How a hood was found in France and later lost again in Iceland. In the next few lines, you can find out whether sport can also be political and what all this has to do with our Gear of the Week.
I personally have a story to tell about this saying: After more than a decade on a snowboard, the discomfort of touring on a board made me want to strap on my skis again. When the time came in Val d'Isere, I got stuck with my backpack as soon as I got off the chairlift on my comeback trip. When the laughter of my friends had finally subsided, I was back on skis and not doing too badly, so the first lines in the terrain were tackled. I came across a yellow ball in the snow, which on closer inspection turned out to be a hood with the words "Drop Cliffs not Bombs" on it. Good slogan, even better message and it also looks cool - all reasons why the hood then became my faithful companion when freeriding. Today, after a small incident during the obligatory visit to the outdoor hot tub after touring in Iceland, it is no longer my faithful companion: I went from the outdoor area to the shower on what I thought was the same way I had come in, wearing a hood of course, and a little later I was made aware by shrill screams that I was in the ladies' shower. Embarrassed, also because I was already in the shower at the time, I made my escape. Without a cap...
Whether athletes are allowed or even supposed to be political is often up for debate. What that looks like with (online) sports magazines is another matter. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, one thing is clear: you can always make a statement against violence. And what else can you say against it if it can be done with a clever slogan and looks good too? Exactly! That's exactly why the "Drop Cliffs not Bombs" shirt from Planks is our Gear of the Week.
Although I still like to think back to my stories with this hoodie today, it's not nostalgia that makes me reach for the "Drop Cliffs not Bombs" T-shirt, because the message itself is more important today than ever. Of course, for almost everyone directly involved in the various conflicts around the world, the question is not whether they should go freeriding instead of going to war. I see the saying much more as a call. A call to us, who have the opportunity to practice our favorite sport freely, to be grateful that we can do so here in peace and to support those who cannot.
In this sense: We can be happy to be among the lucky few who can practice the most beautiful sport in the world. Perhaps we should pass on some of this luck to those who are just starting their first cold winter in a foreign country, for example, by donating your old winter clothing. You can find out where you can do this using the links below.
In addition, we recommend the FM4 Refugees Welcome T-Shirt. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Freunde SchĂĽtzen Haus.
