Hey Zach, what’s goin’ on?
Not much, just winding down... getting ready to enjoy a nice 4 day weekend
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You just got back from a trip. You traveled a lot this year, didn’t you go to Panama for a bit? Where did you go this time?
I just got back from fishing in Alaska. It was fun, but I didn't catch much. I did travel quite a bit for how much I was in school. I managed to make it up to Alaska in late December to ski some deeper snow. I then did some sled skiing in Idaho and Montana with a group of snowboarders which was super fun. I flew directly from that trip down to Panama, where I went and checked out an underwater logging operation. It was pretty neat. I'm hopefully gonna be going to Windell's and getting up to Whistler a lot this summer as well.
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You are from AK originally right? Now transplanted in Bellingham for school at Western Washington University, how much school is left?
Yes that's correct. I only have 3 semesters (1 year) left if everything goes to plan. Pretty excited about that.
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You just received you very first 4.0 this past winter how did you pull that off?
I actually got one A-, so it wasn't exactly a 4.0. But it definitely took a lot of time management. I had to decide when to ski, and when not to. And as we all know, that's one of the more challenging questions we ever have to face in life.
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So you are telling me when your roommate called you while we were skiing to remind you that you needed to register for classes that day, it was only a one time occurrence?
Recently, that's been the only occurrence of that kind. If you would have asked me that question 3 years ago, I would be singing a different song. I was "less focused" back then.
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What other memories do have from this past winter?
This winter I decided to take a step back and try to have as much fun as possible. In years previous I allowed the stress of filming, sponsors, etc. to direct my skiing, and it wasn't healthy. This past season I had the most fun I've had in a while, and I ended up skiing better because of it. It really put things in perspective and helped me to again realize why I ski in the first place.
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We also went out to Mission Ridge to test out skis for evo. What product were you skiing on then?
I was skiing on the new JJs. They are an incredible ski, and the best all mountain boards I have ever ridden on. I recommend them to anyone who enjoys sliding down snow.
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The very first time I saw you ski was in PBP’s WAR. You threw so many switch ups in that segment. You were a major threat in the park scene but as of lately I have seen a lot more of your shots in the BC.
It’s just so much easier to get shots in the park. It's a lot like skateboarding. You can just try and try and try until you give up, get hurt, the light gets bad, or you get the shot. In the BC it’s often a one try deal, and you really never end up with as many shots as you would like but when you do its so much more rewarding.
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You were blowing up and then bam! the knee…But if I remember correctly you were super regimented with therapy and were skiing in a matter of a few months. Would you recommend that to others coming back from knee surgery?
I would say rehab more than what is recommended, take your time, and the 6 months will go by faster than you think.
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I’ll leave the closing question about evo. What do you think separates evo from other shops to make it unique?
It really has the "family" vibe. And you don't have to be a snow sports enthusiast to go to EVO; it draws people from all walks of life, which is super rad.
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Any other shout outs?
Friends, family, Tyson, OC and Hans at Armada, Gabe at Smith... you guys rock.
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