Jon touched on a notion that caught me completely off guard: the sellout.  The idea itself has largely gone unmentioned in the ski industry.  Watch Dogtown and Z Boys (the documentary, rehtard) and you’ll understand why skateboarding has traditionally had a natural policing force when it comes to selling out.  Birthed in a group of individuals who defined counter-culture, skateboarding was rooted in strict anti-corporate, anti-success, anti-status quo, anti-etc. ethos that made it the prime physical pursuit for those seeking the antithesis of the varsity football team.  And while skateboarding has without a doubt lost some serious ground on this argument, this idea nonetheless has been a cornerstone of skate culture over its history.

Skiing isn’t rooted in the same ethos. It offers a similar physical appeal (the thrill, freedom, individual acheivement, etc.), skiing’s history is so long and so firmly rooted in abstract terms like “alpinism,” “Norway” and “the Olympics” that the idea of skiing as a counter-culture activity that one would could sell out from has only been able to secure credibility as an after-thought. Skiing as a sport/lifestyle/whatever is itself more divided and multi-faceted that any other action sport: a skier could be racer, a mogul skier, a ski jumper, a dirty tele hippy, a big-mountain/backcountry shredder, more recently a jibber/freeskier, or even, sort of, a cross-country skier (I’m excluding the generously named “recreational skier,” or beater, joey, gaper, etc., as every action sport has these, although they don’t come in paying droves like they do on the slopes). Thus, the identity of skiing is naturally diluted by these differing contingents. Not to mention, skiing hasn’t traditionally been a haven for the counter-quo types.  Any businessman worth his MBA would scoff at the offering of a snowboard in the rental shop, grabbing the 148 cm skis & rear-entries instead. Most of us were taught to ski and developed our fundamentals in sanctioned ski schools, with the highest aim being participation in the Winter Olympics.  And nobody’s parents protested when we decided we wanted to try skiing; in fact, many of us were dragged to the mountain by those same parents against our will during our infant years.

Breckenridge might provide a good analogy. The Freeway terrain park, where many of our most rebellious types (read: jibbers) wreak their havoc, sits atop a megalopy of Intrawest-style development catering to the hoards of groomer-hungry Texans that make Breck the busiest ski resort in the country.  Skiing is the establishment.  It wasn’t until Glen Plake starting sending off the back of the Aguille du Midi in Chamonix with a mohawk that outsiders got the notion that skiers could be rebels.  And it wasn’t until a few Canadians started poaching snowboard parks, landing backwards, sliding city handrails, and being punks by having safety meetings in the woods that we really had something to sell out from.

It should come as no surprise that freeskiing didn’t throw up much of fit when a large discount retailer signed a contract with one of our best pipe skiers. But it all happened for a reason, and very slowly. First, somewhere way back when in the 90’s, the Winter X Games began, throwing freeskiing in the limelight for the first time.  We were always a self-conscious group, envious of the credibility our action sport cousins had gained, and welcomed the extra attention with glee. As the Games grew, only multinational sponsors could pay for the airtime, providing a clever framework for acceptance into the freeski/snowboard world. Red Bull sponsored all kinds of wacky stunts, and was one of the earliest outside brands to seriously support freeskiing. Then Nike stepped in, to no one’s protest. Now Dumont’s on the home-goods program, and there’s more stupid jacked-up pickups promoting energy things and stupid hats than there are double-wide parking spots in Aspen. Wallisch is sponsored by a company I’ve never heard of that makes body wash (although he really needs to get with TJ on the Paul Mitchell program), and our unblemished youth now thinks pizza rolls, whatever they really are, are an acceptable form of nutrition. Should we be ashamed of ourselves? I’m inclined to believe that few are, or will be for the immediate future. However, as the irrelevant sponsor trend inevitably continues and expands without restraint or consideration, the tide may soon turn for the fickle youth of our skiing population. Until then, low-pro outfits like Joystick, Surface, & Line will keep the spirit true. Shredders like Garret Russell will show us the true meaning of Christmas…I mean skiing.  Viral websites like BroBomb (superplug!), still in its literary infancy, will spread the true gospel to a growing number of devotees.  And we may yet have our own Craig Kelly, that healthy character who gave snowboarding a reality check when he dropped out on dollar-turning industry sponsors to return to the unrestrained freeriding he loved so much. 2010 will likely see an increase in the ranks of pro skiers chomping on microwavable food on podiums, but as long as no one tells Wal-Mart about the Traveling Circus crew, there’ll be a light at the end of the tunnel, and skiing will retain its relevancy to itself.  I guess the ultimate question is: did skateboarding sell out when Tony Hawk Pro Skater launched?  I mean, it was Nintendo, but come on, it was pretty sweet.