Season Preview With Bobby Brown

At just 19 years old, Bobby Brown has stood on top of some of the biggest podiums in the Freeskiing world. A native of Breckenridge, Colorado, Brown spent his formative years balancing skiing and school until he was able to graduate early, allowing him to shift all of his focus to becoming one of the best freeskiers of his generation. With the Nike Open just days away, we caught up with Bobby to get his thoughts on everything from being a Dew Cup Champion to pre-skiing rituals.

 

What makes your home resort of Breckenridge such a special place to ski?
The Park is unreal. The people behind the park and resort know what they are doing and are always pushing the level to step everything up. Every year there are new features that are bigger and better than the year before. When I show up in the morning everything is already in perfect condition and ready to session.

Does the first stop of the Dew Tour being held at Breckenridge give you an advantage over the competition?
Yeah for sure. This is the resort I have grown up riding, so It allows me to completely stay in my comfort zone. Makes the contest feel like its just another day in the park lapping with my friends.

Bobby sending it deep in Breckenridge

What is going to be the biggest challenge in becoming a back-to-back Dew Cup Champion?
I just need to forget about last year and ski like its any other contest. I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on myself.

Where do you see the evolution of Freeskiing and tricks going in the future?
Tricks are getting wild. There are definitely a lot of really technical tricks coming out, but I see our sport going into a more style focused space. Taking the tricks you already have and making them look really smooth and fluid.

What process do you go through in learning new tricks?
Every trick is a progression from the trick before. You just have to build up to it. If you have the lead up trick dialed then stepping up to the more difficult trick should be easy.

Bobby proved to be an unstoppable force on the slopestyle course in the 2010/11 Winter Dew Tour

What went through your mind before attempting the Triple?
Nothing really! I didn’t want to psych myself out so I just tried to get to the top of the in-run and instantly drop in. I was for sure a little scared though (laughs).

Can we expect to see anything new in your arsenal of tricks this season?
Yeah for sure. I have been working on a few different double variations i would really like to bring to the Dew Tour.

What tricks are going to put skiers on the podium this winter?
Unnatural spinning tricks. Its hard enough to do certain tricks the normal way you spin, but to do the the opposite direction is really difficult.

How do you successfully balance competing and filming?
It is sometimes a struggle, but skiing is skiing, so it really is always fun. It’s all about laying out your season and prioritizing your time so you can get as much done as possible in a season which is surprisingly short. May rolls around and you really have no clue how it got there so fast ha.

Bobby on top of the podium in Killington

How is Freeskiing Slopestyle in the next Olympics going to affect the level of competition this year?
This year’s level was going to be crazy regardless if slope was Olympics. I’m looking forward to see how it unfolds.

Who are your heroes in skiing?
Tanner Hall, TJ Shiller, Pep Fujas. These guys are legends and I have looked up to them since I started skiing. They are driven and absolutely destroy everything they do.

Do you have any pre-skiing rituals?
Pretty Simple. Turn my iPod on, eat a good breakfast, stretch, call my dad for some inspirational words and then…listen to some more music…Loud.

What are some of your best memories in skiing?
Hitting Breck’s “Freeway” jumps for the first time with my friend WIll. It was the most insane feeling floating through the air on those jumps. We were so pumped the rest of the day.

Be sure to tune in to NBC’s live broadcast of Freeski Slopestyle Finals, Sunday, December 18th 4:00pm – 6:00pm ET as Bobby defends his Dew Cup Champions title. View the full Nike Open TV Schedule HERE