"A Changing World"   "The OLD school"                           VS.                          "The NEW school"         So here at BMP we have been reading a lot of articles about the "poles vs. no poles issue". Some people are dead set on not using them when they don't have to and others can't figure why you would ever want to not use them. It's one of those arguments that will never really get solved and is more about bragging rights than much else....... One person saying that they can ski that line without poles just as well as the other can with poles. But its really not the simple an issue and rather points to a bigger one that is changing the world of skiing. Skiing tends to be a lot about self expression rather than following the crowd but these days, as the sport grows in popularity with a younger crop of athletes taking part, more questions are raised. Change has come slow to the sport until the last ten years were skiing has risen in popularity and technology. The old way of hop turns, and double daffy tricks on 210's has be replaces by big lines with GS turns and spinning off anything that will launch you in the air. The new sticks have changed as well, getting shorter and fatter. Now that we have the X-games with huge crowds, big sponsors, shiny lights. People eat it up and the kids love it. From half pipe to Big Air comps people are throwing down in a way like never before. It just so happens many of these people don't even have a drives licenses yet and are still in High School. It also just so happens that these are the people that are shaping the sport and defining its future when it comes to mass appeal. A trip to your local ski hill tends to become a fashion show throw-down with designer prints everywhere you looks. Bandannas draped over faces and XXXL clothing on kids that could still shop in the juniors section. It can be a bit overwhelming at same time there are many of you that remember when the designer one piece, skin tight fitted, with plenty of neon colors was king. Perhaps equally as disconcerting. Just go to your local video store and try and find a copy of the skiing classic "HOT DOG" and it is easy to see how the lifestyle/culture has changed. It is no secret that the skiing world tends to be terrified of change at times and is not the most accepting of trends. This is one of the reasons that the no poles issue has gotten so much press. Younger skiers that want to ski in a totally different style than the old schooling straight stickers, tend to look for ways to do so. And what they are doing is creating a new generation of skiers. They are fueling a new culture and lifestyle that is very different from the old school rock star bad boy of yester-year. You have kids at age 15 reaching stardom in the X-games and instead of partying all night after their big win they are getting ready for a math test on monday as their mom travels along side them and keeps them in check. Yes, it is a different world to say the least, but in retro-spec, at least the Neon colors are making a come back.... BMP Written by Dustin Briedwell Date 01-05-2008