Athlete Feature: Sam Putnam

It’s good to know your local move makers and earth shakers.  Meet Sam Putnam, a Hartland, VT native who’s absolutely killing the east coast freeskiing scene with his smooth style on jumps and creativity on rails and boxes.  I recently met with Sam to discuss the online skiing community, the ski film industry, and the rapid growth of the sport:

WG: The online skiing community is bigger than ever. Is it helping the sport grow or just creating a generation of young internet junkies?

SP: Newschoolers.com, “skiing’s online community,” has reached 138,000 members since its creation in 1999. Rails to Riches, arguably the most prestigious rail event in the United States, now uses online registration for a good portion of its field. These spots are taken with two minutes of registration opening. The sport is definitely growing at a ridiculous pace, and it’s safe to say Newschoolers is playing a big part. However, I also agree that the site (and other internet sites) are creating a generation of internet junkies. There seems to be more and more “hate” on NS and less thoughtful critiques. Those with the highest post count tend to be not so great skiers themselves. Without NS, freesking would be hurting, but more kids would be doing their homework and getting outside as well.

WG: How have your promo videos been received? Have they been helping you so far?

SP: Edits that I have posted myself have been well received, but there is definitely some resistance to “Andy Parry” style sort of tricks (tricks in which the skier grips a rail on one leg, with the other on the side of the rail, as opposed to simple 180 degree switch ups). I have certainly networked with a lot of new kids in the community who I otherwise would never have met had they not seen a video with me in it. My edits stand out in that I am trying to focus on new jib tricks, rather than just the most “afterbanged” spin trick. Unfortunately, with the community growing so rapidly, there are more and more videos uploaded each day. Hurried, thrown together edits can bump a carefully planned spot off the video page within a day, meaning less people will have seen it. However, as myself and others keep contributing thoughtful edits, our names begin to get recognized and our contributions demand more respect and ratings.

WG: Ever since Jon Olsson’s Kangaroo Flip, Olenick’s Whiskey Flip, and PK Hunder’s Double Cork, I’ve felt like everything’s been done. Is there anything else left to do but just keep adding rotations to a spin? How else can skiers push the envelope?

SP: In the air, yes, new tricks are harder to come by, and progression will probably move in the direction of smoother landings, more unique grabs, and possibly new take-offs (i.e. Adam Delorme’s buttered take-offs). However, on jibs, the possibilities seem endless. Different rails (park and urban) make some tricks more difficult, while making new, creative tricks more feasible. The Traveling Circus video series with Will Wesson and Andy Parry has opened up a new realm of jib-related tricks, many of which can be performed at your tiny, local ski hill, or even at your town recreation park.

WG: Footage in big name productions such as PoorBoyz, Level 1, and Matchstick has become a bit repetitive.  What can filmmakers do to ensure they don’t lose audience interest?

SP: Aside from bringing more park tricks to the backcountry, I believe these film companies should try to involve small, local ski hills in their films to involve a larger community of skiers and make kids realize that they don’t have to fly to Alaska or Colorado (not environmentally or financially friendly) to progress their skiing. Creativity and style will take precedent over technicality.

WG: What are your plans for the rest of the 2010 season?

SP: I will be focusing on stirring up the east coast scene as much as possible; I focus on meeting new newschoolers, skiing different New England mountains, and putting together video parts to highlight new tricks, local mountains and shops, or just good times.  The east coast ski scene, linked together by “Ski The East” and the “Meathead” movies, holds some of the most dedicated, talented skiers I have ever met.

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Sam currently rides for Colorado Ski Shop, West Springfield, MA, and JAQK Apparel.  Look out for him on your local New England mountain (esp. Killington), and, only after you’ve spent the day shredding in the beautiful outdoors, plop down in front of a computer and peep his VIDEOS.

This interview has been edited and condensed.  The viewpoints expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, JAQK Apparel, or jaqkapparel.com.

Videos by Sam Putnam.