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The introduction of Slopestyle skiing to the Olympics in 2014 was highlighted by Henrick Harlaut’s pants falling to his knees during his qualifying run. What was likely a first impression of Slopestyle skiing to many people worldwide was certainly not a misrepresentation. Baggy clothing has been a staple of the sport since its inception in the 1990s, and despite the materials of clothing and athletes changing, this fad never falters. A blend of cultural influences and practical uses have shaped this trend we see continuing in the ski world today.
Snowboarding Origins
Although this article discusses the evolution of outerwear in skiing, baggy clothes were indeed born from the rebellious snowboarding culture of the 1980s. Snowboarding began by emulating skiing, with competitions being races, but the influence of skateboarding and surfing soon dominated and freestyle snowboarding was born. Originally, snowboarders were seen as dangerous and unruly, with resorts claiming they lacked control and refused to abide by resort rules. This resulted in many resorts banning snowboarders, further dividing the sports and cultures. Snowboarding, now leaning into this rebellious counter culture attitude, rejected the tight, buttoned up style of skiers and opted to wear baggier clothes that better represented them and their surfy flow. While their style was evolving through influence from rap and punk music, so were their competitions through skateboarding. From the skateboarding influence, snowboarders adopted terrain parks with constructed metal features and jumps, creating their new form of freestyle.
Skiing was also having a cultural revolution during this time. A sport once dominated by racing and ski jumping now had a new discipline of freestyle as well. Freestyle skiing competitions at this time (1971-1990s) included moguls, aerials, and ski ballet, with style and flow being new judging criteria rather than just speed and distance. While these new criteria emerged, the original outerwear refused to change. Athletes continued to wear tight clothing in competition adhering to the old style norms.
Skiing’s Adoption
It wasn’t until the adoption of these new snowboard competitions in the 1990s when ski style began evolving as well. Freestyle skiers such as JP Auclair and Mike Douglas got fed up with the rules and regulations of mogul skiing, desiring more freedom of expression in their riding. These skiers, in collaboration with brands like Salomon or Line, were responsible for the creation of the first commercially available twin tip skis. With these new skis and newfound mentality, skiers were opting for the freedom that is offered in what were then called snowboard parks. This desire for freedom in expression brought changes to their riding as well as to their clothing. Skiers too were beginning to reject the tight clothing of the past in favor of baggier, street style clothing. This revolution against regulations and tradition is the origin of the baggy clothes we see everywhere on the mountains today.
In the early years of freestyle skiing, counter culture and rebellious attitudes were prevalent among the athletes. Tanner Hall, AKA “Ski Boss,” was one of the sport’s first superstars. He received just as much attention for his awe inspiring riding as he did his off mountain shenanigans. He is a controversial but important aspect to the history of freestyle, as he popularized early freestyle skiing and its rebellious attitude.
The previously mentioned Henrik Harlaut is also a modern icon in freestyle skiing, culture, and especially clothing. In an interview with his personal clothing brand Harlaut Apparel discussing his skiing inspirations, he says he is inspired by “A lot of music. I love hip-hop music, and I feel like I take a lot of inspiration from it. Mainly the ’90s hip-hop. Also skateboarding and skiers that paved the road before me.” Another common catchphrase of his is “Wu-Tang is for the children”, further demonstrating his passion for music. He happily adopts the culture associated with hip-hop and recognizes the influence that skateboarding has had on the sport, which is seen in his aforementioned clothing brand. Harlaut apparel is the brand which so many riders and other brands either wear or have taken influence from. Their signature baggy, balloon pants are a staple in the modern freestyle skiers kit. These factors ranging from skiing counterculture to self expression initiated and have since shaped the common outerwear of freestyle skiers today.
Practical Impacts when Riding
The freedom to wear whatever one pleases is vital to the freestyle skiing and snowboarding world, but are there practical reasons why so many opt for baggy clothing beyond the street style and hip hop influence? Let’s evaluate scoring and specifically the judging criteria in competition. Slopestyle judging categories include: difficulty, amplitude (height off jumps), execution (how well a trick is done), trick variety, progression (new tricks score higher), fluidity between tricks and features, and overall score. Baggy clothes make anyone go bigger, nor do they improve newer or more difficult tricks, or help skiers properly flow between features, although there is some validity to the saying: “look good, feel good, play good.” So difficulty, amplitude, progression, variety, and fluidity are not impacted by outerwear, but both execution and overall score have subjective components that may be influenced by someone’s clothing.
The riders aesthetic is a component to the overall score. In execution, the contribution is not in its definition but rather upon observation of the athlete. Execution is how well a trick is done both in the air upon landing. Maintaining a tight body throughout is prevalent to obtaining a high score, and this includes keeping one’s legs close together. In tight pants, it is obvious when someone’s legs spread apart at any point throughout the trick. With baggy clothing, however, all discrepancies get hidden in the flowing of the garments. This has a huge aesthetic effect on the tricks, not only in scoring but also in one’s subjective viewing. Baggy clothes don’t just look good and allow for expression, but they literally make freestyle athletes appear more in control while performing tricks.
Baggy clothing will always have its critics, but those critics are a vital reason it became popular in the first place, and they certainly won’t be its demise. What began as an opposition to traditional practices has morphed into a method of self-expression and practical application. Perhaps in the future, a “new” revolution of tight pants may arise and revolutionize ski culture once again.
