Born in Anchorage, AK, Armstrong began skiing at age two. Over the years his resume has grown to include a number of impressive first descents, from Chamonix, France; to the remote backcountry of Mongolia and China. "I aspire to do long mountain range traverses in obscure countries, making first descents of virgin peaks for weeks at a time," says Armstrong. Dubbed by the local Jackson crowd as "Sick Rick," he is the first person to have both skied and snowboarded the Teton Range of Wyoming, the mountains that he calls home. Armstrong can be seen in over 20 ski and snowboard films and countless magazine photos.
Pro-Skier
Age: 30
Sponsors: Rossignol Skis, O'Neill, Scott USA, Life-Link, Swany, Mt. Bachelor, Jackson Hole
Home Mountain: I ski Jackson Hole for steeps, and Mt. Bachelor for jumps.
There are two words that describe Shroder's skiing. Full package. If he is not hiking to his favorite lines in Jackson Hole, you can find him building kickers in the backcountry, or sessioning rails at his favorite park. originally from Eugene, Shroder spent several years in Bend before moving to Colorado to compete in free-skiing comps. After a brief stint in the contest circuit, he realized that it was beat and that he just wanted to ski blower all the time. Shroder's ski buddies are Jason Tattersal, Jason Prigge, Josh Dirksen, Marcus Egge,and Jason McAlister.
Magazine coverage: Powder, Freeze, Skiing, Ski.
Films with: TGR.
For A.J., there's no mountain too steep, no sport too difficult, and certainly no limit for any female who is willing to take the challenge. "Not being afraid and taking the challenge is the most rewarding of all," believes Cargill. "Taking the challenge feels better, even if you don't succeed. " So far she only knows what it's like to take the challenge and succeed. A.J. was first in the IAFA World Extreme Skiing Final Standings, First in the Big Mt. Extreme tour, North American Extreme Championships, at Kirkwood, 2nd in the Big Mt. Extreme Tour, 2nd in the World Extreme Skiing Championships in Valdez, AK, just to name a few.
Doug Coombs
It is with great sadness to report that Doug Coombs died while skiing in LaGrave, France on April 3, 2006. Doug defined our Pro Staff. Brilliantly talented and driven by the simple love of skiing with friends. His endless energy and enthusiasm, stories of adventure and motivating style will be sorely missed. He always inspired us, both to create better gear, and to live our own lives to the fullest- all of us here will strive to do both. Our hearts are with his wife Emily and son David Douglas.
Skiing has been the center of my life since I learned in New England in the 1960s.
After ski racing in college in Montana, it was a natural transition for me to go to the Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming, where I began to guide professionally in 1986. Years of ski mountaineering adventures taught me the skills to handle steep and difficult terrain confidently and safely. I've skied in far-flung places such as Kyrgyzstan, South America, Europe, and the New Zealand Alps.
My wife Emily and I founded Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide in 1993 to offer world class adventures to experienced skiers and snowboarders amid some of the most stunning mountains on earth. Our travels had revealed the perfect sites: La Grave, France and Verbier, Switzerland. These regions offer some of the finest adventure skiing anywhere. Additionally, they are ideal environments in which to teach off-piste/steep skiing.
Education, while skiing the most exciting terrain imaginable, is our goal. Our dream is to take you skiing in awe-inspiring places; our reward is to help you make memories that will last a lifetime! www.dougcoombs.com
Sarah Ferguson, 53, is inspired by the versatility and grace of free heel skiing in wild places. She was British Freestyle Champion in 1978 and World Masters Telemark Combined Champion in 1998. Her 28 year skiing career as ski model, BASI instructor, National team coach, Inner Skiing Coach, author of 'Skiing from the inside' (1989), journalist and photographer is not yet over - she spends winters in Chamonix, still rips down the Grand Montets and can be found at Free Heel festivals around the Alps or ski mountaineering worldwide. In 1999 she starred in the BBC Wild Climbs documentary in St Elias, Yukon; in 2000 she traversed the Lebanese mountains and co-produced 'Ski Nomads' ('Game For It'Nat Geo channel). In 25 years she has made numerous ski mountaineering ascents in the Alps, including Mt Blanc. In 2001 she climbed Mt Etna (between eruptions) and explored the Abruzzo in the Italian Apennines (whilst the bears were in hibernation). www.skiingfromtheinside.com
Alison Gannett is a professional free skier residing in Crested Butte, Colorado. She has earned many world titles including: 2000 Gravity Games Medallist, 1999 Woman Freeskier of the Year, and 1998 World Freeskiing Champion. She has been featured in many ski films including: Uprising, Ski Movie, Sick Sense, Harvest, No Mans Land and Empress. Her real passion is traveling the world, documenting her climbing and skiing adventures in multi-media, and trying to make a difference in indigenous peoples lives. She's been published in many magazines and TV shows and has presented her work in many venues including National Geographic in DC and the New York Adventure Expo. Her latest project includes retracing and then skiing women's first ascents from the 18 and 1900's around the world. In her spare time, Alison enjoys designing straw bale homes, planning affordable housing, teaching and learning ethnobotany, yoga, surfing, ice climbing, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, mountaineering, playing with her cat and friends, and hula-hooping.
Adventure Snowboarding to John Griber is not rooted in winning competitions of Extreme Sport, or the conquering of a nameless peak. Instead, he finds the allure to be in remote, exotic snowboarding destinations and his kindred spirit with the native mountain cultures.
Fifteen years ago the first turns on a snowboard sealed John’s fate and so began a lifelong pursuit. The demanding terrain of the legendary Jackson Hole ski area offered limitless challenge and provided a perfect training ground for John’s mountaineering and steep mountain descents. With these demands grew John’s awareness and skill to tackle any condition. His continued attraction to mountain adventure has prompted John to look beyond the Tetons, and travel to the far reaches in search of premier snowboard descents, and mountain culture.
Some noteworthy snowboard expeditions include: Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica; South Georgia Island, Antarctica; Apolobamba Range, Bolivia; Patagonia, Argentina; Kyrgystan, Tian Shan; Cordillera Blanca, Peru; Norway; Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, and Mt. Kenya, in Africa. www.exumguides.com
Skier, Climber, Alpinist, Mountain Guide and Adventurer; Rob has made his home in the greater Jackson Hole area since the late 70's. Rob has quietly skied and climbed through out the world including many steep descents in the Tetons and Alaska, rock and ice climbs through out the U.S., Canada and Europe and ascents in the Himalayas including becoming the third American to climb Mt. Everest (29,031') without supplemental oxygen and guiding 3 clients to the summit of Broad peak (26,394').
Rob is currently owner and chief guide for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and serves as the technical director and instructor for the American Mountain Guides association. He is a UIAGM / IFMGA internationally certified mountain guide. He also works for Valdez Heli Ski Guides, American Avalanche Institute and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Ski Patrol. When not in the mountains skiing or climbing he can often be seen running or mountain biking to the top of near by Snow King Mountain with his dogs Firny and Keeler.
Pro-skier
Age: 27
Sponsors: Volkl, Tecnica, Marker, Cloudveil, Smith and Life-Link
Film Appearances: High Life, The Prophecy, Subject to Change, Realm (TGR) and The Precious (Storm Show Studios)
Magazine coverage: Powder, Freeze, Freeskier, Skiing, Outside and CondeNast
I Grew up skiing in Colorado. After making a few trips to Jackson, I knew this was the best home base out there. As the supervising producer for Teton Gravity Research I get the opportunity to ski with the best ski athletes in the world; but my favorite is still hiking around J-Hole and skiing blower with Tat and Shroder.
Words to live by: "There comes a time when one must risk something, or sit forever with one's dreams." Trevor Petersen
Stephen Koch
Stephen has been a long time Life-Link Pro Staffer, putting the gear to the test in the toughest of conditions. Stephen Koch is a professional speaker, climber, snowboarder and mountain guide and is a pioneer in the field of Snowboard Mountaineering, a term he coined. His list of alpine ascents and descents include some of the most notable firsts anywhere in the world, most of which have never been repeated. He is the first person to snowboard all the major Teton Peaks in Wyoming, and the first and only person to snowboard on all Seven Summits, the highest peak on each continent. Stephen has climbed a new route on Denali -Light Traveler, completed the first free ascent of the Moonflower Buttress on Mount Hunter, the first winter Grand Traverse in the Tetons, soloed Kilimanjaro's fearsome Breach Icicle, the north face of the Matterhorn in winter, blitzed the first free ascent of Beyond Good and Evil in the French Alps as well as many other adventures. For more information on Stephen's adventures, corporate speaking and guiding visit: www.stephenkoch.com
photo © Marko Prezelj
Athlete Bio:
DOB: 8-1-80
Hometown: New Hartford, CT
Currently Residing: Crested Butte, CO and Salt Lake City, UT
Sponsors: Life-Link, Volant, Salomon, DNA, ClifBar, Giro, Spy, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, The Canyons, Black Eyed Saint Clothing
Likes: Fast Speeds, Sushi, Travel, Life-Link packs!
Dislikes: Hippies and anything to do with hippies, icy east coast hardpack snow
In the MD Player: The Clash, US Bombs, Death by Stereo, River City Rebels, Social Distortion, Minor Threat
Recent Exposure: New Zealand Freeride Camp Head Coach, 4th World Heli Challenge, 1st Red Bull Rail Competition, 2nd Red Bull Big Air
On Screen: "Strike Three," "Second Generation,""Balance" Level One Productions, "Salad Days" Teton Gravity Research, "Volume" Blue Ribbon Productions
Influences: Seth Morrison, Mike Mezger, Mike Ness, David Crichton, Andrew Woods, Peter Line, Sage Cattabriga, Shane McConkey
By combining a high level of alpine climbing with skiing, Newcomb is truly a modern-day ski mountaineering pioneer. Though many of his descents are not continuous (not to mention optimal) for skiing, he claims it's a matter of taste.
Born and raised in Jackson Hole, Newcomb credits his father, Rod, founder of the American Avalanche Institute and Exum guide for 35 years, with showing him at an early age what's possible in the mountains. Newcomb, an Exum Mountain Guide for 11 years, has many achievements in his native Wyoming, but he's also been attracted to Alaska, where he works as head guide and avalanche hazard forecaster for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides. Some of Newcomb's experiences in the Himalaya include: skiing from 25,000ft on Shishapangma (with Stephen Koch); skiing from 21,600ft down the Japanese Couloir of Hidden Peak; the first American ascent of Geladaintong (21,651ft) via a new route on the northeast face; and, bicycle touring in northwest China and Tibet using locally purchased bikes and gear, traveling over 1,000km, at times under disguise and through closed areas.
Newcomb's abilities speak for themselves. Within a three-year time period, he made three separate first descents on Wyoming's Grand Teton: the Black Ice Couloir with Stephen Koch, the Hossack-MacGowan Couloir with Hans Johnstone, and the Otterbody Snowfield with Doug Coombs. And those descents are in addition to three other Grand descents on routes that had already been skied. www.exumguides.com
Hilaree O'Neil
Unlike most professional skiers, Hilaree did not start out as a ski racer. When she reached her twenties she began with a few European Extreme contests and Derbies scattered throughout the Alps. After graduation, Hilaree followed some friends to Chamonix where she intended to spend the winter- a winter that turned into five years. She even flew her dog, Buck, over from the U.S. to keep her company. During this time, O'Neil slowly transformed from a lift-served skier to a big-mountain, backcountry ski mountaineer. She found her athletic abilities and spirit of adventure were much more suited towards the rigors of climbing as well as skiing-to the thrill of faraway places with many first descents.
She has been a part of several exploratory ski expeditions to places such as Russia, India, South America and Tibet. All along the way, she has claimed first ski descents, most recently in the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia. In addition, she works as a heli-ski guide in Valdez, Alaska. Hilaree recently moved back to the United States and is now living in Telluride, CO.
photo© John Griber
Heather is a two-time National Telemark Champion, a former World Cup Team member and a bronze medal winner in the 1995 World Championships. She also founded and coaches the Ultimate Groove, women's telemark camp. www.ultimategroove.net
A product of the East Coast racing environment, Kina was bumping gates at age eight, and continued ski racing at Killington Mountain School. Currently, Kina makes his living as a freeskier, traveling all over the world filming with Warren Miller and representing Salomon as part of their freeride team. A major in art history has helped him funnel his love for skiing into designing apparel for Salomon. "Skiing and art are the only two things in my life that I can completely immerse myself in and forget about anything else," he said.
Rich Rinaldi is one of the key pros who give Life-Link the feedback we need to ensure our gear performs up to the grueling use of day in and day out use. Rich truly lives up to the title- professional. Owner and operator of Yostmark Backcountry Tours and Nordic Director at Grand Targhee, Rich gets his share of days on the snow. From the first snorkel deep day at "The Ghee" to the final Sierra Corn run in summer, he puts high mileage on our gear. But it is his conversations with clients, students and fellow guides and the full report back to us on our gear that makes Rich invaluable. Rich is outspoken on the performance of the Dynafit System...coming from the telemark director at Grand Targhee, it carries a lot of weight. For guided Teton powder skiing and unsurpassed scenery check out: www.yostmarkbackcountrytours.com
Don is a professional mover of snow, whether it be snow camping with the National Outdoor Leadership School, demonstrating snow pits for the American Avalanche Institute, or avalanche forecasting for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides. Don had been studying snow and avalanches for more than 15 years and has been sharing that knowledge for the last 12. As chair of the education committee of the American Avalanche Association, forecaster, operations manager, and lead guide for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides he fills his time in the winter, spring, and part of the summer/fall with turns in the Tetons, Gros Ventres, Beartooths, Madison Range, Gallatins, Chugach, Coast Range, Selkirks, Southern Andes, Eastern Sierra, and North Cascades. Although he frequently breaks skis, he has had a lasting relationship with most of the Life-Link snow science tools that he has used and all of the Dynafit Bindings. He can honestly say that Dynafit bindings will work for 100kg skiers despite years of skepticism.
http://www.americanavalancheassociation.org
Ptor Spricenieks
I am not a skier. I am a dancer, an explorer, a child, and a philosopher. Like all humans, I am learning to fly. Sometimes, skis are my tools for soaring and on them I can resist resistance. I ride the waves called mountains in their crystalline realm of winter sleep. Sometimes they are tubing and glassy and sometimes they close out. Avalanches are the dragons that guard the peak and add romance to the challenge. Climbing is the metaphor for all of like, gaining perspective and living the sacred journey. I am the people I am with and when I am alone I am the entire world. I am the technological husk that enables me to exist in a world unsuitable for nakedness. I look up in the sky and see the birds choosing to be in the winter wind. –40c with windchill, how do such small critters keep from freezing? They just love being there. They inspire me to live a life that generates the passion for evolution towards my wildest dreams. I am mutating now. How about you?
photo© Fred Jacobi
Rock the free world.
Ski for TGR Shoot with Markewitz, Flip, O'Connell, etc...
Run ski/snowboard events with MSI, Guide in Valdez for Valdez Heli Ski Guides
Swany is a former US and World Free Skiing Champion. He has been in every TGR movie, had multiple photos in every ski magazine on the planet and he has been guiding heli-skiing in Valdez for the last 8 years.
Home: Whistler B.C.
Age: 27
Skiing every day possible since age 3
Skied in most places in the world that has mountains and snow
Published work: Powder, Freeze, Skiing, Ski, Skier, Freeskier, Bravo Ski, Ski Canada, Georgia Straight.
Film appearances: TGR's Further, PBP's Thirteen, White Salmon Productions Supershow, Skiing's last Stand.
Powder Magazines first ever video awards, 1st place for best crash of the year in TGR's Further.
Broken bones: back, pelvis, hand, collar bone, scapula, MCL.
Time spent off snow because of injuries: 3 months
The 24 year old Austrian started freeskiing the day his dad put him on skis, 22 years ago. McFly was inspired by the chance of guiding Swany, Gordy and Wendy, while shooting in his home terrain in Austria . He entered into the European freeskiing scene shortly there after with his own special style. Now he works together with the best European outdoor photographers to publish these moments in media.
McFly has also appeared in the last two flicks of spirit productions, which also lead him to an arctic experience, filming big mountain shots in Spitsbergen.
With two 2nd places in the Arlberg Open Space Freeride Trophy and the Red Bull Adrenaline Rush he has proved himself as a competitive skier.
www.mcfly.start.at