PPOS women's halfpipe champ Allie Welsh dishes on broken orbital bones and girl power

The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series’ new digital event format allowed countless up-and-comers to submit their ideal park and pipe run via video edit. This enabled them to get their names out without the usual contest day jitters and pressure. Colorado-native and rising pipe skier—she’s currently 15th in the AFP women’s pipe rankings—Allie Welsh took full advantage, winning the women’s halfpipe category. The member of the Ski Club Vail took some time to talk about her PPOS win and goals in skiing.

Hey Allie, thanks for taking some time to talk.

Thank you so much for reaching out.

You had some favorable results on the AFP tour this season, most notably a first place finish in the pipe at the USASA Rocky Mountain Series and a second place finish in big air at the Rev Tour in Mammoth. How do those competition finishes compare with your virtual PPOS win?

It always feels amazing to find yourself still on your feet at the bottom of the pipe. Winning that first USASA halfpipe contest and throwing a new trick in the Rev Tour big air served as affirmations that I am capable of landing a full run. This is my second year competing in halfpipe and I’ve had a very difficult time finding that “contest day” mental state that keeps me focused through every single hit. PPOS was a motivating win because I had a chance to see the run I want to put together in contest. Taking the number one spot was an incredible feeling even if it felt like I got to cheat a little bit, [by piecing my run together].

Watch: Allie Welsh’s winning PPOS entry.

With this virtual format, skiers don’t have to worry about the weather, or competition day stress levels. How did that impact you while putting together your dream run?

This was paramount for me. Again, I am trying to figure out this insane sport and really get to a point as an athlete where I can tap into contest mode and perform to my highest ability. Until then, it was nice to be able to synthesize the consistency I have been lacking by tailoring the run to those mentally-stable moments where my feet find the ground.

After going through this process, did you enjoy putting together an edit for the PPOS virtual competition, or is linking a run on competition day a better experience, in your mind?

Honestly, the product I put out was a result of serious procrastination. I will say, after submitting my video and perusing through other girls’ entries it made me want to film more. There are so many awesome edits and I don’t know if I had a preconceived notion of the whole process being more difficult than it actually is, but I really would love to film more. I think it pushes you to perform. On the other hand, I really do like the pressure of a competition day; it’s an adrenaline rush for me and balancing excitement with laser focus is absolutely intoxicating.

Judges highlighted your cork 9 as a huge factor in your PPOS victory. Was that a trick you’ve landed before, or was this a first for you?

It’s actually the first trick I ever threw in a pipe. Granted, it’s the last one I have landed and I’m pretty sure dumb luck had a lot to do with those first few, but it’s a trick and an axis [of rotation] I am drawn to. I tend to be more inclined to flip than spin so the cork was a pretty nice balance of the two.

There are only a handful of females throwing cork 9s in the park right now, where do you see the progression going?

Oh boy, where won’t it go? I love that every cork 9 being thrown is different. Maddie Bowman’s, Cassie Sharpe’s, Annalisa Drew’s, Keltie Hansen’s and Brita Sigourney’s all have a different axis and the style side is [getting there]. I think that’s a big emphasis on the women’s side when it comes to progression. The way our side of the sport is developing is very different from the boys’ side and it makes the progression that much more exciting. I see progression manifesting in more amplitude and a more consistent set of grabs with the tricks girls are dialing. I have had a few new tricks brewing in my head for the past few years that I’m excited to try. We shall see what happens.

What is your opinion of the state of women’s halfpipe skiing?

[I’m not sure] how to answer this question. I think everyone has a different opinion depending on where they sit in the sport. Male counterparts have been pretty outspoken on its “state” and obviously those outside of the sport have their opinions as well. I look at the depth chart in the halfpipe discipline and see that we are, quantitatively, so far behind everyone else and that truly is a handicap. I think there was a rebuilding period after the likes of Jen [Hudak] and Sarah [Burke] but there is an ebb and flow with any sport. I really see girls getting hungry to go bigger, spin and flip more. The state of halfpipe is one of development, renewal and growth; every girl’s style is starting to differentiate from each other, to me that’s a sign that we are moving forward.

Who do you look up to?

Hudak, hands down. That girl is one of the more incredible human beings I have ever met. I could go on and on but I’m hoping to keep the shameless girl-crush to a minimum. She and Sarah were truly incredible pioneers—this is probably so redundant to every other female skier’s opinion—but I admire what a warrior Jen is inside and outside of a halfpipe. She may be the obvious answer but it’s the sincere one as well.

Who is your favorite skier to watch?

I’m gonna keep the “girl power” train going here and say Maude [Raymond]. That girl is so cool it’s almost painful; her style is obviously all-time, there really isn’t much more to say, she absolutely kills it. Ayana [Okozuna] is so smooth and graceful in the way she skis the pipe though. She is definitely someone I like to watch from a technical standpoint.

Have you come up through a program? If so, which one and through which ski area?

If there is a conventional way to come up through a program I do not fit the mold. I played Division 1 lacrosse at UC Berkeley and at age 22 after four too many knee surgeries and the impending desk job lifestyle I jumped ship to join Ski Club Vail. I begged [freeski program director] Elana Chase to take a chance with me. E and coaches Pete O’Brien, Dave Zweig and Luke “Ocho” Allen have been absolutely incredible. They’ve shown me tough love while still being patient, smart and encouraging coaches. The team at Vail has been the 20 younger brothers and two younger sisters I never had. They have no idea how grateful I am for all of them.

What about the coaching? How has this helped you?

Coming from lacrosse and the team sport mentality, I have developed as an athlete through coaching. I like having someone to bounce ideas off of and an extra, arguably more objective, set of eyes. I have zero gymnastic or acrobatic background so I’ve been a project. The coaching I have received makes me feel like I’m doing crazy things but in a controlled enough environment that I can trust my training. Constructive criticism and a little mental rerouting is a huge part of coaching that I love and respect. It works for some and there are those who work better without it. I can’t live without it.

Have you had help from peers? Do you ski with a friend group that encourages one another to up the ante?

Again, the Vail team has been awesome. Annalisa Drew and I have skied together more in the past two years and that girl gets me to suck it up and do the tricks I don’t want to do. I always have an awesome day skiing with her. I’ve had a 15-year-old boy tell me to stop being a wimp and go throw my 9’s. (Thank you, Felix.) Teenage boys are sometimes much smarter than they look.

Talk about the recent events you’ve competed in.

The Mammoth and Park City Grand Prix stops were such a rush. I had no intention of getting into those contests and was fortunate enough to get a late nod. The pipes were awesome, skiing with the “big kids” was awesome and sometimes a bit overwhelming. Being a part of a high-level contest really gave me a new understanding of the sport.

SFR was by far the most insane event I have ever been to. My invite came via a phone call telling me to get off the mountain and to the airport for the most last minute flight I have ever jumped on.

Apparently I'm flying to France today #usa #keepyahtipsup #SFR
— Allie Welsh (@Allie_Welsh) March 7, 2015

The Europeans have skiing down to a science. The pipe got better and better throughout the week and everyone who came out to watch qualifiers and finals was absolutely stoked on it. I have honestly never seen so many people at the bottom of a pipe—maybe it was the beer and fondue tents. The crowd and the atmosphere was electric. Watching finals was awesome but standing at the bottom of the pipe that night lit a fire inside me.

After competing in those events, can you talk about motivation to rise to the next level? What’s the ultimate goal for you—X Games, Olympics? What pushes you to progress?

Seeing other girls ski well makes me want to send it. There are definitely good training days and painful training days but both of them leave me wanting more. I’m overly competitive—and my own worst critic—so the days I stomp a new trick or boost higher than I have ever gone end up becoming my new expected baseline. I’d love to join the X Games and Olympic party. Those are obviously driving forces but it’s more than that. It’s the reality that with each new trick, added grab or extra foot of vert I get, I can’t help but want more. I want to see how far I can push myself and any perceived boundaries. I want to contribute to raising the bar.

After browsing through your Instagram feed, it looks like your currently on the mend. What happened?

I had a crash at SFR that kind of exacerbated an existing injury in my back and hip. The newest injury is a broken orbital floor in my right eye. I took a digger over a little knoll–I know, pathetic—and decided that slamming my face into the mountain was the right thing to do. I broke the little bone that holds your eye up. The incredible doctors down at St. Anthony’s were nice enough to put a titanium plate in there to keep me from looking like a Picasso painting.

Turning me into a cyborg #iamtitanium pic.twitter.com/XYwSKf1PFI
— Allie Welsh (@Allie_Welsh) March 31, 2015

Good luck on your recovery. Ideally, what does this success with the PPOS do for your skiing career?

On a personal level it’s added motivation. Ideally, I would like to be considered competition-level or at least an “up-and-coming” athlete in the pipe. I am pretty stoked to rep some new North Face gear, too.

Where do you see yourself in three years?

I have a run in my head that I think about incessantly. Let’s touch base in three years and I’ll let you know if that reality is the one I was hoping for.

Farther down the road, what is your ultimate goal in skiing?

To progress and to stay on my skis as long as humanly possible.

What are you going to do with your prize money?

Taking my brother out. He’s the sh#t.