Without further ado, Erik Olson.
I grew up skiing your stereotypical mom and pop ski hill.
The nice thing was that it was less than a ten minute drive from my home.
This meant that I could ski pretty much every day after school.
At the time, the owners didn’t really know what to make of the whole terrain park movement.
There wasn’t an official park so I was always building jumps around the hill.
I think this was an important factor in what shaped my skiing.
Having control over your environment while learning is important in any setting.
The second and most important was finding Freeze Magazine at a rite-aid in my home town.
Freeze connected a lot of dots for me.
It was like having a big brother show you the way.
I have other passions and interests in life that Im excited to pursue.
What would you say inspires you both in and outside of skiing?
I think my main influence would just be the people I normally ski with, friends.
I don’t make a run at emulate anyone or anything through my skiing.
When I was young I did but don’t feel that anymore.
Outside of skiing I’m inspired by music the most.
The process of creating it and recording it is pretty awesome.
Erik in 2009, when he was living in his car.
Photo: Ethan Stone
Ive heard fromSamithat youre pretty amazing at baseball.
What made you pick skiing over a career in a more established sport?
This story may have been lost in translation.
My grandfather played for a New York Yankees farm team in the 40s.
I wanted to prove that it wasn’t a fluke result.
The pipe was 20ft+ which at the time was a new thing.
It made transitions smoother and also allowed you to go much faster.
The switch 10 was a bit spontaneous.
I just took a ton of speed into my last hit and it just came around.
Comp skiing was loose then.
It was a different era.
During that time I was finishing my university degree and still living on the East Coast.
Bottom line was that I didnt have the money to travel all winter trying to be a pro skier.
It wasn’t really an option.
The East Coast scene was actually pretty awesome though.
I was having a good time, I didn’t feel pressured.
It was skiing’s revolution.
Now, our throw in of skiing is commonplace and accepted as the norm.
It’s now marketable and commercially viable to the mass media.
It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.
Change is inevitable and natural.
Once the PRO label gets attached, I cant help but feel a little like a stuntman or something.
I also never really made it a goal of mine.
Every year my goal has been to come out healthy and have fun with it.
Im on my own program and its still going strong.
It seems to be working for you, I cant recall hearing of any major injuries youve had.
What do you do in the off season to keep yourself healthy and fit?
I have a go at live an active and balanced lifestyle.
I dont have a workout schedule, diet plan, or anything like that.
Maintaining a consciousness allows for healthy choices to be made naturally.
Our physical bodies are vehicles for the duration of our lives.
You have to treat them right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lhJMRIZnWg
Style.
The best are seasonal jobs.
Work a ton in the off season and leave your winter wide open.
Jobs that give you discounts on gear or at the mountain are always good as well.
I lived in a small compact car for 4-5 months while ski bumming at Hood.
My best advice is dont be a dirty gypsy scumbag.
Respect the people and things around you.
If you manage your money the trip goes on.
In that episode of TC your housecar is lined with books, what have you read recently?
As long as it is quality I dont think length really matters that much.
Our society in general is just moving toward a faster turnover media.
It is what we are becoming used to.
I know its never been your priority, but did you film with anyone this past season?
I just live on the other side of the country now.
Its just hard to plan on the east with such dynamic weather.
I did shoot with them this winter, just by chance.
I was helping Andy with his Tell A Friend Tour and was able to get a few days in.
Erik handplants while Rob Heule Airs.
With the games now in the past do you still see things developing the way you predicted?
Ive seen skiing change over the last 20 years.
I know where its been and where its headed.
The Olympics themselves didn’t do much.
What is and will continue changing is at the grassroots level.
Organization in a big way.
Every kid on twin tips is a membership fee to the USSA and similar organizations.
The goal of these organizations is to instill an olympic dream into everyone of these kids.
It comes down to jobs and money.
The local comp scene on the east coast is nothing what it was like when I grew up.
The majority of events are now USSA events where kids compete for points and plastic trophies.
This sounds like little league.
You dont need coaches and you dont need organization.
All you need is to ski with a group of friends and have fun with it.
Will Wesson once said that, in his view, freeskiing cannot be competitive.
And that once it becomes a competition, it’s no longer freeskiing.
Yes, I think modern day competitive skiing is more of a specific discipline than it is freeskiing.
Where do you think skiing will be in 5 years time?
I think park skis are going to get fatter and possibly shorter.
I think ski touring is going to continue to grow.
I think powder days are going to be tracked out even faster.
I think straight skis might make a legit comeback.
A straight ski comeback is something Ive never really considered, what makes you think that?
Its just a different style of skiing.
It takes more technique, finesse, and style to ski a straight ski.
I think it forces you to be more engaged with the mountain.
Modern day skis are very easy to ski and do a lot of the work for you.
Doing stunts for the kids on the Tell A Friend Tour.
How is that going?
Yoke turns three years old this summer and Im excited to see where I can take it.
From there we have relied on 100% organic growth to expand the company.
I would like to thank everyone who has ordered over the years.
I think skiing needs more brands that have people in charge who have actually lived and breathed it.
Why the name Yoke?
It resonated on a few levels.
I see it as a tool for change.
The ox takes up the yoke to turn the soils.
Skiing needs the soils turned every once in a while.
It needs brands that support skiing and brands that give back.
Yoke is committed to supporting and producing media.
I judge brands by their actions not how they identify themselves legally on paper.
Brand size does not predetermine intention.
Most importantly, brands need to re-invest into the industry regardless of their size.
How do you think a brand should ‘give back’?
I think giving back is mostly an energy thing.
Those things played a huge role in the direction my life has taken over the last 15 years.
As a brand, I think it is important that you keep the torch burning.
Keep the stoke for the next generation.
There are brands out there that do a great job at this and there are some that don’t.
Would you consider outsourcing?
Its hard to say.
Doing most of your own production is time consuming but it saves us a lot of money.
Im open to outsourcing eventually and understand that as we continue to grow this will most likely be necessary.
Shutting down Chad’s Gap.
Photo: Yoke
Will we ever see a new Wiglaf album?
I dont think so.
Three Ben and Jerrys flavours?
I haven’t had ice cream in a long time!
My cravings are gone, dont know what happened??
Dudes on the Yoke team, originators not emulators.
Green mtn of Vermont
Cascades of Oregon
Swiss Alps of Glarus Valley
