Freeskier Magazine - Sarah Burke Remembrance Issues

SARAH BURKE 1982

DISPLAY UNTIL OCTOBER 16, 2012

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2012

OCTOBER 2012

PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

PROFILES:

CAM RILEY & LOGAN PEHOTA

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SKIER: PEP FUJAS PHOTO: ALEX O’BRIEN_PBP LOCATION: WHISTLER BACKCOUNTRY, BC

| FREESKIER ]

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EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR

Matt Harvey Shay Williams Nate Abbott

ART DIRECTOR

Chris Hotz

ONLINE EDITOR

Henrik Lampert

ASSOCIATE GEAR EDITOR EDITOR-AT-LARGE SENIOR WRITER COPY EDITOR SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Damian Quigley Christopher Jerard Tess Weaver Alison Larson Bryn Hughes, Chris O’Connell Christopher Baldwin, Eric Berger,

Chris Christie, Ian Coble, Neil DaCosta, Mattias Fredriksson, Blake Jorgenson, Mason Mashon, Flip McCririck, Alex O’Brien, Tero Repo CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ian Coble, Jen Hudak, Kristi Leskinen, Trennon Paynter

FOUNDER & CEO ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE FINANCE DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATION & AR SPECIALIST PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Bradford Fayfield Greg Wright Jason Smith, Nicole Birkhold Zach Berman Andrew Fuhrer Erin Gunther Mattie Girard

THIS ISSUE WAS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE HELP OF Coffee. Pandora. Terrell Owens.

Polaroid. Google Docs. Prinzhorn Dance School. FedEx. Twisted Tea. Tiny Dancer. ESPN Fantasy Football. Frank Ocean. Usain Bolt. Missy Franklin. Spellcheck. Cyberduck. Dell 5110cn printer.

Strava. Inflatable rafts. Lennon & Maisy. iPhone Recorder App. Grüner. Cheddar & sour cream Ruffles. DP Dough. The Jess’s. The Burkes. The Phelans. The Bushfields. #CelebrateSarah.

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When Eric Pollard, a longtime friend, teammate and filming partner to Sarah, came downstairs, I told him the news.

After a quick breakfast and a few moments alone to gather our thoughts, we collected our gear and headed out to do what we love, as I’d done in each case before.

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The next day, as I traveled back to Colorado, alone for 30 hours, I spent my time listening to music, writing and thinking about the loss of Sarah and the shocking string of other accidents and deaths. I kept returning to the thought: Is skiing too crazy, too near the edge?

the stories and memories of her joy and unashamed love of skiing reminded me why we continue to search for that perfect turn, wonderful new mountain town, great line or stomped trick. And why I found comfort in being closer to the sport that caused me pain.

Mainstream media swarms to tragedy and pushes that storyline in bold type and frenzied voices: Skiing is too dangerous! The combination of actual loss and observing the hysterical analysis swirled in my head and overwhelmed my emotions. Rather than hiding, it made me want to get out on snow, where I feel most at ease. Whether it is a waist deep day in Japan or a megacold night shooting handrails in Finland or a sunny spring day in a Colorado park, on snow is where I need to be.

In the end, we know that skiing is a wonderfully human experience, however it is done. Laughing as you pop up from a flake-spitting fall in powder. High-fiving your friend as she skis away from her first 540. Smiling as you drop in by yourself on that extra lap through the trees after your friends all said, “We’re going in. Gotta get back to work.” The burn in your thighs as you sit at your desk on a Monday after catching the weekend warriors’ perfect Sunday powder day. The first arc of a turn on opening-day, manmade snow when you know you’ll be skiing every single day until the season ends.

As the staff of Freeskier came back to the office this summer and gathered the words for our Sarah Burke Remembrance,

[ SPIN |

| FREESKIER ]

CR, Shane, Sarah and others have passed away. We will lose more friends. But skiing brought us these great people and the amazing times we shared with them in person, through videos, on TV or on the pages of ski magazines.

And through skiing we will meet new friends, as irreplaceable as those we’ve lost.

We will share laughter, tears and smiles. We will visit new places, do new tricks, have more “deepest day evers.”

This issue is dedicated to our friend Sarah Burke. Her remembrance begins on page 48. Inside that section, you’ll find the thoughts and memories of her family, friends, competitors and mentors.

Please join us in celebrating Sarah and in remembering why skiing is our sport.

Nate Abbott Senior Editor

SKIER: LORIS FALQUET PHOTO: TERO REPO LOCATION: LES MARCOTTES, SWITZERLAND

Each time it has happened—a friend and icon of skiing has passed away too soon—the moment has been mashed into my memory without hope of escaping. In Norway for JOSS in 2009, when Alex O’Brien told me that Shane McConkey was gone. In the spring of 2010, after a long day on Red Mountain Pass, CO shooting a big road gap with Simon Dumont, when I heard of CR Johnson’s passing. And this year, up before 6 a.m. on the final day of a trip to Japan with Nimbus Independent when I got a text message that Sarah Burke had succumbed to injuries suffered nine days before.

Photo: Chad Spector Location: Snowbasin, Utah

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ABOUT THE COVER

SARAH

LOCATION:

SQUAW VALLEY, CA PHOTO:

NATE ABBOTT

Over the past 12 years I had the occasion to make pictures of a very special woman. On this day—in May of 2005 at Squaw Valley—Sarah Burke and Michelle Parker were sharing laughs and trading tricks in the park. The sun was high overhead and the snow of Siberia Basin was reflecting it back on Sarah from almost 360 degrees. As with every time I met her, took pictures of her, watched her compete or dance the night away, Sarah enhanced and inspired the light to seem more brilliant. She is missed, but the memories and joy of her company will always be cherished.

—Nate Abbott

CONTRIBUTORS

RORY BUSHFIELD

IAN COBLE

JEN HUDAK

TRENNON PAYNTER

PROFESSIONAL SKIER

PHOTOGRAPHER

PROFESSIONAL SKIER

COACH

“I was definitely hesitant,” explains Rory on opening up about his late wife Sarah Burke. “I was nervous that what I said and what was written wouldn’t be the same.” While the ski world lost an icon in Sarah Burke this winter, Rory lost something much more personal. But without his help and insight, our Sarah Burke Remembrance (his reflection is on page SB40) would not have been the same. The world may seem a little darker, but Rory has taken solace in how much Sarah influenced it. “I just keep thinking how lucky I am to be surrounded by such amazing people.

Everywhere I go I feel Sarah shining through everyone she touched.“

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“It’s a hidden gem,” says professional photographer Ian Coble of Crystal Mountain, WA. “Everyone automatically thinks Baker, for skiing in Washington.

While it’s a great place, you’re missing out on a ton.” We tapped Seattleresident Coble—who has been skiing and shooting at Crystal ever since he moved to Seattle eight years ago—to write this month’s Destination on page 30. The resort, which he considers one of his two home mountains, has “terrain that is insanely good for freeskiing, has amazing features to shoot on and the snow is deep,” says Coble. “It’s also where I met my wife for the first time.”

Visit iancoble.com for more information.

[ ABOUT THE COVER/CONTRIBUTORS |

“What we have here is very special, but very fragile. There is potential for great growth and great destruction,” says Jen Hudak. In her Talk piece on page 46 she “wants to offer an alternate perspective, to perhaps open some eyes.” The four-time X Games medalist has always been interested in writing, but the combination of Sarah Burke’s passing this winter, a season-ending injury and having a father who is battling cancer made her very reflective and “able to take a step back and look at the industry from an outsider’s perspective.” For more of Jen’s insights and writing, visit jenhudak.com.

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“I found it harder than I thought,” says Trennon Paynter of writing about Sarah.

“Partly because of how much I wanted to honor her memory, but the reality is I’m not a writer.” Despite not “being a writer” Trennon paid tribute to Sarah in the opening essay of our Remembrance on page SB08. A close friend and longtime coach, Paynter watched as Sarah worked towards her ultimate goal: winning gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. “I know that she will be on everyone’s mind throughout the entire Games. And for us Canadians, her memory and spirit will be the driving and unifying force that guides us through the event.”

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SKIER: LOGAN PEHOTA PHOTO: ERIC BERGER LOCATION: WHISTLER, BC

PHOTO: BRYN HUGHES

INTERVIEW: TESS WEAVER

L O G A N

PEHOTA

AGE: 17 HOMETOWN: PEMBERTON, BC SPONSORS: ROSSIGNOL, OAKLEY, GIRO,

LEKI, WHISTLER BLACKCOMB

ON FILM: SUPERHEROES OF STOKE_MSP

Not many 17-year-old slopestyle skiers can boast 11 years of backcountry experience. But Logan Pehota, under the wing of his father, big-mountain pioneer Eric Pehota, spent his childhood alpine racing, ski touring and notching big lines near his home in Pemberton.

A burgeoning big-mountain competitor, Pehota is now focusing on slopestyle, aiming for the Olympics. Rounding out his experience, Pehota makes his first major film appearance in MSP’s latest release, Superheroes of Stoke.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN THE SUMMER?

Skateboard and surf. I know every pro skier wants to be a pro surfer. I like golf, too.

It was a lot of fun. I was with Michelle Parker and Eric Hjorleifson. We skied around Whistler and did some heliskiing past Bralorne.

Hopefully I got some good shots. It was different skiing with the cameras. Once you get up above, you can’t see anything below. You can’t stop. You have to study lines before and just go. It’s definitely a bigger challenge. Hoji taught me a lot about studying lines. One day on the first big line of the day, I fell on the bottom air and lost my ski forever. It was one of the best days, and it was over for me.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FILMING WITH MSP?

WHAT BIG-MOUNTAIN SKIERS DO YOU LOOK

Hoji. He’s super strong, skis the fall line, charges all the time and makes the best out of everything. It’s pretty crazy to watch.

UP TO?

WHAT PARK SKIERS DO YOU LOOK UP TO?

Stylie skiers. Everybody is all about Henrik Harlaut and Phil Casabon. They are who you should look to for style. For good comp skiing, I’d say Bobby Brown and Gus Kenworthy.

I didn’t think that’d ever happen. My mindset changed. I realized I might have a future, maybe a good future in it. I want to make the national team for slope this year. You get free school, benefits, and you get to ski. My dad always says, you can always ski big mountain when you get old. Ski park while you’re young.

YOU’RE SKIING MORE PARK THAN EVER?

HOW ARE YOU HANDLING SCHOOL AND SKI-

I missed a lot of school last season, but my teachers were really nice and sent me ING?

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a bunch of work. Hopefully, this year I only have a few classes I have to do.

More filming, more comps.

More slope comps throughout the states.

WHAT’S NEXT?

DO YOU ENJOY COMPS? I do. It’s pretty nerve-racking. It’s just like skiing a big line—those butterflies in your stomach. It’s that feeling that every skier wants.

DO YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT STYLE IN THE

I like to carve a lot of my tricks. My friends give me crap. When I ski park, my apparel changes, too. I don’t usually wear Gore-Tex in the park.

PARK?

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE INBOUNDS LINE AT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB? SIDECOUNTRY?

Spanky’s.

DOA. I love the steep rock walls. [ PROFILES |

DO YOU SKI A LOT WITH YOUR DAD? Not as much as I used to. On powder days we get out together. He’s who I ski with when it snows a lot. He’s a good ski partner. He knows where to go. After the snow’s gone, he’ll go for a hike, and I’ll go to the park.

WHAT ADVICE HAS STUCK? Dad says everything has to be calculated. Very calculated.

No matter what you’re doing, when you’re skiing, you have to be calculated. You can’t do anything stupid. It means double-checking to make sure you’re not doing something where you’re going to get hurt. Do something rad but not dumb.

DO YOU EVER FEEL STUCK IN YOUR DAD’S

It’s so different now. Freestyle is incorporated into everything. If I followed the mountaineering side, I’d be in his shadow. He

SHADOW?

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never skied park when he was a kid.

YOU’RE A MODEST, POLITE GUY—KIND OF

RARE FOR A 17-YEAR-OLD SKIER. It’s how I was brought up. Treat people how you want to be treated.

WILL YOU BE SKIING A LOT MORE PARK NEXT

I’m going to do what feels good for the day. If I’m not into the park that day, I won’t. If there’s powder, I won’t ski park. I’m going to focus on slopestyle a lot, but I think skiing powder and big lines will make me a better slope skier.

SEASON?

Make it well when I’m young so I can ski powder for the rest of my life.

WHAT’S YOUR LIFE GOAL?

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SKIER: CAM RILEY PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER BALDWIN_STEPT LOCATION: DULUTH, MN

INTERVIEW: NATE ABBOTT

C

A

M

RILEY AGE: 24 HOMETOWN: BEVERLY, MA SPONSORS: K2, FULL TILT, CITY PROSPECT,

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

ON FILM: THE EIGHTY SIX_STEPT

WE: A COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS_PBP THE DREAM FACTORY_TGR I walk up to the patio of Alex Martini’s home on Boulder, CO’s University Hill, where students and semi-students live the dream, to see Cam Riley demonstrating the exact definition of chilling. It’s a perfect evening, with a bit of color in the late-day clouds and a couple of cold beverages scattered around to beat the vestigial heat of an August day. Cam is cool— far from the screaming ski pole breaker we’ve become accustomed to seeing hit huge drops and gaps in Stept and PBP flicks the last few years. But his passion for his own skiing and his role as co-director of Stept movies is bubbling beneath the surface, just waiting for snow.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST SINGLE TRIP LAST

I filmed this last year with Stept and Poor Boyz and did one trip with TGR to Alaska. I had a trip with Poor Boyz to Spokane where it was just Clayton Vila and me. That was probably the most successful trip of my season. Every spot we went to was pretty much a success. We didn’t run into too much trouble with the law, which is always a positive thing. Got in and out in seven or eight days, and I left with a majority of my segment for Poor Boyz.

SEASON?

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO AN URBAN TRIP LONGER THAN THAT? The one I did in

Alaska with TGR spanned about 10 days.

I was definitely beat as shit at the end of it. I didn’t have much more in me. That’s right around the limit of how long you can go in one stretch. It wears on you—long hours. On our trip here in Denver, we were doing probably 21-hour days ’cause when snow falls around Denver it comes and goes real quick. I was hitting three spots a day, sometimes more, sleeping for three hours here and there.

PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

HOW AGGRAVATING IS IT WHEN FEATURES DON’T WORK, SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT HAVE TO COME TOGETHER? It’s

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obviously very frustrating, as many people have seen me display in a lot of my video parts [laughs]. There are a lot of elements that don’t go right at times, whether it’s the law or just your skiing ability on that given day; sometimes it doesn’t fall into place.

That’s why it’s so rewarding when it all does. Sometimes you’ll get a shot that’s not exactly what you wanted, but you put so much effort into getting it, it’s hard not to use it. You’ve got to accept the fact that it’s to your benefit to just disregard that shot.

ARE YOU GETTING BETTER AT SETTING UP FEATURES? Everyone has sort of gotten to a

new level, the filmers, the skiers. We know what features we have in mind, we know [ PROFILES |

how to set them up. There’s an art to it.

Everyone’s been all into the tranny game lately rather than just landing flat, and it took a little while to figure out the processes there. You want to make those things a lot harder than you think. Even though you’re dropping maybe 15 feet to one of them, you want to make ’em hard as a rock. That was hard to accept at first.

WHERE DOES YOUR SKI AESTHETIC COME FROM? For me personally, when I started out

in skiing, I wanted to just be good in the same way that everybody else was trying to be good. There was only really one way: you had all the tricks, you had good style, you did well in all the competitions. Skiing didn’t pan out quite as well for me in that way. I did my comps when I was in high school. Then we realized this potential to | FREESKIER ]

focus on specific aspects of it. Handrail skiing, street skiing was gaining respect, and I jumped on the opportunity.

I got some inspiration from Alex Martini, he had done some different stuff. Optimistic by Absinthe was one of the first films where the majority of the urban featured wasn’t done on down rails or dub kinks. It was all kinds of wall rides and gaps. I was like, there’s definitely more to this than learning swaps and two-ons, and I had the ability to do that.

In the past I had focused on the technical aspects—throw another switch up in there— rather than just to ski well, be solid on my skis on varying terrain. That’s what the stuff that people are doing now displays. As the director of our film, and as a skier myself, I just want to show what I’m capable of.

SKIER: TYLER CECCANTI PHOTO: IAN COBLE

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, WA WORDS: IAN COBLE

It’s 4:45 a.m. on a stormy February morning. The wind is driving the falling rain horizontally, making each drop thump against my window like a snare drum and waking me up long before my alarm is set to go off. I get out of bed and check the snow report: 10 inches of new overnight, and it’s supposed to continue snowing hard all day. I grab my skis, my camera gear, and a mug of coffee and load up the car. It’s pitch black as I depart the Seattle city limits on empty roads. The morning commuters haven’t even taken to the roadways yet. Ahead of me lies the 80mile push up Highway 410 to Crystal Mountain.

A little over an hour into the drive, I roll into the town of Greenwater. A tiny outpost of less than 100 residents, it’s a sleepy community nestled deep in the mossy, old-growth forest. I pull into Wapiti Woolies, a mom and pop ski shop with a funky espresso bar in back, to top off my coffee for the remaining 30 minutes of the drive.

Crystal, located on the northeast side of Mount Rainier, spans 2,600 acres of inbounds terrain and at least that amount of acreage in out-ofbounds terrain as well. It’s accessed by 11 chairs and the state’s only gondola. Like most resorts in Washington, the Crystal experience differs from anywhere else in the Western US. Washington resorts aren’t known for their opulent hotels, valet parking or anything that you might find at an Intrawest Resort. Instead, Crystal has a grassroots, down-home feel to it.

While it boasts a few modest hotels around the

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base, most visitors make the long drive from the city every day. The drive is part of the Washington ski culture. Your day hasn’t begun unless you’ve spent at least an hour cramped into a small, oil-burning Subaru.

As I pull on to Crystal Mountain Boulevard, the sky is puking silver dollar-sized flakes on to my windshield. The thermometer on the car reads 24 degrees, cold for the Pacific Northwest. Crystal’s base elevation is only 4,400 feet above Puget Sound, and the warmth of the ocean prevents it [ DESTINATION |

| FREESKIER ]

from ever getting excessively cold. That same proximity to the coast also provides Crystal with copious amounts of snow. Boasting an average of 486 inches of snowfall per year, the resort commonly has numerous knee-deep pow days in any given week.

I unload my car and head up the plaza to the base of the Mount Rainier gondola to meet local ripper Tyler Ceccanti. Tyler has lived at Crystal since he was a child and knows the mountain like the back of his hand. Although he spends a lot of his winter on the road, Crystal is his home mountain.

After the quick gondola ride, we arrive at the summit, click into our skis and move our way down to Exterminator and Berry Patch. Located just under the gondola, this 2,400-vertical-foot face is consistently steep the entire way down.

As we drop in, my first turn throws a wave of snow over my head. I unweight my skis, catch a glimpse of where I’m going and then plow back under the snow. It’s quiet in the white room, but I can hear Tyler as he hauls past me. We get to the base of the mountain and wipe the snow from our goggles. Both of us are smiling. Today is going to be awesome. It’s not quite bottomless,

but the previous snowfall has created a springy layer that the new snow is resting on. It’s perfect for hucking.

to a pillow zone that flanks the Pits. He boosts a 20-foot pillow, tail taps a second and rallies out the glades below to meet me.

With one lap under our belts, we head over to Bear Pits, a steep face that can be accessed from the top of High Campbell or from a short traverse from Powder Pass. This area has a little bit of everything to offer. For our first lap through, I choose a steep chute that snakes its way through an alley of trees before spitting you out at the Rainier Express Chair. Tyler has opted for a different line and works his way skier’s right

Watching the movement of the crowd and wanting to find more pow stashes, we head north to work Left Angle. As we make our way there, we pass Teddy Bear Chutes, a steep and rocky zone with plenty of technical billygoating.

While tempting, the low visibility created by the falling snow encourages us instead to continue over to Left Angle and stay in the trees. We come to a stop at the rope line that indicates

[ FREESKIER |

| DESTINATION ]

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SKIER: DAN TREADWAY PHOTO: MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

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SKIER: ERIC HJORLEIFSON PHOTO: BLAKE JORGENSON_MSP LOCATION: WHISTLER BACKCOUNTRY, BC

WORDS: TESS WEAVER

As an athlete and boot consultant for Dynafit, skier Eric Hjorleifson has spent the last year testing prototypes, providing feedback and offering solutions. Hoji describes his role with Dynafit as a symbiotic relationship. While Hoji learns about engineering, product development and expedition skiing, Dynafit is learning more about Hoji’s freeride world.

“They realize there are a lot of people like me who want to tour efficiently but need gear they can shred on with big skis, confidently,” says Hoji.

In August, Dynafit announced a long-term contract with Hoji. Now, the Whistler, BC–based skier is on Dynafit’s international team and serves as lead consultant on boots and bindings. “We’ve developed a trust, and they’re willing to let me into the binding side of things,” he says. “It’s a really secretive, competitive, patent-driven game—much more so than boots or skis.”

Hjorleifson has been skiing in MSP segments in Dynafit boots and bindings for the past two seasons, showing North American skiers that you can stomp a landing in a tech binding. This season’s Vulcan boot evolved from Hoji’s famous Frankenboots (a self-made freeride touring boot born from a Dynafit Titan) and is geared toward the aggressive big-mountain ski-touring crowd.

“Instead of waking up and deciding between two setups, the goal is to be comfortable in one,” says Hoji. “With their technology, they have the capability to pursue that direction in a way the rest of the alpine industry can’t compete with.

They aren’t following a trend, they’re leading it.”

PG. 036

“Dynafit is as consistent, core and authentic a brand that I’m aware of,” says president Chris Sword, who leads the North American subsidiary. “We’ve had meteoric growth, but we are laser focused. We haven’t changed the brand or our core promise.” That promise is speed, performance and technology. Dynafit strives to make the highest-performance backcountry equipment in the world and to remain ahead of the curve.

“Our role in the industry is to be disruptive,” says Sword.

“We want to introduce products like the Vulcan boot that are game changers. We don’t take ski boots and add a walk mode, we develop a different way to put together a ski boot.”

Originally an Austrian ski boot manufacturer, Dynafit became part of the Salewa/Oberalp Group in 2003. That’s when Benedikt Böhm, a member of the German Ski Mountaineering Team who holds speed records skiing 8,000-meter peaks, jumped aboard as a sales rep. The company was bankrupt, but Böhm believed in the product.

He’s now the international brand manager at the headquarters in Munich, Germany. With subsidiaries in Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, Poland and Boulder, Colorado, Dynafit employs approximately 200 people around the world.

“Our first boot was a complete failure,” says Böhm. “It burned a million euros, but we didn’t give up.” As the world’s lightest and stiffest boots in their respective categories, Dynafit’s introduction of the ZZero line was a pinnacle moment for the industry. Since establishing the North American subsidiary in 2007, Dynafit sales have grown 1,000 percent. Böhm says of the nine subsidiaries, North America is Dynafit’s most important, strategically. “I’m positively surprised with how quick the American consumer adapted to light-looking gear,” says Böhm. “We knew the market size, and we knew the potential. We had a very clear target, and we reached it.” [ COMPANY CALLOUT |

| FREESKIER ]

Athletes like Böhm have been guiding the development and structure of the brand ever since. Whether it’s the lightest binding made of titanium, a carbon boot or the lightest ski-core technology on the market, he says it’s all about innovation. “We’re never going to stop,” says Böhm. “We can’t rely on our current advantage. We will keep investing in innovation. We’ll get the best patents we can get.”

Dynafit takes a no-compromise approach to materials, which are carefully sourced and selected. But no product management decision is made without direct approval from the athletes. The company outfits expeditions to the most extreme alpine environments, where equipment failure can mean death. Equipment needs to be light but trustworthy.

Beyond expeditions, the 12 international team members test Dynafit equipment in the world’s major ski-touring races, such as the Patrouille des Glaciers.

At the very core of the brand are the Dynafit Competence Centers, Dynafit-approved backcountry dealers. Five North American dealers have been designated with this status. “The concept evolved because there were very few enthusiastic, authentic, knowledgeable and specialized alpine-touring dealers we felt could really explain the complexity of ski touring and service consumers,” says Böhm. “We gave those few dealers Competence Center status to show the consumer that they’re in good hands.”

As expected, Hoji says there are some exciting projects in the pipeline. He’s working with a young binding engineer who competed on the Freeride World Tour. He is Dyanfit’s first binding engineer with a freeride background.

“The whole goal is to never be satisfied,” says Hoji. “Since I got the Mercury boot in early summer, I have pages of feedback. But coming straight out of box, it’s the best allaround ski boot the world has ever seen.”

MODEL SEARCH Skis.com and Freeskier Magazine are looking for the future twins model for the skis.com 2013 ad campaigns. If you think you have what it takes, log onto skis.com/modelsearch DQG RQH OXFN\ ODG\ RU OXFN\ JLUOĂ&#x20AC; UHQG" ZLOO JUDFH WKH SDJHV of Freeskier Magazine in 2013.

Contest will run from August 20th - October 20th so get to the contest page, enter your photos and tell as many friends as you can to vote for you. *Winners will be selected based on votes and Freeskier and Skis.com employee opinions

A GOOD PAIR OF SUNGLASSES IS ESSENTIAL FOR AN OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST. IN ADDITION TO SPEAKING TO YOUR STYLE, THEY PROTECT YOU FROM SERIOUS CONDITIONS SUCH AS CATARACTS AND PTERYGIUMS (SURFER’S EYE). SIZE, STYLE, MATERIALS—EVERYTHING HAS A PURPOSE AND EVERYBODY HAS A PREFERENCE, BUT WITH SO MANY OPTIONS IT CAN BE HARD TO FIND THE RIGHT PAIR. HERE ARE SOME POINTERS ON PICKING OUT SHADES THAT WILL KEEP YOU IN GOOD HEALTH AND GREAT STYLE. WORDS: DAMIAN QUIGLEY

MATERIALS The three main options when it comes to lens material are: glass, plastic and polycarbonate. Glass lenses give you the best optical clarity but are the least impact resistant. They are slightly heavier than the other options and are best suited for casual wear.

Plastic lenses are inexpensive and do pretty well on the impact-resistance scale while keeping weight down, but they scratch easily if they aren’t cared for properly. Polycarbonate lenses are thin, lightweight and the most impact resistant. They are impact resistant because they are soft, which also makes them more vulnerable to scratching. To combat this, most are protected with an anti-scratch coating, and with proper care, these are your best bet if you have an active lifestyle.

The frame material depends on the style of sunglasses and what they will be used for. Metal and durable plastics make up the majority of frames, and in the case of activewear, a high percentage of manufacturers choose plastics such as Grilamid or acetate. These provide a lightweight frame that is flexible and durable.

LENS OPTIONS Whether you plan to spend a lot or a little, the most basic thing you need to look for is 99- to 100-percent protection from both UV-A and UV-B radiation. While other lens features are nice, UV protection is the most essential factor in keeping harmful eye conditions at bay.

For those who want more function from a lens, polarization is a great option. Glare can be very harmful to your eyes—having the same effect as a flashbulb over the course of a few hours—and is caused by light reflecting between different surfaces in the form of horizontal rays. A polarizing filter laminated or molded to your lenses selectively filters out these rays and eliminates glare. “Many vision problems

associated with night driving are rooted not only in the ability to see at night but the lingering effects of exposure to glare,” says Joel Bernbaum of Smith Optics. Protecting your vision is well worth the cost.

Photochromic lenses are another technology to consider.

These lenses adjust tint according to the amount of natural light in the environment and are becoming an increasingly popular option among manufacturers and consumers. This feature is achieved by way of microcrystals embedded within the lens. “A chemical balance exists between silver halide microcrystals and copper molecules within the lens. When the lens is exposed to ultraviolet light and short wavelength visible light, a chemical change occurs that turns silver halide microcrystals into nontransparent, light absorbing, silver metal.” In short, when increased sunlight hits the lens, it transforms to absorb the light and increase the tint. Imagine mountain biking down a trail that weaves in and out of woody areas and grassy fields while your glasses self-adjust to the light. Occasions like this are when these lenses really shine.

LENS TREATMENTS In addition to good lenses, look for coatings to further enhance lens performance. Frames that don’t wrap around the face allow light to enter the side of the frame. In this case, an anti-reflective coating on the inside, usually magnesium fluoride, prevents this intrusive light from reflecting off the lens and back into your eyes. Hydrophobic coatings repel moisture, dust and oily fingerprints to further increase the performance and life of the lens. To add durability, you’ll want a hard coating for scratch resistance but Bernbaum cautions that while “hard coating adds a significant amount of strength and scratch resistance to plastic lenses, this process does not make them shatterproof or breakproof.” Handle with care. [ FREESKIER |

| HOW TO BUY ]

STYLE AND FIT Trends come and go in the sunglass world, but your face will stay the same. Well, for the most part anyway. In addition to features and frame styling, you can also take into account how the lines of any given frame accent your facial features. Generally, sunglasses that offset your features look best. For instance, if you have a square face (strong jawline, broad forehead), you should look for frames with rounded lines. If you have an oblong face, you might want to try something a little wider with a tall lens to balance things out. Square and wider frames work well for rounder shapes, while oval faces are pretty much a go for anything. Make sure whatever frame you choose rests comfortably on your nose, and if you’re going to be active, look for nonslip material around the nose and ears.

CARE AND STORAGE Your new specs aren’t necessarily as tough as you, so you need to take care of them properly. Always store them in a case, and be sure to use a microfiber cloth to clean them, as this reduces the possibility of scratching, particularly in the case of polycarbonate lenses. Hard cases protect the frames from getting crushed, while microfiber storage bags are a great two-for-one option to both protect and clean your lenses. Whether you choose one over the other, or both, it will extend the life of your new shades.

Now that you have the basics, look through the following pages to see some of the best sunglasses out there.

PG. 039

SUNGLASSES

DIBS

DAMONE

ARNETTE

ARNETTE.COM

Sporting a throwback style that dates to greasers, hot rods and pin up girls, the Dibs features an aggressive, square frame style. Large yet lightweight, the Dibs also comes with a set of interchangeable arms (A.C.E.S. initiative), so you can customize your shades to fit your style.

$90

PRICE

KNOXVILLE

BOLLE

BOLLE.COM

The Damone boasts a lightweight frame with a medium fit and some vintage styling. The frame is available in six different colors, ranging from black to pink to please both guys and girls. All Bolle lenses are coated with Carbo Glas, ensuring strong impact resistance. Polarization is also offered.

$90

PRICE

ELECTRIC

ELECTRICVISUAL.COM

The Knoxville has a classic-looking frame that can stand up to the dayto-day beating you will bestow upon them. Not to be outdone by the mold-injected Grilamid frame, the hinges are constructed of stainless steel. Polycarbonate lenses (available in polarized) bring it all together in a stylish, yet durable, medium-fit package.

$100

PRICE

THE PROS:

Featherlight frame makes for all-day comfort.

THE PROS:

Lightweight, great on the go.

THE PROS:

Lightweight, durable.

THE CONS:

Featherlight frame weight makes it feel fragile.

THE CONS:

No metal hinges.

THE CONS:

Not the best coverage.

CHANGEOVER OAKLEY

DEVIATION OAKLEY.COM

The Changeover seamlessly blends square lenses and curved accents, reproducing a bohemian vibe from decades past. Yet the variety of texture and shape in the frame gives the shades a modern, polished feel. And because they come from Oakley, you can expect the quality Plutonite lenses to meet or exceed impact and optical-precision standards.

$150

PRICE

JADE

OAKLEY

OAKLEY.COM

Aviators have lost their luster lately, but the Deviation restores the style to its former glory. The lightweight C-5 alloy frame houses square-ish lenses that pay homage to the aviators of old with the modern advantage of filtering out every single harmful UV ray. And three-point fit keeps them comfortably in place, all day long.

$130

PRICE

ROXY

ROXY.COM

Roxy ups the ante in the style department with its Italian-made Jade.

Petite and alluringly curvy, the Jade brings distortion-free and shatterresistant lenses to the table that offer 100-percent UV protection. Metal hinges and a subtle heft to the frame keep it from feeling too fragile.

$75

PRICE

THE PROS:

Style and technology seamlessly blended.

THE PROS:

Aviator styling with Oakley technology.

THE PROS:

Plastic lenses keep the cost down.

THE CONS:

Feel delicate in your hand.

THE CONS:

The price tag. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re used to gas station aviator prices.

THE CONS:

Plastic lenses keep the quality down.

PG. 040

[ SUNGLASSES |

| FREESKIER ]

JETSET

SWINDLER

SMITH

SMITHOPTICS.COM

Chic and fashionable, the Jetset is a decidedly feminine frame for ladies seeking a pair of shades for après. The large-coverage frame comes equipped with polarized Carbonic TLT lenses that are super impact resistant and beat back glare. Created with Smith’s renewable, biobased Evolve material, the Jetset is also going green.

$120

PRICE

OMG!

SMITH

SMITHOPTICS.COM

Back again is a perennial favorite, the Smith Swindler. The frame features ample coverage and wraps nicely to effectively block the sun.

The Carbonic lenses keep your eyes safe from any would-be projectiles.

Smith’s eco-friendly Evolve material keeps your conscience clearer, and polarized lenses make your eyeballs happier.

$120

PRICE

SPY

SPYOPTIC.COM

From the Alana Blanchard Collection comes the OMG! Truly inspired styling makes these glasses an obvious choice for your day at the beach.

The frame is constructed from lightweight, ultra-durable Grilamid, making it a worthy opponent to any sunglass adversary. The arms are backed by metal hinges providing durability and style.

$85

PRICE

THE PROS:

Environmentally conscious and looks good to boot.

THE PROS:

Polarized lenses keep harmful glare at bay.

THE PROS:

Durable, lightweight.

THE CONS:

Gradient lens tint is not the best for sun blocking.

THE CONS:

Sunglasses that wrap aren’t for everyone.

THE CONS:

No hard case for when you’re out crushing waves.

YONKERS

FELICITY

SPY

SPYOPTIC.COM

Spy keeps the style quotient up with this offering from its new Crosstown Collection. A vintage feeling comes to mind while looking over the handmade acetate frame, adorned with subtle accents. CR-39 lenses come treated with an anti-reflective coating on the inside, so whether the glare is coming off the waves or the snow, you have no need to worry.

$120

PRICE

THE BRODY

ZEAL

ZEALOPTICS.COM

As the name implies, these sunglasses will bring you happiness. The BioPowered Z-Resin frame is made from castor beans rather than petroleum, so they look good and make you feel good about wearing them. The frame is available in five colors, all of which have hypoallergenic ProFlex rubber on the nose and arms to make them comfortable and stable.

$99

PRICE

ZEAL

ZEALOPTICS.COM

The Brody’s oversized frame provides you with abundant peripheral vision while keeping those pesky rays out. The majority of its contact points are lined with hypoallergenic ProFlex rubber for a comfortable, nonslip fit, and lens polarization comes standard. Like all Zeal sunglasses, the Brody frame is made from castor beans to put your eco-conscious mind at ease.

$109

PRICE

THE PROS:

Solid construction, great style.

THE PROS:

RX available, rock solid construction.

THE PROS:

Very comfortable.

THE CONS:

Limited availability.

THE CONS:

Only one non-RX lens available.

THE CONS:

Not for those who prefer a small fit.

[ FREESKIER |

| SUNGLASSES ]

PG. 041

THE RULES:

This is a battle of two minds. No physical prowess necessary.

Cheating not allowed. No Google, no Wikipedia, no smart friends.

No set time limit, but don’t take forever, it’s not rocket science.

Points are awarded at the discretion of Freeskier staff.

In the event of a tie… well, it’s a tie.

Winner does not move on, this is a one issue deal.

JIBARDY

THE

01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

06.

07.

08.

09.

10.

CHALLENGE:

Who was on the box cover of PBP’s 13?

Name the skiers on APO’s pro team.

What state was Tom Wallisch born in?

(Bonus point for the city.)

RILEY

LEBOE

I can see it; he’s doing a huntony.

I’m gonna go with JP. Sammy and... Candide? [1 pt.]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [2 pts.]

Athens? I don’t really know.

Name the three finalist cities bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Tiger Woods.

Who was the highest paid athlete in 2011 according to Forbes?

Peter Olenick. [1 pt.]

Who was the first skier to do a modern double flip in the halfpipe?

270. [1 pt.]

At press time, how many episodes of The Simpsons have been broadcast?

Kicking Horse.

Which resort has more vertical, Kicking Horse, BC or Telluride, CO? What is Q’s full name in the James Bond franchise?

Question.

What is the average distance from the Earth to the Moon?

EL

2,000,000 miles.

5 pts.

WINNER:

DANE

TUDOR

JP or Brad Holmes.

Sammy, Willie, Kai. [3 pts.]

I think it’s Pennsylvania but I don’t know any cities in Pennsylvania. [1 pt.]

PASS. Who’s that tennis player? Federer?

Tanner.

12.

Kicking Horse.

Quartermaster. [1 pt.]

180,000 miles. [1 pt.]

6 pts.

ANSWERS: 01. JF Cusson. 02. Sammy Carlson, Willie Borm, Kai Mahler. 03. Pennsylvania. Bonus point for city, Pittsburgh. 04. Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul. 05. Floyd Mayweather Jr. 06. Peter Olenick.

07. Closest to 508. 08. Telluride, 4,425’ vs. 4,133’ 09. Quartermaster. 10. Closest to 238,885 miles or 384,448 km.

PG. 042

[ JIBARDY |

| FREESKIER ]

$8.99

This past season has seen a number of team managers come and go. Scott Sports hired Topher Plimpton to fill the big shoes left by Kevin Kruse. Head tapped former big-mountain pro Tyson Bolduc to direct its freeride program. Giro hired Todd Kupke to take over team manager duties from Chuck Platt. Atomic replaced the loss of Martin Steinbach with Chris McKearin over in Austria, while Salomon has tabbed Jesse Malman as the team manager with Nick Papailiou and Tyler Gigg leaving the company in the past year. Fergie Cancade, of Goodlife Inc., was hired up by Red Bull Canada as an athlete marketing manager. And lastly, Breckenridge’s team manager Austyn Williams moved on to head up the PR department at Copper Mountain.

DUNCAN ADAMS

for just

Also this winter, Oakley bolstered its eyewear team by snatching up Level 1 star Duncan Adams and Olympic medalist Aksel Lund Svindal. Rockstar Energy grabbed some solid up and comers mid-winter in Joss Christensen, McRae Williams, and Maddie Bowman.

Estonia’s darling Kelly Sildaru was picked up by Nike to strengthen the am team.

K2 has seen its factory team ranks swell with the addition of Stept members Clayton Vila, Sean Jordan, Cam Riley and Shea Flynn. No doubt those four will be putting the company’s products through the ringer next season. Also joining the factory team are big-mountain ripper Collin Collins, Norwegian star Aleksander Aurdal, and 2012 X Games medalists Brita Sigourney and Anna Segal. Visit k2skeeze.com for more information on the team.

N O W O N i T U N E S N E W S S TA N D

This upcoming competition season will feature a different early-season look, with the Winter Dew Tour becoming a one-stop deal for us winter folks. Part of a bigger Dew Tour that encompasses three stops—two of which feature summer sports—the idea is to blow it out at the Breckenridge stop, December 16-19, rather than spread resources thin over three stops. Mixed feelings have been heard around the industry, but until December, we won’t know how this “new” Dew Tour will play out.

[ FREESKIER |

The big-mountain contest scene will also be changing, as the Freeride World Tour, Freeskiing World Tour and The North Face Masters have joined forces to create a unified global championship series for 2013, the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face. It will feature six stops that include both skiing and snowboarding at each stop. In addition, approximately 40 qualifying events will be hosted around the world for competitors to work their way up to the main tour stops. “Beyond the details of judging, rankings, and format, I’m most excited to see the two tours’ top riders compete against one another,” says big-mountain competitor Drew Tabke. “The best event last year was the combined event at Revelstoke. This event represented the ideal outcome of this merger of the two tours—a legitimate representation of the world’s best riders competing on a world-class venue.” Visit freerideworldtour.com for more.

Smith Optics is dropping an eight-part webisode series called Prospecting Idaho, beginning in October. Featuring a roster of big name athletes—Bobby Brown, Sage CattabrigaAlosa, Mark Abma, Michelle Parker, Gus Kenworthy, and Leo Ahrens, to name a few—this web series is not to be missed. Visit smithoptics.com/prospectingidaho or freeskier. com/videos to check ‘em out.

BOBBY BROWN

KELLY SILDARU & JOSSI WELLS

+ EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL ISSUES

Red Bull US is looking to pull the trigger on signing young Nick Goepper, who set the slopestyle world ablaze this year. While Nick-Goepper-on-Red-Bull rumors have been floating around for a while, the two parties have a verbal agreement at press time, and Nick will be attending Red Bull’s New Zealand camp, as a branded athlete. Nick also attended the 2012 Olympic Games in London with fellow Red Bull US athletes Grete Eliassen and Bobby Brown.

NICK GOEPPER & GRETE ELIASSEN

SIX ISSUES of FREESKIER

To kick off the first Wire of the year, let’s recap some midseason signings. First off, APO bolstered its roster with youngster Willie Borm and X Games silver medalist Kai Mahler, giving Sammy Carlson company at the Swiss ski brand. The 14-year-old Willie said, “The opportunity to now ride on APO skis is a good one for me. I like the skis and the vibe of the company, so I think we can go a long way together.”

Tomahawk, the clothing project of Electric’s Jimbo Morgan, has signed Ian Compton to the program. “I’m pretty stoked because he’s such a nice kid and he slays it,” says Morgan. Elsewhere, Dynafit has signed Eric Hjorleifson to its international team for boots and bindings.

“Officially signing on to work with Dynafit’s boot and binding product development teams is fantastic,” said Hoji. “I believe there are going to be some very interesting developments with product in these segments, enabling skiers to go further, climb higher and shred harder than ever before.”

| WIRE ]

PG. 043

PHOTO: MASON MASHON LOCATION: WHISTLER BACKCOUNTRY, BC

The law of conservation of energy states the total amount of energy in a system remains constant over time—energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

When Sarah Burke passed away last winter I felt deflated.

For so many, an overwhelming sense of loss took over and brought with it a lack of energy, as if our power source had vanished. But it didn’t last long. I was sidelined with a knee injury right around the time of Sarah’s passing and had an opportunity to observe the industry from the outside—to watch a shift of momentum, an energy that was transferred, perhaps from Sarah to all of us.

Sarah was a friend to all, an inspiration to men and women. But on the women’s side of the sport especially, the energy following her passing was intense. The appreciation for what Sarah had done for women—for skiing, the opportunities, the trails she had broken, the innovation—became the primary motivating factor. Sarah was our fearless leader. So without her by our side, would we lose our direction? Who would be our representative?

Who would constantly shine a positive light on our actions and our skiing? Who could smile in the face of adversity?

No one person can fill Sarah’s shoes, of course. Her role will be filled by all of the women in this sport. They will go forward with the energy Sarah released when she left this earth.

At X Games, just a few short days after Sarah passed away, I got to watch Kaya Turski three-peat, as Sarah had in halfpipe between 2007 and 2009. It wasn’t just the three-peat that was impressive, but the way that it happened. Kaya, in the truest Sarah fashion, left the business at hand til the third and final run. That third run, which Sarah fought tooth and nail for

WORDS: JEN HUDAK

women to have as the men did, found Kaya in third place.

It allowed her to pull out a switch 1080, a trick that had not yet been landed in competition by a female competitor, on the last jump to secure her win. Sarah was with Kaya that day, passing along a fearlessness that can’t be taught and providing Kaya an opportunity to push skiing to a new level.

I’ve taken second to Sarah on a few occasions in such a way, most memorably the run that would secure Sarah’s three-peat in 2009. She was a performer; she wanted to put on a good show regardless of the outcome. Watching Kaya that day was just a reminder that Sarah is not gone, she is fueling us from another place.

A few days later I stood atop the halfpipe and watched Rosalind Groenewoud walk home with a gold medal. No one wanted to ski. Yet everyone skied for Sarah. But Roz did something very special. She embodied what Sarah was about: aggressiveness, commitment, variety. Roz has the most technical run of any girl in the field, and a piece of Sarah shone through in Roz’s skiing that day.

Like Kaya, Roz didn’t back down when she found herself sitting in second place for some time, she pushed harder, for herself and for her sport.

This isn’t just about the X Games gold medalists. Even in the years Sarah wasn’t standing on top of the podium, she was moving the sport forward. The depth of the field in women’s freeskiing is all-time, and with the inclusion of halfpipe and slopestyle in the 2014 Olympic games, the skiers fighting for a spot will only be greater in number.

The skill of the competitors will drive the level of women’s skiing forward and push the sport into the public eye.

And it is this depth of talent that drives people at the top of the podium to have such incredible performances. For an individual sport, skiing is still more about group effort.

Sarah saw this, which is why she always offered support and encouragement to young women learning her trade.

She never backed away in fear of competition; in fact, she encouraged others, pushing the sport and pushing herself. Sarah had eyes for more than skiing, she had eyes for a world brought together by this sport.

Sarah wanted a world where women and men were treated equally and respected for their skiing and work ethic. It was Sarah who worked closely with the Women’s Sports Foundation and ultimately earned women equal prize money at the X Games. She wanted equal opportunities because she saw potential for growth. The women skiing now, and in the future, prove her vision has come to fruition.

Sarah led by example, not by grand ovation, but through her actions. She was our advocate and exemplar. Sarah’s end came far too soon, but not without leaving her mark.

She changed the face of skiing forever and her legacy will live on. Her lessons will be passed from generation to generation, and she will never be forgotten.

FREESKIER welcomes submissions of stories, opinion and art for Talk. E-mail to Talk@freeskier.com

PG. 046

[ TALK |

| FREESKIER ]

SARAH BURKE 1982

2012

- A REMEMBRANCE -

PHOTOS: NATE ABBOTT LOCATIONS: ASPEN, CO (L) SNOWBASIN, UT (R)

PG. 049

| SARAH ]

[ FREESKIER |

ROXY

forever

ROXY in

our

heart

On January 19, 2012, the skiing world changed

in an abrupt and tragic way when Sarah Burke—freeskiing’s queen and inspiration to countless skiers—passed away after succumbing to injuries suffered during a routine training session at Park City. Sarah’s passing dealt a crushing blow to the freeskiing community. The industry lost a guiding light in Sarah, a beautiful reflection of what a professional skier—and person—could be.

Sarah was there in freeskiing’s ragtag beginning, competing at big airs and US Opens of yore. She was the principal figure in getting the women’s halfpipe event added to the X Games—and then in getting women’s slopestyle included five years later. Never content with “good enough,” she led by example, building her legacy with X Games medals, an FIS Globe, an ESPY, Dew Tour wins, US Open titles, Euro Open victories, multiple film segments, SOTY awards… The list goes on and on and is a testament to her remarkable talent.

But our idols are not measured in wins and trophies. Yes, Sarah was a champion, but she was so much more than a list of achievements.

She was a kind soul, warming any room she entered. She was a generous veteran, mentoring the next generation of skiers. She was a graceful competitor, experiencing victory and defeat with equal poise. She was feisty, attacking each day with extraordinary zest and vigor. She was beautiful, intoxicating everyone who caught a glimpse of her. In essence, she was the best of us. An excellent teacher, a lofty role model, a boisterous supporter, and the best friend anyone could have asked for. The smile she flashed so often lured us in, and we never wanted to let go— even now, when tragedy has taken her from us.

Sarah’s legacy and inspiration will never fade.

She will live on. In our hearts and our memories.

At the top of mountains and the bottom of halfpipes, we will think of her and smile.

In the following pages you’ll find first-hand accounts of what Sarah meant to those who were closest to her.

You’ll also find notes from people whom she touched, for as little as a day. You’ll read accounts of ski history that testify to her commitment and passion for the sport. You’ll see photos that span her illustrious career.

In what little way we can, we pay reverence to you, Sarah. Thank you for all you’ve given us.

—Shay Williams, Managing Editor

The Freeskier staff would like to thank Sarah Burke and her family for being a part of ours.

Nate Abbott Zach Berman

Nicole Birkhold Bradford Fayfield

Andrew Fuhrer Matt Harvey

Christopher Hotz Alison Larson Henrik Lampert Damian Quigley

Jason Smith Tess Weaver

Shay Williams Greg Wright

Visit freeskier.com/Sarah for more ways to celebrate her life and support the memory of Sarah Burke.

THIS PAGE PHOTO: TIM ZIMMERMAN *PG SB01: Aspen, CO. PG SB52: Snowbasin, UT PHOTOS: NATE ABBOTT [ 2012 |

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Sarah waiting to drop in during practice for the X Games in 2009 where she won her third consecutive gold.

PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

Grace and Humility Celebrating the gift of Sarah Words: Trennon Paynter

Sarah will always be one of the best friends that I have ever had. I enjoyed coaching her, and we had a great working relationship, but her friendship was even more important to me. The times that Sarah helped me—supported me through personal troubles, drove me to the airport, fed me the best holiday meals, kept me awake on long drives, dragged me on to the dance floor and told me to smarten up when I needed to—will always be the defining memories of her that I carry with me.

The first time I ever coached Sarah was in Finland at the 2005 World Championships. I was there with a group of other Canadian halfpipe skiers. Sarah and I were already friends from hanging out a little at summer camps in Whistler, but we didn’t know each other extremely well.

Since I was there as a coach, I wanted to make sure that Sarah knew I was ready to help her out if she wanted any coaching. The thing was, I really wasn’t sure how to approach her about it. She was already a famous ski industry superstar at that point and was also the favorite to win her event. I didn’t want an offer of “coaching” her to sound like I thought she needed help. Somehow, very awkwardly, I got the point across. She accepted the offer, and I spent the rest of the week coaching her along with my group.

She won the event, as I’m sure she would have without any help from me or anyone else. Still, being the gracious person that she was, she thanked me for the help afterwards. Then a few months later I got an email from her. She thanked me again for coaching her at that event and mentioned how she liked training with the group. She then surprised me by asking if she could join our team for the following season. The funny thing about it all was that I could sense the awkwardness she felt making the request, and it seemed to mirror the awkwardness that I had originally felt about offering to coach her. Needless to say, the team and I were totally stoked to have Sarah join our program, and we made it happen.

Coaching Sarah wasn’t so much a job as it was a gift. What coach wouldn’t want an opportunity to work with the world’s best? To learn how a champion thinks, works, and learns?

Sarah had this incredible ability to move through, and beyond, her failures. It really is true that how you deal with defeat and failure is the true measure of strength, and Sarah demonstrated that kind of strength better than anyone I know.

In terms of dealing with success, Sarah also shone as a great example of grace and humility. No matter how big an industry star she became, she managed to stay grounded. She never demanded anything and always made sure to show appreciation for the little things. Despite being the oldest on the team and the most accomplished, she would be the first to volunteer to sleep on the couch if accommodations were tight.

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X Games 2009.

PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

The effect she had on others was one of the most special things about her, in large part because of her ability to interact with people on a level that was so genuine. She had some magic way of cutting through all the fronts and social screens that most people have and connecting directly with the real person inside.

There was always a really cool, no-bullshit, honest feeling about talking to Sarah.

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Every summer, legions of young girls would show up at Momentum camp, clamoring for the opportunity to ski with her. These girls would leave not only having had the chance to ski with their idol but also having become her friends. Over the years, many of them went on to rise through the ranks themselves, and before long some of them were competing with, and against, Sarah at X Games and the Dew Tour.

Within our team, Sarah was the seasoned veteran who knew how to succeed (while still knowing how to have a damn good time).

Everyone on the team, male and female, looked up to her. She was the one who everyone could go to for advice (me included), and she was always happy to give it. She was the one who stayed up late on the long drives, making sure the driver had company, cooked something awesome for everyone on a day off and jumped out from behind a door to scare the shit of you when you weren’t expecting it.

The last time I saw Sarah was on my birthday. I had asked a few of my best friends if they wanted to meet for a sushi dinner. I asked if she was going to make it to dinner, but she told me she was going to be out of town.

Rory showed up at my house that night to pick me up and told me there was a present for me in the backseat. When I looked in the backseat, I saw a pile of clothing on the floor, which all of a sudden erupted into a smiling Sarah, who jumped out and scared me like she always loved doing. In true Sarah fashion, she had been planning for my birthday all along, with a cake ready, a ton of super thoughtful presents and a card for me. The card read: “To the greatest coach and friend of all time!”

Sarah also made a great impact on the sport with her activism. She worked tirelessly for more women’s ski events, and her phone calls, letters and meetings were instrumental in getting women’s ski events added to the X Games. Through her efforts with the Women’s Sports Foundation, she helped share the sport experience that she loved so much with girls around the world.

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I cannot imagine receiving a better compliment, from a better person. I’ll treasure that card, as well as every second of time that I spent with Sarah, for the rest of my life. Sarah is not gone. I can say that with absolute certainty because I still see her every day, in the faces of those she was close to.

I love you Sarah.

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Whistler, BC PHOTO: BLAKE JORGENSON

Sarah was an amazing little kid. I never had a bad day in my life with her.

She had a great sense of humor, always happy, and we had so much fun together. Those are the memories that stick with me: that smiling, cheerful little kid that had a deep, deep laugh.

When she was about 4, we had a wood stove that would heat the house, and we’d have this routine when she’d help bring the wood in. I’d pass her one piece—that’s all she could handle—and in between every log we brought in, I’d lie on the floor and launch her in the air and she’d do some pretty cool somersaults.

Not seeing her as much lately, we made a deal that we’d see each other 12 times a year. Sometimes it was just a few minutes in an airport, but we’d still count it. Other times it’d be a week in BC or a week back here in Ontario or a few days at X Games. For a couple of adults who lived on opposite sides of the country, we did pretty well up to the end.

She could make a game out of just about anything on the hill. She and I would often ski through the trees and make up a whole story that related to our path through the woods. She could spend all day just going up the lift and finding a new path, coming up with a new fairytale that would guide her down the woods. Those were good, happy times, every time she skied.

At her wedding, as most dads have to do, I had to say a few words. I tried to get across how enormously proud I was of her. The skiing always comes up, but what really shone through—especially in the last six months—is how people have appreciated the person she was. It’s not about a little girl that skied, but an absolutely astoundingly amazing human who touched us all.

We were lucky that we lived about 10 minutes from a fairly small ski hill, and they had night skiing seven days a week. So in her adolescent years, she’d come home on the school bus and we could run her over to the hill. It was just a great way to grow up. She wasn’t hanging out in the mall or anything. There were no competitions back then, just a bit of fun.

You listen to what the doctors tell you, and you hold her hand and you do whatever you’re capable of.

Unfortunately in this case, neither I, nor anybody else, was capable of doing anything that would have changed things. You feel mostly helplessness.

As time goes along, minute by minute, you’re being taken down a path that you can’t do anything about.

When her mom and I split up, I really wanted to cushion the bad feelings and the difficulty she would have, so I basically took the winters off every year and drove kids around to competitions and took her skiing because I loved being with her so much. Those were awesome years. If Jan and I hadn’t split up, I probably wouldn’t have been trying to compensate as much.

I’ll never be the same again. But I’m so grateful to have been able to get to Salt Lake and to hold her hand.

Those years when she started to mogul ski, were so much fun. We were in hotels traveling around Québec and Ontario, but we never did it with the thought that it would lead to anything more than being a healthy person, growing up and enjoying life.

It was nice to have the privilege of watching her grow. I got to be there when she did her first 360.

And within a two-day period, I watched her do a 720, then a 1080 when she was 14 years old. On the car ride after a good day like that, she’d sort of be sleeping in the seat. It was the best.

There was never an event when she wouldn’t call me between runs. It didn’t matter if she was in Europe or places I couldn’t get to, I’d always get a call like, “Oh no, what do I do now? I’m down to my third run!” I couldn’t be like Trennon and tell her what to do, but I could tell her how strong and confident she was. Then she’d say, “OK dad, I’ll call you when I win.” And 99-percent of the time, she’d call me right back, “I can’t really talk, but I just wanted to let you know that I won.” It was a really special gift that she gave me by always reminding me of the younger times.

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Even though things seem unbelievably horrible, I often have more tears for the wonderful humanity that pulled together and honored her.

I obviously get bogged down with the sadness of it all, but what keeps shining through is how amazingly lucky I’ve been: 29 years of what felt like a real utopia with someone who never failed to go beyond expectations.

I’m as proud as anyone could be. She was my friend and somebody that I knew deeply, but I didn’t realize how much of the world was aware of what a special person she was. Every day I’m enormously proud and every day I think of her, hundreds of times. There isn’t anything in the world that doesn’t make me think of her.

Sarah would be very, very happy about how she’s being remembered. She would be absolutely blown away and awestruck at what has happened because she was very humble.

She really was my greatest friend. From the day she was born.

— GORD BURKE: Father

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Sarah was great as a little kid, right from the time she was a baby. She was a happy, happy little person. She always did quite well in school, never any problems and always quite outgoing with her friends. And she had lots of friends. I guess kids run amok every once in a while, the odd little scuffle here and there, but I think I had two perfect kids.

She was very sweet—a sweet-tempered person.

Always very loving and cuddly. She would cuddle up to [her sister] Anna all the time or her Dad or me. She was very affectionate.

She was figure skating for quite a while. It was apparent that Sarah could jump, right off the bat.

So that was her talent, in jumping. She did love it, but she loved skiing more.

She just loved the moguls. From the time she was 4, she skied more than she skated. From 4 or 5, she would be bee-bopping down the mogul fields, which I would carefully avoid. Her talent and drive was in skiing.

It was hard when she left home because she was 17 or so, really young when she first went to Mammoth. I found that really hard. But I think it’s totally wrong for parents to hold their kids back. She was doing so well and it was the place to go and develop, so I completely supported her.

And I got to go to Mammoth to visit her, so that was fun.

Sarah and I were really close intuitively, so to speak. I don’t know a better word for it. I struggled for a long time watching her compete. I was afraid I was going to jinx her with my nervousness. I was always afraid Sarah would pick up on my nervousness. And then I realized it hurt her feelings because she thought I didn’t want to come watch her, so I had to get over myself.

Her determination was just amazing. I remember in Mammoth once, there was a little show that was on her, and I told the interviewer, “Never tell Sarah she can’t do something.” In fact, when she was little I would avoid at all costs telling her she couldn’t do something because as soon as you turned around, she would be at it and doing it until she perfected it. But it was that determination—some might call it stubbornness— that fueled her desire to achieve. It was that passion that kept her going and kept her emailing the powers that be at X Games. She wouldn’t believe that anyone could stop her from doing what she wanted to do.

their own contingent, and the organizers would cancel it at the last minute. She’d call and be crying, but she wouldn’t publicly let anyone see how upset she was. She’d vent and let off some steam, and then tackle the organizers again. And then she’d call again and vent, and then go back and tackle them again. On and on and on it went.

Eventually she knew she’d win out.

Sarah absolutely, definitely found her soul mate in Rory Bushfield. I was really happy when I finally met him. Rory just accepted me with open arms.

He made her very happy. He’s just this kind, gentle, generous soul. That and he challenged her athletically. She would comment on that.

Keeping up with him in sport helped make her better—Following him on the bike and trying to keep up because he’s such a strong athlete. They had so much in common. They were perfect for each other.

I think [her generosity] went along with her personality as an open, loving and giving person. That’s who she was. She gave back to the women in sports, she mentored kids through camps, and she mentored other women and men in competitions by encouraging them. It was just a part of who she was, a generous spirit.

I have to laugh at myself. I always thought she was mine from the time she was this lovely little baby to the time that she grew into an astonishing young woman with all those accomplishments.

After she died, so many people came forth with love and thanks, and that showed me, aside from being an astonishing young woman, she was in a wonderful state of grace that people loved her for. And all of that love returned. All that love that Sarah gave out came back. Which is amazing.

She lived passionately doing exactly what she wanted to do. She was expressing herself doing what she loved. She followed her heart and followed her dreams. She was a strong enough person to do that and not accept any other answer or any other way of being. I consider that living in a state of grace.

I can remember so many times when she would be in the middle of a competition somewhere and the women were supposed to be having

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— JANICE PHELAN: Mother

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A little down time for Sarah during a Monster Energy photoshoot in Mammoth, CA, in 2011. PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT [ 2012 |

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I remember meeting Sarah at one of the early US Opens in Vail, downstairs at the lodge where they did registration. She was super happy and sparkly—and attractive. Everyone was buzzing over her, and I don’t think it was necessarily for her skiing at that time.

When I started filming with Sarah for Matchstick Productions, I was traveling pretty much year round with Rory. We were with Pollard, and it was the first year he brought Erin [his future wife] almost everywhere he went. Bushy was like, “I want a girl around.” So he offered me a hundred bucks for every shoot I could get him on with Sarah, ’cause that was when they were starting to kind of hang out together. Rory and I ended up going over to St. Anton, and she was over there for a Helly Hansen thing.

We were there just dirt bagging it, trying to find hotels, so Bushy ended up staying with her for a couple nights. When Sarah left, Bushy came back and was like, “You have to get Sarah shooting with us. I have to be traveling with that girl.”

So she came up to Crested Butte, and I was basically with Rory and her as she learned how to ride a sled and get out in the backcountry. Within a year though, she just fully grasped it— how to jump off cliffs, how to spin off jumps in the backcountry. She put it all together super fast. That first year she had enough shots to make a full-on Matchstick segment. She was going for it. It was pretty rad.

We never had to adapt anything we were doing for her. She was on board and immediately just one of the guys.

She approached it with an attitude of, “This is what I’m here to do.”

I think it was the next year, I was with her and Bushy up in Squamish and pretty much shot with those guys every day we could. I ended up living with them because I was really dedicated to Rory as a filmer and a friend. Living with her definitely made me realize her patience and passion and how rad she really was, just because she was dealing with Rory. I can barely deal with him, you know, day to day. [laughs] She had this insane patience for him that none of his friends had. We had a Christmas tree in the house. It was way too tall for their apartment, but we put it up anyway. The top of the tree was against the vaulted ceiling—it was so janky. She smiled, went ahead and decorated the tree. A couple days

later, we realized that the slanted roof was going to push the tree over, so we needed to make it smaller. Rory just tipped the tree over in the living room, dragged the back end out the patio door, got his chainsaw, lit it up, sawed like three feet off the bottom of the tree without taking off any ornaments or lights. Then Sarah helped him put the tree back up and fix the lights. All of a sudden the house was a disaster zone: pine needles everywhere, chainsaw dust, broken ornaments. It didn’t even matter to her because she was doing something with Rory.

At home she just seemed really refreshed. She could switch off the ski world a lot better than other people.

She was immediately into whatever was going on in her domestic life, with Rory, with her friends, with hobbies. It was really easy for her to not talk about skiing and not stress. Off the mountain and under her own roof, you would never know that she was some famous skier. You’d just have a creative and energetic young woman.

I don’t really think I let her friendship have a profound effect on me until her death. On my part, I took it for granted that we had another amazing friend in our family. After she passed away, just realizing that someone can give you that much energy and put that much into other people in her life…. When that was taken away, it left a void in so many people’s lives, and that makes you realize in your own life that the energy you’re putting into people actually matters.

There needs to be a positive energy because you’re never going to have the kind of support or love that we seek as humans if you’re putting out negative energy. And Sarah constantly was so positive. Looking back after she passed away, I could never come up with a time when I saw her really bummed.

What really blew me away about her, compared to other professional athletes in the snow world, was that she took care of so much of her own stuff. She kind of controlled her own career and made the call on what was right to do and when to do it. It was all on her accord. She took care of all her travel and all her finances.

Pretty impressive to see in somebody, and it just seemed completely effortless, the

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way she operated. And somehow it left her enough time to do amazing things for her friends and to be a rock for her family.

I don’t know how she balanced it all. I’m not very good at it.

I knew from what I had been through and the amount of support I had received from all my friends—I mean Sarah had a broken back herself and came to visit me when I was in the hospital—I always had it in my head that I needed to be there for anybody in some sort of similar circumstance, but I never saw anything like that coming. January 10 was actually the three-year anniversary of my accident, so that was a pretty hard day for me as it was. When I heard, I thought, “Are you kidding me?” I tried to get on the phone with Rory right away, and he texted me that he would call me back a little later. He called me from the airport, and I just said, “I’m here for you.

What do you want me to do? Do you want me to get on a plane?” And he said, “Yeah, that would be great.”

I was obviously expecting to be there in a different capacity, more as support during a recovery, letting the friends and family see that people who go through traumatic injuries can come out on the other side with a smile on their face. But then things kind of changed once I got there, and the severity of the situation became clear. I was there for Rory and to enjoy the last time I got to really be with Sarah.

For the general population of our community—and I call it our family— she’s that constant reminder that life is chaotic. You never know what’s around the corner. How do we really want to treat each other? How do we want to be remembered? That is probably the biggest impact she’ll have on those who truly choose to remember her and that positivity and just injecting that into the relationships that really mattered to her, which for her was everyone. That’s the legacy she leaves behind, in my eyes, being that guiding light of how you can accomplish it all and embrace it all and keep a balance of everything.

— RILEY POOR: Filmmaker

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Dropping cliffs in the Whistler backcountry in 2008. PHOTO: CHRIS CHRISTIE / MSP

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For ten years Sarah was a beloved member of the Smith family.

More than just an athlete or friend, she was like a sister, a daughter, and an inspiration to all of us.

Help carry on her legacy by living your life with passion, dedication and grace.

Celebrate Sarah.

SMITHOPTICS.COM/CELEBRATESARAH [ 2012 |

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I first met Sarah at Momentum camp in Whistler. She was a fairly talented young wannabe mogul skier who came with a group of girls from Ontario, and they were just out at camp like all the other kids. She was a little bit shy but a very sweet girl with a nice smile. I’m not even sure if it was the first year at camp—it may have been the second year—when I noticed she had this talent in the air, and she loved to fly and she loved to jump.

I think when she was 17, I kind of realized this newschool thing was starting to take off, and there were no girls who were stepping up into the role of being a leader. Sarah was the most talented girl I’d seen in the air and she had a knack for finding her feet. She also had the drive and the desire to try new things and push herself. Along with that, she was pushing the sport and at that point I thought, “That’s the girl who has the potential to be a star in this sport.”

Sarah had this way about her that you see in so few people. She was so humble and so sweet that she disarmed everyone. And you see it now with all these tributes: No one has a bad thing to say about her. She was the best, but she never acted like the best and she always made time for everyone.

I think what’s notable is how little changed about Sarah over the years. She gained confidence, she became a professional and she learned how to take care of herself in a business sense. But underneath all that, she remained the same sweet person that she’d always been. It’s pretty rare to see a person who achieved the status that she did but still made time for everybody and was still so unassuming. It was one of the things that made her truly special.

A classic mute grab on a classic spring hip jump at Timberline, OR in 2000. PHOTO: CHRIS O’CONNELL

Man, when she put something in her mind, she was going to achieve it. I remember having more than one talk with her saying, “Hey, you probably want to chill out a bit on this. You’re beating yourself up here.” She wouldn’t argue a lot, she would just say, “I’m fine,” walk away and do it again.

I think, sadly, the true impact Sarah made on skiing is just beginning to be felt now that she’s gone. I just heard that she’s going to be put into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, which is amazing, especially for someone who never went to the Olympics. Those spots are reserved for Canada’s greatest Olympians.

I think that just goes to show not only her influence on skiing but also her influence on sport in general and how she was recognized as being such a key person in getting her sport to the Olympics. As far as skiing goes, her impact will probably be impossible to truly quantify, but I know for sure there are a lot of young girls out there who aspire to be Sarah Burke, and I think that’s a wonderful thing.

I was in Japan at the time of Sarah’s accident and got back from a day on the hill and saw all these messages on Twitter saying, “Stay strong, Sarah,” and all these similar things. I thought, “This isn’t good.” But in the back of my mind, I was like, “Man, it’s Sarah, though. She’s going to be okay.”

She’s the toughest girl I’ve ever met, one of the toughest people I’ve ever met, and I think for the first day or two I was thinking it would probably take her out of the X Games. That’s the thought pattern I had going. And then a couple days later the messages started getting a little more serious, and she was in a coma. I guess I always believed—at least in that first week or so—that she was going to pull through. That if anyone could, it was going to be her.

The community response was a good feeling for sure, especially the celebration of her life, in Whistler in early April. I guess it restored some of my faith in this community to a certain degree. I think freeskiing has become quite cliquey with all the aspects and ways of doing the sport. And I think that while that’s good, at the same time, there are so many egos and so many things involved that make me a little bit disappointed. Seeing everyone come together to celebrate Sarah sort of restored some of my faith. And definitely the 48 hours with the different celebrations we had were really positive emotional experiences for me. I definitely left that situation feeling that we have a good group of people involved here, and everything was going to be OK. Sarah was such an incredible role model and such a wonderful person in so many ways. The last conversation we ever had was me telling her how much my daughter Kirra reminds me of her and how Kirra is just such a little go-getter and such a little athlete and is always pushing herself, falling down and getting right back up. I would be so proud if my daughter turned out like Sarah.

— MIKE DOUGLAS: Professional Skier

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I started working with Sarah in 2008, full time, as her agent. But she and I have had a relationship on a personal level for a very long time. We also had a professional relationship in some capacity before it was official as well. Once I was ready to take on more athletes and was looking for my first female athlete, Sarah had ended up signing with someone else. Rightfully so, she needed to.

But there was always a great relationship between us, and wherever I was, maybe talking to someone about one of my guys, she would come up in the conversation.

I always found myself pitching her. I remember in one particular meeting with Simon [Dumont] , they were talking to us about Simon, and we got the deal. Then they were asking us about girls, and Simon and I looked at each other and both said, “Sarah,” at the same time. At the time, there was really no one else people should have been looking at for girls. Right around then, Sarah called me and said, “Michael, I think it’s time that I work with you,” and I said, “Yes it is.”

it’s not about the victory, but it’s about the sport as a whole. And I think this was realized when she would write letters to ESPN and X Games and things like that.

They started to get that. They realized this was a girl pushing for something that was for the greater good. It wasn’t about her being on TV and winning more money.

The way Sarah conducted herself from the beginning of the sport was something that endeared Sarah to everyone in the industry—both those who knew her and those who didn’t. She was such an influencer and that was very important, but to me it was the way she did it. She did it not to prove a point. She wasn’t one of those people who had a chip on her shoulder. I think sometimes there are girls who will say, “Well, give us a chance. We are as good as the boys.” She was never saying that. Even though she could beat a lot of the guys at times. It was all about girls.

You reflect back on people through these things, and you read about how people talk about how good of a person she was or talk about her in the past tense. And the thing is, the way I talk about Sarah is the same way I talked about Sarah a year ago. It’s always been the same. She was a unique individual. I think seeing the outpouring and everything else—people are going to miss her because of the entire package. She really illustrated what we all should be striving to live up to within this industry and in life.

You can tell she pushed the sport from within. What I mean is she was trying to constantly better herself.

That was the number one goal to her. It really stood out at the first X Games she won in pipe. She had it in the bag and could have won it with an easy run. And I remember her saying, “No, I’m going to do this. This is the trick I’m going to do.” I remember thinking, “Why is she doing that?” I had to reflect, and it was because that’s who she is. She was doing it because she wasn’t going to feel good about herself if she didn’t do her hardest tricks—what she came to do—regardless of if she could win without doing them. And she probably could have. It wasn’t about proving a point, except to herself.

Any athlete who has that ability, which is very rare, is special. Not every athlete can step into the ring and go, “I’m just doing this because this is about me,” and, “I’m going to push it because this is what I committed to do.” Too many people are concerned with results and the placing and that kind of stuff. She wasn’t. How she finished was a product of how she did. End of story.

She was setting standards. She was setting standards of what was possible. She was setting standards of what was possible for females in sports. She wasn’t setting limitations on what you need to do to win. She was saying, “Here’s what we can do as girls. Here’s how far we can go.” And each year it was something different.

She could push it and she continued to push it up until the last day she was skiing. That kind of personality and confidence exudes into other people. They start to realize

What we’ll miss the most about her is her smile, her infectious way of making everyone feel better. That’s part of the sport, right? When she was around at a competition, regardless of what the competition was, when she walked into the room or showed up on her skis, there was something a little bit more fun and a little bit brighter. I think everyone who has been around her knows exactly what I’m talking about.

The last real sit-down meeting I had with her was in Breckenridge, and I walked away from that meeting and told a few people immediately after how fortunate I was to be working with her. She walked into that Starbucks and it was like, “Wow.” She made people turn their heads because there was something so unique about her. People who didn’t even know who she was, you could tell that they felt like, “That’s someone special.” And when we would sit down, we could talk about work but also share our personal lives and that was very special to me. We’d talk about my daughter a lot. I loved to share stories about my daughter with Sarah, and she was always genuinely interested.

We are working on setting up a Sarah Burke Foundation.

It’s a foundation that will be set up to raise money and eventually be able to give back. It will ultimately go toward what Rory decides, but right now, it will provide funding for athletes at different levels—a scholarshiptype foundation. And it will also raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, which was one of Sarah’s biggest passions. It was one thing she wanted to be doing when she wasn’t skiing, helping out at St. Jude as much as possible. She was a compassionate person who was always wanting to help and I hope we can uphold that spirit through this foundation.

— MICHAEL SPENCER: Agent

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Sarah showing nerves and excitement while winning X Games superpipe gold at Winter X 15 in Aspen, CO in 2011.

PHOTOS: NATE ABBOTT

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I first learned about Sarah from The Game, the Poor Boyz movie. Her and Kristi Leskinen both had parts, and I was like, “Who are these girls?” I wanted to learn about what they did and how I could be involved.

My first time to ski camp in Whistler, I remember orientation and sitting in the conference room.

Sarah was one of the coaches, and she walked through the door and I thought, “Holy cow, that’s her. She’s famous.” I was starstruck. Then my very next thought was, “I want her to be my friend.” She had a way about her that was so easy to be around. For as much exposure as she had, you would never know it if you met her on the street.

I skied all week with other coaches at Momentum that first summer, then finally got to be in Sarah’s group. We bonded over music and dancing, and we were on our way to becoming friends. She kept in touch with me through Newschoolers after that summer. I think she thought I had the potential to be a really good skier, and she kept asking me to come to contests and why didn’t I make it to WSI that year. As a competitor, you would think she wouldn’t want me there, but she was just interested in getting more girls into the sport. There was nothing competitive about it.

She told me I had better come to WSI next year and I did. Sarah was hurt with a broken thumb, I think, so we didn’t get to compete against each other. But she was there in support.

Throughout the years, she was kind of the older sister I never had. We were on the circuit together, we would get to be roommates and our friendship grew so we were always excited to see each other. She introduced me to things she thought I would be interested in like the Women’s Sports Foundation. She was always pushing people to get involved and be a part of things. And Sarah herself never missed a moment. She would never be the one to go to bed or go to sleep first. If there was something fun happening, Sarah was there. From partying at Da Hoodest House or playing pranks on people at contests, Sarah was always around. You thought of her as this famous person, but she was just one of the girls.

Being one of the girls is how she pushed for the sport. She didn’t want to do it as one of the guys. She wanted equal opportunity, and one of the things Sarah was able to do through her participation in the sport was see the future. She knew that if she kept at it, doing what she was doing, competing in contests even when there were no female competitors, someday there would be. Someday there would be an Olympic venue for the sport she loved. She had a vision and sometimes only she could see it. But it was always right on.

Sarah loved what she did. She loved skiing. She loved the joy of winning the X Games, and she wanted to keep doing it so that other girls could feel the same joy. She could see so many other girls wanting to ski and compete if she could help them know about it.

Sarah pushed me as an athlete to do better. I felt like she was judging me at every contest.

If I didn’t push myself, I was letting her down.

I wanted to make her proud, even though we were competing against each other. And when we were competing, we knew it. There was a different fire in her eyes. But she always had a belief in me that helped push me.

And Sarah was always interested in what was going on in my life. Whether it be boys or how you were living your life, Sarah was always there wanting the best for you and helping you find what it was that would be the best for you. She was very supportive. She would bake with you, dance with you and be there for you when you had a question about what to do.

Even when she was alive, I would ask myself, What would Sarah do?

But I could call her and ask her. Now I have to think to myself and think what she would say. She would say, “Try it like this…” And I know that when I think of her this way, I won’t let barriers stop me. I’m never going to pass up an opportunity if it’s presented because Sarah wouldn’t. Sarah was always pushing you to try the next thing, take the chance and do it. She taught me my first 540 with the simple, “Just add another 180 at the end.” She filmed me with my pink belt on and sure enough, that’s all I had to do.

Everything will be different now. Contests will be different now. There will always be something wrong. And her place will never be filled by another person or by any amount of time. But we’ll get through it. The best way we can remember Sarah is by knowing that she is still always with us and always around us. She will be in our hearts forever.

— GRETE ELIASSEN: Professional Skier

Sarah and Grete Eliassen share a moment following Sarah’s unsuccessful 1260 attempt at the bottom of the slopestyle course at Winter X Games 14. PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT [ 2012 |

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Sarah never stood out as a camper until she was on her skis. She really was that happy girl who fit in with everyone. She never changed—her attitude, what she was like—as a young girl or at the age of 28 last summer as a coach. She was still that innocent, very modest individual, no matter what she achieved. No matter how many X Games golds she won, it never changed her core personality. She never pretended she was anything but who she was. And that’s what made her phenomenal—as a coach, and inspiring and motivating. Everyone got along with Sarah Burke.

Sarah directed herself as an athlete. It came from within. She was pushing, and she ended up pulling others as she pushed the sport, just by doing what she wanted to do from within. She had that inner drive and confidence but you don’t always know where people are going to go with it. Some people burn out. She never burned out. I think it’s because she was such a positive person on top of that modesty.

Sarah showing how it’s done on the Blackcomb Glacier at Momentum (formerly SMS) in 2000. PHOTO: CHRIS O’CONNELL

Her energy was limitless. She was always the last one to leave the glacier. I never saw her tired. I never once saw her cry and rarely saw her upset, and if she was upset, it never lasted very long. It allowed her to reach different levels than most people.

After Sarah’s accident, whenever you hear the word “critical” and you’re not getting the story, you can’t think of anything but the worst-case scenario. That’s kind of the way I approach a lot of things: How bad is this? I was thinking brain damage and how horrible that would be.

I never went as far as thinking that she might die. I guess one thing that helped me through it was the thought “that if anyone is going to surprise the doctors it’s her.” And she would do it with that energy I spoke about, which was so powerful. None of us were prepared for the news when it came out. It hit like a ton of bricks. I’ve experienced nothing like it. For her to die… it was a big shock for any of us to handle.

When she was injured and people were asking for interviews, I never wanted to talk because we always had hope, and I said I would talk once we heard the good news. So when the news came out on the worst side of any outcome we could imagine, I was hit with interview requests from all over that I had blocked previously. After talking to a few people who encouraged me to say something, I opened up for the first time and did an interview and started talking about her.

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In that process, which I had great difficulty starting, I began to realize how good a story Sarah really was, and it started to almost reverse my hesitance and energize me in talking about her.

I grasped how important it was to actually start telling her story and how that’s her legacy and that it’s our job to help share who she was with the world. I think everyone who knew her had these great stories about her. It was so easy to talk about Sarah. When everyone started talking, I think the energy that went all over was hugely powerful. It was just great to see. And every time I heard a story, I was captivated by someone else’s view and words as I was listening.

She can’t be gone. Sarah’s too good a person to be gone. As a person who has touched so many people—touched thousands of skiers through our camp as a coach—she’s left her mark on so many, and they’ve been forever changed because she’s one of those positive influences. No matter how much people realize it or think about it, if they met her, they saw a great person who was also so modest. And that message goes inside of everyone. That’s what was so cool about her wanting to give back and be a coach. She dropped that seed, and boy do we ever see it.

Her star is never going to go out. It can keep shining. And as we keep talking about her, the light gets brighter all the time. She was such a bright light. It’s unbelievable.

What we can now do with that light is what I’ve been searching for. One great way is with the Spirit of Sarah Scholarship that Momentum offers, which awards a free camp session each summer to a young female skier who embodies Sarah’s very special strengths and characteristics. This way, we hope Sarah’s spirit and who she was will never go away.

— JOHN SMART: Founder, Momentum

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I don’t even know who Sarah’s agent was at the time I got her proposal, but it was probably about two years before we actually signed her, before we even had a ski division. You know, you get hundreds of proposals, but she just stood out. It wasn’t so much even reading the words or seeing her accomplishments, but she just had this sparkle. She just looked like so much fun to be around. I was bummed to not have a program that was suited for her quite yet.

I remember when we first launched skis. There wasn’t a lot of money behind it, but I knew we needed a legit skier and there was no one else but her. There wasn’t even another option for us.

Sarah with a textbook alley-oop during a Roxy photoshoot in March of 2007 at Park City, UT. PHOTO: NEIL DACOSTA

Something I’ve really always respected about Sarah was that she always made it look beautiful, even her falls. Her wins and her losses. She was riding with the guys, but doing it beautifully. That has always been something that we as a brand have looked for. It’s not just the wins and the titles, but it’s doing it beautifully and gracefully.

When we first signed her, there wasn’t a ski team and the snowboard team had been around for 7 or 8 years. And you know, girls really have their cliques.

At first it was, “How is this going to work?” And we never felt 100-percent rooted in skiing because it is its own world and its own industry and its own program. So we really had to learn a whole new industry. But she was so easy to be around. I could never get enough time with her. And I never got to spend a ton of time with her, but when I did, she felt like a friend and a sister. All of us women have grown together. Whether that’s been on the sidelines as support or as an athlete, you become friends, first and foremost. It never felt like we were a burden or a chore to her, and she never felt like a burden to deal with. It was always a fun excuse to get together and have photoshoots. She just made life so easy and so fun.

I think besides seeing her on the podium, my favorite times were seeing her dressed up at an ESPN function or some gala, and you’d never think she was a skier. She was just so beautiful. You’d be blown away to see the other side of her. She was more than just a skier, it was a piece of her, but it didn’t wholly define her.

She had a really soft spirit about her, where a lot of times you see female athletes and they have a really aggressive behavior about them. She was always warm, even at competitions. Not that she didn’t take it seriously, but she was always smiling and competitions came very easy to her.

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She was at the top of her sport, so everyone wants a piece of that story, but you wanted to be around her whether you were involved in the sport or not.

She walked in the room, and you couldn’t help but notice her.

Sarah also had an almost a private side to her that left you wondering. There was always something deeper going on with her. Always thinking, always processing. It’s not that she wasn’t engaged, but she kept a quiet spirit to her that kept you wanting more of her time or more of her attention. As an editor, you’d want to get to the root of what drives this. She was all-around fascinating.

I look back and I’m so thankful I got to spend the time with the whole crew at the hospital. It really put so much into perspective. This is our family, and we’ve all been so blessed to have grown together and experienced these life-changing adventures that not everyone gets to experience.

And you never think this is going to happen to someone in your stable, in your family.

It’s so hard to think of building a legacy for someone who touched so many people. There is all this obligation and responsibility to maintain a presence for what she’s done and what she’s accomplished. But the thing that struck me the most in terms of her legacy and what younger kids can take away: It’s not about the sport, it’s about how you treat people and how you give back.

She went above and beyond as a person to make herself accessible and tangible while still holding herself very professionally. The things that stand out in my mind the most are her going overseas to Iraq or her volunteering for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Skiing almost plays second fiddle to the all the things she gave back and what she shared.

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— DANIELLE BECK:

VP of Marketing & Creative, Roxy

I met Sarah as a camper at Momentum. She was a coach. I thought she was bubbly and happy. She gave me stickers right away, so I was stoked. She was super nice, outgoing and friendly.

I’m a better skier because of how much I hung out with her.

She was always the most desired coach on the glacier at Momentum. She was the happiest person out there, and there was just this vibe around her. If you skied with Sarah, you were having a good time.

When I first moved to Squamish, I was excited because we moved eight doors down from Rory and Sarah on the same street. I knew we were going to have some adventures. My goal was to go on a Rory adventure every other time. I couldn’t go every time because that would just be nuts. I was always impressed because I’d be off with Rory doing some crazy adventure, scared shitless, and Sarah would be right there with us. It takes a crazy woman to do all the stuff Rory wanted to do and be sending it as well.

They’d always have big dinners and have us over, and we’d drink tequila and play Catch Phrase. She was a fan of the big dinner party. She loved having friends over.

Anything good there is to say about a person applies to Sarah. She was caring, compassionate, always there. If you wanted to vent, she’d lend an ear. She was a good person to cheer you up on a down day.

She’d always drop by with Tim Hortons coffee, randomly, and suggest something fun to go do.

She’s inspired me to live every moment the best I can. To do unto others as I want done unto me. To live my life. To have fun doing what you’re doing and enjoy every moment of every day, whether it’s a bluebird pow day or it’s raining and you’re playing video games. And I’m going to try not to complain.

their coach—they met her on the glacier while on the T-Bar, which is literally the shortest ride ever, like three minutes—and they said she made lasting impressions on them even in that short amount of time. This is how she was. There was never a wasted moment, and if she could brighten someone’s day or impart some of her knowledge in any way, she would do it.

This year was a really tough year for me [after her passing]. I struggled all year. I was in tears at four events and didn’t know what to do. I pulled out of the event in Vermont—a lot of us did. I think it was understandable. At other events, I had emotional breakdowns when things weren’t going well. I struggled mentally. I’m doing better now.

The pain subsided a bit, but I’m always going to be sad when I’m thinking of her. I will try to think of the good days and enjoy myself.

Psychologically, I’ve been dealing with fear. I’ve always thought we could get hurt doing what we do, but I never thought we could die. In the backcountry, you think of avalanches, but in the halfpipe, I never contemplated that. I’ve struggled with the realization that what we do is dangerous and you could kill yourself. But if it’s worth dying for, it’s worth the risk. You’ve got to keep doing it.

I know Sarah would want us to keep doing what we do. I realize it’s something worth dying for. I want to keep doing it.

She’d want to be remembered as an athlete—the most successful female freeskier ever. And as a great person. I think she’d want to be remembered by how she treated people.

Everyone misses her. It brought the community a lot closer. You notice it at every event. Everyone is supporting each other more than before. We’re a tighter knit family. She’s still out there with us.

It was obvious to me that anyone who had her as a coach would have nothing but the best things to say because they got to spend some time with her. What really hit home was that a bunch of kids wrote in to say that even though she wasn’t

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— MIKE RIDDLE: Professional Skier

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En route to her gold medal three-peat in the superpipe at Winter X Games 13 in 2009. PHOTO: FLIP McCRIRICK

Traveling with her as a teammate, she was very motivating. She kept pushing herself. Watching her do that gave me inspiration and motivated me to try harder.

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Sarah was a good, pure, honest person. I think she made everyone’s lives more positive.

It makes you reflect, “Do I make people’s lives better?” I want to live up to her.

People have a tendency to exaggerate about people after they pass, but everything that’s been said about Sarah is true.

A perfect day together would start with riding for half a day, hitting the bike park and having a glass of wine together. Then we would watch a movie, make dinner, laugh…

We loved to get oysters and bubbles at Bearfoot in Whistler. We were huge into that. She was an amazing baker.

tour. We loved waking up to go have a glass of wine. We wanted to go to Greece this year.

We drove Rory’s truck to try to get to some hot springs, but we couldn’t make it through the snow. We ran into some girls who were hiking in, so we grabbed some stuff from the truck, hiked and ended up camping with these strangers. She was up for anything.

She was not afraid to go play in the dirt. She’s an amazing mountain biker and surfer.

She was so natural on her skis. She was always fired up for a powder day. We both had a powder day app on our phones, which wakes you up at 6 a.m. if more than 15 centimeters falls. There would be no question if we were going. She always took a few laps with Rory first. They were so fast together.

She loved being home. Because she traveled so much, she made the most of it when she was home.

She LOVED to dance. There was not one night out that didn’t end with a dance off.

She was positive about everything. If something wasn’t going right, if she lost a comp, it wasn’t something she’d show. Even if she was devastated inside, she was always happy for other people.

We traveled a lot together. Every trip in New York, we shopped ‘til we dropped. We backpacked through Europe for a month together. It was the ultimate trip. We finished the trip in Bordeaux and did a five-day wine

She was artistic, athletic—she had it all. She was humble and modest. There were even times I didn’t know how big she was.

I don’t know how she was positive through all of her injuries. She knew things happened for

A serene moment for Sarah during a Freeskier women’s shoot in Oregon in 2009. PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT [ 2012 |

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a reason. When she broke her back, she was in bed for the longest time. Sarah is so active--for her to not move for a couple weeks--she just wanted to do something. She was always really good with rehab and training to get back. She was just really positive in every situation.

She had goals and was always staying focused towards those goals. She knew being negative never helps. She was always looking at the bigger picture.

She had a way of bringing a lot of people together. She made life better.

Rory and Sarah were meant to be together.

When Rory saw her, he knew he was going to marry that girl. They have a lot in common.

Rory is going to do 100 adventures in one day—it’s exhausting. We’d go to the house and he’d go biking, kayaking, flying. It was very intense, and she was able to do it all. They were amazing together.

Sarah and I talked every day, all day. Even when we were away, we still kept in touch. For me it’s like losing my sister. I lost half of me.

It’s hard to live without her… her laugh, everything.

She was a beautiful soul. A unique person.

She would want to be remembered as an athlete and what she fought for in the sport.

And for how amazing a friend she was. Just her.

It’s incredible how much she was able to make time for people in her busy schedule. Even if she was tired or jet-lagged, she’d make a point to come see you or make you a bracelet. She would send notes that said, “Thinking of you from the road.” I looked up to her as a friend.

If there was a textbook of how to be a best friend, she would be in it. She was always there for you.

She would never let you down. She would be in Germany, and if something was really wrong, she would make the trip to get back to you. She was thoughtful, she listened, she was never judgmental, she was such a positive person to be around.

A lot of friends are just friends; Sarah was the best friend.

— ELSA HAMEL-ROBERT: Maid-of-Honor

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I knew about Sarah somewhere in the early 2000s through the X Games.

I met her at Summer X Games 2007, right when I started working for Monster. In my mind, if you were a winter athlete at the Summer X Games, you were a big deal. That’s a cool time because it’s one of the few times the winter athletes are completely stress and pressure free. She’s in her sandals, lying at the pool, enjoying what Summer X has to offer.

I always helped and was around the ski team, but after about a year and a half in with Monster, I became the ski team manager, and that’s where our relationship really started to grow. Sarah was always held in such high regard. There were Monster athletes, then there was Sarah. She represented something different for us.

The majority of the time I was around her was at contests. And she won pretty much every contest I attended. For the most part, I was sitting at the bottom of a halfpipe and cheering her on. I’m not checking her skis. I don’t have to change lenses in her goggles. I’m just there cheering, supporting, and handing her a water bottle when she wins.

Sarah boosting in the Buttermilk superpipe during Winter X Games 14, 2010. PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

Whenever she won, she would always be so thankful. First thing she would do was call her dad. Then she would constantly thank people for the support. She always took the attention off herself. It was really humbling to have her come back to me and thank me for the support. Not that we’re helping her win, but she knew that we were down there cheering for her and believed in her.

It was always so much fun having her around at the photoshoots. A lot of our other athletes didn’t get to hang out with her outside of the contests. She just made the vibe that much better because everyone loved her presence. She was very helpful. She would help me do all the grocery shopping. She loved tea, so she would always make me tea. When we did the session at Park City, Justin Dorey, Peter Olenick, Sarah and I were at the grocery store, and I told everyone to just fill up a cart. Everyone got random stuff, but we all got bananas without knowing. We ended up at the house with like 40 bananas. So it was just a joke, “Hey, anyone want a banana?”

If anyone was hungry, they got a banana.

I remember one time during a night out at our photoshoot in Mammoth in 2011, I came out of the club, and I saw her looking like she was going to fight this cop—to the point the cop was threatened and made her sit on the curb. The cop

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said, “You need to calm down your pit bull friend over there.” Sarah didn’t take shit from anyone, especially when it came to her friends. It was all because she felt like the cop was mistreating Colby West, but five minutes before, she was inside dancing like she always did. Somehow I convinced the cop I was in charge and some sort of chaperone and we all got out of the situation with a laugh.

Another thing that you don’t realize is not only did everybody know her, but also, she knew everyone, from the little girl Kelly [Sildaru] all the way up to the pioneers of skiing. Glen Plake knows Sarah Burke well; Torin Yater-Wallace knows Sarah Burke well.

We see these people as professional skiers and professional athletes and these larger than life heroes, but they’re just people. When you meet Sarah’s sister, who has nothing to do with skiing, you see that outside of skiing, Sarah’s a normal family girl. Skiing comes and goes. At the end of the day, it’s your family and your friends that are most important.

Everyone knew about her: my grandma, family friends, my parents’ friends. The general public who have never skied and don’t know anything about action sports knew about her. She transcended skiing. She is a female icon.

I’ll never forget slopestyle at the 2009 X Games when she broke her back, man. She could have won with a five off the small lip, but she threw a nine off the big lip. We were more stoked on her doing that than if she had done a safety run and got another gold. It was really unfortunate that she was injured. Don’t get me wrong. But you could see that she wasn’t scared, and she’s a competitor. She knew she could win the competition, but she wanted to win for herself.

And that’s what stood out and was so impressive.

— DAVE SMIDT:

Sports Marketing Manager, Monster Energy

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Sarah poses for a Smith Optics photoshoot in 2009. PHOTO: BLAKE JORGENSON

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I was 7 so I remember Sarah being born, and I was upset for a while. My mom and dad did everything in their power to include me, but of course, everyone wants to see the new shiny baby. There is this picture of me, my mom and Sarah as a baby, and I look pretty forlorn. This little child had come into our house and taken my place.

I don’t know if there was ever a rivalry. She quite clearly adored me and wanted to be around me all the time. If I was doing something, she wanted to be there doing it with me. If I was in my room, she would sit in the corner, just to be there.

She was always very vocal. She would let you know what she wanted and when she wanted it, but she had a little speech impediment and had a hard time with her Rs. No one seemed to understand her, so my mother would always bring her to me to translate, which was funny.

One of her favorite activities would be to come tearing into the kitchen or the dining room and [our father] would be lying on the floor with his feet up. She’d jump onto his feet with her stomach, he’d grab onto her hands and flip her over his head. She was probably 5 or 6 then and she was already tumbling. It was pretty fun to watch. I would always get worried that she’d hurt herself, but she never did.

I was away at University and I didn’t really understand what it was, this newschool, freestyle skiing thing. But I do remember my mother calling me and freaking out because she was moving to Mammoth and would be living with all these other teenagers. I thought my mother was crazy to let her go. I didn’t really get it.

Seeing her sponsored and spending all this time connecting, emailing and on phone calls; that was her job. That took me a little while to adjust to. It was very unconventional.

But once I got to see her in action, way back when, at the US Open it was eye opening. It made me very proud.

The injustices that she fought against for so many years in the ski industry were a constant source of frustration. We had those conversations that it just wasn’t fair. I remember when she started bombing people with emails everyday; c’mon, c’mon, c’mon. Just fighting for it.

I remember seeing her in Vail, at the bottom of the halfpipe.

She was upset that the girls only got one run, but the boys had three. She was smiling for the cameras, but you could see a little trickle of a tear coming down the side of her face because she was so upset at how unfair it seemed. But she wasn’t going to let anyone see it. She put a smile on her face, kept her goggles on; kept that brave front up and kept fighting. She handled herself with such grace.

I only knew her as Sarah. She never made a distinction between skier Sarah and sister Sarah. She never treated me any differently whether we were in Aspen with her ski family or when she was here in our house with our family.

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She always made me feel really, really special. I knew how many people were in her life and how much more exciting her life must have been than ours. Sometimes it was just a call that morning, like last December. “Hey I’m getting on a plane, you guys around?” She wasn’t usually here in December. So that was pretty fortuitous that we got to see her for a couple weeks and got to enjoy her company.

I loved to brag about her, and I’m sure people got kind of sick of it early on. If you’re wondering if there was any jealously or rivalry, absolutely not. I loved talking about her. People could get excited when I told them that, that was my sister.

I don’t think I realized, unfortunately, until this winter, how far she reached because she never made a big deal. She never bragged; it was like pulling teeth to get information out of her. What magazines are you in? What awards are you winning? I had to look it up online because she never ever brought it up. The length of her reach and her fame around the world is continuing to blow my mind a bit.

I don’t know that I fully understood the extent or the ramifications of exactly what had happened, or maybe I didn’t want to. I was a little numb.

She’d broken her back, she’d broken her sternum, she’d had concussions and torn up her knees. Of course she came through all of them with flying colors. She worked so hard on herself physically that she could bounce back from these bodily injuries.

The support for our family was amazing. From the sponsors and friends who were at the hospital to everyone around the world sending in gifts and letters. It blows my mind because we never really understood the full extent of how famous she is.

I enjoy hearing from her friends on Facebook or email and what she meant to them. Those are the stories that I cherish the most. Seeing how they loved her. It’s just really nice to hear from other people, as they knew her differently from me.

I’ll always have a huge amount of pride and honor that I got to know her for 29 years. For what she was able to accomplish by following her heart. And doing it with such a sense of humility and grace. With all she accomplished, she never lost sense of who she was, even in the face of difficulty. I’ll always remember my sister.

— ANNA PHELAN: Sister

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Sarah was incredible. I miss her every day.

Sarah quickly became such an integral part of the Smith brand after we signed her. She had a great personality. She dominated women’s skiing and also influenced women’s skiing. But she became so much more than just a ski athlete for us. We brought her everywhere—photoshoots with all of our athletes from other sports. She was everywhere with us.

Our philosophy isn’t necessarily to have the best athlete in their space, the one winning everything.

That isn’t, in our opinion, what creates that bond between an athlete and brand and then the brand and the people we’re trying to influence. We look at it as a personality thing. We want it to fit. When we pick up an athlete, we want it to be for the long haul.

And Sarah is so important to us first and foremost as a person and then as a brand ambassador. She was unique. No other athlete, male or female, has ever been quite the package that Sarah was. The combination of her incredible personality and friendliness and girlnext-door quality is amazing, but then underneath it is this amazing courage and drive to win and drive to push.

through it. It’s a sport that when you hit 21, you end up kind of phasing out. So, to be still dominating at her age is unheard of.

I think a lot of it was because of her drive. Again, it was hidden under her welcoming personality.

We have photos of her at the top of the pipe run, and I remember being there and she would flip a switch and focus. It was like, “OK, it’s go time. Now I’m gonna kick everybody’s ass. Then at the end of this run, I’m going to go back to being the Sarah that everybody loves.” But she was able to keep it on the course.

She was so encouraging and friendly and kept the atmosphere that way. Sarah wanted her peers to succeed because she wanted women’s skiing to succeed. She always wanted to win, but she also wanted women’s skiing to win. No one has done for women’s skiing, or skiing at all for that matter, what Sarah has done for skiing.

The last time I saw her was when we were doing a photoshoot in San Francisco. We had [Travis] Pastrana, some of our surfers, and a kayaker and a mountain biker. She had only known these guys for a day or two, and she was already giving them shit. At one point Pastrana was like, “Well, I’m just a goody two-shoes.”

And we were like, “Bullshit, you have a shot named after you.” So we walked to the bar, and he ordered a shot for all of us. It’s a pint glass, and it’s one-third Sailor Jerry rum, one-third Jäger and one-third Red Bull. Sarah was the first one done. She won. I came back an hour later, and Sarah was still at the bar with all the other athletes and she was force-feeding them chilled vodka shots. It was incredible. The wheels had come off. It was chaos. And that was her personality.

She made sure everyone was having fun.

I’d like to see women step up to the table that Sarah set. She put everything on a platter for women’s skiing.

It’s all right there. So I hope the next generation kind of picks it up and continues her legacy.

There was so much I didn’t even know about Sarah.

I knew what a wonderful person she was and how genuine she was, and I had a great friendship with her, but I never knew what she did behind the scenes.

When she passed, the manager of our local hotel in Sun Valley, came by and dropped off a newspaper clipping from 1999. We had brought her up there for a little event called SolFest. She ended up being on the front page of the local newspaper, and she brought a bunch of copies home and signed them and sent a copy to the local hotel where she had stayed. She said, “Thank you so much.” And the manager wanted to let us know that Sarah did this out of the blue. I think she did that all the time and nobody knew. She was so appreciative of everything and so kind. It was very unique. You don’t encounter people like that as much as you should.

My daughter had recently been having nightmares about ghosts. She asked me if ghosts were real, and I said, “Well, I don’t know. Maybe they’re real. But I’m not afraid of them.” And she asked me why not. I said, “Well if you think about it, what is a ghost?” She said, “They’re dead people.” I said, “OK, well, when I think about the dead people that I know, I’m certainly not afraid of them. I think there’s Sarah up there and there’s CR and they’re just around. They are watching over us and helping take care of us. They’re making sure we’re on the right path and doing the right thing.” My daughter’s nightmares went away. And a lot of it is about understanding that these incredible people will always be with me. Sarah will always be with me. I get sad that she’s not here, which is the selfish side, but I will never be sad about the time I got to spend with her.

The branding and what have you really takes a back seat to the personal relationships. Sarah and CR Johnson were such incredible friends to this brand, and you can easily say that both of them were the best female and male skiers of their time. And we just miss them. I’m not going to miss Sarah’s skiing or what she did for the sport. I’m going to miss her friendship. I’m going to miss what she was to my daughter, who knew her pretty well. There will be other skiers and other women’s athletes, but there will never be another Sarah.

She never backed down from anything. She hurt herself a bunch, broke her back, and she kept pushing

— TAG KLEINER:

Director of Marketing, Smith Optics

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Sarah shows off her 360 mutes over a massive gap in Summit-at-Snoqualmie, WA in 2008. PHOTO: CHRIS Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;CONNELL / MSP [ 2012 | | SB37 ]

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I actually met Rory first, when I was 15 in Australia. So I knew of Sarah, but I didn’t meet her until we started working together with Roxy.

I had heard that she was an incredible skier and that she was the sweetest, kindest person you’d ever met. And then of course you hear the boys talk about how cute she is. Yup, that’s what I heard about Sarah Burke.

It didn’t take long to start a friendship because she’s just so easygoing and lovable and gets along with everybody. She’s very accepting of every different kind of person.

She worked hard, never complained. She made it fun, though. Whenever she was going to be on a shoot, I was especially excited, even though she wasn’t a snowboarder. I loved it.

It didn’t matter how much time passed, we’d stay connected, especially during contest season when we weren’t necessarily at the same events together. But no matter how much time passed, when we saw each other it was as if no time had gone by. That’s when you know there are true friendships and a true connection. I feel like she had that with many, many people. She was very easy to connect with.

Sarah floating down a pillow line in Terrace, BC with Matchstick Productions in 2007. PHOTO: IAN COBLE / MSP

I was drawn to her spirit, her kind, sweet face and that smile of hers. I don’t know, she’s just contagious. People are drawn to her. Her spirit is beautiful, and she’s kind and gracious. She’d do anything for anyone.

She was always there trying to rally for women, something she continued to do throughout her whole career. Even outside of the industry, she was always giving back too, which is a really special thing.

[My connection with Sarah] is something I can’t really explain. I almost felt like I could be the way I would be around my own sisters with Sarah. It was just fun and goofy, and we had so many fun times, an absolute joy, whether we were on the mountain or in New York or at an event together.

Sarah was the best dancer. She really does bring the party. She’s down to dance at any moment, and we loved that. Some of my fondest memories are of dancing with her.

Professionally, she was always wanting to be the best, and that was inspirational to me. That and she definitely offered words of wisdom over the years that made me buck up and get the job done.

Personally, she touched my life. I’m extremely grateful to have been able to call her a friend, and my life is forever changed by knowing her.

I was completely shaken to my core [after the accident]. It wasn’t until a few days later that I was even able to think about my snowboarding, and I was terrified. I had all these thoughts going through my head, like, “Is it worth it?” You know?

But once that initial period passes and you get your head around life again—we do these sports because we love them. We all know the risks. We need to live our lives and not live in fear. And I think that’s exactly what Sarah would be saying, “Don’t be fearful, just live.”

Sarah made such a strong connection with the mountain. You’ll hear people say that they felt her with them that day, at the end of the contest or what not. And I think it’s because of that strong connection that we do all feel her and think about her up there. The mountain was so much a part of her life and her love. I think that’s a special thing.

Sarah definitely lived life. I want to live a full, exciting life and not regret anything. Sarah did that and enjoyed every bit of it and helped everyone else enjoy what they were doing too.

I think with that passion for life, she connected with a lot of people, and everybody that has known her is better for having been a part of that connection. I know I am.

It’s hard to be able to do her justice in words, really. She was the best part of every personality that you can have. She was sweet but she was fierce and determined.

So kind, so loving. She was just incredible. For me when I think of her, I think of her big smile and the friendship we had and the fun we had. She was just so joyful to be around.

The first time I went to the bar with her was in New Zealand. She taught me how to break glasses on the floor. She told me it was fun.

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— TORAH BRIGHT:

Professional Snowboarder, Olympic medalist

I watched how she lived her life, and so many things she did I never understood. Like she would lose her cell phone, and she didn’t care. I just couldn’t understand how she could do that. She just had it. She had it right. She was living every day. She didn’t let little things get on her nerves. She let big things get on her nerves, and she did something about it. She was so good at worrying about things she could control and not worrying about things she couldn’t. I was always the opposite, worried about stuff I can’t control. That’s been a big one, trying to take that as a life lesson from her.

into the hill. I stopped, sled rolled, total mayhem, rope’s all in the track of the sled, and I got back to Dueck, and he was laughing so hard. We got it all together and my first thought was, “Can’t wait to tell Sarah.” Then I just, instantly, was so sad the next 20 minutes ’til Dueck did his next backflip.

Rollercoaster. Things will make me smile about Sarah, and then there are the things that will make me super sad. And then it’s followed by a smile. She’s always left me with such a smile. Well, not always though—you know what I mean. I would have loved to tell her about that day is basically what I’m getting at. I loved just coming home and telling Sarah about the fucked up shit that I did. Most people would say, “What? That sounds ridiculous.

Were you wearing a helmet?”

Sarah was just always stoked to hear my stories. I felt like maybe I’d go a little crazier just so I could tell her crazier stories when I got back. Any switch double back I ever did was probably just to show off for Sarah.

I guess we met in Ontario for the first time at a mogul competition.

She was shredding, as usual. I knew who she was long before she knew who I was, that’s for sure. I remember being intimidated by Sarah. ’Cause she was so sick.

So hot. The girl you really like… everyone gets intimidated.

Losing her has affected my views of skiing in a few ways. I’m a super avid pusher of female sport now. I always loved it for Sarah, but now even more. That was her passion. She wanted to build a sport, wanted other girls to rip, too. She never had a competitor really. The other girls were just her friends.

And Sarah would be just as happy when they did good as when she did.

I love skiing just as much as I always did—fucking love skiing. For a while there, it was so hard for me ’cause it’s like skiing’s what took Sarah from me and from the world. But at the same time, she died doing exactly what she wanted to be doing. She wanted nothing else but to shred halfpipe and be exactly where she was. She was happy. And just to know that and know that it wasn’t something stupid... the fact she was stoked to the last minute doing what she loved helps me.

The first day I went skiing was when [Josh] Dueck did his backflip. It was a changer for me. I don’t think I skied for—it was a little while. I went sledding to some hot springs one day with [Mark] Abma and some guys. Then [Mike] Douglas called me up and told me Dueck was doing his backflip and to come out. I ended up towing Dueck around all day. I specifically remember, I was towing Duey up and he was on his sit ski with a quick release, but he couldn’t really get to it. He was towing behind the snowmobile, and I came around this corner and went to pin it up this hill, and my sled just fully lugged. I was still pinning it like crazy, like, What is going on? I looked back and Dueck’s upside down getting dragged, like augured

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She knew that’s what I loved to do, and so she always supported my antics more than any other person I’ve ever met in my life. That’s why I loved her so much.

Not just that, but she encouraged me to do what I wanted to do and just wanted to see me smile. And I know she still does.

[At contests] I would be at the top, and would watch her land her runs, land her last trick, and I bet you I was as stoked as she was. You can feel that stoke for someone else. I would get nervous, definitely. She’d always leave it ’til the last run. That was her thing. [laughs] It was like, “Why don’t you just win on your first run, Sarah?” It’s amazing to get to be that guy who got to share that stoke with her, ’cause she did some amazing things. And she won by landslides. I always thought she deserved to win, but when she did, it was, Fuck yeah!

I’m so, so happy that I got to get married to Sarah, I got to spend that year and a half married. I was really stoked that day, and I knew she was genuinely so happy.

Fully still, in the back of my mind, I don’t really believe that the accident happened. I haven’t really moved past that. The whole time in Salt Lake was the same thing. It was just too much to fathom, the fact of what actually happened. I know that Sarah wouldn’t want us to be super upset. I kept that in my mind and tried to stay as positive as I could. I

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Sarah on her wedding day, September 25th, 2010 in Squamish, BC. PHOTOS: BLAKE JORGENSON

I can ramble for a while about Sarah. It’s not very hard. That girl. I feel like I’ve had a guardian angel this whole time; she’s been looking out for me. Sarah. We miss her. I miss her.

did what Sarah would do in the opposite situation; that’s basically how I made all my decisions. It was hard just seeing the pain in Sarah’s mom and dad’s eyes, but they were amazing. I love them. We knew we weren’t leaving the hospital with Sarah. The fact that we were married, all of a sudden gave me all this—I had to make decisions. It was really hard.

It was amazing having people around for support. I could go in and get distracted by all these awesome people. Sarah has so many good friends who were there.

My family was there and so many other people came to offer their support. Having Riley and Trennon kicking around... those guys helped me out a lot. If I was there alone, I really don’t know if I’d be in the same place I am now, that’s for sure.

I think Sarah would want us to remember her for just how she took care of people.

She was just an angel. She went out of her way all the time to help other people,

whether they were her friends or total strangers. That’s what I remember about Sarah most. And the fact that she’s a total badass, way tougher than anyone I’ve ever met.

She’d go so out of her way for other people’s stokedness, and at the same time she’d be baking cookies, cooking dinner, sending emails to the Olympic committee or X Games. She just did so much, I don’t know how she packed it all into the day. I’d wake up in the morning, and she’d already have done all these things. I’d ask, “Want to go biking, Sarah?” It’s like, “OK, but then I’ve got to go up to Whistler. I’ve got these meetings. But we should meet up for dinner, then we’ll go to a movie.”

She had her priorities so straight. I learned a lot from Sarah, and I still am.

She keeps giving to me in so many ways.

When an ember from a fire gets cold, the

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heat doesn’t disappear. It just goes into another form. And I believe her energy is somewhere good. She was an organ donor, and I got something in the mail a while ago that said she saved a couple of people with her organs.

She was so good at speaking without words. I can pick so many things that she would do, I didn’t even understand at the time.

Now as I grow and learn, I start to understand things.

She had such a good outlook on life. What would she say to us now?

She’d say not to be sad and to celebrate her life and not to let fear get in the way of your dreams. Get as bad as you can while you’re here. That’s what she’d say, I think. That’s what she said to me.

— RORY BUSHFIELD: Husband

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Lights. Camera. Action. Sarah right at home on the center stage at Winter X Games 13 in 2009. PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

LEADING THE CHARGE

How Sarah’s Olympic Dreams Made the Difference WORDS: CHRISTOPHER JERARD

Sarah Burke was a leader, innovator and inspiration by the time she was 17 years old.

By 20, she was one of the most well-established icons in our sport, male or female. Before she had a single X Games medal—because the girls were not yet included in the X Games—she was already a household name.

But the state of affairs in women’s freeskiing did not sit well with Sarah. No X Games? She wanted to change things, not just collect a check after winning a smaller contest. So she led a group of girls who pushed beyond the realms of filming and media attention in an effort to be included alongside the guys in the top-level events.

When I was the publisher of Freeskier, Sarah would call or email the office regularly with her updates on women’s skiing and how the magazine should have been doing more to help advance opportunities for girls. She was always charming, informed and so incredibly persistent and persuasive—and disarming with her total lack of selfishness. The discussion was never about her in the X Games, it was always about her peers and the necessity of holding legitimate toplevel competitions for girls. Frankly, it is extremely rare to receive a call from an athlete lobbying for other athletes or for a larger vision. That was Sarah.

to Aspen to prove they deserved a full-on comp.

It was added the next year in 2005. From that year on, Sarah was my go-to person for anything women’s freeskiing (and men’s for that matter).”

Sarah had begun contacting Schuster to get a women’s comp at Winter X, but only a few years later, it was Schuster contacting Sarah to get some “honest feedback and insight.”

Sarah was one of skiing’s biggest nonOlympic stars, but deep down, she wanted to be an Olympian. Her coach, Trennon Paynter, comments, “She always wanted to see the sport in the Olympics, and she wanted to go. Gord [Sarah’s father] often told me, from way, way, way back, when someone would ask her, ‘What are you going to do when you grow up?’ she

succeeded at getting girls in the X Games. She used that as inspiration to start talking to the right people to get the sport into the Olympics.

She was a founding board member of the AFP, and the AFP used her influence to talk to the right people and work the cause. We couldn’t have done it without Sarah.”

Along the way, Sarah’s Olympic vision and competitive drive was undeterred, even in the face of disappointments. The 2010 IOC decision to deny halfpipe in Vancouver stands out. “She was upset,” explains Paynter. “We were all very upset.

More than anything, we all knew it should have been in the Olympics, and we all knew it would be in eventually. It was frustrating for everyone, especially for Sarah. There were questions for her after that, ‘Do I really want to keep going?

I’ve been doing this for 10 plus years. Do I want to go another six?’ Sarah was all about, ‘How can I change it? How do we get it in?’ Just 20 minutes away from the Olympic pipe in her hometown, definitely the favorite at that time, coming off all the titles at the time... that was a bitch.”

The 2014 games will be Sarah’s Olympics for all of us, without a doubt.

Chris Schuster, president of the Association of Freeskiing Professionals and longtime X Games ski organizer, was also at the receiving end of these calls. “At that time, there were still just a few events out there that had a women’s comp, and at some of the other events Sarah would just compete with the guys,” he says. “And if she couldn’t compete, she would still come to the events to support the guys and to talk to the promoters to make sure we understood that she was serious. She was relentless, in a good way.”

would say, ‘I’m going to go to the Olympics!’”

When rumors about including halfpipe in the Olympics started surfacing after the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, “She fought for it, man,” says Bushfield. “It was a life goal for Sarah. She wanted to be an Olympian. There was even a season, before [halfpipe skiing] got in, that she was trying to learn to snowboard to go. She could have done that too.”

Her husband, Rory Bushfield, agrees that she was persuasive and amiable at the same time, “She always had the perfect wording for things.

She’d make you see from another perspective. It wasn’t manipulative in any way. No put down in her words. But she could convince you that you were wrong without making it feel wrong. And [laughs] you’d happily be wrong with Sarah.”

Sarah’s determination as an athlete was matched by her resolve to make halfpipe an Olympic event. Bushfield elaborates, “There were a ton of [athletes] who wanted it in and they really didn’t do fuck-all. She used her power really well. And she helped make that happen. It was hard for me to see that before, being so close to her, but now it’s like, damn, that’s pretty huge, getting a sport into the Olympics.”

Sarah’s friends and fellow athletes pushed too, but just like on the hill, they followed her.

Even if they didn’t realize it at first. Schuster remembers Sarah and her cohorts capturing attention at an X Games exhibition, “In 2004, we had the girls at Winter X for a demo event. Sarah provided me with the names of a handful of the top women riders in the world and they came

Sarah’s agent and AFP co-founder Michael Spencer agrees. “The fact that we got [halfpipe] in for 2014 has a lot to do with Sarah,” he says.

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But of course, Sarah took the high road and found a way to smile through the disappointment.

“I know it was harder on her than she would have ever let show, but that is why Sarah was so special,” says Spencer. “She could still celebrate a friend’s victory [Torah Bright] and never show any bitterness that she should have been there too. She also knew she was getting older, so 2014 was it for her.

That is the most frustrating. You dominate a sport, finally after eight years it gets in and you have missed the chance to be in three or four games. Not fair for someone who most likely could have won two or three gold medals.”

Some of Sarah’s closest friends attest to how focused she had become for 2014—her dream of being an Olympian so close to becoming a reality. Paynter recounts stories of how she was turning down sponsor engagements, Hollywood appearances and starting to say no to huge opportunities with a giggle and a smile, something she had never been great at in the past. She was always stretching herself thin, never wanting to disappoint and trying to accommodate all the demands in her life. But the focus had shifted. “Her final and ultimate competitive skiing goal was the Olympics,” says Paynter. “She will be a huge presence at the 2014 games. She will be there.”

The 2014 games will be Sarah’s Olympics for all of us, without a doubt.

Sarah puts down a monster 360 in Timberline, OR on a Freeskier women’s shoot in August, 2009. PHOTO: NATE ABBOTT

How Sarah led with perseverance, talent and a smile

Words: Kristi Leskinen

In the winter of 1999-’00, Sarah Burke was making her name in freeskiing in Canada while I was doing the same in the States. Freeskiing and twin-tip skis were brand new concepts, yet even then her reputation preceded her. At that time, I knew Sarah only as “that girl from Canada who can do 1080s.” Those who had seen us both touted us as rivals, and there was great anticipation for our first meeting.

Thankfully, it turned out that Sarah and I quickly became allies, rather than rivals, in advancing our sport. She went on to become one of freeskiing’s most decorated athletes, one of women’s sports biggest and brightest stars and one of my best friends.

We first met in the summer of 2000 in Whistler, BC, and at that time we didn’t know of any other girls involved in the sport. Perhaps as a result, we bonded quickly. Yes, we had amazing times pushing each other, but more significantly we found common ground sharing the frustrations that came with being a girl in what was then exclusively a man’s sport.

Hanging out and traveling with the boys was a lot of fun, but I found a sister in Sarah, and I quickly realized how extraordinary she was. We moved in together in Mammoth the following season and have spent every year since trying to help develop women’s freeskiing into what it is today.

In those early days, there were no women’s divisions at competitions and no girls in ski videos.

Women weren’t invited to competitions because there weren’t enough participants, but equally true, there weren’t enough participants because

there weren’t any competitions. Sarah and I sent letters to contest organizers, we grew the field by encouraging other women and we pled with our sponsors to push the competitions to include women. When we showed up at competitions, we were often offered forerunning spots, usually early in the morning, long before any spectators arrived.

As contests began to include us, we were thrown in only as time allowed. We often spent the entire day on call without getting the chance to compete, or skied first thing or just before the sun went down.

As more women entered the field, we demanded more attention, and in 2005 we got our first shot at the X Games and Gravity Games.

Over the next few years, Sarah dominated the competition scene. She was always the girl to beat.

It’s said that it’s much easier to get on top than it is to stay on top, but Sarah stayed there throughout her career. Although talented, it was not talent alone that kept her there. Her bravery and determination made her tough to beat. No one wanted it more, worked at it harder or ever got up from bigger crashes. No matter the circumstances, the injury or who was asking, she would always reply, “I’m fine.”

More remarkably, she’d say it with a genuine smile.

She had an ability to smile no matter the situation.

In victory or defeat, she’d smile, then go home to be the life and soul of whatever party she could find.

Another obstacle Sarah and I tackled was the lack of women’s prize money. While the men were taking home purses of up to $20,000, the women’s purses were rarely more than $2,000. No one was tougher or braver than Sarah, but she was also savvy. She knew that credibility would only come with accomplishment, and that the only way to get [ 2012 |

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fair treatment was to prove we were deserving. She certainly achieved that. Maybe she just loved to ski, but when the time came to compete she had an amazing ability to set aside frustration and injustice and win an event with grace and, of course, a smile. In 2008, with the support of the Women’s Sports Foundation, women skiers at the X Games finally took home the same prize money as the men.

Though in 2011 we were still working on equal inclusion in the Winter Dew Tour, Sarah never let the slow pace of change get her down.

Her strength of character and perseverance were simply unmatched. If I could garner some of her qualities, I would choose her ability to overcome frustrations, to be grateful for every opportunity and to always have a smile, even when she’d rather not.

She loved what she did, and she made that obvious to people around her. No one was more likable. She ought to be remembered by every freeskiing athlete at the 2014 Olympics who surely owe her a debt of gratitude because without her, freeskiing would not be there.

The last time I saw Sarah was with Kaya Turski over dinner in December in Breckenridge. The three of us started by talking about the company that Sarah and Kaya dreamed of starting. Then the chat progressed, and we spent the rest of the evening scheming over the next step in bettering the sport. We discussed the results of a survey of slopestyle skiers that Sarah and Kaya had helped me develop and what the results could mean for the sport’s next generation of women. After all of her accomplishments over her 13 years on top of the sport, Sarah was still passionate and always dreaming of ways to make the sport better.

September 3, 1982

Sarah Jean Burke is born in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

Winter 1987 1998-1999

All the time spent in the bumps when she was younger pays off and Sarah competes in moguls and upright aerials on the Horseshoe Valley team.

Sarah learns to ski and loves spending time at Horseshoe Valley, Ontario—especially in the trees and bumps—with her older sister and dad.

Winter 1999-2000 Spring 2000

Sarah enters her first big air competition in Le Relais, Quebec. She is the only female out of 22 competitors.

Salomon adds Sarah to its sponsorship roster while she is competing in Junior Nationals in moguls.

Spring 2000 Winter 2000-01

Leaving moguls, Sarah travels to every contest possible and foreruns X Games big air.

Captured on film by Michael Crichton, Sarah lands her first 1080 in Ste. Sauveur, Quebec, helping Sarah’s name spread through the ski industry.

Fall 2001

January 2005

X Games 9 adds women’s superpipe, where Sarah takes home a silver medal.

Sarah scores her first film segment with Poor Boyz for the company’s film, The Game. With the exposure from the movie and X Games, Sarah receives the ESPN Action Sports and Music Award for Female Skier of the Year.

March 2005 September 2006

Sarah takes home gold at the first-ever FIS Halfpipe World Championships in Ruka, Finland.

Sarah signs with Roxy for outerwear, skis and lifestyle clothing.

January 2007 July 2007

Sarah wins an ESPY for Female Action Sports Athlete of the Year.

She was the first—and only—skier to be awarded an ESPY and walked the red carpet at the Kodak Theater with fellow Roxy athlete Torah Bright.

January 2010

Women’s ski slopestyle makes its X Games debut, after a yearslong fight with sport organizers. During her contest run, Sarah crashes and breaks her back, knocking her out of contention for the season.

Sarah wins her first X Games gold medal in the superpipe.

January 2009

Sarah wins her third consecutive X Games gold medal in superpipe, becoming the first female skier to three-peat, and the only superpipe female to do so.

September 2010

Sarah marries her longtime boyfriend, Rory Bushfield, in a ceremony held in their hometown of Squamish, British Columbia.

January 2011

After coming back from an injury-plagued 2010 season, Sarah returns to the top of the X Games podium, becoming the only female skier to win four gold medals at Winter X Games Aspen.

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January 2012

Sarah suffers a crash in the superpipe at Park City, Utah, while training. She suffers a torn vertebral artery leading to intercranial hemorrhaging. Sarah succumbed to her injuries nine days later, on January 19, 2012.

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Sarah had a way to make you feel as if you had been long-time friends, who were just picking up where they left off. I will always remember the way Sarah could warm a room with just her presence, and the way every person felt close to her, no matter if they were or not.

—Jessica Mendoza, professional softball player, two-time Olympic medalist

Every once in a while a star crosses our path and brightens our journey. For us, Sarah Burke was one of those stars. She made her mark on and off the slopes and in and out of sports, and she left so many with a smile on their face and spark in their heart. Her tireless work to get her sport included in the Olympics will forever be a big part of her legacy. She really made a difference in this world, and Two years ago, Gretchen Bleiler and I were we were all so blessed at Park City trying to learn some new tricks to have had such a trail- before X Games. One of our last days, we went up and the weather was terrible. Just blazer in our lives. as Gretchen and I were about to call it and —Billie Jean King, professional tennis player and founder of Women’s Sports Foundation & Ilana Kloss, professional tennis player

Sarah was the most beautiful and kind person I’ve had the chance to meet. Her smile could light up a mountain. We got to teach young freestylers how to prepare for an event, and we had some really funny laughs when her 12-year-old camper fell and started crying. She said, “That’s not going to get you very far in skiing.” She was tough, gorgeous and definitely not a crybaby. We miss you Sarah, and we will try not to cry when we fall down.

—Ellery Hollingsworth, professional snowboarder

Sarah was such an amazing and understanding person. I had the pleasure of working with her on a number of photoshoots for Smith over the years. No matter how crazy our ideas were, she was open to try anything.

We invaded her condo in Whistler, shot her all over Aspen, threw her in a studio for days on end, and she always had a smile on her face. I’ll never forget that smile.

—Danny Kass, professional snowboarder, Olympic medalist

It wasn’t just the smile that drew you to Sarah; it was everything she held behind it. The need to make those around her smile, to chase their dreams without taking no for an answer. The love and appreciation she had for the friends she had, and continuously making time for new ones.

I feel so very lucky for all of the laughs, love, lectures and adventures with her over the years. Any regular day with Sarah was an opportunity for moments to be made. All of which we treasure so dearly now, as they continue to inspire us to take joy in the little things and make the ordinary extraordinary.

—Jessica Nicks, friend

—Jeff Bartel, co-founder of Nemo

I will always remember fondly Sarah’s vibrant personality and funloving attitude—she always lit up the room.

The world has lost a great person, role model and pioneer for women’s sports.

—Michelle Kwan, two-time Olympic medalist figure skater

PHOTOS: BLAKE JORGENSON

head home, we saw Sarah. The weather didn’t stop her; she was doing 900s with legit style. That was just one of the times that Sarah inspired me, and now I still think of her whenever the weather is crappy and I need to get it done.

Sarah, there is not a day that passes that you are not on my mind. It’s hard to believe you are gone from this Earth, however, I know you will eternally be here with me and with all of us. You lived life to the fullest, never took no for an answer and did all of this with a big, beautiful smile on your face.

You have inspired and taught me so much: to be patient and kind, to smile often, to try new things, to live for today and, above all, to make every moment count. You will be forever in my heart. I love you and miss you so much.

—Jessica Vander Kooij, friend

Sarah was one of those people who was always friendly, no matter what. I think I speak for everyone when I say that she had one of those smiles that brightened the room and made your day that much better.

—Louie Vito, professional snowboarder, Olympian

I met Sarah at an X Games qualifier up on the glacier at Whistler years ago. We were both about 16 at the time and Sarah won doing a 1080 while I won the men’s contest just doing a variation on a 720. To me, that epitomized Sarah’s ability on skis.

I had the pleasure of going on a couple unforgettable trips with Sarah. Not your average trips for a female— heli and sled access trips— when it’s easy for anyone to bite off more than they can chew. Sarah never once flinched. Even when she crashed and tomahawked down an entire face, she would get back up and rebate it. She was a great person to travel with, and I can’t even begin to imagine how many people’s lives she touched. Sarah is missed.

Sarah Burke makes me proud to be a skier and a human.

I feel immeasurably lucky to have been able to spend time with her, and she is and will always be an incredible inspiration in sports and life. She was the type of person it could be easy for others to be jealous of—gorgeous, talented, fashionable, funny, intelligent and had boundless energy—but with Sarah, jealousy wasn’t possible because she was truly kind and good-hearted. Sarah always made everyone feel included, sharing in her light and that something special that only she possessed. Some things in the world are just not fair or right, and losing Sarah is one of those. But we can be thankful that we had her, she was here and she changed the world for the better.

—Ingrid Backstrom, professional skier

Back in 2000, the Level 1 rookie crew rallied up to Mont Ste-Marie, QC, for one of our first private park shoots where we were joined by some of the local freestyle kids in sessioning a jump.

-Josh Bibby, Luke Van Valin

In the years to follow, she moved on to become the singular dominant force in women’s skiing, using her talents, her drive and her smile to inspire her contemporaries, both men and women; push the sport as few others have; and open doors for the next generation to follow in her footsteps.

—Eric Pollard, professional skier

Sarah was one of the most fun and infectious people I’ve ever known. And as a result, when she was around you were always having fun. She taught me quite a few things: to smile more, to make the most of every situation, to enjoy the people around me and to work my ass off for things I believe in.

I’ll cherish the memories and try and live up to such an awesome person and make her proud, whether on the slopes, on an adventure or on the dance floor.

Miss you Burke. You’ll always be in my thoughts and heart.

—Riley Leboe, professional skier

One particularly enthused newcomer continued to crash 1080s, charging harder than anyone in our crew. On one of the rougher tumbles, her helmet popped off and a head full of now-visible long blonde hair made it clear that this was not just another one of the guys.

This was our introduction to the cherub-faced 16-year-old Sarah Burke, who picked herself back up and proceeded to stomp that 10 on her next attempt.

—Josh Berman, founder of Level 1 Productions

Sarah lit up any room she was in. She was the angel of the ski industry, and we all miss her presence.

—Jossi Wells, professional skier

Often times professional skiers talk about what they can do. Sarah didn’t. That’s what made her shine. She never talked about the tricks she was doing. She just went out there and did it and was always a step above.

Sarah became the best all-around female skier on the planet over the past few years. She revolutionized women’s skiing and still stands on top of the pedestal.

—Chris O’Connell, photographer and co-founder of Armada

One of the many great qualities about Sarah is that she worked so hard.

She just would not give up. She always had a smile and loved what she did. For her it was not about the money or fame, she wanted to land the trick for herself, to feel the accomplishment that came with doing it.

—Steve Winter, co-founder of Matchstick Productions

Sarah was one of those people I would always try to be more like. She was such an amazing combination of talent, drive and humility.

Her talent is one thing very few people have, but that, mixed with being an amazing human being off the snow, made her something extremely special.

—Dana Flahr, professional skier

Sarah inspired so many women to make a difference in sports and in the world.

She did everything in life with a good attitude and that amazing smile. She showed the world that a girl can be both a badass athlete and a lady. The way that she skied and innovated for her sport inspired me to want to do the same. She was a huge factor in one of the biggest nights of my life and biggest moments of my career. She gave me the encouraging words and inspiration to make history in my sport just like she did so many times for hers.

I will always love her, always be inspired by her, always remember her radiant, infectious smile and always tell her story to empower women of all ages through my lifetime.

—Amber Stackhouse, team manager, Roxy

-Jan Phelan

—Lyn-z Adams Hawkins Pastrana, professional skateboarder

Sarah was the reason I followed my dreams. She made me realize that my dreams could become a reality. She was the best role model that I could have had. Her humble character was a precious gift to the ski community and the world.

—Michelle Parker, professional skier

It’s still hard to understand that Sarah is no longer with us. Her spirit was so big and her accomplishments so inspiring that she will never really be gone. As a person, she was gracious, giving, funny and kind-hearted. As an athlete, she had the raw talent and natural grace to motivate everyone to be better, from spectators to up-andcomers to seasoned pros; everyone wanted to be like Sarah. And as a Roxy team rider, Sarah, by just being herself, helped to define the company and bring more meaning to what the brand is all about.

Thank you for making the world a better place, Sarah!

-Gord Burke

Sarah was the queen of our time in skiing. She will always be the example for all to follow, as a classy and humble champion, an innovator of our sport, a wonderful person on and off the hill, as a beautiful person inside and out, and absolutely one of my favorite skiers of all time. My family loves Sarah, and I will cherish the memories of filming together, laughing together, and watching her become the best freestyle skier of all time and one hell of a champion! Thanks for all you’ve done for skiing.

—Johnny Decesare, founder of Poor Boyz Productions

I always felt a certain bond with Sarah throughout my career. I always admired and looked up to her and how she carried herself throughout her career. Not only was she incredibly naturally talented and oozed style in everything that she did, but what always impressed me and stood out more than anything was that she was one of the hardest workers out there, but in a smart way. In watching Sarah, I saw a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it.

Sarah was a stud, leading the charge in her sport for 10 years. If I’ve learned anything from her passing, it’s that nothing is guaranteed. And that is why I think Sarah would tell all of us to keep going, keep waking up early to land those tricks we’ve been dreaming of, but only if it’s done with 100-percent passion, pure fire, discipline and commitment.

—Gretchen Bleiler, professional snowboarder, Olympic medalist

Sarah was one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. I saw her hike the pipe for hours when she was learning new tricks and crash repeatedly, but she wouldn’t give up until she stomped the trick, no matter how long it took. Watching her push herself every day on the hill really influenced us— it made us better.

—Justin Dorey, professional skier

PHOTOS: BLAKE JORGENSON

I will always miss Sarah—forever—personally and professionally, as my teammate, neighbor, inspiration and friend. Sarah believed in the strength of women, especially female freeskiers. She did so much to have us included at the highest levels and to encourage more females to step up. This past year I was even more proud to be part of the female freeskiing community. Sarah’s legacy could be seen in the progression of so many “personal bests” and attempts to push the boundaries throughout the year, even though our hearts were very heavy with grief. We all will continue to honor her by pushing ourselves, progressing and encouraging others to do the same. Each in our own way, we paid tribute to the fact that while Sarah always wanted to win, she was never stingy with praise and encouragement. I think that if one day female freeskiers receive a closer-to-equal level of inclusion, respect and attention, it will be one of the ultimate tributes to Sarah. She started it by speaking out for all of us, and she believed it would happen one day.

Sarah was a person who touched many a life without wanting anything in return. The one thing I remember most about her—besides the ability to take really hard slams, get back up and shake it off—was her impetuous smile. Her smile would sometimes appear out of nowhere and like fire, catch anyone in its path. It made you want to smile back. You could see its sincerity, a smile without reservations, care or thought. It’s a smile that will forever be etched in my and so many others’ memories.

Thank you Sarah.

—Pep Fujas, professional skier

—Rosalind Groenewoud, professional skier

Sarah had an unbelievable ability to motivate people and elevate their spirits. She wasn’t afraid to let you know if she thought you were blowing it.

She always helped me make proper decisions and make the most of things. If you’re having a shitty day, think of her, and Sarah had this very genuine vibe it will cheer you up. to her that made everyone feel —Fergie Cancade, athlete marketing manager, Red Bull Canada

For me, it’s as simple as this: Sarah had the amazing capability to light up the world around her. Because of her I believe that anything is possible and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her.

For that, I am eternally grateful.

—Kaya Turski, professional skier

Sarah always knew when it was time to get down to business but also when it was time to relax and enjoy the sport. With Sarah, it was hard to tell when she was relaxing or gearing up because her smile was the same.

She had pure enjoyment and love for the sport and everyone around her.

That will never be forgotten. From the first day I met her in 2000, she had a certain aura about her that words cannot describe. It was something you felt in her presence that put a smile on anyone’s face.

—Peter Olenick, professional skier

Sarah had a big smile and a kind hug for me every time I saw her.

She was a continuous source of inspiration to me, whether it was hearing about her adventures with Rory or reading about her continuous battles to make people and events give female skiers the respect they deserved. Sarah challenged me, even if it wasn’t directly. The way she lived her life so fully continues to inspire me to this day; to live more, love more, laugh more and dance much, much harder. She was one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known, and I am so grateful to have had her in my life.

—Spencer O’Brien, professional snowboarder

I don’t really know what words to say that would do Sarah justice. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I owe her my whole life. She was my biggest -Rory Bushfield competition, she motivated me, she encouraged me and she taught me. The greatest lessons I have learned comfortable and happy around in life, I learned from observing Sarah. Pour yourself into what her. I feel like she was an angel sent to Earth to inspire us to be you love to do, work hard, play hard, believe in yourself and better people. It is so sad that she isn’t with us anymore in believe in your dreams. All I person, but she planted so much can do now is ski for Sarah and greatness while she was here that hope to make her proud.

we will feed from her glowing energy forever. Thank you Sarah.

You sure made it count and are forever loved. Rest in peace.

—Marie-France Roy, professional snowboarder

—Jen Hudak, professional skier

Freeskier (ISSN 1522-1527) is published six times a year: Buyer’s Guide, October, November, December, January and February by Storm Mountain Publishing Company, PO Box 789, Niwot, CO 80544-0789. Subscription rates in the U.S. are $9.95 for one year (6 issues). In Canada, $29.95 (includes 7% GST); other foreign $39.95 payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals postage paid at Niwot, CO and additional mailing offices (USPS# 024094). Standard postage paid at St. Cloud, MN (USPS #65). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Freeskier, PO Box 469024, Escondido, CA 92046

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