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.
Related: Jet-lagged world traveler Noah Wallace recaps his recent TNF PPOS grand prize victory
