Called Out

Called Out

Illustration by Mark Kowalchuk

Originally featured in Snowboard Mag 11.2

When I was a kid if it was known that if I listened to anything softer than Judas Priest I was verbally humiliated, if not physically assaulted by the village dirties. They knew their music was sacred, and if I was to affiliate myself with their kind I had to abide by a certain moral code. In turn, the righteousness of proper heavy metal was upheld. As for the whimps who listened to Mötley Crüe and Poison, they had their bikes stolen as retribution for false representation of a true lifestyle.

Right now, I feel like stealing some bikes.

If you really think about it, the single biggest factor in what has maintained the authenticity in the lifestyle of skate/snow/surf culture isn’t our non-conformity or ideas of freedom, nor is it our thirst for adrenaline or even the silly way we talk; it is calling shit out — straight up.

In essence, when we actively police our lifestyle, otherwise questionable ideals, skeptical fashion and generally unacceptable operating behavior have a difficult time weaseling their way in. If we slack or are too chicken-shit to say anything, those very things start to define our culture and in time the foundation on which our scene was built becomes compromised. Consequently, for a time we look like jerks before the natural order of things prevails.

I remember the first time I was called out at the top of the pipe back in the day. Unbeknownst to me, I had probably committed some obvious foul as I tried my best to navigate the huge eight-foot walls, when I heard, “KOOOOK!” from some vet. Yeah it sucked, but I certainly did not return until I had sufficient education and/or purpose to belong there. Whether the punishment was just or not is besides the fact, that my behavior was noted is what’s important. This is an unspoken truth among our creed and for the most part we regulate justly. So you, guy, filming everything you do, stop, it sucks. And while you’re at it, shave your beard, you look like a common tramp.

However, when it comes to the bigger issues like money and fear influencing snowboarding, stuff that takes more firepower to regulate, it starts to get nauseating. In recent times this bullshit has influenced our culture beyond measure, and because of this the industry and our reputation has suffered.

It’s no secret that more than anything money has warped the nature of how sliding sideways down a hill is perceived. Just to understand that the Olympics spent more on the advertising of snowboarding than any other sport says it all. That a billion dollar machine banks on snowboarding more than anything else, to me is kind of disturbing. Overshooting the mark is one thing, but going all in with no respect to our heritage and sending it into a transition the size of a Dixie Cup is another.

As for fear, everyone needs to take an honest look at their motives because snowboarding was pioneered by the fearless. These guys called bullshit on the resorts for not letting them ride and lashed out at the accepted ways of living life. In turn, a lifestyle was created that required a certain attitude. These days, because we have become afraid to call out suspect moves in the media and because many pros are too busy being “professional”, our ethos has become so watered down that much of the snowboard scene is mundane.

So, I ask myself, why has snowboarding lost its edge? Because people have become pussies. They have let their fear of rejection get in the way of what they know is right. Why do you think the Olympic pipe sucked shit? We didn’t call it out hard enough.

Instead of relying on our beliefs to move us forward, we’re told the next big trick is the evolution of our sport. Tricks got nothing to do with it man. That’s how we got labeled “extreme”. We were told by the money movers to care more about daredevil gymnastics than real snowboarding and WHY we do it. We’re super extreme because of the power of snowboarding. “The new hot sport” overtook the culture that real dudes created. Our foundation now holds a building that hardly represents the original design because we failed to adequately put ourselves in line, and we’ve allowed rampant leniency of unchecked foolery to flourish. So when you read an interview from legends like Terje, Chris Roach or Todd Richards and you say, “That was a little harsh,” think again. They are the ones who built snowboarding and designed it to work a certain way: A way that weeded the whack and promoted the rad.

There’s a reason we don’t grab tailfish, and there’s a reason those clear snowboards never took off — because we called that shit out. If we don’t stay true to our roots in that respect, I’m sorry, but that’s how things turn soft and eventually become irrelevant.

It’s not about rallying against the triple cork or hating the stupid new way to wear your beanie; it’s about not getting too comfortable with ideas that misrepresent us. More importantly, it’s about not letting the industry be influenced by companies that promote crappy ideas. It’s about how the game is rigged, who is telling us what snowboarding is and how that is entirely different than actually getting on a snowboard and preserving what that means to us.

We’ve gotten too comfortable will all kinds of silly shit because people have been afraid to call it out — afraid of what people might think of them for having an opinion! If you think filming every goddamn thing we do, stupid mustaches or saying horrible things like “après” is lame, punch someone, don’t go along with something you know isn’t right. When you blow it you should be ridiculed for it… it’s that simple, otherwise I would grab tindy all the time, my hand likes that place.

And if you think I’m way off, then call me out.

Do you agree or disagree with Nate? Leave your comments below.

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