Before his twenty-first birthday, slopestyle star Nick Goepper had claimed four X Games medals (three gold, one silver), as well as an Olympic bronze medal. Born and raised in the great state of Indiana, Goepper discovered his passion for skiing at the Perfect North Slopes—a ski area consisting of just 400 vertical feet of skiing, two rope tows and five chairlifts. Today, Goepper released his latest video edit, featuring his home resort’s terrain park and (of course) his insane level of skiing. We caught up with the dude to get the details on his career thus far, the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and more.
The Q&A…
TS: Hey Nick. How’s life?
NG: What’s up, Thacher? Life is amazing. I just visited some friends in Minnesota for some skiing and filming. I went out there last year for a sponsor trip and fell in love with the Minneapolis area and the skiing. The kids are so stoked and it’s just like where I grew up in Indiana.
Your latest edit, shown above, was filmed entirely in your home state of Indiana. As a kid, growing up in Indiana, did you ever imagine that you’d own four X Games medals?
[Laughs] Good question. I never even started dreaming about X Games medals until I was about 14 or 15. Once I started to do better in local competitions and get more attention from sponsors, the dreams started happening more often. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I had to move out of Indiana to somewhere out west or east where there was more opportunity.
How about an Olympic (bronze) medal?
Don’t even get me started on the Olympics. That was such a crazy experience. But, to answer your question, no, ever in a million years did I imagine I would have an Olympic medal.
When you were a grom, who were your biggest role models?
When I was a grom I didn’t really watch that many ski movies. Most of the time I was just skiing or playing soccer in my free time. Although, I really looked up to Tom Wallisch, Bobby Brown and Simon Dumont. They have all been so dominant in contests and have really sick style. Also, I really looked up to some of the older guys who skied at my hill.
You’re the role model now. Is that weird? Is that something that’s often on your mind?
Definitely. Just the other day, I had a kid come up to me and tell me I was his biggest inspiration. That was so cool to hear. Sometimes it’s on my mind. I should probably have it on my mind more often so I can set a better example for all the kiddos.
What are the biggest challenges that you face while competing on the slopestyle tour all winter long
I would say the biggest challenges for me on tour are not getting burnt out. That’s when you start to not have fun anymore. As the season starts coming to a close, that tends to happen. Now, I’m aways looking for ways to spice up the season, whether it’s traveling to a new destination, filming a new edit or bringing along different people.
In 2013, you told us that contests consisted of a “spin to win” mentality. With triple corks now a thing of the norm, where do you see the direction of contest skiing headed?
I see the direction of contests continuing to be a mixture of “spin to win,” creativity, and execution. I think we have pretty much hit our max as far as the amount of spins we are going to do on slopestyle jumps, but contest skiers are getting more and more stylish and creative nowadays.
Some folks have said that you (among other contest skiers) ski like a robot. That is to say: You might not be as stylish as other slopstyle skiers. Do you agree? What defines style, in your mind?
I just have to laugh at that. I think that a more relaxed style looks better when skiing. As far as competitions go, it’s the name of the game to do every trick you can perfectly. Unfortunately, I don’t think many people can relate to a perfectly executed, perfectly grabbed double cork 1080, so they say it looks robotic. Style is a biased concept. It’s someone else’s perception—not your own. But style can just be equated to execution in a slopestyle or halfpipe competition. That’s how the judges look at it. Although, as you mature in your skiing and gain more experience on the slopes, you are able to relax more and add a little bit of your own style, whether that’s your choice of tricks, clothing, or both.
When people talk trash, does that bring you down or fire you up?
I used to care way too much about it and sometimes it got me really down. For me, it was really hard especially when I was younger. I was out there pouring my heart out into my runs and skiing as hard as I could. Even beating some of my idols in competitions. And then after the contest I would look on the Internet and see some f#cking video making fun of me. I’d sit there thinking to myself, how could I have all of this disrespect coming my way after I tried my absolute hardest and gave it my all? Especially as a 17 or 18-year-old kid. It almost got personal sometimes. Like, here I am living my dream and I’m getting shit for it. Are you kidding me?
If one of those said haters were sitting in front of you right now, what would you say to them?
I would borrow a line from Juicy J and say, “I’ve never met a hater that’s doing better than me.”
For the up-and-comers out there, what steps can they take in order to sign with new sponsors?
Have fun, network, take advantage of social media, and again, have fun. Don’t be too serious. You have to put your game face on when you need to, but you have to want to be out there skiing every day and trying new tricks.
What are your skiing goals in the next three years?
I want to continue to do well competitively, and hopefully win another Olympic medal. I also want to make a movie next year and continue to progress the sport and myself.
What tricks do you think the winning run will include at the 2018 Olympic games?
I think there will be some crazy rail tricks, 1-2 triples, and another sweet double. Maybe a double on the first jump, and back-to-back triples on the next two?
You were recently in Korea for the Olympic test event. That course looked wild. Do you think we may see a similar setup at the 2018 Games?
Yes, I do. The builders did a really good job and it was an awesome event. The jumps were plenty big, they had awesome rails and the weather was decent the whole time. I didn’t do that well, unfortunately, but I had a fantastic time. I loved Korea.
What would it mean for you to claim an Olympic gold medal?
It would be absolutely incredible. Definitely a dream come true. I would still want to keep climbing after that. I’m the type of person that’s always wanting a little bit more out of my skiing and what I can accomplish.
A lot of competition skiers transition to powder or film skiing later in their career. Where do you see yourself in 5 or even 10 years?
I want to make films for sure, but I love park skiing. I love skateboarding and I relate that to park skiing the most. I have such an ADD personality, I always have to go, go, go. The best place to satisfy that is in the park. You can ski non-stop, never have to wait, you can always be creative and go big, and the kids are always stoked. In five years I still see myself skiing park and doing contests and having fun. I don’t know about 10 years. Hopefully I’ll have a super hot wife or girlfriend and plans to have a family someday.
When your contest career is said and done, how do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as the most dominant skier and put a stamp of progression and creativity on our sport. Also, I want to send a good message to the young kids about having fun and being a good person.
Final thoughts?
Thanks to my family, God, my sponsors and my amazing friends for letting me live the dream everyday. Always live with the three H’s: Hustle, hard work and hustle!
Related: Spend a day in Nick Goepper’s shoes in an ’15 edit, The Prelude
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