Snowfaction.com Skiboarding Article

[Greco]

Hi Guys,

I wanted to pass along an email I just received. Here ya go....



I just wanted to start this e-mail off by introducing myself. My name is Bryan Cassidy and I'm the author/founder of SnowFaction.com, a website that prides itself in delivering quality articles of the ski and snowboard industry, insightful interviews, and useful product reviews.

Secondly, I wanted to pass over a recent article about skiboarding that was written last week after I met with Jason Levinthal. If you have some time, please check out the website (http://www.snowfaction.com) or take a read through the article (http://www.snowfaction.com/general/s...nt-and-future/). If you wish to post this article for your visitors, that would be awesome.

I look forward to hearing back on your thoughts and such on the website and article. Thank you for taking your time to read through this e-mail, it's appreciated.


//Bryan Cassidy
www.snowfaction.com

[ElkCloner]

winterparkrider,
Greco is rite. We should not involve ourselves in bad mouthing companies in such a small community. Unless its line. Jay lev can suck it

^From an SBMag article.

Jason Levinthal may have been an/the authority on skiboarding back in 98.

But in no way do I consider him an authority on skiboarding in 2009.

[jjue]

Well I guess I take back everything I have ever written about skiboarding being different then skiing... Jason Levithal must be RIGHT , he is the authority and grandfather of skiboarding .....we all are just riding skis anyway , ....

Darn , though , what gives with Line and JL not making the kind of skis , anymore , we all here want to ride !!!!!! ;-)!


ps . all kidding aside ... I am happy that at least the guy had the foresight to approach G... and had some interesting knowledge about skiboardings resurgence ...

set him right ... G !!!!

[Greco]

more email correspondence from bryan... note the ps...



Thanks for posting the article. I had a feeling that Jason wouldn't be favored by most diehards after Line dropped skiboards from their product lines after being one of the major forces back in the day. At least the comments will cause some debate and make for some interesting discussions on your message boards.

If you happen to have any questions or ideas (e.g., articles, interviews, collaborations) in the future, please feel free to reach out to me as well.

Thanks again!

//Bryan
www.snowfaction.com

PS: Just so I remain a bit reputable in this area, I did ride skiboards back in the 1998-2000 time fame and rode with Jason Levinthal and Mike Nick up at Camp of Champions. :-)

[EmptiMind]

Meh.

I'll never go back to skiing. Not the same feeling at all.

[SkaFreak]

Not gonna lie, to me it kinda seems like he is trying to play down skiboards in favor of skis. I'll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of Levinthal these days. He makes some amazing skis, and I will give him that, but he truly turned his back on the people that got him started. At the same time I am conflicted, because if line were still making boards, we might not have Revel8 boards these days. I myself may be ending up on some longer sticks at some point (more on that should anything come of it) but if I do I will be on skiboards on some days too. They are entirely different beasts.

[mahatma]

The article was vanilla. Was there a single actual fact, pointed question or complete response there? What I read was was a short article about a guy who thought if you are on snow with a device attached to each leg then you are skiing. OK. While obviously that is painting with a very big brush I suppose it's true for as far as it goes. But, what makes it a news article? I suppose in the "one on each leg" manner of thinking if it's written by someone then by definition it's a "quality article" or if it's questioning someone it's an "insightful interview". I'd like to ask for things to start with a stated purposed or topic, be both pointed and detailed, driven to an end as guided by the purpose or topic and produce a clear point. This way, I can feel um, informed.

[Roussel]

ill agree, we are skiing. i think no one can deny the link between skiing and skiboard, if you do then you just arent looking right.

just like if you are riding a race bike, mountian bike, bmx, tricycle, its all cycling. but all the sub categeories have created different parts/cultures/hardwear/terrain/competitions/style/tricks/whatever

a person riding a bmx identifies him/herself as a bmxer, specifying the type of cycling and equipment he/she uses.

just like we identify ourselfs as skiboarders for the same reason.

and ive already got a counter arguement if someone is going to say that freestyle skiing and freestyle skiboarding is done on the same terrain, well yes, i see people with mountain bikes at skate parks all the time, but that doesnt make them bmxer now does it.

[darobbert]

"Most people want to think they’re rebels and leaders but they’re actually just followers with no vision or perspective for the big picture of what’s next and how to get there. They jump on the bandwagon last and then claim to everyone that people not doing what they’re doing is lame."


http://newschoolers.com/web/forums/forums


'nuff said.
god i love hypocrites.

[SkaFreak]

I think that arguing whether we are skiing or not is truly just a semantics arguement as opposed to something at the heart of the matter. A group can be as narrow or as wide as you want. Just to carry on with an earlier example, we'll say we're going to compare racing vehicles. Now most people would think of NASCAR, Indy cars, rally cars, racing trucks, etc., but if you want to get technical, you can then lump bobsleds, and unicycles in there too, as they are all vehicles that can be used to race.

[mahatma]

Hence the need for the interviewer to tactfully and with respect create a more pointed atmosphere. In this way we gain actual insight. Agreeing with that insight is obviously optional but driving the interview to that point is not.

[jjue]

Roussel did an interview with Jason Levinthal when Line was still selling skiboards
his answers are interesting with respect to JL's take on skiboarding and what happended to skiboarding comp and his own personal approach to skiboarding

"Roussel: This years Line team doesn't have any skiboarders, how come?

JL: Because there are no comps, mags, videos, events because it is not different enough of a sport from skiing, its all the same, just shorter.

Roussel: So do you still skiboard sometimes?

JL: No, I ride the Skogen Pro Model because the extra length enables me to ski a lot faster, float better in powder and land bigger jumps. "


http://www.skiboardmagazine.com/arch...interview.html

Maybe G ,should order up some of these tee shirts for us from the Line folks :



The Line Story as told in 2009 by the Line Company

http://www.lineskis.com/ourstory

Seems that the tiny short skis that the young JL made in his garage were just the stepping stones to the better modern skis that Line produces today ... the short skis that were the prototypes of the modern Line skis are no longer made because they have been replaced by better bigger versions of these original short skis . Line does not sell the short skis because they have obviously been replaced by the better versions. Those of us who persist in riding the tiny twin tips and even supporting companies that still produce these backward archaic short skis are somehow locked in a time warp and havent moved on . If we are all skiers as JL says , why the heck do we persist in skiing these ancient 1999-2000 prototypes of the modern twintips that Line makes today just as JL himself has moved on long ago !!!! If these new modern skis provide "the extra length that enables us to ski a lot faster, float better in powder and land bigger jumps. "
why for gods sake are we stuck on the shortees ... I mean come on, ESPN / X games.. saw the light long ago , so did JL , Mike Nick, and Eric Pollard and others... so what gives with this queer retro group of ours here , locked in the past ! !


I mean COME ON guys and gals as JL says , even the name "Skiboard " was just an invention of that ancient time in the 1990's . Here is what JL says about the why he called his new ski model a "Skiboard"

"The only answers at the time was a short, wide twin tip ski that was so radically different from skis of the time, that people couldn’t call them skis and that’s where the name ‘skiboard’ came from. If they were invented today, people would just refer to them as short skis because they’re just shorter."

See, we are even stuck on a queer old backwater name for our archaic shortees ... better give that name up , LIne doesn't even use the term in talking about how JL invented his first short twin tips in his garage ...

I think G should rename this site as "ShortSkisOnline.com" or SSOL for short !

[jjue]

Ok on a more serious note .. I think that Line missed an opportunity back in 2000 , of not really refining and developing the skiboard concept and instead moving on to the twin tip long ski format , I understand that much of this was driven , probably , by market forces.. We are quite fortunate that companies like
Revel 8 and Spruce have taken the original skiboard concept and run with it , design ,wise to produce the wonderful range of innovative products we have today .
I am sure JL has never ridden any of our modern skiboard products or even considered them as anything his company would be interested in .

What has so excited me , is that while as Roussel says we share the two plank design with skiers , our skiboard companies and our core of talented riders , have moved modern skiboarding along so that the style of riding , our way of approaching the mountain is something different and fresh and the performance range of our modern skiboards has expanded to true all mountain status .
As Jeff Singer has pointed out , we have a tight turn radius in our boards that is not matched by any twin tip skis and is unique to the skiboard design and made possible by the short length of our boards.

http://www.spruceski.com/tech.html
I think the design of our boards make a poleless style natural for our riders , where as riding with poles is the norm amongst modern twin tip skiers. Riding skis and riding skiboards ARE different .. There really is a different feel to the Ride, not better , but different ...And much more different than riding different sized twins. . As Skafreak points out .." I myself may be ending up on some longer sticks at some point .. but if I do I will be on skiboards on some days too. They are entirely different beasts." For me personally , it is pretty clear what has happened... I once was a skier , now I am a skiboarder.
It is a very definite choice I have made , that has come about because of the very different rides the different tools give me on the mountain . It all comes down to how different I feel riding a pair of long sticks compared to my skiboards that tells me :

[mahatma]

So, it would be fair to say we are currently and will continue be judged by the uniqueness of our collective culture, the freedom of our collective spirit and the innovations precipitated by our culture, spirit and chosen vehicles of expression.

If those items of inspection are weak we will be viewed as watered down, desperate, under skilled, left behind, wannabe's constantly seeking the approval of the current establishment.

I'm good with that. I think we should all be good with that. Are we out there promoting fun, love of the mountain, evolutionary expression of freedom and uniqueness specific to our equipment?

The only reason anyone initially joins anything is because something is in it for them. In order for something to be in it for them it must represent a change and highlight an improvement of some sort. This is not done from the "inside" nor is it done with the approval of the "inside". It requires strength and purpose to stand tall. It requires an internal awareness that what you are doing is indeed better at least for you and you believe for others. No one is going to just support such a stance Lemming like. They will need to be shown. They will have to be compelled in some way. That is certainly what happened to me. I'll never forget the first time I seen that dude on Spruce 120's. He was the God of fun and freedom. He stood alone. He stood tall. I was compelled.

Anyone want to have a poll and ask skiers and snowboarders what they think about this?

[mahatma]

I want to update this a bit. I can come across as harsh in print when in person my mannerisms impart a much less abrasive feel. I think what is going on here is an incredible breakthrough. Of course at first blush it looks like a modest departure from the norm and is easily dismissed and put down. Those of us doing this know this is simply not true. I actually have a terrible deficit to overcome when talking to skiers as I've never been one. I depend on the words I've seen here posted by the likes of jjue, Valmorel, ElSlurpo, wjeong and a number of other names whom I know from what they post here but my feeble mind cannot immediately conjure up. I am personally convinced to a fault that somehow attempting to align ourselves with any current faction or attempting to "prove" we can do what they do is absolutely wrong minded. Pointing out to someone that I can do what they do gains me no ground. But, showing I do what they do with some added bonus - more fun, easier, more opportunity for expression, more body friendly, cheaper, etc.. brings a unique, attractive aspect to what I'm doing. Now, I'm not a fan of difference for the sake of difference. Any difference needs to bring a positive aspect. That is one reason for example I love my gorilla stance. Some skiboarders find the gorilla to be repulsively ugly. I find it to be the absolute best position for me to feel the mountain. For me, that's the advantage. I'm placing myself in the optimum position for enjoyment and cohesiveness. I want to work on all aspects of my skiboarding from steeps, moguls, jumps, park - you name it because first it's a personal thing - I want to enjoy the entire mountain. But, I also believe that as my skills in each of these areas improve I can bring something a little new - a little unique to the game. I can show the advantages of my chosen gear. Here-s one for you - have you ever turned a carve into a ground 180, did a fakie turn and 180'd back as you race across the face of the slope? I was working on stuff like that immediately after I taught myself ground 180's and 360's. I need to get healthy and work on that more to get it down but I did do it a few times at what I'd call slower than true carving speeds but it is entirely possible and in my opinion just one example of the outrageous fun and excitement available to us. We can think outside of the box. The box does not exist for us. We get create our own shape. We do not need the nod from others. We don't live in their world and therefore do not suffer their limitations. We do our thing.