[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKQWyJi2JZY&w=590]
Even if you don’t know much about freeskiing or the sport, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Tanner Hall–one of the most prolific freeskiers of our generation. So when I first watched this VICE documentary (which is excellent, btw) which follows “4 of [freeskiing’s] most promising young athletes as they fight to make the US Olympic Freestyle Ski team for the sports first ever inclusion in the Winter Games,” I wasn’t surprised to hear Tanner’s name because of what he did to the sport.
What did surprise me, though, was that he to came off as a total “c*nt,” as one Youtube commenter so eloquently put it. I don’t want to ruin much for you but listening to Devin Logan–the USA Olympian who just scored a Silver medal in yesterday’s women’s slopestyle event–say the words “Tanner, you didn’t even graduate f*cking high school you’re so burnt out,” is a pretty sobering.
On one hand you’ve got kids who are going to the Olympics! the biggest stage in the whole world for the first time ever; and on the other hand, you’ve got some old heads who for whatever reason are pissed that the sport is changing, whether it’s because they’re upset they didn’t get a chance or because of the fact that the sport is becoming so much more commercial.
Either way, if you like freeskiing you should give this a watch. If for no other reason than the fact that yours truly makes an appearance at 22:30. If you’re wondering, we were at The North Face uniform unveiling with Devin Logan, Tom Wallisch, John Teller, Maddie Bowman, and Aaron Blunck.
