for a living, giving up college to get in as many days at Silverton has more SOUL than any structured, manicured and pampered racer out there. The people who have changed this sport in the last 10 years are the ones that gave a big FUCK YOU to the ski world. Shane McConkey....Gave you Fat skis, reverse camber, reverse sidecut, and more ski porn than you can shake a stick at. What racers have influenced your skiing directly or indirectly more than him?????? NONE. McConkey makes nowhere near what Bode does, but he has PASSION for the sport and [b]THAT IS SOUL[b/]
    I've told you who I've grown up with, hell, I even shared a duplex in Avon with Sarah Schleper, Buzz and the clan. I know what goes on, and what is BS.

    You say racing
    is the most progressive and most important part of skiing
    ?????

    Holy shit dude, if that was true, we'd all be on 170 carving skis pimping gate guards on our poles and wearing lycra....c'mon. Freeskiing has influenced THIS TGR community more than racing....you can't argue with that. Ask anyone here if they'd rather have an EXTRA pair of Spatulas or a pair of 170 slaloms. Than ask them if they'd rather pound gates all day or ski waist deep pow pow. Or whether they think watching Jamie Pierre throw lincoln loops off 160 footers is sicker than watching a bunch of people ski the same groomer...

    And now for Bode. Do I think Bode is rich?? I can guarantee he has more money than ANY freeskier. I can also tell you that he has a personal trainer, dietician, ski coach, personal ski tech, skis made specifically for him, personal boot fitter, a personal marketing agent,.....the list goes on and on and on.

    Personally I'd rather see the freeskier guy that pays his money for a comp out of his own pocket, that buys his own gear, tunes his own gear, trains himself, buys his own healthcare and goes relatively unknown even when he wins....that's my hero and the REAL soul of skiing.

  4. #29
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    I dunno, Brett. I get your point in general, and I guess I agree with you overall. But we're talking about Bode and Rahlves here, two of the most badass individuals in the skiing world. And they ARE individuals, not some kinda corporate creation.

    Those boys live to go fast and kick ass, and they don't give a fuck about what anyone thinks about them. I call that soul in my book.

  5. #30
    Blurred Elevens Guest
    Ice- They've been trained for racing ever since they started skiing. They are the result of hundreds of peoples efforts that were focused on these two individuals. They are only what they are because of the money put behind them that others are not afforded.

  6. #31
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    I guess I see it the other way around - seems to me that they got all that money, etc., behind them because they are totally driven and stupidly good, and I don't begrudge them a bit.

    Doesn't mean I don't love the bum who sucks it up and does it on his own.

    It's just opinions, there's no right answer.

  7. #32
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    It doesn't matter what sport it is, Blurred. Someone wins and gets to do the pimpin. Rules of engagement.

    That said, I've skied with Daron and can say it was a pleasure to see the guy ski. Seeing the photos of Bode here laying edge as far as it can possibly go (shit! the only spray was off his boot!), I get wood. I vicariously put myself there and surf the imaginary moment, thinking I'll try that next time I ski. I trip on this shit, dude, whether it's freeskiing or racing. It doesn't matter who it is or where it happens. It's mastery of the art, transcending moments, and fuckin pullin off a move. It's accomplishment and raging adrenaline rushes in whatever form it gets served up in.

    It's just skiing.

  8. #33
    Blurred Elevens Guest
    Ice-it's actually a fact that the Europeans dominate ski racing because they stick with their atheletes for a longer time. Successful Euro-racers are older as a whole in comparison to US racers. Europe sticks with their atheletes making them better. If the US racers aren't that good at first, the US turns them over and goes for someone else......It's all about money here in the USA, I shouldn't have to tell you that.

  9. #34
    Blurred Elevens Guest
    Originally posted by splat
    It doesn't matter what sport it is, Blurred. Someone wins and gets to do the pimpin. Rules of engagement.

    That said, I've skied with Daron and can say it was a pleasure to see the guy ski. Seeing the photos of Bode here laying edge as far as it can possibly go (shit! the only spray was off his boot!), I get wood. I vicariously put myself there and surf the imaginary moment, thinking I'll try that next time I ski. I trip on this shit, dude, whether it's freeskiing or racing. It doesn't matter who it is or where it happens. It's mastery of the art, transcending moments, and fuckin pullin off a move. It's accomplishment and raging adrenaline rushes in whatever form it gets served up in.

    It's just skiing.
    Well, since you directed your post at me and how you've got wood for Bode, maybe you should widen your horizons. Herman is the man. He wrecks himself on a motorcycle so hard that most question if he'll ever even ski again, and he comes back and kicks ass.....Now HE IS A REAL BADASS.

  10. #35
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    Brett, I agree with you, but I agree with splat more. In ski racing it's about the money in general, but not, in my opinion, with Bode and Daron. Those dudes kick ass and they deserve respect, in my opinion. Hell, Shlopy too.

    But not Chad Fleischer, for example.

  11. #36
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    Every dude at that level has mad skilz, but The Herminator did the unthinkable. How could someone so disgusted with racing be so intimately aware of his comeback?
    [fuggin wid ya]

    ice - you don't like the snow leopard?

  12. #37
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    Originally posted by splat
    ice - you don't like the snow leopard?
    That dude has bugged me for years.

  13. #38
    Blurred Elevens Guest
    Originally posted by splat
    Every dude at that level has mad skilz, but The Herminator did the unthinkable. How could someone so disgusted with racing be so intimately aware of his comeback?
    [fuggin wid ya]

    ice - you don't like the snow leopard?
    Just because you don't like something is no excuse to be ignorant of it. Herman is the epitomy of all things strong in the human spirit. I totally respect that cat.

  14. #39
    Blurred Elevens Guest
    Originally posted by iceman
    That dude has bugged me for years.
    BTW- I've lifted weights at the Cascade club while Chad and his personal trainer ran around doing their thing......Chad is okay, but his girlfriend is off the heezey fo sheezy!! wow.

  15. #40
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    well Brett it's obvious were both biased. I race, you freeski. Why? I don't know, probably because skiing powder and dropping cliffs is a hell of a lot more fun than skiing icy groomers. But that's all I have on the EC. The EC is drastically different from the WC. We don't have storms that bring 4ft of snow on a regular basis, maybe once a season, if that much. I think my home mountain had maybe 80 inches of natural snow this season, spread out across an astounding 1000 feet of vertical and 100 acres. The steepest slope maybe 30 degrees. Not a lot of fun to cruise around on, which is why I chose to race. If I had to freeski at that mountain I would kill myself becuase it gets boring incredibly quickly. But when I'm running gates it's a different story, every run I work to better myself, and every week when I race I see how my efforts pay off. Does the competition detract from skiing? No, not really. Were all just a bunch of friends out there to have a good time, but it just so happens we are competing against eachother.


    I love to race, to me it's as good as skiing gets, to others it's a lot of other things. I don't think Bode or Darron really give a shit what people think about them, because they wouldn't be doing this is they didn't love to do it. Bode's work outs are alone to show you his dedication to the sport. He pushes an old rusty steam roller up and down the hills of NH for 40 second sprints, and then he pukes his guts out. He does this more than once a week. If you don't call that dedication to the sport then I don't know what is. I think all these guys are the soul of skiing, each brings something different.


    oh and to answer your question, I would rather have an extra pair of 150 slaloms, I would rather pound gates all day, and I would rather watch a bunch of people "ski the same groomer" but that's just me. Do I still love to ski outside the course? Yes. Do I still get stoked over cliff drops and the like? Yes. Am I any different from the rest of you? No, not really. We just like different aspects of the sport. Come spend a season in New England, and then maybe you will understand.

  16. #41
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    Lotta typing up there. Wonder what it says?

  17. #42
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    Originally posted by iceman
    Lotta typing up there. Wonder what it says?
    It says Chad Fleischer rules.

  18. #43
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    Originally posted by dipstik
    Come spend a season in New England, and then maybe you will understand.
    I think I'll pass . But I totally agree with what you're saying and how its all a matter of perspective.

    Different strokes for different folks. or different stokes for different folks.

  19. #44
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    Originally posted by seldon
    ... or different stokes for different folks.
    In one short sentence, that is what it's all about! The stoke of riding on snow.

    I'm tired of all the BS spouting off about who's better or who's a gaper; which internet forum is better; whether freeskiing or racing is better.

    You're entitled to your own damn opinion, but everybody that's ever put on a pair of skis was a beginner at some time. Was a capital G gaper at some time. The last thing I ever want to do is take away somebody's fun. Unfortunately, there are some among us that are so myopic that they can't allow others to enjoy the sport without subjecting them to ridicule. Get a life.

    Whether you're McConkey or Miller or just a first time skier in a flying wedge - it's all about the stoke.

    In the end, isn't that enough.

    Go Bode
    Go Rahlves
    A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
    Science-fiction author Robert Heinlein

  20. #45
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    someone read AND responded to one of my posts! I'm going to throw a party!

    on a slightly different but related note, has anyone ever wished on a :/ hardpack day that they weren't as good and could once again discover for the first time the joy of a pure carve? i know i've felt that occaisonally.... like wishing i hadn't read a particularly good book so i could have the joy of reading it for the first time?

    -john

  21. #46
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    blurred, i think it's painfully clear you don't know dick about Bode or ski racing in the US in general - he doesn't care that much about the money, that's not how he grew up and is just as happy to tool around quietly in the NH mountains when he's home. sure he likes some of the attention now (though it's also a burden, and sometimes his skiing suffers from the pressure, but he deals, just like anyone else), and i know he's psyched to be doing it and getting paid, but he'd be on the PGA tour in a second too if his golf game was a little stronger, and he chose skiing over really promising prospects in soccer and hockey... because he loved it more. and he gave up snowboarding to get better at skiing.

    sure, he is rolling around Europe in a schweet RV, and his best friend from NH growing is his roommate in that & also his "dietician" - so bode didn't exactly forget the little people. but pul-lease... it isn't like he's raking in the dough doing chapstick commercials like Peek, or guest spotting on MTV like moseley -
    but he also knows what his sponsors are getting out of him, using him for advertising as much as he's using them for getting the best equipment available.

    and you act like the US Ski team is stealing all the sponsorship money from NASCAR or something - hardly the case. they underwent budget/personnel cuts in 2002, right after they cleaned up at the Olympics, sponsor dollars still weren't there despite great performances, it isn't exactly that easy to get the big sponsorship money for events that rarely ever get televised on mainstream TV here in the US.

    i'm not saying there aren't a few spoiled brats out there, i'm sure there's plenty of them - but don't forget that a lot of them (and mainly their Families) sacrificed for their ski careers - i can't tell even begin to tell you the stories i've heard of the up and comers on the NorAM to World cup circuit (just how bode started) who have struggled to pay ski academy tuitions and moved away from family, or had to use Bode's or Chad's old lycra suits 'cause they couldn't afford new ones. it's all about their dedication and love of the sport, the risk of getting injured is a lot higher than the potential reward, especially when you factor in just how hard it is to make it to the top, and the heartbreak of not making it after all the years of sacrifice.

  22. #47
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    I dunno blurred, you have som good points about stickchasers in general. Don't lump Bode into that group until you've skied with him. The boy can rip everything and he's not some silver spoon you make him to be.

  23. #48
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    Bode is the Fucking Man!!!

    That is all
    Its not that I suck at spelling, its that I just don't care

  24. #49
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    Namphsire Pride!!

    Racers are just a different breed. My friend went to the Junior Olympics, and he lives for a nice, steep, icy trail. Watching him ski is nutty, just balls out all the time. He doesn't know how to go slow really. Racing is sweet, hucking off cliffs is sweet, Bode winning the overall would be even sweeter.

  25. #50
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    It really sounds like Blurred Elevens is a failed ex-racer who has a grudge against the whole world because of his own failure.

    I mean I get some of your points, but why are you so angry? Is it because Miller and Rahlves could hand you your ass ANYWHERE on the mountain? Kinda sounds like it.

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