1) Style in skiing is a highly subjective concept that is difficult to define concretely. 2) Skiers associate different attributes with style such as smoothness, effortlessness, personality, and individuality. 3) While some believe style can be learned, others think the most stylish skiing looks natural and cannot be faked. 4) There is no consensus on whether competitions can properly judge an individual's style.

1. THE
SURVEY
WHAT IS STYLE?
We covet it, we chase it, we hate it
in some and praise it in others, but
can we even describe it? One of the
most contentious topics in all of free-
skiing, style polarizes skiers, creating
an abstract continuum of what we
see as pleasing and good. A deep
personal subjectivity clouds each
viewer’s eyes as they form these
judgments. Despite this subjectivity,
can style even be boiled down to a
concrete definition? Many skiers
attempt a definition with generic,
sweeping adjectives, while other
simply refuse to narrow it down into
a few simple words. Maybe it’s like
Tim McChesney says
as John Spriggs decribes it. Then
again, it may not be any of those
things and we shouldn’t even try to
describe it.
”JUST HOW ONE SKIS,” OR PERHAPS
IT’S “HOW YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL
PORTRAY YOUR ART AND PERSONALITY
TO THE WORLD”
AUTHOR: MATT SKIAR
DESIGNER: HOPE LITTLE
MADE POSSIBLE BY: NEWSCHOOLERS.COM

2. THIS IS THE COMBINED ATTEMPT
OFTHE THEMSELVES TRYING
TO DEFINE THE CONCEPT WE FIND
SO ABSTRACT, BUT SO INTEGRAL TO
OUR SPORT — THIS IS .
PHOTO: JAMIE WALTER

3. WHAT DO YOU ASSOCIATE
WITH THE WORD STYLE?
THESE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS
WE TRY AND DESCRIBE IT
JEFF CURRY — SOMETHING THAT
CAN’T BE FAKED OR IMITATED...
WILL WESSON — FLAVOR, FASHION,
PERSONALLY, INDIVIDUALITY.
REED BMOS LEWIS — SMOOTH,
EFFORTLESS, UNUSUAL, FLASHY,
POWERFUL, ARTISTIC, VISUALLY
PLEASING, CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL.
NOAH WALLACE — EASE,
CASUAL, SMOOTH.
PARKER WHITE — ORIGINALITY,
AESTHETICS.
VINCENT GAGNIER — A MIX OF BODY
CONTROL AND SKI IMAGINATIONS
/ RODGER FEDERER.
JEFF CURRY — PERSONALITY,
ART FORM, INDIVIDUALITY.
JEFF CURRY — STYLE IS CLOSELY
LINKED TO SELF EXPRESSION.
BEING ABLE TO DO SOMETHING,
AND MAKING IT LOOK CASUAL.
COLLIN COLLINS — EVERYONE
HAS “STYLE.” [IT] IS PERCEIVED
DIFFERENTLY BY — EVERYONE... TO
ME, GOOD STYLE HAS TO DO WITH
BEING SMOOTH, RELAXED, NATURAL.
REED BMOS LEWIS — THE WAY
THAT MAKES SKIING THE MOST
ENJOYABLE FOR ME / I ALSO
THINK OF PHRASES LIKE “DAMN
TH AT LOOKED GOOD.”
JOHN SPRIGGS — STYLE IS
FLOW, THE EASIER THE FLOW THE
BETTER THE STYLE.
WILL WESSON — EVERYONE HAS
STYLE. IT MIGHT BE GOOD STYLE
IN THE EYES OF SOME PEOPLE AND
BAD IN OTHERS... IT IS IMPOSSIBLE
TO NOT HAVE A STYLE.
AHMET DADALI — ITS A REFLECTION
UPON ONESELF BROUGHT OUT
IN THE WAY THEY EXPRESS
THEMSELVES WHETHER IT BE
HOW THEY WALK, TALK, SKI, ETC.

4. IS IT SOMETHING THAT
CAN BE LEARNED?
VINCENT GAGNIER — SOME
PEOPLE JUST HAVE IT, OTHERS
HAVE TO WORK REALLY HARD
TO HAVE STYLE.
AHMET DADALI — YES STYLE
CAN BE LEARNED, BUT MANY CAN
SENSE A SORT OF TRICKERY TO A
LEARNED STYLE, AND AS A RESULT
IT IS NOT REAL.
BANKS GILBERTI — BUT IF ITS
LEARNED ITS CERTAINLY NOT
ORGANIC AND YOU CAN ALWAYS
SEE RIGHT THROUGH IT. SO CAN
THAT REALLY BE CONSIDERED
STYLE AT THAT POINT, OR IS IT
JUST A FAD?
REED BMOS LEWIS — STYLE
CAN ABSOLUTELY BE LEARNED.
PHOTO: MATTHEW SKIAR

5. DO WE HAVE ROOM FOR STYLE
IN COMPETITIONS?
PWHITE — THERE’S ROOM FOR STYLE
IN TRASHCANS AND WAITING ROOMS.
COLLIN COLLINS — THERE IS NO
RIGHT OR WRONG STYLE, AND
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD SEES
STYLE A DIFFERENT WAY WHICH
MAKES IT 100% IMPOSSIBLE
TO JUDGE SOMEONE ON STYLE
ESPECIALLY IF IT’S A PANEL
OF JUDGES.
NOAH WALLACE — EVEN THOUGH
THE TECHNICAL ASPECT KEEPS
GOING UP, THE INDIVIDUAL STYLE
OF THE RIDER IS GOING TO SHOW
THROUGH IN THE END.
JEFF CURRY — I HOPE SO
WE HAVE AN EVENT CALLED
SLOPE STY LE.
PHOTO: JASON MOUSSEAU

6. SOME SKIERS EVEN REFUSE TO
PUT IT IN WORDS.
TIM MCCHESNEY — I REALLY DON’T
LIKE THAT WORD. IT’S JUST HOW
YOU SKI AND EVERYONE SKIS DIF-
FERENT NO MATTER WHAT / THERE
IS NO DEFINITION. EVERYONE IS
INTO DIFFERENT STUFF, SO IS NO
GOOD OR BAD STYLE.
AHMET DADALI — WHETHER IT IS
GOOD OR BAD IT IS ALL STYLE.
PARKER WHITE — I CANNOT AND
WILL NOT REALLY DEFINE STYLE
/ STYLE IS OBJECTIVE TO ME AND
SUBJECTIVE TO EVERYONE AND
EVERYTHING ELSE.
BANKS GILBERTI — I DON’T
NECESSARILY THINK THAT STYLE
CAN BE DEFINED SINCE IN EVERY-
ONES EYES IT IS COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT. WHAT LOOKS GOOD
IN ONE PERSONS EYES MAY JUST
LOOK AWFUL TO SOMEONE ELSE.
I GUESS FOR SKIING I WOULD
BEST “DESCRIBE” RATHER THEN
”DEFINE” STYLE AS AN INDIVIDUALS
MOTIONS AND ACTIONS. JUST AN
EXTREMEMLY BASIC DESCRIPTION
BUT HONESTLY STYLE IS REALLY
JUST THE WAY YOUR MOVE.
PHOTO: MATTHEW SKIAR

7. FOR SOME IT’S VERY PERSONAL.
PARKER WHITE — I THINK STYLE IS
THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS.
JEFF CURRY — EVERY TIME I SKI
I CHOOSE TO DO WHAT I WANT
TO DO BECAUSE OF THE WAY
IT MAKES ME FEEL / YOU NEVER
WANT TO TAKE SOMEONES ELSE’S
TRICK AND DO IT THE SAME WAY
THEY DID. I WOULD SAY IT MORE
LIKE TAKING SOMETHING SOME-
ONE DID AND ADDING TO IT.
REED BMOS LEWIS — PEOPLE ARE
ALWAYS GOING TO BE CRITICS.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR
SKIERS TO REMEMBER THAT WE
SKI BECAUSE WE LOVE THE
SPORT, PERIOD.
COLLIN COLLINS — I’LL SPEND
YEARS REFINING A SINGLE TRICK
BEFORE I’M HAPPY WITH THE WAY
IT LOOKS.
PHOTO: JAMIE WALTERPHOTO: JAMIE WALTER

8. — THESE OPINIONS DIFFER AS MUCH AS
THE THEMSELVES, PAYING TRIBUTE
TO THE INDIVIDUALS THEY . IN
THE END, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT THE WORDS
THAT SHAPE A STYLE OR AN OPINION, BUT
THE UNCONTROLLABLE AND INDESCRIBABLE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PERCEPTION AND
ACTION. THESE DIFFERENCES IN
PROVIDE AN ABSTRACT DEFINITION OF STYLE
THAT EACH SKIER AND EACH PERSON MUST
DEVELOP ON THEIR OWN.