SARAH BURKE WINS AWARD
I was so shocked the time. I was up there competing against Wendy Fisher, my idol at the time. I didn’t think I had a chance!”
— Sarah Burke on winning the 2001 ESPN Action Sports and Music Award for Best Female Skier
MAMMOTH BLOWS UP
“Tanner and I were basically the first two people to move there,” says Kristi Leskinen of Mammoth in ‘01. “We were at Superpark there the year before and the park was amazing, it was something skiers hadn’t really seen before. The next year, Iberg, Sarah and the Phils came out and over the next three years there was a huge influx of skiers. It was awesome.” “Parks around the world were becoming high-class and creative,” says Boyd Easley, one of the many pro riders living in Mammoth. “Mammoth was a big part of this. They always had the biggest jumps, best rails and features. They alone pushed every other park to catch up.”
CVA AND SKI ACADEMIES BRING NEW TALENT AND TRAINING GROUND TO FREERIDE SKIING
Ski academies began to introduce freeride programs to their curriculum in 2001. “Most of the ski academies like CVA have added freeride programs,” says Boyd Easley. “Kids have everything they need to become a top performer in the ski world, with Olympic trampolines, water ramp trips, coaches, safe jumps with chopped landings and top strength training equipment.” CVA has produced multiple X Games athletes, including Boyd Easley, Corey Vanular, Matt Philippi, Taylor Felton and Dan Marion. “I think it’s notable that Boyd Easley.
ERIC IBERG RELEASES ROYALTY
The box cover of Iberg’s first movie states: “eMedia Films brings you Eric Iberg’s 16mm debut ski film: ROYALTY. This is not the common cast of thousands. Just seven pro skiers that rule the sport. Royalty is a mind bending, rail grinding, twin-tipped tour of style on and off the slopes.” “It was a turning point to create a movie like that. All jib and park and the vibe of the movie and the style of the riders is something that was really, really sick. Kids still talk to me and Iberg about it.”
— Phil Belanger
2001 Part II
