The turn of a decade is a pretty arbitrary designation of change. Nobody flips a switch on times and trends, but it makes it a lot easier to laugh at the way people used to look and act if we can point to the “nineties” or “aughties” as the period in question. I’ve had enough looking back on the last decade, so let’s fix our gaze forward. By the time we break into the 20’s (isn’t that weird?) we’ll be looking at a changed sport. It’s hard to predict, but a few things are for certain:
The last stragglers left behind from the visionary generation of skiers that revived our stagnated sport will be too old even for pow segments. Guys like Mike Douglas, JP Auclair, and Eric Pollard will take up permanent residence as behind-the-scenes influencers, rather than on-screen icons. As long as the culture provides space for them to work and accepts their guidance, this is a promising reality rather than a sad passing.
