All Images: Blake Jorgenson | Skier: Mark Abma | Words: Jordy Grant-Krenz
Mark Abma has been a professional skier for over two decades. Today, he is still in love with the sport as ever. His legendary reputation and status in the community proceeds himself, as he’s been both a friend and a mentor to a near-limitless number of skiers. He has won awards, claimed big lines, filmed all-time segments with Matchstick Productions and spent the better part of his life becoming a true master of his craft; refining the art of freeride skiing into what is nothing short of perfection. As a kingpin of the Whistler, BC scene, Abma is a great amongst greats. Now, he’s teamed up with Outdoor Research to create the Multicam Alpine Skytour Ascentshell Collection.
As you can imagine, someone of this status would have the pick of the litter when it comes to sponsorship brands. He chooses to be involved with people he trusts and products he fully endorses. Working alongside Outdoor Research in recent years, Abma has developed a close relationship with the team and a deep appreciation for their gear. His new collection is being released in a limited run, with only 125 kits produced. Once we heard this, we had to get him on the phone to pick his brain. Our conversation with Abma revealed that he is simply someone who is enthralled with their work. He loves what he does, and he does it with joy. While goals throughout his career have changed, he still seeks that same fulfillment that brought him to the sport.
From military-grade tactical gear and off-grid living, to tales of the Whistler backcountry, discussing Kye Petersen, Sean Pettit and more, we leave no stone unturned. Read on for our full conversation with the one and only Mark Abma.
Let’s start by talking about your new outerwear collection with Outdoor Research.
The initial inspiration for this new kit came about at an Outdoor Research sales meeting. I saw the tactical gear that OR makes for the [U.S.] Military. The fit of the outerwear was different compared to the usual gear I use, but the quality was impeccable. A few months later I started thinking about how great it would be to combine elements from the tactical line into a kit that’s more functional in the mountains. I talked with the team and it was smooth sailing from there.
From concept to final production, was bringing this collaboration to life an easy process?
Yes, and I honestly think that says a lot about OR. They listen, and they want to create products that aren’t just for show. They want to know what we as athletes think, and how they can make gear that satisfies our needs and wants, and that casual consumers will also love.
I have to give a big shoutout to Chris King, who’s the VP of marketing [at OR]. He’s really grabbed the bull by the horns and is making big strides in the ski world. When I first called him to chat about this idea, he was walking the streets of Munich with one of the lead designers on our team. They immediately got behind it, and when everyone is passionate about an idea it makes the whole process that much smoother. Within a couple of weeks of them being back in Seattle, I was driving down from Vancouver and testing out ideas. Within a year, I was using the kit in the field and I wore it all of last season. It was really impressive to see how quickly they turned it around, and how attentive they were to what I had to say.
Is that willingness to listen your favorite part of working with the Outdoor Research crew?
Definitely. Don’t get me wrong, they use great materials and produce the best outerwear I’ve ever worn, but in the end, it’s the communication and passion that make them so enjoyable. It’s also nice that they’re based out of Seattle, and I live just north of Vancouver, [British Columbia]. We all live in the Pacific Northwest. Out here in the winter, it’s not uncommon to have rain in the valleys and blowing snow in the alpine. It can be tough to make gear that protects against all those different elements, and you have to put sh*t through the wringer to make sure it holds up.
A lot of the original people that worked at OR were out skiing at Mount Baker and Stevens Pass and those legendary areas, and they just wanted to create gear that would them thrive in those environments. That’s still the feeling I get from the company today. The first thing I noticed at HQ was that all the people who work there are very active and want to make gear that they can use in their own lives. To have a team that thinks on the same wavelength in that regard across departments, and that’s willing to listen and incorporate feedback, makes a big difference. It was a big reason this new collection was so fun to create.
What’s your favorite part about this new Skytour Ascentshell Kit?
The fit is crucial. The Skytour line is very soft but durable, which I love. It’s a little roomy and moves with your body exceptionally well. It’s also very breathable. Both of those factors are important for touring. It does everything I need it to do to let me put in those long days while staying dry.
But I think my favorite part is the MultiCam Alpine print. Over the years, I’ve worn a lot of bright outerwear pieces that were pretty loud, so to speak. I was keen on the idea of creating something more quiet and better representative of the environment that I’m skiing in. The kit’s colors are black, white and grey, and if you’re in the Coast Range or the Cascade [Mountains], those are the colors you’re seeing. For me, blending in with the environment is something I’ve become more passionate about, so to have a kit that reflects that is wonderful.
Was that idea one that emerged randomly, or was that part of the process from the start?
It was there from the beginning. I appreciate wearing bright pieces because it works very well for photos and filming, but I’m very drawn to the idea of almost not being able to see the skier; someone who’s recreating and existing in harmony with what is there.
I’m sure your photographer friends who are shooting with you love that idea.
[Laughs] Funny enough I did have that “what if” second-guessing thought cross my mind when we were designing it, but it actually shot really well last season with photographers and while filming with Matchstick Productions. When people see the new movie [“Calm Beneath Castles”] and the photos, I think they’ll agree.
Is blending in with the environment a trend you’re noticing in your life off the hill?
Yeah. When I’m away from skiing, I don’t surf or kiteboard as much as I used to. Most of my time is consumed by building an off-grid homestead. We’re trying to make a home that is really self-sufficient and exists in harmony with what we have on the land.
That sounds like an intense but awesome project.
It certainly is. I’ve found that building is my form of art, and to be able to build in a way that aligns with what’s naturally there is the best. I enjoy working with my hands and being creative. Since I moved to Pemberton, I’ve had more space to start building and creating. It’s a great skill to learn because you can use it for practical purposes like doing a renovation or fixing household problems, but it also lets you be inventive.
I love having a vision and being able to go from conceptualizing to creating. If you’ve had a good work day, you get to look at what you’ve done and see the results along the way, which is very rewarding. In the digital world, it can be hard to measure how productive you are sometimes, but when you’re building it’s very clear.
Maybe you and Sean Pettit should do a building and skiing project together, considering his recent work.
[laughs] That would be awesome. I’ll keep you posted on that.
As a British Columbia local, do you feel like you’ve explored most of the available skiing?
Not even close, and that’s one of the reasons I find myself still infatuated with the area. I’ve been sled skiing and ski touring around Whistler for 22 years, and it still feels like I’m just scratching at the surface. If the weather cooperates, you can do 150 km loops. It’s amazing, and it gives you a true sense of how vast this area is, and how tiny we are.
There’s a lot of different terrain around here too, which is a bonus. You’ve got great pillow and tree skiing down lower when avalanche conditions don’t line up or the weather is bad, and when it goes blue you’ve got some of the best sled-access terrain in the world. It’s a very unique area, to say the least. And the community is fantastic. I’ve met some of my best friends in the world out here.
Speaking of community, give us one photographer, one filmmaker and one skier in the Whistler area that you think everyone should be watching.
That’s a tough one. For photography, I’d say Blake Jorgenson. He started getting into photography around the same time as I started skiing professionally. After a while, he broke into the commercial world and just continued to crush it. We connected last winter to shoot this new OR kit and he did a great job. I got to see how he’s evolved as a photographer, as a producer and as a person. Simply put, he’s the man.
As far as the filmer goes, I look towards Anatole [Tuzlak]. He has the whole package right now in terms of being an excellent photographer, filmmaker and skier. He can make a nice turn when he’s not behind the camera!
Picking one skier isn’t easy, but I’m a huge fan of Kye Petersen. He’s had such a wild career that has been packed with ups and downs, and he has such incredible vision and natural ability in all types of terrain. I mean he’s so well-rounded from mountaineering to big mountain to park, it’s truly baffling. He’s done a lot already, but I know he has so much more to show us.
You could certainly say the same about yourself, having given freeskiing so much yet still riding at such a high level. When the season has wrapped, how do you define success at this point in your career?
Back in the day, it was all about what tricks I stomped. But now it’s more about the amount of joy and love I feel after being in the mountains. That’s what has kept me so involved and so passionate about the sport. I truly fall in love with skiing more and more every year, because I’m able to appreciate how lucky I am to interact with these astounding environments in unique corners of the world. It’s less about the gnar now, even though it’s still great to have a few of those moments.
I used to want a really structured plan each year, but now I find it fun going on these trips with MSP or whoever, and having no idea where I’ll end up or who I’ll be with. I got to ski with a bunch of these kids I’d never met from New Zealand this year, and it was fricken awesome! They are such great people. I’d been watching both Finn Bilous and Jess Hotter for a while, and they’re incredible skiers, but they’re also so humble and enjoyable to be around. It’s interactions like that which keep me coming back.
But yeah, success is a tough term to pin down. If I wrap the winter and my body is good, and I connect with great people that’s a success; that’s what puts a smile on my face and brings me that sense of fulfillment. And until that stops, I’ll be as passionate about skiing as ever.
FREESKIER is teaming up with Outdoor Research to kit one lucky winner out with Mark Abma’s new signature fit. Shoot your shot and enter the contest by midnight on November 21.
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