Let’s get this interview rolling by digging deep.
What areyour skiing roots?
When did you start skiing?
Why did you like it somuch?
And what got you into the park?
Not too much, just working alot and trying to save up some money for next season!
As for park goes, I didn’t start skiing park until I was 12 years old.
Ever since I started skiing park I fell in love with it.
It wasn’t like any other sport I was doing at the time.
I had always played soccer and lacrosse and various other team sports growing up, but skiing was different.
I could go out on my own and not have to depend on anyone else.
Every success and every failure was your own.
You couldn’t blame anyone else for not performing how you wanted to.
However on the opposite side of the spectrum, any success was no ones success other than your own.
The lack of terrain available to me was one of the main reasons why I got into Park.
I just thought that skiing on regular groomers was starting to get really boring really quickly.
I also had a couple good friends help influence me toward park skiing.
Photo: Chip Proulx
Kirk, interesting point you make with the independence that skiingentails for each of us.
I ask myself the question is skiing actually asport?
Or is it an artform?
Team sports have a set of rules and ascoring system.
Skiing only has this within the realm of competition.
Sowhat is skiing outside of competition then?
Is it a sport?
I think of itmore from the artists' perspective.
The best park skiers inour community have this ability to make each of us view skiing in a newmanner.
They bring a new perspective to skiing with innovation in theirown style.
They leave their own signature mark on the sport.
Can youcall it a sport with this perspective in mind?
I’m not sure.
But I agreewith you.
Skiing attracts people who value independence andself-expression, which I would argue are the same traits of an artist.
What were your early years like with park skiing?
Who were you lookingup to at the time?
What movies/edits where you watching?
And what trickswere you trying to learn?
Very well put about skiing being a form of art!
I couldn’t agree more.
Especially once you start to get out of the park and into the streets or back country.
street skiers and backcountry skiers have the ability to create a feature to their exact pleasing.
This opens up a whole new level of creativity and self-expression.
Every kid had some sort of influence on the hill, and some off the hill.
Off the hill, I can definitely say I look up to Tom Wallisch.
That edit I would say definitely had the biggest influence on me.
Ahmet’s segment specifically with his S rail transfer absolutely blew my mind.
Growing up skiing at ski sundown, it was definitely a rail heavy mountain.
So as for tricks, my early years of progression were definitely a lot of rail tricks.
The first rail trick i ever learned was a front 270 out.
To this day, a 270 on is still one of my favorite tricks.
Everyone was amazed by Tom’s superunknown.
I hadn’t seen skiing like that before.
What a cool year that was.
Amazing how much Tom changed the sport with one video and his skiing career that followed.
Innovators like Tom come along and show us a new approach creating growth and change.
He threw one of the most beautiful sw 10 mutes I have seen to this day in that segment.
So it sounds like you were more into rails than jumps when you initially started park.
I would assume this is because you are from the east coast.
Would you mind sharing your perspective regarding how your geographical location shapes your traits as a skier?
And could you tell us about your progression as a jump skier?
What was the initial scary trick that you stomped off a jump?
Geographical aspects have a huge impact on a skier.
It’s all what you have access to.
The first scary jump trick I ever did was a 900 at The Main event at Ski Sundown.
I was pretty hyped, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of spinning that fast.
My junior and senior year of highschool, I was pretty lucky to attend Mount Snow Academy.
Photo: Lupe Hagearty
What has inspired you as of say this past year as a skier?
What is motivating you?
And what do you want to be doing with skiing over the next couple of years?
Lupe (luke) Hagearty, was a huge inspiration on me this season.
He showed me the ropes, and just all around set the bar for the season.
All of the level 1 films and old Stept movies were huge inspirations.
It’s all kind of what opportunities you have to work with.
Photo: Travis Towsley
Lupe is definitely a kid to admire.
I met Lupe a couple years ago skiing with him at Beaver Creek.
I sensed what you mentioned.
Can we expect to see you in any flicks this fall?
Yeah he was definitely a good influence to be around this season!
And yeah I am pretty stoked on how this season went.
Keep your eyes out for their movie because it is going to be pretty tight.
Well, congratulations Kirk.
That’s a big deal to make it on the screen at IF3.
I’m eager to watch both flicks that you will be making appearances in.
Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
And do you have any long-term life goals?
Ten years from now I want to be financially stable.
That is my biggest priority.
I want to do everything I possibly can to do that through skiing.
It depends on a couple of different things however, and injuries are definitely a huge part of that.
I have always wanted to make a ski movie or a documentary.
Any advice for the next guy?
If I had any advise for the next guy, I would have to say stay motivated.
Never loose track of your end goal.
If you want something, you are the only one holding yourself back from achieving that.
If you have a big enough desire to accomplish something, nothing will hold you back from accomplishing that.
Edits:
http://www.newschoolers.com/membervideo/772754.0/SHOOBIE-Season?s=155526
http://www.newschoolers.com/membervideo/770053.0/SCULLYMON-and-friends?s=155526
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/763008/Scullymon-East-Coast
