I was the kid who would eat shit on the rails and jumps with all my freinds at the mountain. and i hated it when people would hassel me to hurry up and get out of the way it really made me not like to snowboard anymore. but when one of the better riders on the mountain came over and started helpin me and i got better i really like snowboardin again, and i try to help as many people as i could so they wouldn't be in the same position i was in a t one time. now that i have gotten better i didn't go out and buy a real nice board or any new stuff, im still riden my shitty k2 and havin more fun then anyone out there, it pisses me off to see older or better kids make fun of the new kid or the novice boarder just tryin to have fun.

I totally hear you, and am amazed at that too. Why do they even bother coming out and riding? They do nothing but diss everything in the most severe way. From their own kit, to the 'garbage' snow, to the 'worthless resort' and it just doesn't end. And it's most often some young hot shot (who's usually anything but) who would have been taken behind the woodshed in yesteryear for talking the way they do. Who bought their first kit, and paid for their lift ticket in most cases for crying out loud?? I love the comment “you better pull some amazing shit after calling that kid out for trying to get better.” Gonna remember that one.
The one thing I have noticed, is that young skiers do it too. Last season, some outfit matching skier was loudly broadcasting how he was only skiing to get another check-mark on his calender, how the day and snow was terrible etc. At Heavenly last week, I was on the lift with 3 kids, with rental skis, who were telling me how Heavenly was S$&*, and Alpine was the only place to be, as well as f$@!%*g everything else that could be thought of (the shortest and youngest one in particular) . I think more than anything else, it's this generation of kids that's growing up. No boundaries, everything handed to them on a silver platter, and if not, well they have 'dumb and stupid parents'. The other thing I have noticed, is the really good guys are generally more friendly. There was a guy in orange pants attempting backflip 360's at Squaw, and I caught up with him, and he was a genuinely nice guy, just having a great time and honing his skills.
Great post.

It always amazes me, and i think i speak for the majority of Brits and possible all euros, how the snowboard scene in the US has gone so Yo centric. I just cannot understand how anyone of the Tech 9 team et al (mfm excepted as he is the real deal) thinks they look good in tall t's all blinged up wearing a bandanna - i have news for you: you look like a dumb ass wigga and the rest of the world is laughing at you!!I always thought JP Walkers part in the resistance was a great bit of mockery at the industry, but kids these days actualy think like that . .

Now i love hip hop, but i know who i am and what i am not. Whenever i go to the US, or a friend comes back , we all hear tales of how big a bunch of ass holes the kids in the parks are.The vibe is so negative in these places, with kids dissing anyones style they dont like, or cussing them for falling over, yet most of them cant even hold a carve. Last season at mammoth, a friend of mine went over to see if a kid who had slammed hard on a rail was ok - upon asking him if he needed any help, he was told to ' fuck off . . do i look like some ill nigga". Thi kid in question was a 15 year old white guy. All his crew then slid down and strtind hassling my friend saying that he needed to step it up if he wanted to hang in 'their' park.Stories like these are very common.

Now in Europe the scene is similar in that the sport has become more mainstream, however all this means is that you see more 50 year old germans on hard boots. Because the industry is so US centerd, of course all the fashions cross over, and i love a baggy set up as much as the next man, but you still see a good vibe between everyone.

The days of being stoked just to see another boarder, and being able to cruise up to them and shred all day with just the common bond of the stoke as your connection are long gone, and part of the reason i love this website is the people on here remind me of those days, and the reasons i love boarding, the simple fact that sliding sideways stokes me up more anythoing else. I was taught to ride pipe by a local pro in Val D isere who took pity on my lame efforts at geting out the lip, and took a couple of hours back in 95 to show me the way. Hell we didnt even speak the same language! - i always try and help someone i see having problems as a result, and it still stokes me to see someone getting to grips with shredding.

An odd thing is happening in europe now, the rise of free skiing has seen a decline in the number of boarders, and indeed i know alot of people who have gone back to skiing. As a result the snowboard scene is geting tighter again, perhaps it is a bit like the early eighties skate recession ? The odd thing is that the free skiers are the ones acting all yo over here, as they try and differentiate themselves from the rest of the ski population, paticularily in France.

I dont know what is happening in the US, but i am not joking when i say that the gangster shred scene over there is viewed in not to disimilar a light to G W Bush by your european cousins, and it is unfortunate that this side of the scene is the one most prominently promoted in TWS etc, when i am sure it only represents a small minority

✠™

Snowboarding is still awesome. Always has been, always will be.

I don't understand how some riders can be all negative-we have the best lifestyle of anyone I know. Why the hate? Is it like a cool-kid thing to do now?

Regardless, I suck at snowboarding, but I love it and I hope to improve this season. So, please kids don't make fun of me-I already know I suck, I don't need to be reminded.

Focus more on your style than your trick

And that's all that you need to keep the fire alive. I definitely feel your post (thank you for taking the time to write it). I have always been blessed with my share of heckling being a girl that has always rode out w/the boys- or alone- and I've learned that if you're out there riding hard enough, long enough and often enough... you should be hearing it. Its part of the game... no shame there. I try to have tolerance and love for people in general, but its exhuasting when you see kids out there riding for solely for props, to hate and who have completely lost their stoke (if they ever really knew what it truly is). Remember, its just their own insecurities that keep them in that sad place... and remember that 'people who talk shit, truly ain't shit.' Gives me hope...

As long as we Riders stay true to our roots out there and never forget to have fun, snowboarding's soul will always be alive and kickin. You hit on a lot of great points re: tech (and Mervins place in the history/future of it), classic JL styles (individuality reigns) and all the hating going on right now. I definitely wish more people would get over their hate and appreciate. Understand just how lucky we are to be able to do what we love. To give props when you see someone throwing down. Help a brother or sister out when you see them getting thrown down- we all could use the help at various times/places in our own lives. Spread the love, keep that positive on the flow. I wish I had more kids sharing knowledge with me throughout my years. Plus, it takes a minute to know who you can trust as a Rider on the hill (re: speed for jumps/new hits/unknown bc lines/trails), so make it a little easier for your fellow riders... and end up making it easier for yourself. What goes around...

'No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.' Especially on the hill. Community is a HUGE part of snowboarding, and if you've ever spent a winter in the hills, you understand that you its needed and much appreciated. You will learn quick what happens when you get too cool for your snowbooard and try to ride with your mouth and big head... it becomes a lonely little hill for kids who think like that. Let it go and just ride. Good People Happen. Just give 'em a chance.

I dont wana work I just wana bang on the drums all day! MTV generation is the degeneration of our society. Do you think our parents were just clubn it up and saying fuck education? Nope.

scott, sounds like you grew up in the era where if you saw another snowboarder in town or on the hill, you knew you'd be friends. those were the good ol'days but those days aren't all gone.

yeah, there are a lot more people riding these days. and with the increased presence, you get an increased presence of assholes.

the whole park thing has become so ‘jock-t-fied’. hell, i'm not sure where it came from-mountain dew, the xgames, or taco bell? perhaps. although, i think our society (as in american society) has become so out of control and irresponsible that we "don't give a fuck" about anything. this attitude now seems to be embrased and encouraged as something that will make you stronger (from dropping bombs on innocent people to parents beating up kids at school sporting events). it's sad, because the end results are more unhappy people trying to be something or someone they are not-and when you see food court gangsters belittliling riders who are trying to get better, just tell them outright, “you better pull some amazing shit after calling that kid out for trying to get better.”

anyways, i am drunk posting. so, this probably makes no sense. and remember kids, alcohol is ‘devil juice’-stay away from it.

Craig Kelly Forever.

This is one of those internal battles that I face sometimes. When I first started seeing kids rock jeans on the hill and pants so tight I thought the seams were gonna split, my first thought was what the hell is wrong with these kids! After thinking about it though it is just what they are into. And being and individual is what snowboarding is about. In the end it is about them doing thier thing and you doing yours. So if they are gonna hate, just ignore them. What do you like, just get out and shred your own way. I can't afford to run the freshest gear, or shred everyday, but I make everyday out count, running the ductape gloves and cracked bindings, just shredding for me.

Look, either you can be a hater and think that you are the coolest dude on the hill that is getting it done more than the next guy or you can be like me and just be stoked to be able to have the privalage to be snowboarding. Everybody does it their own way tho. I have been shredding for almost 20 years now and have seen alot. Its the same shit every year but the sport just doubles in popularity every year as well. The point is this, fuck everyone else and focus more on your self. Who cares. The real will be sorted from the unreal.

Oh yah, did you fall and get made fun of?

Aspen has the most snow in Colorado right now and thats a fact Jack!!! Go shred something and do it your own way. Lead by example and fuck the kids that dont get it.

so true. i wish snowboarding was only about having fun, but the american culture has turned it into a fashion show... you don't go to europe and see people in brand new decked out gear talking crap to someone who just learned how to snowboard. sure, there can be some poking fun at people in good ol tomfoolery, but if you are really getting pissed off at the person that can't land anything in front of you, just realize that we all were at that point before. sure, i've gotten frustrated with someone who cuts in front of me when i'm dropping to just have them fall right after, but it's not worth fighting them over it.

and its true about the falling part, if you aren't falling, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. the only problem i have with that is that sometimes being comfortable on features is also fun, and especially if you have an injury (in my case, i have bad shoulders), it wouldn't be a good idea trying something way too beyond your level.

if you're not falling, you're probably not pushing yourself to progress. I say, don't clown the kids that are falling. If anyone deserves to get clowned, it's the people that don't fall. but in all reality, until shreds start working together and otherwise pooling our energy, we're gonna have a really tough time reclaiming our industry and culture.

Snowboarding Saves Lives!

TO THIS I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. THANKS FOR TOUCHING ON THIS TOPIC MAN, MORE PEOPLE NEED TO EMBRACE. THE F.U.N. IN SNOWBOARDING THESE DAYS. KINDA BUMS ME OUT SOMETIMES, ALL THIS BULLSH!T THAT SEEMS TO CATCH UP WITH THE SPORT. JUST LIKE DAY ONE, ALL I WANNA DO IS STRAP UP, TUNE OUT, AND END EVERY RUN WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE. THESE DAYS, SEEMS TOO MAY PEOPLE ARE GETTING IN THE WAY OF THAT. TAKE SNOWBOARDING BACK!!! : )

i truly appreciate this blog as i have been meaning to write one similar for a while now. its all true and needs to be brought to light. people are way too into whos doing what and how to top them that people are forgetting the fun of linking turns and spraying your friends. how many kids really need to have the "hottest" technine jacket and mean mug everyone? i hear more kids who just learned how to 270 onto a box wondering how to get sponsored than ever before. people think its cool when really it just means you get free gear. well what happens when you put that gear on, well you go snowboarding because its fun and do the same thing you did before, snowboard with friends. i could go on forever but i think you get the point.

yep, snowshredding has gotten to be so big it is getting "jockified" on a daily basis

is skating like this too? do you get called out if you suck at a skatepark?

the funny thing is a lot of these punk retards would be the first to make fun of "jocks" not realizing that bagging on someone because they "suck" is the ultimate expression of jockhood

although we all do it to an extent, when was the last time you yelled at someone sideslipping your favorite chute?

PS I'm sure the website in question is snowboard.com, snowboard addicts or bluntsnow, the 3 most juvenile crowds going

Loved the Blog! And props to you for speaking your mind! Very few in this industry do so anymore.

If you don't mind me asking.... what was the name of that site you mentioned? We have some shit to talk!

D...

**Bring back the gloveless methods damnit***

ha..ha....ha.....ha.....ha
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