Subaru World Freeskiing Champion Kent Hyden Weighs In | Powder Magazine Q&A With Kent Hyden
World Freeskiing Champ Kent Hyden Q&A
By Mike Reff
Amidst the busy holiday schedule, Mountain Sports International was able to get a few words from last years Subaru Freesking World Championships winner in Alaska, Kent Hyden.
MSI:
Hey, Kent, I heard spent a part of your summer in Argentina with the Fat-ypus crew. How was it?
Kent Hyden:
We did get down south to Argentina and Chile. We got a once in every 50-year storm while we were down there, which made for some good times. We had a blast in Las Lenas, and then on our way to Chile we got stuck in Mendoza for four days while they cleared avie debris off the road. We drank some wine and played tourist until the pass opened. Then we got some sick backcountry skiing in at Valle Nevado, and by far the best cat skiing experience I have ever had at Ski Arpa.
MSI:
Growing up racing in Minnesota and than bouncing from Colorado to Utah, I would imagine that you have spent some time on different chairlifts around the country. What resort still gets you most excited to ski in the morning?
Kent Hyden:
Alta is still my favorite. They always get the most snow. I love how you can ski pow during the storm and then the days following the storm, they keep opening more terrain every day until it dumps again. The easy lift access backcountry also makes it so you can pretty much ski pow every day.
MSI:
What’s your favorite line to ski at Alta?
Kent Hyden:
I love screaming down High Boy first thing on a pow day, but my favorite line is one that I call the “high speed air” in Supreme Bowl. There is a chute that forces you to straightline off a cliff into another straight line. Then you are hauling balls making Super-G turns after that. I usually only do that one when the snow is pretty good. My first time in there I wasn’t sure if I should do it until “Wasting Time” from Kid Rock came on in my head phones. I was like, “Oh Yeah, now I’m feeling it.” I sent it and crashed hard. Since then I have had much better luck with that line, with the one exception of when I landed on a slide path. Now I know that just because the approach is pow, or you like the song in your headphones doesn’t necessarily mean that you should send whatever is below you. (Except for when it does)
MSI:
Winning the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships in AK last year must have been one of your greatest acheivements in your life as a skier. How did that win affect or change your skiing career?
Kent Hyden:
It helps give me a little more recognition within the industry, which makes it a little easier to get photographers to return my phone calls. It helps create marketing and sponsorship opportunities as well. However with today’s economy it is still tough. I got an agent to help me out with that.
MSI:
You are coming into this year’s season coming off a huge win at the Subaru Freeskiing World Championships. How does that make you feel going into the upcoming event season?
Kent Hyden:
I feel good. I am happy that I don’t have to qualify anymore. I wanted to win World Championships since I was 17 when Chris Davenport won it. He was my coach at Snowmass at the time and I started to think, “Someday I’m going to win that event.” It gives me a little more confidence. I’m still hungry, though. This year I would like to win it again under different circumstances, where everybody stays safe. I am focused on getting better. There are plenty of things that I still need to work on. I am trying to stay focused on improving my weaknesses, and thinking more about the future than the past.
MSI:
Are you planning to ski in all of the events in the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour this year? If not, which ones will we see you at?
Kent Hyden:
Of course I’ll be at all the WFT events. It is way too much fun not to be a part of. I can’t wait to see everyone again and push my skiing to another level.
MSI:
Everyone who looks at your list of sponsors is always jealous of you and your relations with Omaha Steaks. How did this sponsorship come about?
Kent Hyden:
My dad helped me get that deal. My parents and girlfriend have helped me a lot with my portfolio and trying to get out-of-industry sponsors. Out-of-industry companies have money. Asking for money, making phone calls, and sending e-mails, during the offseason is not that much fun. However, it takes money to live the dream. You have to sell yourself. If you don’t want to brag about yourself, then you have to find someone to help do it for you. They helped me put together kenthyden.com this summer. There are some cheesy headshots and some other stuff on there that I’m not in love with, but I guess that is what it takes. I have made money from gigs off of Craigslist by just telling them to go check out my website.
MSI:
Who were some of the skiers that influenced you?
Kent Hyden:
Chris Davenport was the guy that helped me realize that skiing the mountain is way more fun than racing. When I first started skiing with him I would be making little slalom turns down pow and crud runs, and he would tell me to open it up. Then he would flash down the run in three turns and throw a huge floaty 3, and I would just watch in awe and be like, “Huh, I guess that’s how it’s done.” Then I would try it and crash, but eventually I started to figure it out. He helped me out a lot. Thanks Chris! Shane McConkey for killing it in all areas of skiing. Seth Morrison for his smooth laid back style making it look easy. Geoff Smalls for skiing faster than anyone else back in the day at the Extremes in the Butte also made me fell like that’s how it’s done. In that same era, I liked watching Brett Duter always go for the biggest air on the venue. Nowadays it’s Aaron Estrada flashing the venue at the Butte and Kiffor Berg always going for the biggest air. Nobis can ski fast. Julian Carr and Jamie Pierre are not afraid. Cody Barnhill and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa can ski and throw some nice tricks. Hugo Harrisson, enough said. Glen Plake doesn’t suck either.
MSI:
What do you think about many Freeskiing competitors leaving the competition scene once they start filming?
Kent Hyden:
It sucks! It’s cool that guys have been able to impress photographers and filmmakers in competition, which opened up filming opportunities. However, you can still take advantage of those new opportunities and continue to compete. Sometimes there are scheduling conflicts, and you have to make a choice. If a sweet heli trip comes up that you can’t say no to, and you have to skip an event, I can see that. However, I don’t think you have to skip the whole tour just because you are filming. I understand that some guys don’t like the pressure or the risk, or whatever, but it helps the sport when the guys in the magazines are in the comps too.
Some film guys enter an occasional event and a lot of times don’t do as well as we would guess and then you don’t see them in another comp. That just goes to show how high the level of competition is. Competition pushes athletes to be their best. You have to train hard on and off the snow all year long. You can’t just look good skiing pow, or huck a big air that you don’t even land, get the pic, and call it good. Most film guys are some of the best skiers in the world, but I would like to see them compete too. It’s better for the sport to have all the best athletes in the comps. It doesn’t help the sport progress any faster when as soon as an athlete gets a bit of fame they quit and take pictures. I can’t think of any other sport where the top athletes don’t compete. People don’t want to just see a picture or video of Tiger Woods hitting a ball. They want to see him compete against the world’s best to see if he is going to win. If he is behind going into the final, then there is more drama. The drama and entertainment comes from the competition. Skiing is way cooler than golf and I hate to compare the two. However, golfers are rich because people like watching them compete on TV. Poker players are rich because people like watching them compete on TV. No one would watch a poker or golf video just for fun. Just like people other than skiers don’t watch ski videos. The only skiers that anyone outside of the ski industry have heard of are Bode Miller and Johnny Mosely because they competed on TV in front of a large audience. I am hopeful that as the FWT continues to grow, athletes will think harder about continuing to compete. The tour is growing fast, and the live show was a step in the right direction last year. Once we get more TV exposure, the money will follow, then, athletes will be more tempted to compete when they are getting paid well to do it.
MSI:
Now that you have been in the competitive big mountain scene for a few years, how has it progressed since you started?
Kent Hyden:
There are a lot more really good skiers out there. Nobody is dominating. Tenths of a point separate guys, where before one guy might win by ten points. The judges have to be critical about any little mistake just to create separation. At Snowbird, I thought I had a good run and I was in 39th place after the first day. Then I thought back at where I went wrong, and realized that I did stop and wait for my slough before my first air. The judges have to dock you for that when other guys are sending their airs with speed. You can’t ski lines where you have to stop. There are too many good skiers that are killing it. Any one on the final day start list can win. Any less than your best isn’t good enough.
MSI:
Where do you see the sport evolving?
Kent Hyden:
The sport is going to keep growing. Every year registration fills up quicker. More and more skiers want to participate. Guys are throwing down rowdier lines, skiing way faster, and throwing crazy tricks off of cliffs. The bar rises every year. The equipment has gotten better and the skiers have gotten better. It is also cool that there are youth programs that teach kids how to freeski. When I was a kid, you raced, or skied bumps. Now kids are learning how to ski the mountain at a much younger age. It’s going to be crazy to see what these kids are doing when they get a little older.
MSI:
Who do you see as some of your major competition in the tour? Who are the skiers that you respect most in the Freeskiing World Tour?
Kent Hyden:
Lately I have skied with Ben Wheeler, Scott Mcbrayer, Griffin Post, and Drew Stoeckliein around Alta who have won events or been real close. Jesse Bryan wisely chose to take a break from school to continue killing it on tour. Cody Barnhill is another Alta boy who will hopefully compete this year. Can’t forget about Dylan Crossman and his performance at Snowbird last year. I took a few runs with Cliff Bennet, who is always a contender, at the Bird the other day. I’m not sure if Brett Crabtree is coming back, but he is a solid competitor and should probably try to defend his overall title.
The Cali crew with Kevin O’Meara and Craig Garbriel, who are no strangers to the podium, along with Josh Daik with his huge backy’s. Aspens Aaron Estrada is always a threat, especially at the Butte. Kiffor Berg will probably huck some more massive airs and ad to his belt buckles. Hi flying Chris Tatsuno is in there too when he stays on his feet. Crazy bastard. Elijah Lee, our ambassador, can uncork one at any time. The Frenchies Julian Lopez and Adrain Courier are a force to be reckoned with as well. Lars Chickering Airs is not afraid either. John Mason likes to huck and should probably move out of Breckenridge and ski the Little Cottonwood Canyon. There are probably another 20 guys or so that could win too.
MSI:
What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Kent Hyden:
You can expect me to get better. More photos, filming, and competing. I am trying to lay the stomp down more consistently when I throw tricks off of cliffs. Hopefully I will become more comfortable doing them in contests. If I find the right air, I might have to get upside down and go for the Sickbird one of these times
MSI:
Any last words?
Kent Hyden:
Lets all have fun and stay safe this year. If your not sure about something, it’s better to walk away, and try again some other day. Remember your loved ones!