All Photos (unless stated) by Daniel Ronnback
Sammy Carlson doesn’t need much introduction.
For park-skiers; he hasX Gamesmedals in Slopestyle and Big Air.
For those who prefer their features sculpted by nature; he dominatedReal Ski Backcountry.
And for movie-buffs;The Sammy C Projectis about as in-depth and complete as movies about one skier get.
I was born in Portland, Oregon and I started skiing on Mount Hood.
That was the early days.
I got into it with my family.
A long way from Oregon
When did you start competing?
I didnt compete too much at the beginning.
When I was 12 or 13, I did some of the local comps around Mount Hood.
Nothing serious, it wasnt my focus.
Growing up, I was just trying to ski a lot.
We had a sick crew of skiers on Hood.
We would all shred together.
Tommy Ellingson and Seth Warner were some of the locals leading the charge, spreading the stoke.
Griffin Cummings and Josh Frazier were the style masters.
Pollard was also around, his style was a major influence.
There was a solid crew of skiers for sure.
Back then, the sport was pretty small.
My boys and I were a bit younger than the other Hood Rats.
We had a local film crew lead by Shaun Hughes, he had my back big time.
He helped spark the idea, that I could be a pro skier.
I was 15 when I went to the US Open for the first time.
Haha yeah, that was my actual school.
It was cool, but it also was a bit weird having the cameras in school.
The first impressions from those early-days stuck with me and I really value what they did for the sport.
They paved the way big time.
Jack of all trades
What was it like being a pro-skier in high school?
It was definitely like a dream come true, I was the most stoked kid on the planet.
I was happy to be living my dream.
I was gone from school a lot, it all happened pretty quick.
My school was cool about it and my parents too.
I traveled a lot in the last two years of high school.
Every film trip we took, I was learning new tricks and going to amazing places.
Definitely, you gotta mix it up!
If Im focusing on the same thing for too long, it gets kind of stale.
Thats whats cool about working on films, creativity can be the only limit.
Theres always something new to do.
Or a new style to approach.
Over the last 5 years, Ive grown so much as a skier.
For a while, I was into hitting big gnarly BC jumps and step downs.
I wanted to focus more on riding lines and work on my flow.
It was a sick change.
Filming in the Backcountry can be tough.
I started getting more like 7 runs a day.
I knew every day that I got 7 laps in, I was killing it.
This past season I wanted to bring it back full circle.
Im stoked to get back out there again this season.
Do you still follow the park-scene and watch edits?
With skiing, Im drawing my influences from different places these days.
But I still stay connected through the Armada crew.
I still watch the X Games every year.
I get psyched to see the boys and girls killing it.
Lots of guys are skiing really well.
It’s just a lot of spinning to take in.
When you’re spinning that fast it’s hard to keep the style.
For me ABM and Dollo are standouts.
I like their style, I like the boxy steeze and funky axes.
The overall level is so high though.
I still have fun riding the park.
For two years I didnt ride the park at all.
I also get pretty inspired by snowboard and surf films.
Back in the park
So what do you think of the direction skiings going?
In both the competition side and the filming side?
I dont really think too much about the competition scene these days.
It’s weird to see people in comps riding no poles.
The level of skiing in comps is insane.
It could be cool to see some new formats and mixing up the slope courses though.
Getting strong, healthy and training really hard.
That’s definitely contributing to the progression.
On the filming side of things… each year so many different video projects are being released.
It’s great to see all the creativity that is being expressed through films.
Lots of skiers are killing it in the backcountry too.
Lots of crews are going out and capturing good skiing.
The next 10 years are going to be mental!
Has the evolution of skiing meant there are new role models to young skiers?
Definitely, I think skier’s influence and positions are changing.
One of the biggest changes I see besides equipment, since I started, is the growth.
Within the sport now there are numerous approaches to it.
Now there are facilities available with airbags and trampolines.
Thats contributed to the evolution of the tricks and how much the sport has progressed.
The social media trend has changed the game and allowed a new opportunity that didnt exist 10 years ago.
It was epic to get up to AK with Jeremy.
Talking with him about some of his experiences and different places hes snowboarded was inspiring.
And to hear a few of his stories.
Hes not out there trying to force anything.
Hes really connected to the mountains and whats going on.
Hes also got that smooth and calm approach.
His knowledge and understanding of how to ride and survive in the mountains is very unique.
I think thats important for everybody to understand.
What happened toReal Ski Backcountry?
Did they shut it down because you kept winning it?
I dont know man, what did happen toReal Ski Backcountry?Lets get it going again!
If they did I dont know if I would do it though.
So was it a dream to actually ride for them?
Armada launched when I was 12 and it was such a huge movement in skiing.
Representing brands that I believe in is important to me.
I like the challenge, Coming back year after year and trying to take it to the next level.
Thats part of what keeps me motivated and inspired… dreaming about new lines and tricks.
I want to keep moving forward year after year.
Im happy with the skiing and what Ive accomplished so far.
But Im still stoked to keep progressing and keep it going.
Tell us about this years movie?
This year’s movie isOvertime.We released it two weeks ago.
I worked with CK9 Studios, who are out of Nelson, BC.
We had a good time working together, they did a great job.
This project was Clay Mitchell’s brainchild.
It was fun to work with him and do something different.
We had a pretty challenging season.
I had a few minor injuries mixed with a lower than average snowfall.
That caused us to have to grind pretty hard at times.
We got some good days in too though!
I’m stoked to continue working with CK9.
We’re already planning next season and stoked to get back out there.
I’m fully ready to get back out there!
Huge thanks toMonster, Quiksilver.
ArmadaandOakleyfor the support and everyone else who worked on the project.
Im planning to work on another film.
Were just lining it all up now.
Nothing is set in stone right now but we have some ideas and were stoked!
Finally, what does Sammy Carlson like to do when he’s not got skis on his feet?
In the summer, I spend a lot of time surfing.
I really enjoy spending time in the water.
Its nice to step away from the mountains and let the feet air out.
It has brought me to some amazing places.
This summer I was over in Indonesia for seven weeks surfing with my girlfriend, it was unreal!
It’s a good way to keep the stoke alive.
Also just hanging with buddies, chilling and enjoying life.
I built my own house over the past two seasons.
That was too much work, so Im stoked to be relaxing and taking some time to chill.
I generally attempt to get outside as much as I can.
Sammys Favourite:
Trip:Hard to say, Japan is one of the coolest places to ski.
Just the cultural experience, combined with the snow is all time.
Trick:Either flatspin 3, underflat, orbital 3, whatever you want to call them.
Flat 3s, from the beginning and till the end.
They just feel so good and you could boost ‘em!
This week itsPure Waterby Amigos… by the time this is published, Ill be bumping something else!
