If you're unfamiliar with the K2 Free Skis for Life contest, here is a quick rundown: You purchase a pair of Factory K2 skis and you get a scratch ticket. If you're über lucky, yours is a winning golden ticket and you are flown to the K2 headquarters in Seattle. There, you compete with the other winners (five in total: 4 from skis + 1 online winner) in various competitions. If you are victorious, you get free K2 skis for the rest of your life.
When Dan Streetman, 42, of El Dorado Hills, CA walked into Kirkwood Mountain Sports this week, he came with the intention of demoing some new skis. Described by others as a traveling man and a "pow hunting machine," it is no surprise that he was set up on a pair of K2 ObSETHed's. And sure enough, after a few laps, he marched back into the shop and announced his desire to purchase the skis. After a quick exchange at the register, Dan was presented his scratch ticket. And I think you know what happens next.
I caught up with Coop, a longtime employee of Kirkwood, who was present when Dan made his exciting discovery. According to Coop, Dan was shocked. Disbelief quickly gave way to excitement, and apparently all the other patrons were hootin’ and a hollerin’ and going wild. Some curious onlookers came over to investigate. Word is that Coop pulled up Freeskier.com to give them a run down… Atta' boy!
Coop described it as one of the more memorable days at work in a long time; he went so far as to rate it a 9.5 on the Richter Scale. Since the ticket was awarded, multiple people including Kirkwood staff have come into the shop, purchased K2's, and eagerly scratched their tickets in the hopes that they too might get lucky.
We spoke with Dan the Man, and here's what he had to say about this exciting experience:
FS: How old are you, Dan?
DS: I stopped counting at 29… and I think that was 13 years ago.
FS: I understand you live in El Dorado Hills, but what is your home mountain?
DS: My home mountain is definitely Kirkwood.
FS: And how long have you been skiing?
DS: I've been skiing since I was 18, and I first saw snow falling. I was standing at attention as a plebe at the U.S. Military Academy. I whispered to my roommate "what's that?"… he whispers back "snow, you idiot." We got yelled at, did pushups… but I've loved seeing snow fall ever since. We had a tiny hill at West Point and I'd hike up to ski every free moment I had, which wasn't that often. When we finally got permission to drive, I checked-out everything in the northeast. Then I was stationed in Italy and did the same thing… except all over the Alps. I have great memories of skiing the Alps with my K2 Extremes. Yes the originals with the aggressive 8mm sidecut. When I finally settled back in the states, I found the Sierra Nevada. I've been here in California ever since, except for a brief detour to Iraq for a year… long story.
FS: Tell me about yourself in 2-3 sentences:
DS: I love skiing, mountain biking, skiing, climbing, skiing, my family, skiing, my work, skiing, and skiing. I have a great wife who supports my need for adrenaline sports and we have two awesome teenagers, Alicia and Austin. They are very jealous of my Golden Ticket. I may have to keep it hidden from them.
FS: You purchased a pair of K2 ObSETHed skis at Kirkwood Mountain Sports, what happened next?
DS: Adam the sales guy was explaining the golden ticket program… and I'm thinking "blah, blah, blah"… it sounded really cool, but I never win any of those things. I just wanted the new ObSETHed's. Then I scratched the ticket and everyone in the shop went nuts.
FS: At any point, did you think Ashton Kutcher was hiding in a back room somewhere and that you were being Punked?
DS: Actually, no. Everyone in the shop was so stoked and enthusiastic that it never entered my mind. Kirkwood is such a cool place that I couldn't imagine them punking me. Now that you mention it… maybe I should make sure this is all legit somehow!
FS: Thousands of Factory K2 skis are sold around the world annually, and of those, only 4 come with a Golden Ticket. How stoked are you?
DS: Very. Meeting Seth and seeing the folks at K2 will be awesome. And free skis for life is WAY better than chocolate. Eat your heart out, Wonka.
FS: Yes, since you brought it up, you'll be joining four others (3 More Ski Sales + 1 Online Entrant) at the K2 factory, getting a tour, hanging out with Seth Morrison, etc… What excites you most about this opportunity?
DS: All of it. Seth's the man and the K2 crew rocks… but mostly the idea that I might hookup with free K2's for life.
FS: Knowing that you'll be competing with these other winners for the free skis for life, what are you going to do to mentally and physically prepare?
DS: Ski my new Obsetheds. What else is there?
FS: What will you do if you win?
DS: Ski K2 for life, and convince all my friends to do the same. That would be amazing.
FS: Any shout outs?
DS: Shout out to my wife Terri and our great kids, Alicia and Austin, who are terrific ski buds. My 3-325th "Blue Falcon" army buddies who made skiing in the Alps back in the day my original K2 Extremes so much fun… and props to the team at Kirkwood Mountain. It's a really cool place with a great vibe… and now with a golden ticket. Oh yeah…thanks K2!! Hope that's enough to put me ahead in the running!
And there you have it, friends. Stay tuned as we'll be getting in touch with the other winners sometime in the not too distant future… Pending someone actually finds the Golden Tickets. Could it be you?
Finally, please enjoy the nice photos in the gallery that Dan sent over. Circa 1993. Nice air, buddy.
