Ever surprise how skilled skiers make it large? How about tips on how to practice for large air? GearJunkie has all that and extra in our latest interview with freeskier, X Games medalist, and Olympian Alex Hall.
Recently, U.S. workforce freeskier Alex Hall was at Copper Mountain, Colorado, competing within the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Big Air occasion. The Olympic gold medalist and nine-time X Games medalist skied a couple of turns with GearJunkie to reply a few of our questions.
Here’s what Hall needed to say.
Q&A With Alex Hall
GearJunkie: How are you feeling heading into the Toyota Grand Prix occasion this week?
Alex Hall: I’m feeling good. I’m excited to get it going once more. It’s been a pleasant summer time of enjoyable and doing lots of snowboarding. I’m not likely fascinated about the large image; I’ve been having fun with day-after-day individually, which has been actually candy.
It feels good to come back again out right here (Copper). I’ve competed right here quite a bit. It’s enjoyable to be again with the crew; the entire U.S. workforce is out right here. I’m not placing any loopy stress on myself. I feel the theme of this yr can be attempting to take pleasure in it.
What can we anticipate? Any new methods within the works?
Nothing too loopy. I’ve undoubtedly been engaged on some stuff. I did some stuff at a contest we had in Austria, but it surely was a slopestyle competitors. I haven’t been working particularly on big-air methods. I’m going to need to hit the leap and simply sort of see what I’m feeling.
How do you mentally put together for these big-air competitions?
Sometimes it looks like you’re going into battle. Big air will be nerve-wracking and scary as a result of it’s one large trick. You undoubtedly really feel like quite a bit is constructing up to date.
But I’m attempting to simply take it step-by-step and never overthink it and never put a bunch of stress on myself. I’ll see how the leap is feeling and take it sluggish in observe.
Usually, if I heat up slowly, then I’m assured when the occasion comes.
Do you practice particularly for the big-air competitors?
I used the trampoline a ton rising up since I had one within the yard. Lately, my important factor is simply attempting to ski as a lot as I can.
Sometimes we’ll leap on airbags in the summertime — that’s actually good if you’re attempting some trick that you’re not fairly certain about or is admittedly experimental. I’ve at all times advised myself, “The more you ski, the better you get.” The solely solution to get good at snowboarding is thru snowboarding — nothing else.
I additionally get a ton of train outdoors. I like browsing, I like happening hikes, skateboarding, and I do lots of cardio-related stuff. But I’m not cranking a ton of heavy weights within the gymnasium.
What was it like rising up in Switzerland?
It was wonderful. I grew up outdoors of Zurich. It was superior as a result of I grew up snowboarding at a bunch of various resorts, so I acquired to discover quite a bit. Many resorts I skied at rising up didn’t have parks, so I grew up snowboarding the mountain terrain and powder. I feel that basically helped form how I have a look at snowboarding and the artistic facet of issues.
Also, I by no means had a coach till I moved to the U.S. and joined the U.S. workforce. I feel not having a coach helped me to self-express and determine it out alone as a substitute of somebody telling me tips on how to be taught methods or tips on how to do them. There is not any proper solution to do a trick — it’s all as much as self-interpretation.
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Why did you select Park City, Utah, as your property base?
I selected to maneuver to Park City primarily as a result of they’ve a faculty referred to as the Winter Sports School. I did my final years of highschool there, so I’d go to high school all summer time and ski all winter.
Also, my dad grew up in Salt Lake, and his dad and mom lived there, so shifting from Switzerland to the U.S. didn’t appear as far-fetched as a result of I had some household. My dad and mom and brother stayed again in Switzerland, and I moved after I was 16.
Do you favor competing, filming films, or snowboarding for enjoyable?
A mixture is ideal. That’s my favourite — doing somewhat little bit of the whole lot. Last yr was a ton of competitors and a few filming. This yr I hope to have a greater stability of snowboarding for myself. I feel I’d get bored if I did only one factor all season. Doing a little bit of the whole lot retains it tremendous entertaining — selection is the spice.
Where do you retain your gold medal?
In my sock drawer. It’s tucked away in there. I don’t ever need to lose it. Rarely, if I am going to an occasion the place somebody requests, I’ll deliver it, however I’m fearful I’ll lose it.
I used to be in Europe for a month and I needed to deliver my medal on that journey, and it was in my backpack for a month. It was sort of scary as a result of I simply saved it in a goggle case.
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If you may ski wherever on the earth, the place would it not be, and how much snowboarding would it not be?
It can be a few of my native residence resorts the place I grew up in Switzerland. I’d ski on a pow day as a result of nobody actually is aware of tips on how to ski pow there. Growing up there I knew all of the zones and I may ski in pow all day. In the U.S., you get 4 laps, after which it’s gone.
What is your favourite piece of drugs proper now?
I’ve been sporting these goggles (Dragon DX3 OTG Spyder Collab) quite a bit, truly. I like that they’re somewhat smaller and never too cumbersome.
But my favourite piece of kit might be my skis (Faction Skis Studio 1). I’ve had lots of enter into how I just like the skis arrange with the flex and the totally different camber and the rocker. Over the years [Faction has been] attempting to make the skis higher, which is superior.
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