I have no idea if this is an active rumor, but if not we’re going to start it: Does Skullcandy own Surface now?

It would be a great rumor if it were true, however, we are not owned by Skullcandy.

How did this collaboration come to be? What is the relationship between the brands?

The collaboration has been a long time coming. We have been discussing it with Skullcandy for the last year and finally decided to pull the trigger and make it happen. The relationships there all tie back to skiing. I have been good friends with Skyler Gillette (Core Sales) for a lot of years and ski with a bunch of folks up there like Dan Levine, Steph, Zack Leader, Uda and Jeff Earl…all really good people.

We’ve seen Level 1 and PBP headphones co-branded with Skullcandy, but what’s unique about the Surface collaboration?

Our collabo with Skullcandy is actually and entire line of co-branded products, skis, clothing, poles, accessories. I believe the PBP and Level 1 deal was strictly caps for the Icon headphones. Another differentiator is the fact that our collabo products will be sold through all of our channels here in the USA, virtually every country in Europe as well as Asia, NZ, Australia and South America. It’s not just strictly a promotional program. This is the first collabo of this magnitude in freeski.

After reading back through the press release, I’m not sure when these skis will be released. Will they be in shops this fall/winter?

The skis will debut in Windell’s Summer Camp the entire last week in July (Session 6) where we will be hosting on and off snow activities all week and then celebrating the collabo with a live performance from Del tha Funkee Homosapien on Friday July 30^th on the Windells compound. The skis will be available for consumer and retail purchase in September sometime.

Who is designing the graphics for the partnership models?

All design work has been from Surface in-house designer, Jay Eichhorst.

Are there any plans to extend the partnership beyond this season?

We will carry the collabo through the season and show these and new collabo products at SIA in January and also have them on display at the Skullcandy booth at ISPO as well.

Surface has a pretty strong brand identity within skiing, how do you think it meshes with Skullcandy’s much bigger profile?

Skullcandy hasn’t been that big for that long. It wasn’t that long ago when they were on the tram at Snowbird giving away ridiculous amounts of stickers and those first round of Skullcany Links to everyone on the tram. Their growth has been recent and with a lot of hard work and smart choices made along the way, similar to Surface. A lot of people think Surface is a new brand, but we are actually going into our 7^th season this year. By teaming up with Skullcandy it adds a level of legitimacy to our brand and gives us one more creative outlet to use.

There’s been some mention of the shoddy quality of Skullcandy headphones…what has been your experience with their product?

I think I know where you’ve seen some of those comments. My opinion there is that everything breaks, especially electronics. A lot of it depends on the user and how much they appreciate and take care of their possessions, no matter what brand it is. After owning a skateboard retail store for a number of years, I know that a lot of kids in our market are actually proud of breaking their equipment, whether it’s a skate deck, snowboard or a pair of park skis. It gives them the feeling that they were crushing it harder than everyone else. As we get older and actually have to pay for things ourselves, it seems like we start taking care of our gear a little more and making it last. I have 20+ different pairs of Skullcandy headphones in my house and have never had a problem with them breaking. On another note, I do know that Skullcandy was the first core audio brand in the world and has paved the way for brands like Matix, Nixon, WESC, Siege and more to create a headphone division within their companies. Their products are trusted and used by such musicians as Jay Z and Roc Nation, Snoop Dogg, Thrice, Del and many more world renowned artists.

Any chance that this foreshadows a future leap by the Surface brands into the audio market?

No, we have enough on our plates with Surface and Joystick and now launching an apparel brand this fall, Causwell. I am content with my new Roc Nation Aviators I have just acquired.

Erik Olson leads a bi-coastal nomadic existence. You can catch him in all of the offerings from Meatheads Films, and in several webisodes of Traveling Circus. He’s currently posted up in Oregon and shredding Mt. Hood between the raindrops. He took some time to plug back in and answer some questions about books.

Have you ever gotten any reading done on the chairlift?

No way, that doesn’t sound like any fun. For me, skiing is about being on the mountain. I make an effort to leave all distractions at home. I never ride with music, and rarely have my phone with me. The same kind of idea applies to when I read, just creating a favorable environment for whatever I’m doing at the moment. The only time I can remember seeing someone read on the lift was probably five years ago. It looked miserable… snow, wind, cold. I just remember thinking this kid must have been the biggest nerd on earth.

No music, no phone, no problem.

An early episode of Traveling Circus revealed that you spend summers in your car. Do you go for books on CD/MP3 or are you loyal to paper and ink?

I lived in my car for 135 days last year, so it may have made some sense to get a few audio books, but I never found any I liked. I get nearly all my books from used book / thrift stores, and the books on tape tend to cost a bit more. It is hard to justify a crummy $6 book on tape versus a classic novel for 50 cents. Plus, the physical characteristics of a book blow any audio/digital book out of the water. Paper and ink will last a life time. Who knows how long these different audio/digital formats will last before they become obsolete.

Do you have any bias against digital books, whether they are audio or on an e-reader?

I’ve never used an e-reader, but I really dislike reading an extended amount of material off a screen. I’ve heard that these e-readers are much better for your eyes than computer screens? I guess they make sense for newspapers or magazines, disposable media. For books though, I can’t ever image using such a device. I like having a physical book collection, and I don’t think that will ever change.

p: Ethan Stone

What are the last three books you’ve read, and what are you reading now?

Lets see… Within the last year I’ve been reading a lot of classics. Picking up books that I feel like I should have already read but just haven’t. I guess it’s my way of continuing my general education. It’s too easy to let your brain turn into mashed potatoes after school.   Anyway, the most recent read was a book my good friend recommended, As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me by Josef M. Bauer. It’s a great story based on a man who escaped the Soviet gulags after WWII. Other recent reads include Candide by Voltaire  and Alive by Piers Paul Read, the story of survival and cannibalism in the Andes mountains.

Give us a top 5 books for reading while car camping.

If you are doing any extended car camping it may get rough at times, but it will definitely be an experience. Try to pick genres that you can relate to. For me they happen to be: solitude, survival, adventure, and sci-fi when I wanted to get lost in my mind. Also, a book on astronomy and constellations will come in handy when you don’t have anything to do at night.

Here’s a list of some good ones…

Noah John Rondeau: Adirondack Hermit – Maitland C. De Sormo
Shane Mcfalls’s dad sent me this book. Great insight into one man’s peaceful existence as a hermit in the Adirondack wilderness.

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Interesting perspective during colonial times and the birth of a nation.

Dune – Frank Herbert: Science fiction masterpiece.

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain – Bruce Tremper: It’s always a good idea to stay refreshed on avalanche knowledge.

The Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) – Kim Stanley Robinson: This is a series about the colonization and terraformation of Mars!!!
*personal favorite

Bonus book!
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
“Living on a raft is lovely”

“Living on a glacier is lovely, too.” p: Ethan Stone

Blake Nyman is a fixture in the Nimbus videos and webisodes. He recently took some time away from filming all forms of slashes, nose butters, and pow turns with the homies to catch up on his roadbiking and sightseeing in the Big Apple. Twitter tells us he’s headed back to snowy Oregon with Banks Gilberti, but he still found time to recommend some books to expand your tiny minds.

Have you ever read on the ski lift?

Kinda sorta…does my phone count?  Associated Press, NPR, Twitter, etc.  I find myself perusing those types of quick fixes on the lift, but I don’t think I’ve ever consciously pursued a novel.  I think I’m too much of  a wuss to ski by myself most days, so maybe if I toughed it up I could get some solid multitasking in.  Or I could make a sweet little book holder to put on the front of my snowmobile.  I’ve always thought that someone could get a pretty solid education if they used the time on the lift for scholastic endeavors.  There are definitely some skiers that should take that suggestion seriously.

Do you own a Kindle, Nook, or e-reader of any sort?

No, played around with one the other day.  I think I’m on the fence.  As far as gettin’ your read on on the lift, I think they’ve got a ways to go before we’re a target demographic of the e-reader companies.  Can’t beat the ol’ page and ink though– the smell, the feel, the weight, the look.  Nothing against the wave of the future, but I’ve got a solid appreciation for the tried and true methods of the past: books, magazines, photos, paintings, etc.  All the mediums you actually look at and feel in person as opposed to through some digital screen.  But I’m not trying to have that debate about which is better, they all have their place.

Filming with Nimbus seems to involve lots of travel, what are your top 3 travel books, magazines, and/or blogs?

We spend a ton of time in our cars on the road, so I’m starting to stack up a nice collection of books on tape…or mp3, whatever you want to call it.  Went through a couple Malcolm Gladwell books this year; The Tipping Point and Outliers.  I’ve become a pretty big fan of his over the past bit.  His stuff reads like a text book, but that guy has crazy amounts of knowledge and different perspectives, so it keeps me interested.  Also recently finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy (a lot better than the movie) and my inner hipster always loves some Chuck Palahnuik.  A little nervous to start turning the pages on my next read, Paradise Lost, which was first published in 1667 by John Milton.  I hear it can be a doozy and make the head spin.  As for blogs, I’ve subscribed to too many to list.  I’ll gladly plug my own blog and then you can see a list of my time burglars and take a gander from there: www.blakenyman.com

Who is the resident literary scholar of the Nimbus crew?

I’d have to say Pep.  Don’t know if he quite hits bookworm status, but he’s up there.  Usually has some pretty good info to share from some books he’s read or reading.

I hear you’ve been holed up in New York City for a little while. Give us a top 5 books about New York, or just books you’re planning to read in NY.

Sex and the City!  Hands down.  Supplemented with Vogue and US Weekly.  Quality literature right there.  Jokes, definite jokes, have to clarify.  No, but there are some pretty rad novels that take place in New York– classics like Catcher in the Rye, The Alienist, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Great Gatsby, American Psycho, The Age of Innocence.  Can’t say I’ve read them all, but I’ve tackled a few and definitely plan on eventually making my way through all of them.  People are always reading on the subway, so you come across some pretty funny and interesting titles.  If I come across anymore solid suggestions I’ll definitely make note, but to end this, an all time favorite of mine is Jonathan Livingston Seagull.  A bit under the radar, but find it and read it if you haven’t already.  It only takes about 30 minutes, but it will be 30 minutes you’ll be pumped on.

As a BroBomb reader, you likely harbor an inner-nerd. If not, you would be too busy working on your trampoline triple-cork to bother with something like reading. In celebration of the nerds that grow up and create all the interesting stuff that makes up our little subculture, I present to you: Literate Skiers the Mike Rogge Edition. Mike has recently graduated from running Ski The East to being the new Associate Editor at Powder Magazine and California’s newest resident. We hear the Ski Show will be back in business shortly, but in the meantime enjoy his reflections on winter reading.

To say "hella" or not to say "hella" that is the question.

BroBomb: Have you ever read on the ski lift?

Rogge: A long time ago I looked up to a guy named TJ Burke. He was the coolest. He was also a fictional character in a movie called “Aspen Extreme.” As boys of 8 do, I emulated my idols and mine were my Dad and TJ, so the skiing part was a given and the writing/reading combo followed shortly thereafter. I recall TJ saying to Bryce, after a night of in-pool play, that he only reads paperbacks “because they’re the only thing that fits in my ski parka.” I liked the idea and from then on I was reading my school-assigned books on solo missions to West Mountain.

This season I spent time at Stowe with Jack Kerouac’s “Big Sur.” It’s about Kerouac coming to terms with the people he loved traveling with in “On The Road,” and trying to grip the harsh realization that: 1) We all have to grow old and 2) He’s a raging-mad alcoholic. It’s a nice piece of prose to read in the backdrop of Mt Mansfield. There’s also some personal irony seeing as Big Sur’s setting is California and I now live in SoCal, bro (California State Law deems I am lawfully required to insert, “bro” following the term, “SoCal”).

What do you usually do on the chairlift (other than read)?

I’m a big fan of reading the New York Times on my iPhone or listening to music, but my all time favorite chairlift activity is talking with other skiers. If it’s true that everyone has a story, then skiers have about a dozen of them. Those are the stories I like hearing and writing about.

Rogge often calls me emo, but he chose this picture to highlight his brooding nature.

Do you think we’ll see people with iPads on the lift next year?

I don’t know. I think the functionality and size of that device don’t really warrant reading with it on the lifts. Plus Steve Jobs hasn’t figured out how to implement mitten-friendly touch screens. That being said, I’m not proud of my addiction to my iPhone. Sometimes it’s nice to turn it off, take it all in, and meet a new friend.

If you had to be stuck on a lift and could only bring one piece of reading material, what would it be?

That’s easy. I’d bring “A River Runs Through It and Other Stories” by Norman Maclean. I’ve read that book a few times. He’s the most precise writer I’ve ever read. Every word carries tremendous meaning. Plus, he writes about fighting, drinking, fishing, and carousing with women. I like to think those four subjects are hobbies of mine.

It’s summer, so give us a Top 5 books/comics/magazines list for reading next to the backyard PVC setup:

My advice is to find what you like to read and then dive in. If Dan Brown (the author, not the former Vermont Teddy Bear employee/ski photographer) is your jam, then join Robert Langdon on his next symbology adventure. My Top 5 suggestions go something like this:
1) The Last of the Mohicans – James Fenimore Cooper – I’m from the Southern Adirondacks and when I’m homesick, I hope this will bring me back to a place where pine trees, beautiful scenery, and the brutalization of an entire race were as prevalent as the Jersey tourists and 3-day benders that occupy my homeland today. Long live Lake George!
2) Bright Lights, Big City – Jay McInerny – I’m obsessed with different points-of-view in writing. McInerny writes in the second person, quite literally putting “you” in the story. It’s about living and breathing in New York City, working on Wall Street, and “you” are trying to grasp onto a sense of morality while everyone else is pouring another stiff drink, snorting another line, and making their next million.
3) A River Runs Through It and other stories – Norman Maclean – Again, a nice source of inspiration and something to aspire to.
4) The Rum Diary – Hunter S. Thompson – I’ve been meaning to read this one. If you’re not familiar with Hunter’s work, go read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (don’t rent the movie) and have your life changed.
5) The Elements of Style – Strunk and White (William Strunk Jr and E.B. White) – This book is by my side at all times. For my forum and comment posting friends, this book will give you all of the tools to effectively win any internet argument ever! Oh, and you’ll be literate and capable of producing a proper sentence. You win twice.

Bonus: As an East Coast abandoner and complete sell out, I absolutely recommend you pick up Powder Magazine and for an added bonus, check out thepowderintros.com. It’s former Powder Editor Steve Casimiro’s intro for the magazine from 1987 to 1998. That site has me appreciating the sheer history and legacy of my new employer more and more each day. Powder to the people!

After a solid year off the hill Michelle is “hungry,” both to get back to slaying it on her Hellbents and also for the organic roasted corn pudding she has spent the winter perfecting.  Michelle, creator of the healthiest munchies in the snowsports industry, has been skiing lightly since February and took the time to answer some questions from BroBomb.

photo: Joe Carlino

BroBomb: There are a number of female skiers, Ingrid Backstrom, Kaya Turski, Sarah Burke, and yes, Michelle Parker, whose skiing just blows you away, but for a long time, the talent dropped off relatively quickly. It didn’t seem like a lot of new blood was getting infused into the group, but now it seems like we’re seeing more up-and-comers. Why do you think women’s freeskiing took so long to grow?  Were all the good athletes snowboarding or racing?

Michelle: That’s a tough question. I think that the ladies you mentioned have been continuously progressing and there are a lot of hungry young girls out there right now. Being that I was injured for the last year, I got to judge some female competitions and I was really impressed with some of the up and comers throwing down. It seems, to me, that every company has their girl. They’ve got that one girl that represents them. At least that was how it went for a while, not leaving much room for the young talent to move in a make a mark on the industry. Aside from the lack of female competitions (that’s a big one) it’s incredibly difficult for girls to get film parts and not because of lack of talent or commitment. They are out there and when the opportunity presents itself, they throw down!! It’s just a shame there aren’t  as many opportunities (like a U.S. Open).

photo: Collin Wiseman

Biggest female-specific grievance about being a pro skier?

Being that this is a sport dominated by men or boys (in many cases), I tend to flock with them, travel with them, and spend every waking moment with them. That’s all fine and dandy because I appreciate every one of them, but men/boys have this annoying tendency to snore. It’s okay with me when they snore in synch, but when it sounds like my brother trying to learn the French horn; I have to draw the line and request to sleep elsewhere. Usually the team manager takes care of that in advance and I’m okay with a little less sleep on occasion…I can deal. Really though, I mean really…I’m a pro skier and life is good.

Best part of being a pro skier?

My favorite part is that I get to do what I love and call it work. I get to travel to some amazing places (and get stuck in Amsterdam because of Volcanoes), meet amazing people along the way, and bring people into my home based on the common interest of snow. Skiing is my biggest passion aside from my family and friends. It’s what motivates me, it inspires me, and it makes me so unbelievably happy.

Best place to be a pro skier?

Home in Lake Tahoe. For me, Tahoe is just the best place that I can be. I’ve got my family there, epic mountains all over the place, and friends to play in the mountains with.

photo: MichelleParker.com

We’ve dished out a lot of hate on males athletes, filmmakers, and company owners this winter for all kinds of unwarranted reasons.  Are there any women who deserve a shout-out who’ve been under our radar?

Erica Durtschi, she’s been killing it! I saw her through down at the Queens Cup in Park City a couple of weeks ago. She’s dialed. Megan Gunning is also on the radar. She’s got that Tom Walnuts style. Check it.

Any chicks you want to make fun of?

Not so much.

What’s your take on women’s freeski fashion.  Tight pants?  Baggy pants?  I still don’t understand why any girl would wear a tall tee.

Personally, I think tight pants just look so damn uncomfortable. Plus, I think you have to have insane style to pull that shit off. I like my stuff to be baggy, but functional and I don’t rock tall tees, but I don’t like to hate because we’re all just out there having fun. If you have to put on your costume to go skiing and snowboarding…then I think you’re crossing the line. Have you ever been to North Star? You should go and do a fashion one on one with some of those kits.

You’ve been to Alaska before.  What’s it’s like as a girl suffering “the slow roast” with no other effeminate life forms for hundreds of miles?   Do you catch yourself starting to grow a moustache?

Haha!!!! Don’t shave during heli season (I believe that rule does NOT include females). I had plenty of goof balls (I am one as well) running around to entertain me. Lot’s of board games, Kendama, movies, deadliest catch, fishing for crabs, poker night, fireworks, and rock stacking.

Oh yeah, rock stacking.  JP always used to blow up that activity in his segments.  What are we missing out on?

Good times when you’re bored. JP was with us. He was the ringleader inspired by Andy Goldsworthy.

What’s the Tahoe scene like?

The scene, huh…well I’ve live my entire 23 years in Lake Tahoe and I don’t know what the scene is like. I guess I travel too much and when I get home it’s changed. I’m not really one for the scene anyways so count me out of this one.  My scene is shred all day, gym it up, eat right, dinner parties, live it up on spontaneous occasions, and chill out. It’s a mellow scene for me.

Who’s in your rehab crew these days?

Oh, the list is long and impressive. First off, I have to mention Scott Gaffney.  Scott’s been there since the beginning for me. He had a very similar injury and was a couple months ahead of me. It was amazing to have him in there for support and just to goof off…this isn’t your average rehab. Tom Burt likes to stop in every once in a while and share some of his wisdom, that’s when I take my ear plugs out and am all ears to Tom. Darron Rahlves was in there…that’s a man on a mission. He worked his ass off (can I say ASS?) after dislocating his hip at X Games and then came back like he had some miracle undetectable drugs pumped into his hip and competed in the Olympics. That was a breath of fresh air. He was in and out pretty quick. Goes to show that being in shape (I bet I weigh less than one of his legs) really does pay off. Then there’s J.T. Holmes who hobbles in after taking the gnarliest falls I have ever seen. The power couple Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstead (who was probably born with a six pack) are in every once in a while. Oh and I can’t forget Mike Wilson, good ol Mikey Wilson…he’s mostly there for pure entertainment. Tanner likes to stop by and work with Ladd the magical healer. So we’ve got a pretty good crew in there.

Damn that’s a serious list.  The Gaffney brothers are serious Tahoe OGs.  Can Scott still do misty flips?

I wouldn’t put it past him.

What’s Mike Wilson like now?  Always interesting to go from the dude guinea pigging 150 foot jumps to TM.  Is he still sending it?

I don’t think he’ll ever stop. He’s still the same little kid with an older body. Last year he built one of the craziest rope swings I’ve ever seen into the Truckee River. It was a huge drop, maybe 70 feet into a small landing zone. Of course, he was the only one to hit it.

Worst song that’s come up on your iPod while skiing?

I try to keep that on lock. I don’t like bad songs while I’m skiing…it get’s in the way of rhythm. I keep the shuffle updated regularly with only songs that I like, but honestly…I don’t really ride with music. Only in the park.

Up and coming female shreds from Tahoe we should harass next?

From Tahoe….well I know this is all ski related, but my room mate Nicki Slechta totally kicks ass. She’s my favorite female snowboarder by far and has no love from sponsors. I just helped her put together a resume, but she is the next up and coming female shred from Tahoe for sure.

You’re sponsored by PowerBar.  Do you eat many of those anymore?

They save me in the gym when I’m crashing hard and the recovery drink picks me up when I’m down.

Should we be giving Steve Winter shit for pulling shots of you he shouldn’t have in Seven Sunny Days?

That’s between you guys.

You’ve gotten beat up pretty bad with your knees.  Do you use that to your advantage to call out others for not sending it hard enough?

I just call out people who think ACL surgery is bad. That is a walk in the park. And what I’m going through right now is a walk in the park for many others. I just try to stay positive about it, but mostly, in an optimistic way, I just try to show these little ACL blowers that it’s a piece of cake and they will actually come out stronger than before if they get off the couch and do what there physical therapist tells them to do. It’s hard work, but it’s so worth it in the end!

Ski industry parties seem to revolve around a lot of PBR and Red Bull and vodka.  Where are the martinis at?

I would love to see you order a martini at a ski party. I’ve done it and I thought it tasted like shit. I try to stay away from ski industry parties, but occasionally get pulled into them. I’m not much for small talk and I’m not much for shirts getting ripped off and beers being poured all over me. I was thinking of making my jacket next year champagne and beer resistant for the podiums and parties…haha, that’s a huge joke, but maybe Kaya could pull it off.

I can’t ignore how much you seem to be into food.  With most young jib ninjas supplementing their on-hill training with a solid gut-pounding at T-Bell, what is the meal du jour of the female freeski circuit these days?

Juice, I love to juice. That’s super healthy, straight from the farmers market (someday my garden), into the juicer, and into my belly. I just love to cook and I love healthy, in season, fresh food. I love dinner parties with good friends, amazing home cooked meals, and a glass or two of a good wine. I try to eat locally and in Tahoe it’s getting easier and easier to do. We have an amazing community in the sense of food. Slow food has caught on, people in Tahoe care about what they put into their bellies. It’s a good thing. I scare my friends by making them watch Food Inc. and other documentaries….I think it’s starting to have an impact in a good way.

If Michael Pollan wanted to crash at your house, how long would you let him sleep on your coach before you kicked him out?

If Michael Pollan wanted to sleep at my house, I would give him my room, the master, and in turn he could stay there until I had an amazing garden that we could eat from. I don’t think I would ever kick him out, but I would maybe build him a gazebo in my yard and have him stay for as long as he wants.

Without selling something too hard on this supposedly impartial outlet, what are your plans for the summer?  And best story involving someone from the SASS crew.

Since I haven’t been able to ski hard for over a year, my plans are to ski as much as possible. Those plans include going to South America to coach for South America Snow Sessions all season long. I’ll be traveling down there with miss Natalie Gogh (she’s single and ready to mingle) and just crushing it all summer long. Last time I was there (two summers ago) Nat and I would go on hikes after riding all day. We must have gone on the same hike half a dozen times, but one day Nat decides to just take off. So Denmark and I just walked down the normal path, which is clearly marked assuming that Nat would be at the bottom. When she wasn’t at the bottom, we went back up and started calling her name. There were about twelve little boys and girls running around and we sent them on a search and rescue for Natalie. They found her in a jiffy. She must have thought that she had super powers and could just rip through thousands of thorns because she was literally in the middle of the craziest thorn jungle, down on her stomach trying to navigate her way out. I’d say we followed all regulations in sending the search and rescue team of twelve year olds and we pretty much saved her life. That made for a good laugh back at camp.

We’ve had Garrett Russell on BroBomb quite a bit this winter and he’s been a ski coach for a long time at SASS.  What’s your take on the Garrett Russell experience?

It is truly an experience. Just being in Garrett’s presence is an experience. He’s an amazing human being and looks at the mountain with different eyes. It’s actually unexplainable until you experience the Garrett Russell experience for yourself.

Wednesdays are good too. Our weekly discussion with Master Garrett continues with a discussion of skis, the ancient arts, and summertime fun.

Goals?

It feels like I’ve jumped away from the scene of the ski industry, but I feel like I’m actually building a different level for my skiing career. That’s the backup plan. I don’t know if I’ll ever become pro, and I don’t want to be pro. I don’t even like that word, it’s just a label. I want to be a master of it, a full-on ninja. I want to totally figure it out so I can do it forever, as long as I can ski.

You could be skiing’s first ninja.

My name means “warrior” and I’m out there battling the mountain, you know? It could easily take my life.

What skis are you on now that the Anthem and Elizabeth are gone?

I’m on the Mastermind now. The first couple runs I was just like, “Whoaah, edges!” I could have died, but then I just found a file and took all the edge off. Then it was fun, but just doing a noseblock felt different. They’re a little bit skinnier and it took me a second to find out where my balance point was on ‘em. Then they just felt like a regular ski, but I haven’t ridden on a ski that narrow in a long time.

I’ve got a pair of EP Pros too, I’ll mount those up as soon as I get some more bindings. Those things are like my broadsword. I’ve got my katana, and then those are my broadsword.

I love this ninja analogy, you’ve really thought it through.

I don’t know man. I love Japan, I love that culture, and it’s fun. Ninjas are dope, and they did exist.

Did you study any martial arts?

No. I got kicked out, I think. I kicked a kid. I was young and I never did very well in karate classes or anything like that. I wasn’t much of a person to follow authority. I couldn’t do teamwork either; I did terrible in soccer. I’ve never been able to do anything team oriented—basketball and baseball, I did not fit in at all.

I was kind of an outcast in middle school and high school and just found sanctuary in the mountains.

How about the summers?

Most people surf or do something like that for their escape. I like to fly fish, because it’s not extreme. You can just hang out by the river and learn the ways like Siddhartha.

With a serious lack of creative jam competitions like this one, there’s very little room for quirky non-doublecorkers in skiing. Garrett Russell stands out as a member of a small club that has rejected the jock norm and carved out a separate space. We talked to him about being a badass ninja renegade, and what it’s like to do such weird tricks.

It seems like snowboarding has room for a bunch of guys who are never going to hit the big jump or do tricks you’d see in competition. What would you say has kept skiing in this mindset of correct, or better, tricks to be done on a particular rail/jump?

Its background. Coming from racing the seed is planted in there and it’s really hard to get away from it. Skiing came from racing, so you have to ski with ski poles and you have to do this or that. Growing up we were, or for me, I was watching Shane McConkey and Scot Schmidt and those guys were extreme and they stepped outside the boundary.

I think, just recently snowboarding has started that where it’s kind of like skateboarding. Like the Think Thank crew, they’re just crazy creative. I think skiing will catch on to different kinds of variations. I think Traveling Circus is a type of variation. Will we ever see Andy Parry do a doublecork? I don’t know, but maybe we’ll build a backcountry jump and he’ll try it. It will be pretty funny, but that’s just for shits and giggles.

As someone with some perspective on the industry, would you say there’s starting to be room for people who are doing it differently?

I think it’s slowly growing into that. Remember back in FREEZE, it was the same five people over and over again. I was pretty excited during this X Games because there were a whole bunch of new cats, new people. That’s pretty cool.

I think there will be room for it because at some point people are just going to want something that’s different and appeals to a different public. I read that only 3% of the US population skis. It’s so crazy and it’s such a gift that we get to live this life. Some people just don’t see it; they come from money, they ski, and they expect everybody to know who they are. You can tell there are a lot of professional skiers who came from a background of money and racing. I didn’t come from that, and I know that if I didn’t have sponsors there’s no way I’d be able to afford to ski like this. So I’m super appreciative of those guys who have helped me, and I just want to get the public stoked on skiing. That’s what will keep the sport alive.

I’ve heard, second hand, that you have this theory that there’s way more to be done on boxes than on rails.

Yeah…who knows? I guess it depends what you consider fun and what you want to do. I mean you’ve got finger flips to putting your boot in on the box or even fastplants. Skiing is not skateboarding though.

I hang out with lots of snowboarders because they’re my bros, and they’re like, “Why do you guys call that a nollie?” But I didn’t name it, dude. So I’ll call that a “just the tips.” So I’ve got the just-the-tip 270 where you spin off your tips and onto the rail. There’s tons you can do on a box, and some people are going to think it’s whack and some aren’t. It’s up to them.

Do your snowboard buddies give you shit because we’re calling something a nollie?

They do, but they always tell me, “You guys aren’t going switch, it’s brownstar.” My buddy has this company called Snow Dice and he’s going to make it for skiers now. Instead of the word “switch” there’s going to be a little brown star.

Naming stuff is funny. I did the “English muffin” and I didn’t have a name for it, it was just a tip and tail grab. Then kids started saying I just did an English muffin. The funny thing is I would get judged by people asking why I would name a trick like that, but I didn’t name it. The name found me, I guess.

If you’re unfamiliar with all the silly tricks Garrett is talking about, check this edit from last year at Mammoth:

Each year the ski internet buzzes with predictions for who will win Level 1’s Superunknown competition. As each wave of finalist edits are released, the speculation only increases. This year, Alaska native Logan Imlach took the honors by mixing backcountry with some creative and burly urban. Level 1’s Freedle Coty was kind enough to answer a few questions about judging, past winners, and Logan’s future with the crew.

This is the seventh year of Superunknown– has the contest changed now that most of the contestants are already minor celebs with edits all over the internet?

Not necessarily, first off there’s plenty of people we haven’t heard of as we don’t have time to sit and watch every edit, all day. Every year a few kids come out of the woodwork that are unknowns even in the internet edit culture. This year I personally had heard of, or knew, 5 of the top selections. Kids who watch edits religiously definitely have a better tab on this kind of stuff on a day to day basis.

How aware were you of Logan prior to the contest?

Not aware. I had never heard of him.

When the edits are submitted, what does the judging process look like?

We go through all the videos one by one when they come in, that’s the mind numbing part. This year Berman did all that himself because no one else was around; he has a good eye for that. Sometimes you can tell right away what will make it or not and from there we select a top tier, and watch those more closely. Now with the amount, and the level of talent, it comes down to two tiers, and that’s what we released on Vimeo. The top tier we show as many people who are close to or in our crew and try to come to a consensus. It’s not democratic necessarily, nor is it a “best edit” contest which I think a lot of people confuse for. We look for an overall impression of talent and personality primarily, with potential being the biggest factor. It’s not easy. The last two years we struggled on choosing the winner, but this year I think it was slightly easier.

Does it ever get like a draft, where you’re looking to fill a particular hole in your “team”?

Yeah, I guess that can be a factor, but it’s not really the deciding one. There isn’t a rulebook for it, we want diversity. It definitely helps to choose somebody who adds to our crew and movie in some way.

Freedle keeping his opinions to himself.

Would you say there was a strong consensus this year? Were there any strong voices pulling for other guys?

Berman could answer that one better. There was no strong push for anyone else, but a few of us made a strong push for Logan. Ultimately, I think Berman, Decker, and myself felt real good about it

So you guys all agree then do you call the skier or has he been notified way in advance? Do you plan to get shots with him right away?

Yeah Berman notifies in advance and yeah we are planning on shooting with him. Making plans as we speak actually. Normally it has been basically bringing the winner out to spring park shoots. That’s what we’ve always done, but this year I’m going to try to shoot with him up in Alaska if possible, seeing as how that’s where he’s from and whatnot. Try to mix it up a bit.

Are you headed up there with a plan, or is he going to be skier and local tour guide?

Yeah, coincidently I am headed to Valdez this year, which is 5 hours from Anchorage. He has some things in mind there if we can find a window and same with the Anchorage/Alyeska area. We’ll see how it goes. He’s in school right now and obviously anything in Alaska isn’t really guaranteed weather/schedule wise, but I really want to make it happen, at least a few shots.

Are we talking mostly backcountry lines and booters? Because I thought one thing that stood out in his edit is how even Alaska urban looks distinct.

Yeah mostly that would be the easiest if we are in Valdez and with the crew we’re with. It would be dope too- complete departure from our “standard” Superunknown introduction. But he wants to shoot urban as well, not sure if there will be a window for that though. It would be cool to get him and Will together.

Who else is going?

Wiley Miller, Duncan Adams, and Josh Bibby.

Very cool, so once you’ve planned the shoot and the new winner is mixed in with the whole crew, is it just on him to get noticed and get shots? I could imagine that being pretty intimidating.

I think it’s even more intimidating in a park shoot setting with like 15 skiers on the top of their game; much harder to stand out in that environment. We don’t want someone to go out there and huck just to try and prove themselves, but it’s just like bringing in anyone else new– they have to eventually fit in somehow if they want to do it for real. That doesn’t always happen the first year, but everyone on the outside seems to have a lot of expectations. Niklas did well in mammoth last year for sure, and Wallisch obviously got right to it and got some solid play in Realtime.

As a filmer, do you try to coach the new guys?

Yeah, as much as I can. Not everybody is used to the filming process and everything. We all try to be welcoming, but we don’t try to force anything. Just see how everything works, no pressures.

If I’m right, there are one or two guys who won that no longer film with Level 1. What are the guarantees as far as getting shots and filming if you win Superunknown?

There are no guarantees. There are no guarantees for anyone trying to film, but usually we try to make it happen as best we can. It was especially tough for Brogan when he won because he still had high school to complete the year later. Niklas lives in Sweden with minimal travel budget, and he hurt is knee last year as well.

Some people reading this might at least dream of putting together an edit for Superunknown someday. What is the biggest sin/mistake you see in submissions?

Hmm, good question, Berman might be able to answer that better. Repetition or style and tricks for sure, or emulation. It’s not good to have a video that looks the same as 20 others

Have you ever skipped an edit because the song was just so bad?

No.

Muted?

Yeah.

So I think the internet would kill me if I didn’t ask…is Brogan going to have his breakout year?

I’m afraid not

Elaborate or are you leaving it cryptic?

Well this is his first year of moving out of home, being on a more open schedule. He’s got some decent urban in for sure and he’ll get some park stuff in, but we didn’t have availability for him all season, and he’s on the Colorado program– skiing park. He’s hard on himself too, and he’s got other interests as well. Everybody has a lot of expectations for him to explode or something. I think he had the unfortunate circumstance of following up Wallisch in Superunknown lineage. That’s pretty much my answer on that one, Brogan certainly rips though, and has dirty style.

Hard on himself as far as progressing his skiing? Does that get in the way?

Yeah, park skiing if you haven’t noticed is going to crazy heights right now. It’s been a particularly insane year for that discipline, especially after that X-Games Big Air. That took it on a rocket into space. Every park you ski into these days seems like X-Games practice and if you’re not on that double-cork-whatever program, I think it can get to people’s heads. There are so many more kids doing it now than ever before too, which is awesome. I just feel bad for the up-and-comer trying to fit in when the “progression” bar is set so high, but people innovate outside of that too, which is an inspiring thing.

Cork 3, no trampoline required.

I think that’s why I like the Logan choice so much…he doesn’t seem like he’s on the tramp a few hours a day dialing in that next rotation.

Yeah that’s part of what sets him apart to be sure.

Alright man. keep it up and make sure to get some heli shots of heli’s with Logan narrating about “epicness.”

All of the above.

***Logan photo taken from Level 1’s site, where it was taken from Logan’s Facebook.

Since Garrett moved to Telluride, Nimbus probably won’t let him into their chamber of monologues to pontificate on the finer points of style and friendship. This would obviously be a massive loss, so we’ve cleared some space on the internet for Garrett’s ideas on aesthetics, fun, tricks, and style.

I think kids want to know about your approach to selection of terrain. Actually, terrain isn’t the right word, but when watching a Garrett Russell edit it would be hard not to know its you. We all have access to a hundred edits a day, and there’s a lot of sameness, but there’s usually something different about yours. How would you explain your approach that makes it so different?

First of all, thanks man, that’s a great compliment. You’ve got originality and style, and what is style, it’s hard to even explain. I feel that my style of skiing is just creativity and trying to have fun; you know? That’s what it all comes down to, because if you’re not having fun then what’s the point? I used to do a bunch of competitions, but it was just frustrating so I kind of turned my attention away from it and let style create itself and become what it is today.

I’m completely inspired by snowboarding, skateboarding, music, and art. Bruce Lee said, “style is a crystallization.” If you have one style you can’t grow, so I’m constantly trying to intertwine my style with the feelings of the day, the terrain, or the park and just trying to make the best out of it. Life is too short to be salty.

You also do a lot of stuff that requires crazy control of your tips and tails like butters and noseblocks and stuff like that. You still don’t see a ton of guys doing that stuff.

Yeah man, tech mob. In Mammoth, I lived there for six years, and it was sweet because I would watch guys like Pat Bridges, the editor of Snowboard Magazine. I’d be watching him cruise around, and everyone is acting like you have to hit the big jump to work on spins and stuff, but there’d be certain days where I’d just want to do what Pat’s doing. So I’d just fuck around and do noseblocks, and just have fun. Knuckle tricks are really fun, and I just learned a lot by just messing around. The entire tip and tail thing is definitely different now, you can do so much with it and I hope to create new tricks. There’s no names for them, I find ‘em and try them out.

I’m trying to express that you don’t have to do doublecorks and extreme stuff. You can just cruise around and…I don’t know, creativity is hard.

This is going to be a ridiculous question, but what would you say the difference is between what you see when you look at a park and the what the average pro skier sees?

When I look at a park, what do I see? I try to look for stuff that is not there. I try to create something out of what is not there and that’s hard to even explain. I see a jump and I think, “Well, can I do something off that knuckle over to this tranny?” It’s a lot of tranny finding and looking outside the box.

Otherwise…rainbows?

]]> http://brobomb.com/2010/03/telluride-tuesday-garrett-on-style/feed/ 1 http://brobomb.com/2010/03/telluride-tuesday-with-garrett/ http://brobomb.com/2010/03/telluride-tuesday-with-garrett/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:32:32 +0000 Jon Hartley http://brobomb.com/?p=1316 Garrett Russell is a man with something to say. We sat down with him and didn’t stand up until we had way too much content to print in one shot. For the next few weeks we’ll break it down and give you a segment. This week Garrett talks about his pilgrimage from Mammoth to his ancestral home in the Telluride backcountry, and what life is like as a BC cabin operator.

Where are you living?

This year I just moved back to Telluride, Colorado. I’m running the backcountry cabin my dad built in the 70’s. He just got hip surgery so I had to move back, away from Mammoth, which is hard because they just got a bunch of snow. I miss Mammoth and my crew of skiers out there. But I’ve just been living in the backcountry getting rootsy.

Have you been getting backcountry footage this year?

Yeah, I’ve been skiing with my brother. He pretty much inspired me to ski and got me stoked on skiing when I was a kid. So we go out and ski the gnarly shit man; like the other day we did this shit with two repels. Scary. It was crazy, usually there’s only one repel, but we had to drop in and then anchor off a tree that was buried in the snow kinda. You couldn’t huck it because you’re just in this slot that goes for 600-700ft, just as wide as my skis.

Geez.

Yeah man, it’s usually only one, but this one took two. So, I don’t know, just extreme stuff like that. Hopefully get some friends, build some jumps, and get some people out there.

Have you had anybody come out?

Andy was here for a day. I got to take one ride with him and I lost him. I didn’t know where he went, I was just like, “I’ll take you to the good spots.” But who knows what he does, he just does it.

We’ve got a little park; it’s fun to ride, but it used to be a lot better. It used to have bigger jumps, and that’s where Gus Kenworthy got his ninja skills from. He kills it now, and that’s cool to see.

Other than Traveling Circus, what film projects are you doing this year?

Nimbus sent me a GoPro, so I’m trying to get artsy with that. I’m not going to be able to travel much this year because I’m just so busy running the cabin. At some point I want to get people like Nimbus to come over here, but when and whenever. March is usually good weather there.

So give us a snapshot of your day to day as a backcountry lodge operator.

Well, there are variables, if I have friends then we pretty much have to go out there and ski cut it and read the snow to make sure it’s safe. There’s times when I’m up there by myself and I’m scared to go outside and ski Hans Solo and get killed right in my backyard just because of stupid slough, you know? So, younger me, I used to go out there more by myself and just get spiritual with the mountains. It’s really intense out there, because you’re all the sudden in the mountains and life has a different perspective.

So, wake up, bust out the snowmobile on the trail for 20 minutes, and load water because now we’re out of water. I have to haul water and melt snow. The cabin actually has electricity, which is nice. I make beds for the people, then go ski powder laps with my friends.

Usually I have parties that come in, like my friends and my brother’s friends. We go out and just yahoo-ski powder all night; full moon skiing. We ski really gnarly couloirs, it’s all there. It just depends on who is there and that determines how I’m going to ski that day—either build a jump or hike up a couloir.

It’s beautiful out there. Telluride’s amazing, you guys should come check it out sometime if you ever get a chance.

Absolutely. So it’s a commercial business?

Yeah, my parents run it. We can’t afford it, so that’s why we rent it out. It’s been open to the community ever since my dad built it, so we want to keep it like that. It’s on the market, which is super sad because I don’t want to see my house get sold to a second-home owner and then no one can go there and ski.

Do you do any guiding?

No I can’t do the guiding yet. You have to have a permit to guide, and I’m working on it. I don’t want to burn any bridges in the town. People just rent it out privately, I help them get in with all their gear, and then they just go. I recommend aspects and that they are careful. Snowpack is sketchy in the San Juans, so everyone should have a beacon, shovel, and probe. They sign a release form, and that’s it.

I hope to have it where people can just rent a bed for $50 a night. That’s what I’m trying to do with it. You can ski down to the ski area in like 20 minutes and it’s about a 30 minute skin back up. That’s opened up a whole new world for the backcountry cabin. Ski in, ski out.

It’s hard because I feel like I’ve kind of jumped away from the ski industry. But I really feel like I’m building a different level for my ski career.

Garrett explores the possibilities and limitations of GoPro footage: