I’m obsessed with analyzing and reflecting upon the last decade. I can’t get enough “best of” lists, news stories, and discussions from the first decade of the new millennium. It’s been the most influential and important decade of my life, and possibly everyone else in their teens to mid-thirties. We’ve seen the true rise of the internet, cell phones, and awesome blogs. We witnessed 9-11, a couple wars, Katrina, and the Great Recession. Music has shifted from rap rock, boy bands, and compact discs to “indie” music, autotune, and iPods. I personally graduated high school, college, and got married. Every aspect of life seemed to progress and change at an alarmingly fast rate; skiing was no exception.
I just returned from celebrating Christmas at my parent’s house in upstate New York, and I brought my entire ski magazine collection back with me. When I got home, I spent hours skimming through piles of Freeze Magazine, every issue of Freeskier published, countless issues of Powder, and the infamous Axis Magazine. With this vast collection of skiing history at my fingertips, I plan to bring out the best and worst of the last 10 or more years of freeskiing, since no one else will. We need to recognize, respect, and laugh at the apparent changes skiing has made over the past decade. It’s alarming to read on NS that some kids don’t know about the New Canadian Air Force, Candide Thovex, Julien Regnier, or understand how this whole “newschool” thing started. I get nervous that skiing will forget its roots and neglect to learn what worked or hasn’t worked from the past. Thus, BroBomb births the new series “Know Your Roots.”
So let’s get nostalgic before we forget.
Come back for discussions about the stuff everybody seems to have forgotten, like Axis Magazine, Huntony grabs, New Canadian Air Force, Parkasourus, “13”, skiboarding, Skogen Sprang, Freeze Magazine, Julien Regnier, Siver Cartel, JF Cusson, Stereotype, David Crichton, Ski Time Magazine, Boyd Easley, SB1, Rory Will, Ask Brad, Line print ads, Nicky Adams, gorilla steeze, Mike Nick, Jonny Moseley Mad Trix, Josh Loubek, Kent Kritlier, The Three Phils, etc…
(Disclaimer: I won’t be talking about all of it, just the important crap.)
As I’ve gone from being a kid who didn’t give a shit about the past, to an old person who thinks kids should care more than they do over the past decade, I can assure you only fellow old people will appreciate this. But who cares. I wish the damn kids would get off my lawn.
In the end it might only attract an older crowd, but I think there is some serious potential considering not one form of ski media talks about the past at all anymore.
I wish the damn kids would turn there rap music down!
Hell yes so stoked i found this website when i found the Goblin Interview. I remember the beginning of the “newschool” revolution. I remember Skiing magazine did like a whole issue on it and the New Canadian Air Force i couldn’t have been more then 9 or 10…got myself a pair of 1080 and studied that issue like a bible. it taught me how to do mute grabs and i remember the first time i did it i was so stoked. I’ve also got a picture of Jonny Moseley doing that 360 mute in Nagano signed by him and it says Rich catch big PHAT air. Ha ha the good old beginning of newschool skiing!
^ Rich did that issue also tell you how to do a 360, Polish Bagel, Ride a Halfpipe, and Ski Fakie??? I’m pretty sure I’m staring at that exact issue of skiing titled “The New School Issue”.
ironic story for you… a few weeks ago i was picking my son up at after-school (he’s 5 now) and a counselor of his was wearing a line hoodie. naturally we ended up talking. i told him i grew up with the guy who started line skis, etc.
then he said “mike nick?” as if i was the guy who started line.
i corrected him and said that it was j lev’s company and i was mike, just an ex athlete… not the founder, blah blah … he was a bit taken back.
then i hooked him up with an orage pro deal card and off i went.
pretty cool to think that almost ten years later, kids who are now in college still remember some of the OG’s. or maybe i just don’t give the OG’s enough credit. when we were in the middle of it, it all just seemed to be something we did for the moment. cool to know its had a longer lasting impact.
anyway, enjoy the history lesson. i’m stoked for a Brobomb refresher course. now if only i could throw down the way i could back in the day i’d be really stoked.
see you on the hill
wes cumberland!
Haha reminds me of Windham night skiing and how we used to think we were badassess in the park even though I was rocking Elan Predators. I forgot about the candadian air force, saw them at Mt. Tremblant like five years ago. Going back like that caught me up in the moment, I need to ride some mountain.
^ I remember back in the day ducking ropes to ski in snowboard only terrain parks at Brodie Mtn and just trying to clear jumps or air out of a half pipe. Those days had a certain energy that we shouldn’t forget.