jpattigr

I am a long time Ski Rep here in western Canada along the Powder Highway, Sam Kuch won "Line of the Year" for this Session:

@jimbrake Don't feel bad about your skiing, James is the funnest chill guy to ski with anytime, But he can drop major lines! Goggle his name on Youtube and watch a few lines he has skied in Movies! Check out another local boy named Sam Kuch....Next one.....

My Friend, ex pro skier in Big Mountain Movie's James Heim.

 

Yup, they were good!! RIP,

@Golfguy I made that comment and the bit of ski racing on TV gets very poor ratings. My comment was that 95% of the skiers on any mountain don't care about watching the sport on TV. 98% can not even name a ski racer, Lindsay is more famous for being a model and dating Tiger, and now marrying PK (hockey player).

@JeffSurdej

After reading these posts and searched for AWSA and then found usawaterski.org I can understand why the sport is not growing.

I have worked in the Alpine Snow sports industry for over 30 years and watched snow skiing decline and now recover a lot of ground. Snow skiing in North America has no presence on TV, even with an organized World Cup of events plus Olympics. Racing does not drive the sport here in North America, 95% of skiers can not name one athlete.

20 years ago, skiing was getting killed by snowboarding ( surf / wake) and one look around explained it, all the media showed was middle aged (or older) snow skiers talking about expensive places to ski and buying real estate at ski areas. Youth could not relate and did not care about what their dad's did! Then, twin tip skis, fat skis, young graphics and MOST important the industry started featuring young skiers doing fun crazy things. New media like Freeskier showed young skiers having fun, Youth could now relate and skiing came back and snowboarding is in decline.

 

Based on what i have seen, AWSA needs to do the following:

1. Update the web site, it is very old looking and boring. Your web site should be the first place skiers and wanna be skiers go, need to constantly update the site and feature young skiers on the site.

2. Focus on Youth, there is still a ton of young people going to cabins, lakes very week in the summer, inspire them to try a New (old) sport!

3. Start a media campaign, show off Collegiate skiing, young people doing the sport at all levels and use social media to showcase the FUN! Video's of Young people doing Fun / crazy stuff. Inspire

4. Show off more then just 3 event skiing, show off barefooting, show off Freestyle skiing

 

Expensive Big Picture dream ideas:

1. AWSA vans touring to Lakes in the summer offering Learn to ski lessons, staffed by Collegiate skiers for a summer job. Make this fun and go to lakes all across America and get people up on skis!

2. a world class stage for the biggest ski championships, maybe in Orlando area, build site with seating, food service, beer stations and a music stage. Host a big Pro Am there very year and have some good bands play to draw non skiers. Need comfortable seats / bleachers, people will pay but expect to be pampered.

 

Don't forget the real place to grow is still at lakes / cabins all across the country, build a large network of recreational skiers and the high end skiers will flow from this pool. All those wakeboard / surf boats (10,700 last year new by your numbers) can also pull a skier and get people started.

My Awesome Wife

"In the Evening"

@Stefan Thanks for the picture! I often wondered if a Reflex setup could be done with lifts. Good to know it works.

@jhughes Yes, I have both but enjoyed the original much more! Even the second one is old now.

@Luzz Hope Jamie is still cranking turns to this song somewhere!

@Luzz and @MarcusBrown Just listened to your podcast together and thanks for sharing so much Passion! You guys made driving for 1 1/2 hours easy.

I was thinking you two need to work together and make a up to date version of the original movie "Edged in Water". We all still watch that movie at least once a year to get the hype on, many many non skiers have sat through it with us and then took an interest in our sport after. I feel showing off all the great athletes we have, and showing off all the disciplines of 3 event skiing can do more tp promote the sport.

Release it on Youtube, free download etc, Lets get HO, Mastercraft etc behind it!

@MarcusBrown you designed an amazing boat, some great skis and are getting amazing with a camera...@Luzz, you are very engaging and should be the voice of the movie, do the interviews, describe the action! Tell the jokes!

@TacoMan My left front ankle has the same issue from an accident at 18. I plugged away trying to get better at skiing and after I installed heel lifts on both boots equal. My skiing took off, I think that my front knee can now get over my toes helped a ton. Lifts on both boots balanced me better then when i tried just the front boot. My back ankle flexes normal but I need to be balanced.

 

Wife and I are off to Cat ski at Christmas, Bucket list trip to www.chattercreek.com. Heli up to lodge and then 3 days of steep, pillows on Powder. Just a little excited.

Best Winter thread reading by Far! Love hearing everyone argue / discuss which boat! I almost bought @swc5150 Prostar that he had for sale and I am a Nautique guy. Love the new Prostar but my wife vastly prefers driving Nautique's and she wanted to wait. The wakes are awesome behind both, but the Nautique drives and functions way smoother, tracks better, sounds quieter. The Prostar does not track as well, is MUCH louder (stupid bandaid fan) and the steering, throttle etc are no where near as smooth. Both boats are awesome, Love Prostar screen and layout and perfect wakes!

Watched TW run 41 and made it look easy, just having fun skiing at Rosewater in Montana!

@skinut Great to hear from you!! Been to Baldface 2 and now doing another "bucket list" operation called Chatter Creek, supposed to be bigger, deeper and steeper the Baldface!

The 196 is awesome, and I suspect we will be skiing it for many more years, thanks again for your help on that!

Might head your way next spring again for round 2 of ski Road Trip. Bring your skis up our way, summer or winter and we can link some turns.

@jercrane I have heard good things about Silverton! Will put it on the list. Come try Kicking Horse in BC, the steeps are awesome! And yes my wife does drop those lines and skis as good as she looks!

 

@jercrane I get your comments 100%, well said and same experience for me! Booked at Chatter Creek at Christmas for 3 days, Heli in to lodge and 3 days of steep and deep!

@Dockoelboto I agree about DEEP, untracked Virgin snow, It is magical and flat water is close BUT not quite. My second pic is me skiing at Baldface (British Columbia) Cat skiing, I am 6'5" and that snow was going over my shoulders!

@skibrain Interesting, but have never skied many gates on snow and when I have was excited to get back to the rest of the mountain free skiing. On water, love skiing the course. Not as comparable as it seems I think.

 

 

I have worked in the snow ski world for my entire life and many people have asked me what i like better? I have given this a lot of thought and the answer is clear.

Water skiing is mostly consistent, if the water is bad we don't ski and my results in the course are 90% me. Thus we ski on good to very good water almost everyday and some days we ski better then others.

In snow skiing the conditions vary way more, run to run and as the day changes. That is the biggest challenge to snow skiing, you never know what you will face on the next turn.

Bottom line, I love both sports, but every water day is awesome but when I get to go Cat skiing in deep powder, perfect snow it ekes out the win! Basic resort snow skiing, water ekes out the win!

Thoughts?

@KalebP, Sorry not much help the boat is stored for winter and long way from my house. Can look at settings next spring for you.

Great Subject! Teach us!

A great man!

 

Anyone know what is happening to INT League? The website seems to be down and no links to any events?