Skiing's One-Two Punch

Two basic invasions of snowboard space are taking place as we type. Both have to do with the established ski world's sudden interest in snowboarding (cash-ola baby). One, is the FIS's complete and utter disregard for snowboarding organization; and two is the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee's completely asinine plans to hold the Olympic snowboard events at Park City. We'll attack these things one at a time.

Getting FISted

Believe it or not the senile power mongers at the Federation International du Ski believe they have the right to decide who will govern snowboarding on the national and international level. None of their people (including Hanno Treindl, director of snowboarding for FIS) really care one way or another what the majority of snowboarders believe or want for their sport. FIS cares only about their "system of administering sport." This is an easy fact most "snowboard journalists" continue to ignore.

The bottom line is FIS doesn't give a lump of feces for snowboarding, snowboarders, or snowboarding culture. They simply see snowboarding as another way to sell sponsorships, gain power, and control another winter sport. Anything they say to the contrary is a bald-faced lie. They are a bunch of unethical, evil, cretins set on destroying snowboarding as we know it. We're aware of this. They're aware of this. And there is very little we can do to stop them.

In mid December professional and competitive snowboarders will be faced with a dilemma. The Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee will officially announce that snowboarding is on the official schedule for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. The FIS has already stated that snowboarders must be members of FIS to compete in the Olympics; meaning top American and Canadian snowboarders will have to choose whether they want to stick with the International Snowboard Federation or go to FIS for a sure shot at the Olympics.

This is not a decision any of us at flake would enjoy making. Frankly, we'd like to snowboard well enough to be forced into that kind of a decision. The Olympics means big money. Why shouldn't a professional athlete who has trained for years go to the Olympics? Why shouldn't they cash in and grab the big dollars? Why not make a fast buck and gain national attention in the process?

The choices riders make will have direct repercussions on the development of snowboarding here and around the world. (Those who think the Olympics are actually cool should remember what happened to "freestyle" skiing, which garnered the same kind of media attention in the 70s as snowboarding is enjoying presently. The mogul competitions have turned into race where the only way you can win is by looking just like everyone else. Not only that, but skiing with style and personality means a loss of points.)

We can't answer these questions for riders, and we're not going to make some kind of statement regarding ethics, because we really don't know what we would do in that situation. We will say one thing from experience: be careful how much soul you sell because the more you sell, the easier it gets. Then, before you know it you're a neurotic monkey at the end of a chain wearing a cute little red-vest and matching hat, darting about through a crowd of well-dressed businessmen with a tin cup in your hand begging for change from corporate America while your agent cranks away on a organ. This is not some hardcore stance, it's reality. The minute money changes an opinion, is the moment someone's soul has been purchased.

Pork City and the 2002 Olympics

Which brings us to Nick Badami (Park City's guiding force), Park City, the 2002 Olympics and the second topic of rant this issue. We've always respected people with conviction. Even if it flies in the face of all logic. When Badami said that snowboarding was giving him a migraine headache and that he didn't want snowboarders on his mountains we had to think, hey, he run's the mountain he can decide. We always thought he was a bit confused on the issue, but figured at least he's consistent.

Well, we don't think that anymore. Badami appears to be as inconsistent and whimsical as any successful businessman being sucked back and forth across the morality scale by billowing clouds of dollar bills. Badami, the hater of all things snowboard, scored the 2002 snowboard events for Park City. Why? Because now he says he wants snowboarding to progress to the point where it can be respectable. Can you believe it? He thinks he's helping snowboarding.

What he doesn't know is that snowboarders will remember. No matter how hard he tries to make everyone forget that Park City is not a snowboard resort. He'll begin to see the light when snowboarders around the world take advantage of pre-Olympics media coverage to expose the hypocrisy that is Park City ski resort. The media will eat it up. As rec.skiing.snowboard founder Crispin Cowan recently wrote to the SLOOC, "Unless either the venue changes, or Park City begins allowing snowboarders at their resort, I will commence spreading as much negative publicity about the SLC Olympic snowboard events as possible." If you haven't sent the above line to the SLCOOC with your name on it, do it now. We have more contact information on the SLC Olympics for anyone who needs it including phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

We'll keep you posted in the Snooze Paper.

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