Hi,
I started this petition hoping to keep alpine snowboarding in the Olympics. Please share it if you can.
Thanks, Jacopo
https://chng.it/RLc9y9fdm2
Alpine snowboarding at the Olympic Games
Moderators: fivat, rilliet, Arnaud, nils
Alpine snowboarding at the Olympic Games
www.carvers.it
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fivat
- Swoard & EC founder
- Posts: 3045
- Joined: Thursday 21 March 2002, 13:13
- Location: Geneva, Switzerland
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Re: Alpine snowboarding at the Olympic Games
Thank you Jacopo. 
I understand that it's a lack of respect towards the athletes who train a lot for the Olympic Games. It's never good to suppress things. But this "idea" was in the air for more than 10 years. I remember a German coach who was already against parallel giant slalom.
The Swiss athletes were winning many medals in the past. This was screened on Swiss TV. Now it's very rare, or only for 10 seconds in summary reports. It seems that there are less spectators and less sponsors.
Well, watching such things is not really attracting the public:
World_Cup_racer_Saas_Fee.mp4
But don't worry. Alpine snowboarding wont die! It is not only about racing in gates... with super stiff hardboots, stiff binding, heavy plates, and stereotyped style: counter-rotations, "skwal style", hands in the air, ass in the air...
That's why Jacques and I have created EC, this Website & Forum, with different philosophy, different boards (Swoard), ride technique, setup, etc. to propose an alternative to the direction that alpine snowboarding was taking.
We felt the wind changing already 25 years ago when discussing with professionals, instructors, shops, etc. who did quit alpine snowboarding. The leader Burton Snowboards sent out a very bad signal from 2001. 
Again, don't worry. There is also a great future for carving with softboots. As the hardboots give more power, dynamism and precision, we will still practice both. Hard and soft carving must be one family.
It's maybe time for alpine snowboarding to rethink its future. And to put an end to the aberrations regarding the plates, for example, making this sport too specific and even more expensive. Let's make it more attractive! More fun!
In my opinion, snowboarding should have never tried to imitate skiing. The snowboarders invented the half-pipe, snow park, boardercross, slopestyle, big air, popularised freeride, etc. and carving!! Why not style contest... without gates?
Patrice Fivat
I understand that it's a lack of respect towards the athletes who train a lot for the Olympic Games. It's never good to suppress things. But this "idea" was in the air for more than 10 years. I remember a German coach who was already against parallel giant slalom.
The Swiss athletes were winning many medals in the past. This was screened on Swiss TV. Now it's very rare, or only for 10 seconds in summary reports. It seems that there are less spectators and less sponsors.
Well, watching such things is not really attracting the public:
World_Cup_racer_Saas_Fee.mp4But don't worry. Alpine snowboarding wont die! It is not only about racing in gates... with super stiff hardboots, stiff binding, heavy plates, and stereotyped style: counter-rotations, "skwal style", hands in the air, ass in the air...
That's why Jacques and I have created EC, this Website & Forum, with different philosophy, different boards (Swoard), ride technique, setup, etc. to propose an alternative to the direction that alpine snowboarding was taking.
We felt the wind changing already 25 years ago when discussing with professionals, instructors, shops, etc. who did quit alpine snowboarding. The leader Burton Snowboards sent out a very bad signal from 2001. Again, don't worry. There is also a great future for carving with softboots. As the hardboots give more power, dynamism and precision, we will still practice both. Hard and soft carving must be one family.
It's maybe time for alpine snowboarding to rethink its future. And to put an end to the aberrations regarding the plates, for example, making this sport too specific and even more expensive. Let's make it more attractive! More fun!
In my opinion, snowboarding should have never tried to imitate skiing. The snowboarders invented the half-pipe, snow park, boardercross, slopestyle, big air, popularised freeride, etc. and carving!! Why not style contest... without gates?
Patrice Fivat