“I think I might have been seventeen and still competing as a Junior. I got third in the New Zeeland Nationals in the open Men’s category – and there were guys that had won events in Europe and North America and I was just behind them. And I was like ‘huh?’. Because I was doing Slopestyle and Halfpipe…I was doing everything ’cause it was all new and it was all fun. But I think it was about then that I thought that I might be a little better at this than just…spinning like a tarp.”

In the nineteenth episode of the Husky International series I sit down with freeskier Sam Smoothy that I met up with after he attended the opening of a new The North Face brand store in Stockholm.

We talk about growing up in Lake Wanaka, New Zeeland, about his Outdoor loving family with a father who traveled the world to go climbing. We talk about how Sam got into skiing and what made him stay. About discovering freesking, about getting sponsored and how he started competing in the Freeride World Tour. About Skiing in North Korea where Sam made the movie North Korean Chronicles, about filming with the famous Teton Gravity Research crew for their new movie Tight Loose, celebrating TGR:s 21st birthday. And finally; if you Google “Sam Smoothy” you will read about his winning line in the FWT stop in Vallnord, Andorra, that has been namned one of, if not THE, raddest line in the FWT.

If you like this interview please check out the rest of the Husky International series such as an interview with freeskier Jackie Paaso, with american runner Max King, with The North Face athletes David Göttler, Jez Bragg and Simone Moro, with Gary Fischer, or Lebanese adventurer Maxime Chaya.

Please subscribe to the podcast Husky, or the Husky International series, in your favourite podcast app. If you are using acast you will be rewarded with pictures, links and videos while listening to the interview.

Husky is produced in cooperation with Lundhags.

Original photo © Mickey Ross

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