Airbags have completely changed the world of action sports. Bigger tricks with higher consequences have been successfully landed on snow because of the ability to practice with low consequence landings. It might be difficult to think of these as being harmful towards the spirit of skiing and snowboarding, but there is an argument to be made there. Snowboarder Liam Stevens discusses those negatives, as well as the overwhelming positives, over on his YouTube, and I think it’s worth a watch.
It is a fair question to ask, though. Have airbags harmed action sports more than they’ve benefitted them? I think my opinion is fairly in line with Liam’s. Skiing and snowboarding are both very expensive, and adding another price barrier to the sport isn’t a comfortable move. BUT, these airbags have allowed the sports to progress massively, and we’re seeing some incredibly advanced tricks landed because of them. I’m not a professional athlete, though, I’m just a blogger. I wanna hear what you think.
Image Credit: Liam Stevens via YouTube