JayB Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 TRENDS Old tricks, new dogs Nordic jibbing puts a radical twist in the traditionally mellow cross-country vibe. By Stephen Regenold, Special to The Times STANDING tall on skinny skis, his gloved hands gripping a short tow rope, Andy Newell careens wildly down an icy road, towed behind a swerving SUV. At the last moment, when it looks as if the SUV is going to crash, the driver peels left, Newell releases his grip and rockets off a ramp to sail high over a parked car. This oddball scene from the underground film "American Skier" accompanies video clips of Newell skiing in a half-pipe, sliding a rail and back flipping off a large jump. The tricks are nothing new, but Newell's choice of equipment — unsupportive low-top boots, free-heel bindings and skinny cross-country skis — is a head-turner. Instead of using a snowboard or alpine skis, Newell and an increasing number of young skiers now use cross-country skis to jump, rail-slide and show off in specially designed terrain parks. "I've hit trees, I've ripped muscles in my back, I've coughed up blood," says Newell, a U.S. Ski Team athlete. "But I've also aired as big as any of the downhill skiers or snowboarders in the park..." Link Makes about as much sense to me as a 50k nordic race using alpine gear. Is this just another manifestation of the marketing that gave us the Xtreme snowshoers pulling grabs off of cornice drops and glefully bounding through knee-deep powder at a full sprint - or something much sadder? I like cross country skiing because its so different than alpine skiing, and personally think that there's something kind of pathetic at play when those attempting to promote every single outdoor activity, no matter how staid, feel as though they have to dress it up and pitch it like something in a Mountain Dew add to make it appealing. Next we're going to see lawn bowling, horsehoes, and croquet go down the same path.... Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 I think it would be pretty friggen funny to see some karhu xcds dropping into the pipe amid a sea of boarders. Even funnier would be a gap jump over some unsuspecting mountaineers snowshoe trip van. Quote
Greta Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 I think that this is the dumbest fucking thing Ive seen all day. I personally vow to kick the shit out of anyone I see pulling this shit. This is exactly why I avoid the parks on the rare occasion that I can be found on-piste. Stupid fucking choad slurpers. Try this shit in the bc...please. Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 Now don't get your gaiters gashed, it's okay if you can't shred the gnar, nobody's perfect. Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 I call photoshop is that the outfit you use for milking boar penises? Quote
Dru Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 now don't laugh! this pig inseminator is also a WSU student and mountain climber! Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 "My primary research interests involve Reproductive Physiology, with an emphasis on Swine" sounds right up your alley (or the swine's alley?) Quote
cstemley Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 Back in about 1976 there was this Dude that used to travel with a freestyle show with Suzy Chaffy, Who would do stuff like flips off of the big freestyle jumps, in snowfeilds, and lovett mt tour skis. He stuck helecopters and all kinds of stuff Quote
cman Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 i would love to see ripping it up on the x-country stuff, more power to them. what are you afraid of? whenever i have checked out those parks there is all kinds of stupid crap going on, some even stupieder crap would fit right it. Not to mention the wipeouts must be hilarious Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 Not to mention the wipeouts must be hilarious a pile of tattered patagonia clothing, phish albums, and granola strewn across the halfpipe. DROPPING! oh shit...(insert eggbeater noise) Quote
cstemley Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 What about when, you could only tele turn on cross country skis? ouch black and blue toe nails, yes it was the egg beater sound, I would here as my thumbs got bent back in my mittens and I found out that skinny skis are as fast backwards as they are forwards. Bet you could find a good park rig at value village Quote
gosolo Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 I started my attempts at “telemarking” almost 30 years ago. I had narrow skiis, tennis shoe like support and a no brain no pain like attitude of teenage youth. It took significant effort to telemark with this gear but it did pay off. Sometimes we even went for some huge air on those boards and sometimes we broke a few pairs of skiis. It was all in fun. My buddies were throwing helicopters back in the early 80’s on that gear and I can assure you that it was not as supportive as todays XC gear for either skating or classic. One of the coolest races I have ever seen was in the mid to late 70’s on XC gear. I don’t remember seeing metal edges then but there may have been the odd skinny ski that had that advancement. The race was from the top of the tram at Snowbird to the bottom. 3000 feet of black diamond vertical on equipment better suited for a groomed horizontal. Now if that was not the wildest free for all thing, damn that was awesome! Cruising down Regulator Johnsonson, through the bumps the nordies threw themselves. It was truly a sight to see. Great spectacular crashes and broken equipment. When plastic boots came out, I was thinking that telemarking was evolving towards alpine skiing. WTF was up with that? Some may think sport climbing and gyms opened up climbing to the public, and in the same way advanced XC gear was opening up telemarking to anyone with some cash and a little bit of ability. With the boards and boots of today, telemarking lost the formerly big learning curve. I am guilty of skiing Mt Bachelor with my skating gear and getting air over about 10 years ago. It reminded me a bit of the challenges of the early equipment. I am also guilty of skiing all kinds of black diamond runs on tele gear with a kid on my back, my son’s intro to skiing. Of course, for his safety I sported the plastic boots and fat skiis to make things easy. IMO this dude going for air and such on his skinny skiis is just playin around. Because of the difficulty and pain of crashing I doubt it will be all that popular but, evolution does not always go the way one might think. Its too bad it plays with some peoples idea of what skiing should be. Just as telemarking today has evolved into something I could not imagine 30 years ago, I bet if there were any of the original inventors around they certainly would have some mixed feelings. The fact is, when you youngsters grow old, there is bound to be a whole bunch of activities for you to shake your head at. Just as some people may think that the best climbers are those that can climb with the least amount of technical gear (think free solo), the best skiers may be the ones who can crank better than you on the least amount of techo gadgets….But damn, that plays with our gearheadedness, a quality that is innate to every climber and skier….. I still think plastic tele boots are aid, but mine are not for sale. BTW, rad snowshoe shot. Quote
EWolfe Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 TRENDS Old tricks, new dogs Nordic jibbing puts a radical twist in the traditionally mellow cross-country vibe. By Stephen Regenold, Special to The Times STANDING tall on skinny skis, his gloved hands gripping a short tow rope, Andy Newell careens wildly down an icy road, towed behind a swerving SUV. At the last moment, when it looks as if the SUV is going to crash, the driver peels left, Newell releases his grip and rockets off a ramp to sail high over a parked car. This oddball scene from the underground film "American Skier" accompanies video clips of Newell skiing in a half-pipe, sliding a rail and back flipping off a large jump. The tricks are nothing new, but Newell's choice of equipment — unsupportive low-top boots, free-heel bindings and skinny cross-country skis — is a head-turner. Instead of using a snowboard or alpine skis, Newell and an increasing number of young skiers now use cross-country skis to jump, rail-slide and show off in specially designed terrain parks. "I've hit trees, I've ripped muscles in my back, I've coughed up blood," says Newell, a U.S. Ski Team athlete. "But I've also aired as big as any of the downhill skiers or snowboarders in the park..." Link Makes about as much sense to me as a 50k nordic race using alpine gear. Is this just another manifestation of the marketing that gave us the Xtreme snowshoers pulling grabs off of cornice drops and glefully bounding through knee-deep powder at a full sprint - or something much sadder? I like cross country skiing because its so different than alpine skiing, and personally think that there's something kind of pathetic at play when those attempting to promote every single outdoor activity, no matter how staid, feel as though they have to dress it up and pitch it like something in a Mountain Dew add to make it appealing. Next we're going to see lawn bowling, horsehoes, and croquet go down the same path.... Quote
JayB Posted November 22, 2005 Author Posted November 22, 2005 I really don't think that pulling a 360 on cross country gear is very difficult at all - I was doing them when I was in 7th grade, back in the mid-80's with the low-top boots and all the rest of it. With a set-up that light it takes like 1 foot of air and some hard rotation. My criticism wasn't a reaction to someone doing something new. People should certainly feel free to do whatever they want on skis - no matter retarded and pointless - but if every sub-discipline decides that the way to promote their sport is to "take it into the park" the end result is homogenization rather than innovation, and you inevitably end up with something lame, contrived, and marketing driven IMO. Quote
whoohoonickieclimbs Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MUST SKI! That picture makes me want to SKI! Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 by the way there's no f'ing way that guy landed that snowshoe gapper show me a lincoln loop on snowshoes and I'll start paying attention Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 Check out my steeze Respect earns respect in the park Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 the horrors of abu gharib captured on film Quote
gosolo Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 jayb, I better see where you are coming from. In fact, I see the dudes on tele's in the park on the pipe and I am like WTF is up with that, so I guess I relate. I think the next thing is to go through a crowded halfpipe with two ice tools swinging.... And commercialization? Check out that dude in the red coat snowshoeing. They gotto be selling something with that pic... Cobra, are you really doing stuff with artificial insemination of pigs? My dad was a vet and did it with bulls in the 1950's. Somehow, I am shocked the animal rights activists havent got involved, those female pigs dont get to pic the donors now do they? Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 And commercialization? Check out that dude in the red coat snowshoeing. They gotto be selling something with that pic... burgers? Cobra, are you really doing stuff with artificial insemination of pigs? no, not yet at least. Quote
JayB Posted November 22, 2005 Author Posted November 22, 2005 This guy should have totally gone for the grab and the switch landing... Quote
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