MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2018

WINTER 2018 ML BLUE 61 ML: Tell us about yourself. LE: I'm 21 years old, from Huntsville, Ontario. I started my ski career at the ripe age of two. When I turned 16, I decided to make the switch from ski racing to park skiing. Do you compete? I used to compete in park and pipe through Freestyle Skiing Ontario. It opened a lot of doors for me and allowed me to meet like-minded people. Heck, I'd even go as far as to call these people my friends. How much time do you spend in the Blue Mountain park during a season? This will be my sixth season skiing park at Blue. I generally spend all my time in the park, or on my way to the park. I hope none of the people who taught me how to tune my skis are reading this... What does the Blue park offer that helps you compete and improve your riding? The park staff does a really great job with making features that you won't see anywhere else. It prompts people to think about the way they ski or snowboard in different terms, and offers a creative challenge. What do you most want to see in this year’s new park? I'm pretty biased towards lots of rail lines in a park. The park staff at Blue Mountain always accentuates the strengths in whatever terrain they’re given. I'm really excited to see what happens at the new location. The park is equally populated with skiers and snowboarders. Does everyone get along? I see the snowboard/ski dynamic as something that is mutually beneficial. I definitely owe credit to all the snowboard parts I've watched. Can you give us a dummies’ guide to Newschoolers? Newschool skiing is kind of an umbrella term that encompasses everything that skiers do in the terrain park: competitions, film making, half-pipe, jumps, and rails. I think, at its core, the newschool wave emphasizes self-expression and individuality. If I were looking to learn more about newschool skiing, I would want to visit the aptly named website newschoolers.com . What are some of your goals for 2018? I like making a video part every year. It's a nice index of what you've accomplished in a season. The video-part format is an easy way to wear your influences on your sleeve. LEFT PAGE Terrain Park crew member Taylor Rowlands working late into the night on a Friday Night Rail Jam build. JASON PETZNICK THIS PAGE COURTESY LUCAS EASTMURE @lucaseastmure Two Planks