Skiing in new places is one of the best parts of [working in this industry]. Last summer we went down to Australia for an Oakley catalog shoot and had no idea what to expect. I was blown away by the size of the mountains and how progressive the terrain park was. I love exploring new towns, resorts, heli and cat operations. It’s great to check out different snow conditions, find the best food and coffee and meet the locals. Linking up with a local is a must if you want to ski the goods.
Skiing on the East Coast is familiar yet foreign. I grew up in Fairfax, Virginia and learned to ski in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Vermont until I moved to Colorado after high school. Over the last five years, the only place I would ski back east was Sunday River during the Dumont Cup. Last season, I attended the US Alpine Nationals at Sugarloaf, and I was blown away with how fun the resort skied. They had a record breaking snowpack. It was more challenging than most places out west and I even skinned up the mountain in the morning to get some fresh tracks. The locals were friendly and helpful while the food and beer were good and cheap. Next I headed to Stowe, where I woke up to a ten-inch powder day and skied off-piste more than 3,000 feet to the valley floor. I definitely have respect for East Coast skiers.
When friends and icons pass away it’s hard. You get pretty close to these athletes and it feels like you’ve lost a family member. I’ll never forget Shane McConkey, JP Auclair, Andreas Fransson and Dave Rosenbarger.
Juggling work and family life was really easy when I was single, but now, being married and having a baby, it’s a whole new ball game. They understand my job situation and support me 100-percent. I’m not traveling as much as I used to, but I am away from them in the winter more than the summer. The hardest trip away from Hagen and Tess was the Winter Olympics in Sochi. I was away for 20 days and Hagen was only three months old.
The Oakley Flight Deck is a revolutionary rimless lens design introduced last season. It brought increased field of vision in every direction. It’s really helped athletes perform at the highest level, whether it’s spotting their landings or skiing with better visual clarity through the trees. Plus, it fits great with all helmets and you can even wear your prescription glasses without compromising fit. This fall we’re releasing a smaller version called Flight Deck XM which will fit people with smaller faces. All of our top athletes use Flight Deck with Prizm lens technology, which really helps them navigate changing light and snow conditions.
Having fun while working is a must. You have to enjoy your work and I definitely do. It’s fun to provide the best eyewear and apparel products to our athletes so they can get the job done and perform their best. Traveling to events and photo shoots is always fun. I try to break away on down days and ski as much as possible when I’m there. Skiing with athletes and industry colleagues is one of the best perks of the job.
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