Our narcissistic sport

[1xsculler]

I hate to bring this up but I beleive it's certainly true that this sport is more narcissistic than most.  I'm totally guilty.  Now that I am just beginning to lay down the occasional pure carve trench I find myself visually surveying the hill I'm going up in the chairlift to find what might be the best carving terrain to come down and, yes, where I might be able to pull of some of my best turns where people riding up the chair might see me.  I'm not very good but am always the only hardbooter on the mountain so I have no one better than I am to steal the show.  I doubt that many riding the chair actually even pay any attention to me but I fantasize that they might and that thought makes me want to try my best to hang on to bend my board and hang onto that edge.  I also like to ride a run under the chair so I can drool over my occasional set of pencil lines as I ride the chair up.

Not that we all don't get a lot of personal satisfaction just feeling the "Gs" in our turns even when no one is watching it's just a little more fun when we think observers might think what we do is pretty cool.  To deflate that thought, I have thought pure carving was the coolest thing in the world ever since I viewed the Pure Carve VHS video I had over ten years ago but I have never, not once, been able to convince my many ski buddies, some of sixty years of skiing together, to try carving.  It seems to me that almost no one but us BOLers and some Europeans have any interest in laying down the trenches that we think are so awesome.

[billyt.]

Last week riding with some ski buddies we got separated for a chair or two when I went and changed boards.  My ski buddy was riding the chair and another skier on that chair was commenting on my carving and mentioning that he would love to make turns like the ones I was making under the chair.  So my ski buddy proudly tells him that I am his friend and how we got separated for a run while making the board change.  Don't feel bad.  Carvers/hardbooters are ambassadors of style and perfect turns!

[lonbordin]

I reject this entire premise.  I board to seek flow as defined here- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

I don't give a damn if no one is watching, nor do I care if they are... I board to loose myself in the moment.

Mahalo.

Edit- My son, an avid 17 year old skier, just wants to carve hard. I've never asked him too... probably best that I never did... teens and all.

Edited February 17, 2017 by lonbordin
moar... always moar...

[ursle]

Less than 10% of skiers carve, so, of all the skiers, 10% of them understand what we do. More and more snowboarders carve, but a soft boot snowboarders arentaren't interested in what we do unless they have evolved into a soft boot carver, there are more and more every day.

Right, someone linking tight turns at high speed carving an alpine deck is a sight to behold, great eye candy, but few actually perceive the art involved.

I watch good ski carvers as raptly as good alpine carvers, and I've been watching more and more softboots laying it down.

[Beckmann AG]

1 hour ago, lonbordin said:

I reject this entire premise.  I board to seek flow as defined here- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

I don't give a damn if no one is watching, nor do I care if they are... I board to loose myself in the moment.

Mahalo.

+1

Namaste

[1xsculler]

I am happy to hear this and to hear it related to flow because it must take a sincere energy focus to do it well.

My comments are probably related to my novice, newbie level and to my totally solo association with carving. I drive up to the Mt. twice a week by myself, about two hours each way. I ride by myself about two and a half hours and head home. I am addicted but also trying to sort the whole thing out.

I expected some push-back from some of the long time, dedicated, hard core riders who really couldn't care less who's watching. They maintain the total stoke all on their own and that's probably why they're so inspirational to watch.  If I don't run out of B-days first maybe I'll get there.

Edited February 17, 2017 by 1xsculler
Mistake

[kiteparsons]

I think this perception might be a side effect of becoming decent at an odd looking sport.  People will look at you with a little wonder, and some people
(like myself) will get off on that.  I rarely rode with other carvers my first season, and I thought I was the hottest piece of garbage on the hill since I could link a few decent turns on a funny snowboard. Man, was I cool......  Then I actually got together with some proficient riders that showed my how cold my garbage actually was.  That was the point where I ditched the ego and started riding for my own satisfaction and improvement.  Like Ursle said, the nerds on the lift don't even know what they're looking at. 

Most importantly, have fun, BRUH!

[st_lupo]

I think there is a difference between pride/satisfaction derived from achievment in a fairly demanding sport and narcissism.  I also tend to think that narcissism is more of a personal character flaw rather than a hallmark of an entire sport.  Yes we beginners can be absorbed in our own riding, but that is mainly introspection and out of necessity if we want to progress without many opportunities for organized instruction.  And of course we all get a kick out of laying down som sweet tracks on a steep slope in sight of the chairlift; everyone has an ego and most people manage to keep their ego in check.  We all have our motiviations for pursuing this sport and based by the fact that you even broach this topic, I would tend to think that you are more introspective and less narcissistic that you think.  Like kiteparsons said have fun BRUH!

There is only one person in all of BOL who I identify as a narcissist:  lordmetroland .  Don't be like him.

Edited February 17, 2017 by st_lupo

[Aracan]

I enjoy carving when no one is watching, trying what works and what doesn't. But when I am on a run under the chair, I feel I have to give it my best shot as an ambassador of the carve, and yes, I find the occasional oooh and aaah rewarding :-)

 

[michael.a]

I agree with Ursle, while maybe at the beginning you can feel some sort of elitism particularly when looking at the majority of skiers and snowboarders just sliding around (big fish in a little pond), set your sights a bit higher or attend a carve event and you quickly become humbled. Seeing a pro hardbooter or racer do their thing in front of your eyes is way different from watching videos.

And even if you do approach elite status, in such a niche sport no one really cares or notices any way. Most dont even look at others riding. And the ones that do, since snark and hate are in, are more likely to react negatively - falling over every single turn on that freak board with ski boots, that idiot is taking up the whole slope again, he's cutting up the slope they should ban him, that guy is not riding in his lane, look he cut off that person behind him doesnt he know any better... etc etc. 

 

[Zone]

Narcissistic carver :

We’re gonna build a great carve. We’re gonna have trenches. People are pouring into our country from the Middle East to watch us carve it up. We’re gonna make hardboots great again. We’re gonna make Donek great again. We’re gonna make trenches deep again. We’re gonna make America a great carving nation. Watch me carve.

;-)

[michael.a]

Folks, most of the media is not gonna tell you how much we carve except for the fine people at Fox. They are so dishonest. They, with the softboot companies, are taking our jobs, our people, and sending them down to Mexico where there is no snow. No snow folks. How can they make our snowboards, that carve, in Mexico. Or China. You cant, and they know it. They know it. We won with carving, but nobody mentions how Hillary took carving away. Its all fake news folks. Every word. Im the most carving person in the world. I think that carving, folks know this. It, nobody calls it what it really is. Radical carving terrorism. They go after women, and children, and innocent, not those that carve. And this is an American problem. Not American, but big league. Global. Global. Folks, carving is, we're going to fix carving. We have great deals coming, great deals.

[softbootsurfer]

you cannot Carve without Focus...no matter what you are thinking about, as you take off down the hill, you are right there in that moment...that is the Joy of it, plus the G's of course 

[Corey]

I like seeing video and pictures of me carving.  Almost as much as I like seeing video and pictures of others carving!  To improve, you need to be very self-critical.  The easiest way to do that is through pictures and video.  Some have enough body awareness to know how what they're doing differs from the 'ideal', but not very many. 

I like it when people cheer me on, and I like cheering others on.  First tracks at ATC is epic for this! 

[queequeg]

Its all good :)

Showing off is fun! Showcasing the sport for the liftline is great for the sport! Being humbled by other showoffs is great, because it gives you new goals to reach for! Rah-Rah-Rah-ing your buddies from the liftline is great! Even better to see someone showing off new skills and getting better each and every year—I was amazed at the style and progress that @pow4ever was showing off at ATC this year!

Nothing wrong with a little showing off! But yes, I do think we all tend to do our best and most joyful riding when nobody else is watching :)

"If you are getting rad and no one is around to see it…are you really getting rad?" -Andy Hays

Edited February 17, 2017 by queequeg

[Corey]

2 minutes ago, queequeg said:

Showing off is fun! Showcasing the sport for the liftline is great for the sport!

I can't believe you're a pro.  I'm way better than you!  ;)

(Game of GNAR reference: http://unofficialnetworks.com/gnar)

[queequeg]

6 minutes ago, corey_dyck said:

I can't believe you're a pro.  I'm way better than you!  ;)

(Game of GNAR reference: http://unofficialnetworks.com/gnar)

Corey, I just thought you should know: I'm the best skier on the mountain!

[avante]

40 minutes ago, queequeg said:

Corey, I just thought you should know: I'm the best skier on the mountain!

You meant monoskier, eh?

[BLOODTYPEZX10R]

I would really like to reply to this thread, but some might think I'm showing off, some won't pay any attention, some may secretly want to be able to do what I am doing, but most won't appreciate what I am doing.

[John E]

6 hours ago, michael.a said:

Folks, most of the media is not gonna tell you how much we carve except for the fine people at Fox. They are so dishonest. They, with the softboot companies, are taking our jobs, our people, and sending them down to Mexico where there is no snow. No snow folks. How can they make our snowboards, that carve, in Mexico. Or China. You cant, and they know it. They know it. We won with carving, but nobody mentions how Hillary took carving away. Its all fake news folks. Every word. Im the most carving person in the world. I think that carving, folks know this. It, nobody calls it what it really is. Radical carving terrorism. They go after women, and children, and innocent, not those that carve. And this is an American problem. Not American, but big league. Global. Global. Folks, carving is, we're going to fix carving. We have great deals coming, great deals.

This sounds like an excerpt from his Press Conference yesterday (except much more coherent). 

[michael.a]

I had just watched it and with Zone's great idea I just had to trumpify my own little schpiel :) Kudos to Zone btw, and it works so well with out sport. Lets make carving great again...

[najserrot]

I merely doing the people on the chair a favor by entertaining them. 

In all seriousness, i am a bit freaking out during a vanity run that is unavoidable and it somehow takes away the pleasure of carving. But if i manage to pull it off....suck on that mortals!!!

[bigwavedave]

On 2/16/2017 at 7:08 PM, lonbordin said:

I reject this entire premise.  I board to seek flow as defined here- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

I don't give a damn if no one is watching, nor do I care if they are... I board to loose myself in the moment.

It's more like losing all the clutter in your head and being in the moment, a super awareness of everything around you, not just you carving, but other people on the hill (even the ones behind you), those heads turning on that chair above (it's all a show─"pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"). It's all part of the experience. If there was no one else on the hill, it could be a more meditative (losing yourself) experience. Either way, the space/time continuum is stretched and distorted as you flow through it linking high speed carves to the bottom.

If you get to admire where you've been (tracks─there's a whole thread for that) and where you might go next, as you ride back up─no guilt there─all part of the enjoyment...mmm, maybe I am a narcissist...now I hate myself.

 

 

[philw]

I think you're looking at it the wrong way.

I was an arrogant bastard before I took up snowboarding: the sport is not to blame. I put more effort into learning how to snowboard, and more time practising it, than almost anyone. I didn't do it for those guys sitting on the lift, who I'll never meet and of whom at least quite a few of whom can't tell reality TV from reality. I did it because I liked doing it.

If lift-people surprised that any snowboarder can ride their board, I understand that, but it's not the fault of hard booters. 

I was once accosted by a rather fetching young lady at a dry ski slope (don't ask) who pointed out that I was probably crap at cooking, because apparently she thought that I was quite good at snowboarding. I did not have the heart to tell her how many cook books I have, or how much time I put into learning how to make roux.

If you can rip, it's your duty to the sport to rip as publicly as possible. Show those people what can be done, and let them weep. Some of them will join us.  

(This post was aided by a certain amount of ale and should not be construed as serious. It's not like I'm putting myself forward for public office or anything.)

[Zone]

In the same vein, kudos to whoever was ripping up and showing off at Calabogie last week. One of my skier friend saw you (first time seeing live hardboots after I kept saying how good it felt), he is now interested in picking up the sport.