Shred Head Crew

Take a look at the thoughts that have been floating through our heads recently…

On skiing in general…

• It’s getting closer and closer, which is clearly a good thing.
• We’d thought the divides between different disciplines were starting to blur, but we’re not so sure anymore.  For a small sport, how many different identities do we need?
• Fun is fine (better than that actually), passion is fine, devotion is fine, even obsession is fine, but when you take your skiing so seriously that it makes you (and other people) angry it’s time to reassess. (Note there’s no link here, we don’t want some crazy’s angry wrath either…)

On ski movies…

• People who talk about the progression as the Holy Grail of skiing need to watch Swift. Silent. Deep. From a skiing perspective there’s not a lot being done now that wasn’t being done 20 years ago.  Doug Coombs could be a 17 year old today and still be pushing the sport.
• Slow motion sucks.  I’m beginning to think it’s an attempt to cover-up  a lack or power/speed in certain pros’ technique.
• There’s some crazy amateur editing taking place right now that can put the big boys to shame.  Hopefully it serves as a wake up call.

On the economy…

• Apparently it’s not good… Though, I’ve been told it’s getting better.
• I’d argue it’s having a bigger affect on the ski industry that people care to recognize or admit (with the exception of Jeff Harbaugh).
• Pro skiers, brands, manufacturers, and resort operators want us to think they’re living like rap stars.  In reality, there are a lot more maxed out credit cards than we think.  Manufacturing production is down and retail orders have shrunk.  Whether the economy is on the up-and-up or not, that’s a not a recipe for growth and innovation.
• It’s not just the retail side that hurting.  Media is getting killed and some mags are starting to sell their soul for ad dollars.
• To top it off, the resort model of living off real estate development has imploded.
• It’s not all bad news, hopefully the new business realities of the industry spur some change and innovation.  Plus, unique ideas are poised to break through and rewrite how we experience our little hobby.

On competition…

• The competition calendar is getting way too fat.  The explosion in popularity (from a masses perspective) of freeride and big mountain skiing has flooded the calendar with events (even if the events themselves aren’t new, the prestige and attention is).
• Going into an Olympic year it would have been nice to consolidate some events.
• One of these days someone will cement themselves as ‘the best’ by dominating different disciplines in different competitions.  Smart money is on JO.

On everything else…

• Did anyone else notice that Matt Millen seemed to have a propensity to touch players during the pre and post game of MNF??
• Are we the only ones too afraid to post on TGR?
• How many cans of caffeine does Red Bull have to sell to pay for this?
• If the Crew had candle scent it would would smell like stale beer, leftover pizza, and tainted long johns.  Get it — taint?
• Is anyone actually reading this?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 10:06 pm and is filed under Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.