[heikkihall]

DHBlur what about all of the current freeskiers who are on top and all of the up and comers who have a deep racing background. Jon Olsen is my first example. Hes said many times that he would never have the skills on his skis that he has today without his racing background. He was pretty much one of the top racers in Sweden and near the top in the world for his age when he made the jump to freeskiing. And what about his little 13 year old protigy Oscar Scherlin. Hes well on his way to being one of the top freeskiers in the world but he is still commited to racing for the next few years atleast.
Now im not saying that alpine ski racing isnt on the decline. Its obvious that it is even though it is still huge in Europe. As you said alot of people are hanging up their race boards and getting twin tips. But what happens when there is no more racing to get kids started in skiing. Without the skills learned from racing will they be able to continue the same level progression that we see in freeskiing today from skiers like Jon Olsen and Oscar Scherlin?

 

[DHblur]

DHBlur what about all of the current freeskiers who are on top and all of the up and comers who have a deep racing background. Jon Olsen is my first example. Hes said many times that he would never have the skills on his skis that he has today without his racing background.

Oh i agree 120% with you Heikki especially when translated to moutain biking. The best skiers have almost always come from either mogul or race backgrounds and the best mountain bikers have come from race backgrounds. I will always argue that the best freerider can probably be outridden by any mid-pack pro or semi-pro racer. I am the biggest proponent of racing developing the best RIDING skills. I'm certainly not saying racing should go away at all. I know full well how useful to development racing is. I'm just saying that as a mainstreem and industry focus, it may be necessary to embrace freeriding in order for the sport to survive and flourish. It's like the theory of evolution... adapt or be eliminated.

 

[MMike]

Absolutely. Skiing is an extremely technical activity. A lot of small things all done well together make the difference between an average skier and a seriously kick-ass skier. Ski racing is fantastic for refining all of those small things....

DHBlur what about all of the current freeskiers who are on top and all of the up and comers who have a deep racing background. Jon Olsen is my first example. Hes said many times that he would never have the skills on his skis that he has today without his racing background. He was pretty much one of the top racers in Sweden and near the top in the world for his age when he made the jump to freeskiing. And what about his little 13 year old protigy Oscar Scherlin. Hes well on his way to being one of the top freeskiers in the world but he is still commited to racing for the next few years atleast.
Now im not saying that alpine ski racing isnt on the decline. Its obvious that it is even though it is still huge in Europe. As you said alot of people are hanging up their race boards and getting twin tips. But what happens when there is no more racing to get kids started in skiing. Without the skills learned from racing will they be able to continue the same level progression that we see in freeskiing today from skiers like Jon Olsen and Oscar Scherlin?

 

[wydopen]

, and all the kids that are doing moto move over to dh. .

dont hold your breath i dont think that will ever happen...you can ride moto anywhere but u can only dh where there are mountains...

 

[sirbikealot]

Green is retired. McGrath got busted for doping but retired anyways. I doudt they get much dough from racing these days.

yes Green just retired a month ago but Seamus has not retired.
Chris Sheppard did, he admitted doping.
I know Seamus and I'm not going to comment on his income, but its more than $25k, same with Green.
mind you it ain't the hay days

 

[Transcend]

dont hold your breath i dont think that will ever happen...you can ride moto anywhere but u can only dh where there are mountains...

Maybe in socal - in a lot of places, moto tracks and trails are few and far between.

Not that I'm saying that switch will happen, it won't, ever. A tank of moto fuel costs nothing. You still have to cart your ride to the track on another vehicle etc. Besides, MX is way friggen' cooler.

 

[konahucker43]

this is a totally sponsor driven flick. Pepsi/Mt.Dew paid for the entire thing out of their ad budget. Watch for plenty of "Do the Dew" helmet stickers and product placement.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing. Snowboarding will probably benefit from the flick, but it's just sly marketing from everyone's favorite "Xtreme" sugar water company. The footage in the trailer looks good.

its gonna be nearly as extreme as "grind" haha

 

[bikenweed]

BMX had Rad, Moto had "On Any Sunday", skateboarding has had a ton of pop films over the years, surfing had that movie in the 50's or 60's (before Endless Summer I) that I can't remember; all these sports have been blowing up after some Hollywood blockbuster.

A pop movie could be terrible for mountain biking, there's only so many trails out there and access is already a little sketch to many. However, places like Whistler will love it. What we'll lose in soul and integrity we'll gain in freestyle ("freeride") competitions and resorts. Basically it would be as close to selling out as the sport could come, but it would be bigger than ever. Is that good or bad? Depends on who you are!