“So that’s how it’s gonna be, eh?” I’m sure that’s what Tanner Hall was thinking this week after being cut loose by longtime sponsor Oakley eight days ago. Hall–who I spoke with in August about his new film, Here After–released his new 15-minute short film today. And it’s a pretty cool piece of work, and one we all need to sit back and enjoy from one of the most influential skiers of all time. You never know how many more he has in him.
At 35 and on his third stint with sobriety, Hall is still so fun to watch. Highlights? The triple backie, the guest appearances including Henrik Harlaut, the rawness in his rail game, and the end segment, where Tanner went back to Montana to lay a crease in the mountains near his boyhood home: “It took me 34 years to see some of those spots,” he said. Runner-up was watching him in the pipe again.
As for the Oakley debacle, the wound was still pretty fresh as Tanner is decked out in Oakley gear for the film. Oakley hadn’t released much of a statement and Tanner was still listed on the Oakley website. But the Ski Boss let loose a little bit in his Instagram stories: “After 20 years of working together and loyalty I just got the word from @oakleyskiing that I’m cut…Not gonna lie, shit hurts especially at a time where I’m still skiing good and trying to push it but that’s the nature of the beast I guess. Str8 out of nowhere a lot of history out the window with no remorse on their part, I’m sure. Thanks for everything anyways @oakleyskiing and I see how ruthless this industry can really be now.”
Well, that pretty much sucks. Because it’s going to be really fun to watch Tanner on the Freeride World Tour this year and from a fan’s perspective, I hope this doesn’t cut too far into his travel budget. And from the human side, let’s hope it doesn’t chip into his financial well-being. Because he seems ready for the Tour. “I was a kid that bagged on the gym when I was young,” he said of his newfound love of training. “But you can only get away with that for so long. I’m in the weight room all the time, now. I can take a hit and get up faster than when I was 21.”
Not gonna lie: I openly want to see this dude have massive success this season and that this little setback is just motivation. Because judging by his new flick, I think it might be his year.
