WEBVTT
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[SPEAKER_00]: I actually guess what?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I interviewed Alex Hackel this week on the podcast.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He is a two times ex-games medalist.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He made the U.S. ski team when he was 17 years old.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He got second place in the Corbets, cool kings and queens, where they have to jump off this massive lip into a deadly shoot that sort of...
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[SPEAKER_00]: I would be scared to just drop into their throwing tricks into it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He started his own YouTube channel, which has gone wild.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He has started a ski company.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He's produced five full length ski movies.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The guy is an absolute goer, as we say, in Australia.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I wanted to chat to him because I think he's inspirational.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You think he's pretty cool?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I actually wanted to meet him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I wanted to dig into like what drives this guy to achieve so many fantastic things these goals he's set himself because it didn't start out that way which you'll find out.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's get into the podcast right now.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So Alex, you are pretty successful in, I would say many different ways.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Business-wise, you've been a professional athlete, you've started a YouTube channel, things you take on, you seem to be very successful at, but...
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[SPEAKER_00]: Before we go there, can you take us back to Sunday River when you're a kid?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because there's a story in there that perhaps helps us understand your mindset?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I remember when I was a kid, I desperately want to be a good skier.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I did what pretty much any kid would do, which would be to sign up for the weekend ski program and getting the age group and trying to work my way up the ranks and get coached and all that stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I remember this morning, I was like 12 years old and it was like the first day of the weekend ski program and I was like just so so so so stoked And one of the things is like when you turn 12, you got to go into like the older kid group So then you got to ski terrain parks and you got to like do all the stuff that really wanted to do The year before I had to do like a combination of everything training like moguls and like we only got to spend maybe like a quarter of our time in the train park
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[SPEAKER_01]: So this is like the year I was waiting for and like I'll see you get to see all your friends who are like same age as you so we do are like morning warm-ups And they're calling the groups and This is like the moment I've been waiting for I'm like, okay, I'm about to get called we're gonna go with the big kids This is finally it and then I watch this is like my friend gets called Connor gets called Nick gets called they all go the big-a-group and then basically it was like Alex and then it was like To the left
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[SPEAKER_01]: which was like the small kid group and it was like a group of like kids who were like from the ages of like eight to eleven and I was like so hurt I was like what the heck like what can't they see like what am I doing wrong like I'm the same age as these kids like I'm a decent enough skier in my head and like this is all I want to do and why can't they see the passion in me and I grew up with something called idiopathic short stature so I had like a deficiency in growth hormone so I looked tiny
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I had this really small packaging and I'm like do they just think because I look like a nine year old that I should ski with the nine year olds and it was really tough and I was like holding back tears because it's so embarrassing and it was I felt really like judged and everything and I you know I sucked it up and I end up quitting the ski program because I was like I like this is not going towards the direction that I want and
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I would just like show up to the park and I would just talk with anybody who would teach me a trick and they basically ended up teaching me because I felt that like support and then I started learning like really quick and I realized that skiing didn't have to be the thing where like somebody said like you're ready or you're not ready and then when I asked like my dad a little bit later, basically said like yeah, like I talked with like your coaches like we'd have like parent, you know, teacher like evaluations and basically like the coach said like hey look it like
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[SPEAKER_01]: If Alex enjoys skiing great, but like he has no chance of being a professional skier so that was just kind of like the attitude at the weekend program I kind of just got judged by it the package that I was and they maybe didn't see what I could be and then I basically had to learn to take things into my own initiative and Basically to believe in myself and to find the support that I wanted but I don't blame like the coach at all like you have so many kids And why not and it's hard to give each one personal attention, but that kind of I think is like a good
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[SPEAKER_01]: summary of I guess how I got in skiing and sort of like the passion game in the DIY work ethic that it taught me.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, some people would give up with that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe find another sport.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think there's anything in you or anything in just people in general that helps us not?
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[SPEAKER_00]: give up there because maybe someone's listening and they're like, yep, that's happened to me and they stopped pursuing their dream.
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[SPEAKER_00]: What's what made you keep going?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I think it sounds crazy, but I didn't really have a plan B.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I was doing terrible school.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I was tiny so I wasn't good at any of the other American sports.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I generally love skiing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it was one of those things where I was like, I just had such a big passion for it that I was able to like it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's like in other parts of my life like I'm not going to sit here like preach that I can just overcome anything because I think you have to have like a passion for it, but I think if you truly know your destiny for something or if you truly feel like this is like for you and if you get a setback then I think that you can draw in sort of like all that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: like sort of passion you have and all that desire you have to achieve something and you can think to yourself okay like this door is not opening but like let me look over here and I think that if you have like a passion to keep standing you know like stand and fight get knocked down stand up and fight yet knocked down stand up and fight and so I think
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like it was like it's a little bit like a rocky movie sometimes, which is like it's not about how many times you get knocked down all that matter So you get up one more then when you get knocked back down.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that that's kind of like my attitude It's like I'm passionate about something.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna be very persistent about it and if I'm very persistent about it I'm gonna be able to stick with it through the ups and the downs.
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[SPEAKER_01]: and that I just try to remind myself when it's down, that it'll get up again and when it's up, unfortunately, the down will come as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so you got projected, but I don't think you learnt all your really good tricks from just hanging out with people in the park.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There was something that you go find some help elsewhere.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It was there anything that gave you a bit of a boost.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so this is this is correct.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So basically, you know, the weekend program wasn't from me, then I would go in the park and I met some amazing people like one of them his name is Curtis and he was like the best skier part of gear at the mountain and he was like five six years older than me and he just took me under his wing and he started just showing me like how to do the tricks and just sort of like what
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[SPEAKER_01]: Park skiing lifestyles about what new schoolers calm is what things are cool.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What things aren't cool and just sort of like I guess like introduce me to like freesking culture and then I was just like I was so hooked like it was like the second that I figured out I was sent my decent at it I was just like I guess if I loved it when I thought I sucked when I figured out hey, but I'm not that bad.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was like I'm all in
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[SPEAKER_01]: So then I would like basically it was like everything for me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I would just show up like, you know, like every weekend, I'm show up like first chair, I would stay last chair, I would hide rails after 4pm when the chair is closed, and I sort of got really into it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then I really wanted to see, like, can I take this next level?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's like the only thing that I cared about at the time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So then I started asking my parents, like, hello, can I, like, what is there like a ski academy?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, like, I'd have heard of these high schools where you get to, like, ski, like, every day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So then I was able to basically convince my parents to send me to Windell's Academy, which is like a ski academy in Mount Hood, Oregon, and it's like an amazing place because
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[SPEAKER_01]: You have this year around Glacier, the Mount Hood Glacier, and so my premise was just like, okay, how many days can I get?
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like if I went to ski academy on the East Coast of America, you know, I would get the same amount of days.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But if I do it in Mount Hood Oregon, I can ski all somewhere, I can ski all fall, and that I'm just gonna get like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: 40% more days so that I'm going to get 40% more opportunity to get better.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I kind of show up out there and I have the this grab the attitude and I also have like the resentment towards coaches in the 30 figures.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I'm the big and I establish my guy not any more per se but back then because like that that was the only like introduction to like I basically I was dyslexic in school so I had a hard time sometimes and teachers had a hard time relating to me and then I you know show up to
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[SPEAKER_01]: ski a cat or like my first like coaching and skiing and they basically tell me I'm not good enough go ski with kids three years younger than you and then basically I showed there and I have that same resentment but luckily I was able to have like the best coach I could ask for his name to Mike Handley and he's like absolute godsend I thought he was crazy I hated him for the first six months but I got sat down by a girl named Maggie and we were at a training camp in Colorado like
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[SPEAKER_01]: And she just sits everybody down and she's like, look, it, like, I know you think Mike is crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I know he has a different way of going about things, but like, look in a mirror and ask yourself, like, why are you here and like, why did you come to like be at Windows?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like, if you came here because you want to progress, you want to be the best skier possible.
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[SPEAKER_01]: like you have to listen to Mike and she's like, I thought it was crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I listened to him.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He taught me five tricks in one day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The next day taught me five tricks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like this guy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: No, why is he crazy?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Why is he crazy?
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[SPEAKER_00]: What?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Like in an example.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was not like he's crazy, it's just like you're a 15 year old and he's like at the ski coach and he's also the headmaster.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He's a huge history nerd.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He grew up in so-called.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it goes around and board shorts like he basically it's not that he's actually crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's just your rebellious teenager and he's an authority figure.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not like he's necessarily crazy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Inch is very on take different.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't fitting that new school is baggy pants pot like that So he didn't look the part and he wasn't like You know, he wasn't like in the hip culture, but he had an insane knowledge of skiing and like I mean he's of course in the culture like
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[SPEAKER_01]: He's like coached some of the best skiers for a very long time so he's in the culture But he's just not like what you would think like as me like a Henrik or a loving 14 year old who showed up in Mountain Origin.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That was not my Think but she basically says give him a shot give him a chance I gave him a chance and then yeah, he taught me like five tricks one day and then like the next day He like taught me five more tricks and I just realized like okay if I listen to him
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[SPEAKER_01]: uh we're going to get we're going to go places and I want to go places I can't do it alone and my favorite story with him and what a great example of how powerful coaching can be and how powerful an instructor can be is he had so much belief in me and he always believed that I could do the trick before I could do the trick and when I was 17 I did the world's second triple-core 1080
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like two months before that he told my dad like yeah Alex is going to do a triple cork 10 and like a couple months and I had no idea he told my dad this and then I did it and then I called my dad as dad I did it and he's like oh yeah the triple cork 10 Mike told me we're going to do that a couple months ago
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like if I would have heard Mike tell my dad like a couple months ago like oh Alex is going to do a short time to get out of your mind like I'm not ready like that's that but he could see like my progression and he's like okay like you might not be ready now But like he will be ready so like that was like the polar opposite because one coach basically like thought that I you know wasn't going to be talented and
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[SPEAKER_01]: basically push me aside and then the other coach like believe that was more talented than what I personally believed in and then that showed me like wow when you have these people on your team who are like pulling you forward like that is like it's it's just exponential what yeah wow okay so is there anything's like the way you then approached getting better like beyond that so it's a newer heart of tricks
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[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I'm trying to, if I want to learn some new tricks, Alex, terrain parks, I'm getting older, but I really would like to prove that I'm not, and I could maybe spin a seven, I've spun a five, never spun a seven, like what advice to from Mike and what you've learned, would you say to me about trying to achieve that goal?
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's tough, that's tough because I haven't seen any of the preparations but first it would be like you can 100% do it because you're like an amazing skier and I definitely think you have like everything it takes to do the 720 so I would say first like I would just say a belief that you got it
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I haven't really seen like your fives in your sevens and whatnot, but I think if it would be like I had the like guess it would be like to be patient on your take off because like you're gonna think oh, I'm gonna spin more that means I have to like really crank more but in theory If you think about like if you can do a 360 on flat ground and then if you think about the jump you'll probably be sevening you're gonna have like ten times more airtime than what you're 360 on flat ground.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Basically, probably be strong and patient on the takeoff and then like, like, get the good set, get in the air, start spinning and then depending on what kind of seven rotation like may be like a spot like if you're going to do like let's just say like a core seven you'd want to be kind of like spotting at 360 like looking at the horizon like kind of like a little upside down and then you're going to watch your feet like follow back through.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I think that's all like probably, I don't know, it's all hypothetical, but in general, it would just be believing yourself, have confidence, don't overcook the takeoff, be patient, and let it come to you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then I'm interested, like when you say we're about to go, like we're staying at a jump, you're going to go hit it and you're going to throw a cork
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[SPEAKER_00]: What do you actually, what are like the simple cues you now through all the practice think about?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, like, you mentioned the horizon thing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When I do my technical skin, I have these things that I think about, like, where am I feet of going at a certain point?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Where my hand is relative to stuff?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do you have similar stuff like is it relative position to the environment to, like, your hand to your foot?
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[SPEAKER_00]: like, how do you simplify it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like, core 10, don't don't.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, if I go, I think it's hard.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it's, if I have to put a metric to it and I could be like totally wrong, but I think to some degree, when I'm like getting ready on the takeoff or whatever, and this is going to make me sound old, but like I haven't learned like a new trick in a really wild diet.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I have it like it will a lot of what I'm doing is basically like I learned it when I was younger and then now I'm adapting it to a new space which is adding difficulty or like I'm basically doing tricks that I haven't done in a very long time or adding small variation so I would say like a lot of the like groundwork that I have was kind of like putting at that like young age by like might and everything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I always do think, like, maybe, like, on the take-off and, like, like, I was saying that the quarks have been, like, being patient and, like, not rushing it and, like, the same thing with, like, where your head's looking and everything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I honestly think about it as, and this is, like, this is just in general, like, a coaching debate, which is, like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: how much when you're going off a jump that's like 25 meters and you're going to go upside down three times.
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[SPEAKER_01]: How much can you actually think about your takeoff versus how much of it is like fight or flight instincts?
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[SPEAKER_01]: So basically what I try and think more than anything what I do tricks is just keeping like a very calm mindset.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like basically like using those nerves that I have to my advantage and not letting them consume me because I let them consume me Then I'm going to forget the training that I had and I'm going to rush my take off and I'm going to like you hop up on adrenaline.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to be doing my risk versus reward like
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm pretty correct.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like when I'm doing the big tricks, I'm almost not thinking too much about like technique, like I might think, okay, I know like for example, like this is maybe like the small cracks of the trick, which is like I need to take off or okay, like I usually end up spinning too much, so I need to think a little more flip.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I'll think like a maybe something like vague if that made you Yes, or maybe not something super like my hip needs to be here in this year But I think like vaguely like okay, like if you have to try and nail one part What's that one part that you're gonna nail?
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[SPEAKER_01]: But so I'll think about that and then I'll think mainly just about okay
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[SPEAKER_01]: how do I regulate my emotions and how do I think correctly and how do I think like sound despite the nerves and despite the desire to get the shot and despite all that stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think about as like 20% technicality and also one thing I will say these days you have like airbags and stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like if I do do new tricks, I generally have already kind of more or less done it into an airbag.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's like the technique is usually there and then the on snow is like the mental part.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, okay, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So airbags really like if you grew up in the era without airbags obviously the progression slows a bit right like that's just opened up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: masses.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I did grow up in the era without airbags.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like airbags came when I started exiting so fausky.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So now I get to use airbags and I'm like, wow, this is a cheat code, but I also not that jealous either because with that cheat code, then comes the flood gates and the flood gate.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And and and.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, exactly because you're able to trade and you're already able to test things out and then like it's just like it's just making it so the sports progressing super fast.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think or it's one of the contributing factors.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I feel like it's like there's both pros and cons to both.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm not jealous that because I'm like I'm happy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you're telling him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, the terminus of when you made your rise in in skiing was good.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then I think we share a similar passion in film making, like I loved skiing but then making videos about skiing and I did it in the beginning because I wanted it, it was for me to be like, so I could look back and remember it and it was fun.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When did you start playing with video editing in skiing?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then, like, I think it was like, it's like the same thing, like you just want to get tricks of you and your home is to just like see what it looks like, compare yourself to your idol, so like you go on new schoolers, you find people sees net hits, and then you'd see what kind of tricks they were doing, and then I think like a lot of like how I got into filmmaking was just like emulate like those sees net hits or emulate what other people were doing,
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[SPEAKER_01]: And just like to like the joy of like doing a trick and having it on film and being able to just show people like that was probably where all started and then I just realized that like I do love like filmmaking in general like I'm a huge like movie nerd and like I generally do enjoy
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[SPEAKER_01]: just like the act of filmmaking so it kind of was just like one of the things where just started as just like getting clips with homies and then I realized like wait like the act of filming with my friends is adding enjoyment and is something that I actively like and then that sort of when I decided to like try and like stand up the filmmaking to make ski movies and to sort of like go from there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Have you seen anybody get really good at skiing without doing much filming stuff or do you think they go hand in hand because of the feedback loop?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, so I think like...
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[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so 100% like nowadays, I think you have to, not you have to, but like filming yourself.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's insane, like good quality phones we have in our pockets and like how much basically like filming and rewatching the film to see your movements is going to help you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think you would like have to do that to some degree, but I would say like I know a lot of skiers who like I got really good at skiing was pretty much zero interest in the filmmaking side of things.
21:09.950 --> 21:36.908
[SPEAKER_01]: So like the film is basically purely to just like they don't care if the shot looks good or if the angle or if they're song hits good or anything like that they're just like I somebody got to cook me I can see what my take-off looks like boom okay like I'm just gonna like keep cranky tricks so I think that it's like 50-50 I think some people start filming their skiing and then think that that's fun and go into it and I think that other 50 percent just see it as like a means to the end of basically like
21:38.089 --> 21:41.793
[SPEAKER_01]: Seeing what their set looks like or seeing you know how their skiing looks.
21:42.574 --> 21:57.729
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, okay cool So you've taken that passion of filming and work with some video editors to now make a YouTube channel Lots of people these days, especially young kids like want to be a YouTuber
21:58.730 --> 22:12.129
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you give us your maybe like bit of advice on that and is it isn't as easy as maybe it seems or or not what's your take on becoming a youtuber
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[SPEAKER_01]: devil, so I say like anybody's like, I want to become a youtuber, I'll be like me too, like, and I think that that's like the basis for like anything.
22:21.730 --> 22:36.782
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think if you have the desire to do it, I would actually be like super encouraging to tell you that I think you can do it, and that it's just like this, I almost think it's like very similar to like how I do like skiing and how I approach skiing, which is like first I was a fan.
22:37.402 --> 22:58.981
[SPEAKER_01]: And then like once you're a fan then you're like, okay, I want to get involved and then you basically then you start trying and then when you start trying it's not going to be good first attempt and then you just sort of like learn and learn and learn and like I think I'm constantly learning on the YouTube front and like that I have so much farther to go in that basically like I just see this like a constant evolution of like a skill and like
22:59.521 --> 23:11.429
[SPEAKER_01]: that it's like pretty similar skiing, which is like you start with the passion, you decide you want to do it and then you work your way by starting and then through doing it, then you get better and better and better and then you sort of like work your way up in in talent.
23:12.030 --> 23:20.416
[SPEAKER_00]: Like what's the, what's the most recent thing you've learned about you tubing, then like that you like, oh, took me a wall to figure that out or I was making that mistake.
23:21.979 --> 23:36.350
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I think that a lot of it is like, oh, I'd watch some of the else do a video on a certain topic and I think like, oh, if I just do a video on this topic, then that's also going to go good or like, oh, like my favorite youtuber does this in their video.
23:36.391 --> 23:47.940
[SPEAKER_01]: So if I just copy this and it's going to go good and then realizing that like there's a whole lot of nuance and like so for example, like maybe your favorite skier is like super great and they have like a great set.
23:48.540 --> 24:04.382
[SPEAKER_01]: They have a great grab, but they're landing's poor, but if you don't know enough about the technique and you copy the landing, then you're just copying potentially like the worst part of their thing, so I would just say like getting really nerdy and like trying to see like what works, what doesn't work, trying to watch videos, and like...
24:04.902 --> 24:10.125
[SPEAKER_01]: Kind of like a reverse engineer like what was it about that video that was really good?
24:10.205 --> 24:21.672
[SPEAKER_01]: What would it like I try and improve on this and sort of like not just necessarily copying everything But more trying to like figure out like okay, like what do I think they do good and what do I think is contributing?
24:22.093 --> 24:28.977
[SPEAKER_01]: First what do I think maybe is like the sloppiness and whatnot and trying to figure out to emulate what I think they do great
24:29.517 --> 24:52.219
[SPEAKER_01]: and then to give out solveness and then just like skiing, how to embrace like authenticity, like I think that a lot of skiing can be emulation and it takes a long time of emulating to then put your style on it and I still think in YouTube maybe if I were to critique myself like I still feel like my personal style hasn't truly come forward yet because I've been still in the
24:53.998 --> 25:00.083
[SPEAKER_00]: Would you say is there a video you've created so far that you feel maybe didn't go like gangbusters?
25:00.163 --> 25:04.086
[SPEAKER_00]: But do you feel there's one that you like this felt more like my style?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or you really enjoyed Enjoyed creating it or doing it a certain way?
25:10.349 --> 25:27.012
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... i would say so i would say i mean i i think they're all and hope they're all but they all have their own blessings and cursing but that's a different i think i would say the one i did about the it's called the white rush which was like the china's down hill one yeah i don't want to do that one
25:27.733 --> 25:40.683
[SPEAKER_01]: That one just felt awesome, because it felt like a great intersection of a really cool story to tell with actual history, plus like a fun ski, fun and engaging skiing, and it felt like we got to tell that story.
25:42.785 --> 26:00.997
[SPEAKER_01]: like be one of the first people to really tell that story and also like it was such a fun ski event like I everybody I'm talking to and I'm like like you should do the event like you would love the event like you would have a class because it's like uh if you're like indescribable to it's quickly like what because the voice around is that right?
26:01.710 --> 26:02.711
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the vice rush.
26:02.871 --> 26:09.674
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's a 500 person Chinese downhill ski race and it's like meant for just physical torture.
26:09.774 --> 26:16.517
[SPEAKER_01]: So you start and it's like this like downhill section and like everybody starts at the same time and they
26:18.120 --> 26:34.796
[SPEAKER_01]: have like a pistol and it's like the start pistol so they just give you a one minute heads up and then within that minute whenever the start pistol goes then the race starts it could be five seconds after the one minute it could be 59 seconds so everybody's on edge and you do this like downhill for like about a minute.
26:35.296 --> 26:39.840
[SPEAKER_01]: and then it goes uphill to the point that you can't like get enough speed to go uphill.
26:40.240 --> 26:44.904
[SPEAKER_01]: So that at like 3,000 meters, you more or less have to run at max speed for a minute.
26:45.445 --> 26:55.073
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you get to the top of this hill and then you have more or less the entire vertical of St. Anton like pretty much from the top to the bottom and they don't groom it.
26:55.273 --> 26:56.514
[SPEAKER_01]: So they intentionally wait
26:57.475 --> 27:18.064
[SPEAKER_01]: to like 5 PM and they let all the molecules get as big as humanly possible and then they grew nothing to make it so that you are like just your legs are getting absolutely destroyed and then at the very end after you make it down like 3,000 vertical meters and like by the time you ran that one minute you're just like life support.
27:18.124 --> 27:20.885
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, do you ever do the beep test as a kid?
27:20.925 --> 27:23.927
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like in gym, imagine you did the beep test.
27:24.027 --> 27:32.871
[SPEAKER_01]: And then at the end of the beep test, somebody drops you off at the top of like, take downtown and it's just like, all right, go through all this stuff.
27:32.992 --> 27:37.554
[SPEAKER_01]: And then they build these like objects at the end, like these hails with the snowcat.
27:37.914 --> 28:02.824
[SPEAKER_01]: So then at the end you have to ski down and you have to take them off and the last bit is like climbing these mountains so it's like a ski iron man but it's like it's not quite the endurance it's like more like a sprint so like to win you would do it in nine minutes to I got like 12 I did it in like like I think like 10 minutes like 10 to 11 or something like that and then like but like people like can train their whole lives to get under like 11
28:03.564 --> 28:10.926
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you enjoy, if you're good at skiing, which you are and you enjoy like physical effort, then it's like a one of a kind experience.
28:11.046 --> 28:16.767
[SPEAKER_01]: And the funnest part was just like, I'm never skied at that level of physical exhaustion before.
28:17.207 --> 28:27.270
[SPEAKER_01]: And I felt like a beginner again to some degree because like when you take out your ability to think straight, you also take out your expertise to some degree.
28:27.830 --> 28:50.358
[SPEAKER_01]: and then also it felt like runners high like when you were like in the middle of it like he both wanted to like stop him cute immediately and you were also like oh my god like this is like insane so it was like just a great physical Russian telling that story about the event was like something that felt like it was authentic to me and it was like an interest of mine and also I got to do storytelling.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'd say that was like an example of like putting it
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I really enjoyed watching that one.
28:58.042 --> 29:03.989
[SPEAKER_00]: I watched that with Archie my eight-year-old and he really he really liked that one too So yeah, that's cool.
29:04.009 --> 29:04.930
[SPEAKER_00]: You can be a champion.
29:05.491 --> 29:06.572
[SPEAKER_01]: You can start training him.
29:06.592 --> 29:08.233
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's right.
29:08.314 --> 29:08.874
[SPEAKER_00]: That's right.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, man my legs going down
29:12.478 --> 29:31.396
[SPEAKER_00]: yeah after running because I saw you you took the strategy of not trying to like skate up you took your skis off and ran with them after you've done that one minute and just full ball and yeah your legs are just done by the time you got to bomb these these mogles and again I guess another
29:32.457 --> 29:45.577
[SPEAKER_00]: Cool trait you show in that is utilizing expertise like seeking out you sought out someone who's done it before Got some tips right to try and help you not suck at it and actually give yourself the best chance
29:46.963 --> 29:53.407
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah, I would say like just in general, if I didn't like talk to anybody like that would be I would bet so screwed.
29:53.527 --> 30:05.213
[SPEAKER_01]: There's so many like small intricacies of that like event that more or less like you have not you have to but like people like usually like have to do it many times to like figure out like
30:05.573 --> 30:10.179
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, where's the best place to start and what's the best type of equipment and all the stuff?
30:10.199 --> 30:22.576
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's definitely a life hack in general, like if you can find somebody who's like more talented You had something in your humble enough to listen, then it's usually going to get in good health.
30:23.797 --> 30:27.779
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what the quote is, but it's just like anybody can learn from their own mistakes.
30:28.780 --> 30:31.521
[SPEAKER_01]: A smart person learns from somebody else's mistakes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
30:34.083 --> 30:35.884
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, why did you start a ski company?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, we started a ski company, um, mainly, uh, it was a friend of mine, Power's idea, and then he sort of just like pitched it.
30:48.218 --> 31:14.695
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it's sort of just the stars aligned and it worked, but I would say it was like a little bit of like we were mainly all professional athletes and we were working with ski companies and then we were like way to second like, you know, like, there's like this big, you know, pie which is like a ski company and then like the professional athletes were just like this tiny like marketing like, like, slat of this pie.
31:15.335 --> 31:19.799
[SPEAKER_01]: And that basically, like, I mean, the upshot of that is you deal with none of the business.
31:20.439 --> 31:23.742
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're just, you're getting all bonus, which is like, you're part of the marketing.
31:23.822 --> 31:30.587
[SPEAKER_01]: But it did feel like way the second, like, we ski these things every day, we're super tied into the culture, and like, we believe that we're,
31:31.287 --> 31:41.630
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, or that in general, like free skiers are worth more than just this like small pie and like if we want to You know, ever be more than a small pie than we kind of got to do it ourselves.
31:41.670 --> 31:58.213
[SPEAKER_01]: So it was kind of this like And naive Idea that end up working which was like hey, well, we just started our own one and then we can you know Like rethink things and we can sort of like do things the way that we see fit with our perspective of having been athletes
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, I was when when we stayed together and in hint of talks and we tried to skis for like the skiing back down to the the phoena house Whatever, I was like all these skis are gonna suck because it's like they just made for park skiing and I was like
32:16.888 --> 32:42.076
[SPEAKER_00]: blown away I was really surprised that I actually enjoyed them and they kind of they're not super narrow at all like and they held a good edge um yeah it was really kind of fun so I think you've done well in making it like it's a good excuse I've tried some like freestyle skis that's sort of don't don't don't turn very well but those ones I don't know what they were but there was kind
32:47.178 --> 33:05.799
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... in that so yet curled to i don't i'm i'm i'm pretty sure that and i will give the credit elsewhere i was the one design skis they would be newtles and it would be terrible but luckily i'm like uh... for somebody who like just in general it sounds so weird i'm a very untechnical person i'm i love like ideas and i love
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[SPEAKER_01]: But the technicality even on tricks sometimes is maybe not my like strength and so like for example My friend, PowerHogland or Payban like he does the R&D and like he grew up ski racing and he really has a mind for like all aspects of skiing from ski racing to free riding to parts skiing
33:26.123 --> 33:29.885
[SPEAKER_01]: And he also has like a really good mind for the specifics of what a good skier.
33:29.905 --> 33:49.034
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'll give him full credit that Like it's awesome when you start coming into your friends and then you figure out that your friends are actually extremely talented and that they yes that they definitely that they got it Yes, so what's coming up next for you like what's What's on the horizon what are your next projects?
33:50.328 --> 34:06.715
[SPEAKER_01]: So on the horizon for me, I would say, well, one, I'm really enjoying getting to like ski while I'm really enjoying getting to have like a basically a job that is able to then like give me the opportunity to ski in cool places.
34:07.315 --> 34:12.619
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say just appreciating that and enjoying that is definitely high upon the priorities.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Then there's always like visions of like where you want to go forward.
34:15.721 --> 34:23.567
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say that I've been starting to do like free riding and I've come really close to qualifying for the free ride world tour.
34:23.847 --> 34:24.568
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, uh,
34:25.068 --> 34:27.369
[SPEAKER_01]: basically all three years on the Challenger series.
34:27.569 --> 34:33.692
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say that I would love to continue my free riding journey and to be able to eventually qualify for the tour.
34:33.933 --> 34:40.056
[SPEAKER_01]: And then also like the same thing with like, you know, the content that I create both on YouTube, the short form is like,
34:40.616 --> 35:04.264
[SPEAKER_01]: Basically, like, how do I enjoy where I am at the presence, but also, like, how do I keep developing those crafts and how can I make videos that I feel like represent me better or more authentic or able to perform better and reach more people, so I would just say, like, it sounds like bad, but like basically just do what I'm doing, just do it better and keep developing is basically what's on the horizon for me, I feel like.
35:04.924 --> 35:06.145
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, nice, nice.
35:06.205 --> 35:07.205
[SPEAKER_00]: Where's the next trip to?
35:08.599 --> 35:10.500
[SPEAKER_01]: The next trip is to your neck of the woods.
35:11.321 --> 35:16.465
[SPEAKER_01]: The next trip is, I don't know when this really is, but I'm going to go to Australia.
35:16.505 --> 35:18.266
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to go to Parish here in Threadbow.
35:18.306 --> 35:20.387
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm actually never skied Threadbow before.
35:20.427 --> 35:24.871
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm excited to go back at things spent 10 years and I'm going to go,
35:25.791 --> 35:42.092
[SPEAKER_01]: do some part skiing at Parasure but then also has some YouTube video ideas and hopefully potentially I would love if you were involved in one of them and also like work on my ski technique and you know get some days get some days working on that.
35:42.773 --> 35:44.135
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, nice, nice.
35:44.977 --> 35:56.235
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, Hey Alex, the only thing I want to close out this conversation with is, I was really, uh, surprised, surprised the roadward, maybe not surprised.
35:57.535 --> 36:13.553
[SPEAKER_00]: You came across as very health conscious when I met you and you know, like coming from like the freestyle world can be a bit loose right you know that culture of whatever If the man that's the thing and then you're like no, I need to get my sleep.
36:14.233 --> 36:15.034
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not eating this.
36:15.275 --> 36:16.035
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm drinking that.
36:16.115 --> 36:18.478
[SPEAKER_00]: I've got to you know get all that right
36:19.959 --> 36:44.238
[SPEAKER_00]: would you say do you really feel that part is pretty important and I'm I'm this this is you're speaking to like the younger generation who the body's a like you can flog them pretty hard and they don't really notice and then like me and older where we really are starting to notice the effect of what we do with our body yeah any any advice there like was there lessen or something they went I need to
36:48.798 --> 36:50.279
[SPEAKER_01]: definitely know.
36:50.399 --> 37:01.085
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say like what I basically learned is like when I was younger I could basically just ski all day and then make pretty much any like choice after skiing and I would be like fine.
37:01.105 --> 37:12.351
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd be able to go up and ski the next day and I went on and then like as I got older I started realize like wait a second like I have like a finite amount of energy and I might have also like a finite amount of time to
37:13.732 --> 37:21.154
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, be able to like put into skiing because I can't just like do it like at maximum and then do that maximum again and maximum again.
37:21.214 --> 37:30.797
[SPEAKER_01]: So I have to like try and, uh, basically plan like when like when I'm doing it like how am I going to make the most out of it because I love skiing at maximum capability.
37:30.957 --> 37:36.279
[SPEAKER_01]: And then started also thinking, okay, like what are the things I can put around myself that will like maximize that window.
37:37.039 --> 37:57.233
[SPEAKER_01]: And like for me, I would say like the biggest thing is just like a really good sleep schedule and like routine so like I just try and like basically make sure that I'm constantly getting like approximately let's just say eight hours of sleep and that I'm consciously like if I have a great day and everything's feeling good and like maybe I do want to you know keep talking at the
37:57.513 --> 38:08.498
[SPEAKER_01]: at the bar with my friends or something on my way to say, okay, like if I want tomorrow to be also like a day where I have like energy and to not borrow from tomorrow's time, like I have to have like discipline today.
38:08.859 --> 38:22.885
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say for myself like and what I found like worked really well for me to help give me more energy to be able to ski more was just basically like coming with like a pretty consistent sleep schedule and then also I try still like even in the winter to do
38:26.367 --> 38:46.182
[SPEAKER_01]: basically like morning exercise like like a day like some days it doesn't work if it's like a really big ski day but like more or less like five days a week like how to have like a physical routine and basically how to be like keeping your body like active and not just like doing it through the sport but doing it also like proactively and doing that with like long-term thinking.
38:46.202 --> 38:58.231
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think in general, the biggest shift was just short-term thinking, the long-term thinking, and then focusing mainly on getting a good day, routine, and basically thinking long-term away.
38:58.271 --> 39:11.140
[SPEAKER_01]: If I maximize my days, it's a great short-term, my de-harder, long-term, and then same thing with exercise and it's like, it might not feel good every day, but I know that over the long period of time, it's going to make my body hold up.
39:11.620 --> 39:27.962
[SPEAKER_01]: And I also think to like tie this in a little bit like also has to do with like mental health as well like just like I also realize that I'm a person and I think many people who find their way to skiing are attracted to the adrenaline and they love getting up and they love like the like whatnot.
39:27.982 --> 39:50.920
[SPEAKER_01]: But I started to realize like in my personal life that I had like all these goals and that the goals demanded me consistency and that like going like super up and super down was not the best way for me to get consistency so it was also like part of like overall shift to like basically I want to feel like happier in my skin and I want to feel like more consistent in who I am.
39:51.200 --> 40:17.655
[SPEAKER_01]: if that makes sense and like part of that too, what's like committing to like like long-term things like sleep schedules and not sleep schedules, I'm not like that militant about it, but actively thinking about like how much you're sleeping and like thinking about like working out and whatnot and I felt that that helped obviously myself as a skier to be able to get the most out of my physical limits, but also I felt like just as a person just like,
40:18.455 --> 40:21.557
[SPEAKER_01]: how do I feel more authentic and how do I feel happier in my skin?
40:22.357 --> 40:39.366
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, that seems to be another sort of theme with you, the like how you realize the 40% more time if you went to the West Coast to the East Coast and so I was like you were just thinking like how do I maximize things and so now
40:40.086 --> 40:49.070
[SPEAKER_00]: you want to keep skiing, making videos, not be racks doing it, what have I got to do right now the decisions I need to make so I achieve that?
40:49.530 --> 40:53.111
[SPEAKER_00]: Super driven man, that's why I can just, that's why I wanted to do this podcast.
40:53.872 --> 41:06.017
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember spending that little bit of time with you, the hour and a bit of whatever to film that YouTube video, and on the, and on the TV, chatting just very quickly and I was like, holy cow, this guy, like,
41:07.097 --> 41:24.158
[SPEAKER_00]: if he wants to achieve something he just he knows what to do to achieve it so yeah really impressed I hope there's been some things people people can take away from this from this conversation any final words you want to say before he say goodbye
41:25.658 --> 41:28.860
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, I would just like flip back and I thought the same thing about you.
41:28.880 --> 41:32.323
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, holy cow, like this guy, like lives in Sydney.
41:32.343 --> 41:49.394
[SPEAKER_01]: He's like a professional ski instructor and like, you know, just like how much it takes to be able to juggle that and you have like a whole family and you're crushing it on the ski instructor, crushing on YouTube and also like, how did you develop all this amazing expertise, like growing up in
41:49.574 --> 42:13.960
[SPEAKER_01]: Australia like because like you know how I say 40% more like you stack the cards in your favor and I feel like in Australia like it would be more difficult so I have a lot of respect and I think you're also going out there and getting it and also just like your demeanors just amazing like when you were instructing me for a day I was like this is like the best instructor at work with like you're so patient you know when to be analytical you know
42:16.381 --> 42:23.988
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, this guy's clearly put a lot of time, not just into learning skiing, but also learning basically how how people work and how people best learn.
42:24.008 --> 42:27.171
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would flip it back to you, which was I was also when I met you.
42:27.191 --> 42:29.954
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, this guy's also like, I'm super impressed.
42:30.455 --> 42:31.816
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Panda Man.
42:34.760 --> 42:36.941
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, thanks so much for your time, Alex.
42:37.361 --> 42:46.305
[SPEAKER_00]: If you were want to find out more, you should search Alex Hackel on YouTube, Alex Hackel on Instagram, and check out thousand skis, is that right?
42:46.945 --> 42:48.926
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, one thousand skis.com.
42:49.667 --> 42:51.127
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, that's awesome.
42:51.528 --> 42:56.790
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, well, I look forward to catching up with you, hopefully in a couple of weeks, down under in Australia with me.
42:57.550 --> 42:59.771
[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, we'll see, see what happens there.
43:00.992 --> 43:02.312
[SPEAKER_00]: Awesome, I'm looking forward to it,
43:06.835 --> 43:07.287
[SPEAKER_01]: There we go.
00:00.451 --> 00:01.512
[SPEAKER_00]: I actually guess what?
00:02.372 --> 00:04.953
[SPEAKER_00]: I interviewed Alex Hackel this week on the podcast.
00:05.173 --> 00:08.034
[SPEAKER_00]: He is a two times ex-games medalist.
00:08.094 --> 00:10.835
[SPEAKER_00]: He made the U.S. ski team when he was 17 years old.
00:11.556 --> 00:20.460
[SPEAKER_00]: He got second place in the Corbets, cool kings and queens, where they have to jump off this massive lip into a deadly shoot that sort of...
00:21.020 --> 00:23.741
[SPEAKER_00]: I would be scared to just drop into their throwing tricks into it.
00:24.562 --> 00:27.085
[SPEAKER_00]: He started his own YouTube channel, which has gone wild.
00:27.886 --> 00:29.829
[SPEAKER_00]: He has started a ski company.
00:30.189 --> 00:32.853
[SPEAKER_00]: He's produced five full length ski movies.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The guy is an absolute goer, as we say, in Australia.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I wanted to chat to him because I think he's inspirational.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You think he's pretty cool?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I actually wanted to meet him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I wanted to dig into like what drives this guy to achieve so many fantastic things these goals he's set himself because it didn't start out that way which you'll find out.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's get into the podcast right now.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So Alex, you are pretty successful in, I would say many different ways.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Business-wise, you've been a professional athlete, you've started a YouTube channel, things you take on, you seem to be very successful at, but...
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[SPEAKER_00]: Before we go there, can you take us back to Sunday River when you're a kid?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because there's a story in there that perhaps helps us understand your mindset?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I remember when I was a kid, I desperately want to be a good skier.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I did what pretty much any kid would do, which would be to sign up for the weekend ski program and getting the age group and trying to work my way up the ranks and get coached and all that stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I remember this morning, I was like 12 years old and it was like the first day of the weekend ski program and I was like just so so so so stoked And one of the things is like when you turn 12, you got to go into like the older kid group So then you got to ski terrain parks and you got to like do all the stuff that really wanted to do The year before I had to do like a combination of everything training like moguls and like we only got to spend maybe like a quarter of our time in the train park
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[SPEAKER_01]: So this is like the year I was waiting for and like I'll see you get to see all your friends who are like same age as you so we do are like morning warm-ups And they're calling the groups and This is like the moment I've been waiting for I'm like, okay, I'm about to get called we're gonna go with the big kids This is finally it and then I watch this is like my friend gets called Connor gets called Nick gets called they all go the big-a-group and then basically it was like Alex and then it was like To the left
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[SPEAKER_01]: which was like the small kid group and it was like a group of like kids who were like from the ages of like eight to eleven and I was like so hurt I was like what the heck like what can't they see like what am I doing wrong like I'm the same age as these kids like I'm a decent enough skier in my head and like this is all I want to do and why can't they see the passion in me and I grew up with something called idiopathic short stature so I had like a deficiency in growth hormone so I looked tiny
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I had this really small packaging and I'm like do they just think because I look like a nine year old that I should ski with the nine year olds and it was really tough and I was like holding back tears because it's so embarrassing and it was I felt really like judged and everything and I you know I sucked it up and I end up quitting the ski program because I was like I like this is not going towards the direction that I want and
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I would just like show up to the park and I would just talk with anybody who would teach me a trick and they basically ended up teaching me because I felt that like support and then I started learning like really quick and I realized that skiing didn't have to be the thing where like somebody said like you're ready or you're not ready and then when I asked like my dad a little bit later, basically said like yeah, like I talked with like your coaches like we'd have like parent, you know, teacher like evaluations and basically like the coach said like hey look it like
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[SPEAKER_01]: If Alex enjoys skiing great, but like he has no chance of being a professional skier so that was just kind of like the attitude at the weekend program I kind of just got judged by it the package that I was and they maybe didn't see what I could be and then I basically had to learn to take things into my own initiative and Basically to believe in myself and to find the support that I wanted but I don't blame like the coach at all like you have so many kids And why not and it's hard to give each one personal attention, but that kind of I think is like a good
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[SPEAKER_01]: summary of I guess how I got in skiing and sort of like the passion game in the DIY work ethic that it taught me.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, some people would give up with that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe find another sport.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think there's anything in you or anything in just people in general that helps us not?
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[SPEAKER_00]: give up there because maybe someone's listening and they're like, yep, that's happened to me and they stopped pursuing their dream.
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[SPEAKER_00]: What's what made you keep going?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I think it sounds crazy, but I didn't really have a plan B.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I was doing terrible school.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I was tiny so I wasn't good at any of the other American sports.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I generally love skiing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it was one of those things where I was like, I just had such a big passion for it that I was able to like it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's like in other parts of my life like I'm not going to sit here like preach that I can just overcome anything because I think you have to have like a passion for it, but I think if you truly know your destiny for something or if you truly feel like this is like for you and if you get a setback then I think that you can draw in sort of like all that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: like sort of passion you have and all that desire you have to achieve something and you can think to yourself okay like this door is not opening but like let me look over here and I think that if you have like a passion to keep standing you know like stand and fight get knocked down stand up and fight yet knocked down stand up and fight and so I think
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like it was like it's a little bit like a rocky movie sometimes, which is like it's not about how many times you get knocked down all that matter So you get up one more then when you get knocked back down.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that that's kind of like my attitude It's like I'm passionate about something.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna be very persistent about it and if I'm very persistent about it I'm gonna be able to stick with it through the ups and the downs.
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[SPEAKER_01]: and that I just try to remind myself when it's down, that it'll get up again and when it's up, unfortunately, the down will come as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so you got projected, but I don't think you learnt all your really good tricks from just hanging out with people in the park.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There was something that you go find some help elsewhere.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It was there anything that gave you a bit of a boost.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so this is this is correct.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So basically, you know, the weekend program wasn't from me, then I would go in the park and I met some amazing people like one of them his name is Curtis and he was like the best skier part of gear at the mountain and he was like five six years older than me and he just took me under his wing and he started just showing me like how to do the tricks and just sort of like what
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[SPEAKER_01]: Park skiing lifestyles about what new schoolers calm is what things are cool.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What things aren't cool and just sort of like I guess like introduce me to like freesking culture and then I was just like I was so hooked like it was like the second that I figured out I was sent my decent at it I was just like I guess if I loved it when I thought I sucked when I figured out hey, but I'm not that bad.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was like I'm all in
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[SPEAKER_01]: So then I would like basically it was like everything for me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I would just show up like, you know, like every weekend, I'm show up like first chair, I would stay last chair, I would hide rails after 4pm when the chair is closed, and I sort of got really into it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then I really wanted to see, like, can I take this next level?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's like the only thing that I cared about at the time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So then I started asking my parents, like, hello, can I, like, what is there like a ski academy?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, like, I'd have heard of these high schools where you get to, like, ski, like, every day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So then I was able to basically convince my parents to send me to Windell's Academy, which is like a ski academy in Mount Hood, Oregon, and it's like an amazing place because
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[SPEAKER_01]: You have this year around Glacier, the Mount Hood Glacier, and so my premise was just like, okay, how many days can I get?
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like if I went to ski academy on the East Coast of America, you know, I would get the same amount of days.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But if I do it in Mount Hood Oregon, I can ski all somewhere, I can ski all fall, and that I'm just gonna get like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: 40% more days so that I'm going to get 40% more opportunity to get better.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I kind of show up out there and I have the this grab the attitude and I also have like the resentment towards coaches in the 30 figures.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I'm the big and I establish my guy not any more per se but back then because like that that was the only like introduction to like I basically I was dyslexic in school so I had a hard time sometimes and teachers had a hard time relating to me and then I you know show up to
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[SPEAKER_01]: ski a cat or like my first like coaching and skiing and they basically tell me I'm not good enough go ski with kids three years younger than you and then basically I showed there and I have that same resentment but luckily I was able to have like the best coach I could ask for his name to Mike Handley and he's like absolute godsend I thought he was crazy I hated him for the first six months but I got sat down by a girl named Maggie and we were at a training camp in Colorado like
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[SPEAKER_01]: And she just sits everybody down and she's like, look, it, like, I know you think Mike is crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I know he has a different way of going about things, but like, look in a mirror and ask yourself, like, why are you here and like, why did you come to like be at Windows?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like, if you came here because you want to progress, you want to be the best skier possible.
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[SPEAKER_01]: like you have to listen to Mike and she's like, I thought it was crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I listened to him.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He taught me five tricks in one day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The next day taught me five tricks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like this guy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: No, why is he crazy?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Why is he crazy?
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[SPEAKER_00]: What?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Like in an example.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was not like he's crazy, it's just like you're a 15 year old and he's like at the ski coach and he's also the headmaster.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He's a huge history nerd.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He grew up in so-called.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it goes around and board shorts like he basically it's not that he's actually crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's just your rebellious teenager and he's an authority figure.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not like he's necessarily crazy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Inch is very on take different.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't fitting that new school is baggy pants pot like that So he didn't look the part and he wasn't like You know, he wasn't like in the hip culture, but he had an insane knowledge of skiing and like I mean he's of course in the culture like
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[SPEAKER_01]: He's like coached some of the best skiers for a very long time so he's in the culture But he's just not like what you would think like as me like a Henrik or a loving 14 year old who showed up in Mountain Origin.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That was not my Think but she basically says give him a shot give him a chance I gave him a chance and then yeah, he taught me like five tricks one day and then like the next day He like taught me five more tricks and I just realized like okay if I listen to him
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[SPEAKER_01]: uh we're going to get we're going to go places and I want to go places I can't do it alone and my favorite story with him and what a great example of how powerful coaching can be and how powerful an instructor can be is he had so much belief in me and he always believed that I could do the trick before I could do the trick and when I was 17 I did the world's second triple-core 1080
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like two months before that he told my dad like yeah Alex is going to do a triple cork 10 and like a couple months and I had no idea he told my dad this and then I did it and then I called my dad as dad I did it and he's like oh yeah the triple cork 10 Mike told me we're going to do that a couple months ago
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like if I would have heard Mike tell my dad like a couple months ago like oh Alex is going to do a short time to get out of your mind like I'm not ready like that's that but he could see like my progression and he's like okay like you might not be ready now But like he will be ready so like that was like the polar opposite because one coach basically like thought that I you know wasn't going to be talented and
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[SPEAKER_01]: basically push me aside and then the other coach like believe that was more talented than what I personally believed in and then that showed me like wow when you have these people on your team who are like pulling you forward like that is like it's it's just exponential what yeah wow okay so is there anything's like the way you then approached getting better like beyond that so it's a newer heart of tricks
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[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I'm trying to, if I want to learn some new tricks, Alex, terrain parks, I'm getting older, but I really would like to prove that I'm not, and I could maybe spin a seven, I've spun a five, never spun a seven, like what advice to from Mike and what you've learned, would you say to me about trying to achieve that goal?
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's tough, that's tough because I haven't seen any of the preparations but first it would be like you can 100% do it because you're like an amazing skier and I definitely think you have like everything it takes to do the 720 so I would say first like I would just say a belief that you got it
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I haven't really seen like your fives in your sevens and whatnot, but I think if it would be like I had the like guess it would be like to be patient on your take off because like you're gonna think oh, I'm gonna spin more that means I have to like really crank more but in theory If you think about like if you can do a 360 on flat ground and then if you think about the jump you'll probably be sevening you're gonna have like ten times more airtime than what you're 360 on flat ground.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Basically, probably be strong and patient on the takeoff and then like, like, get the good set, get in the air, start spinning and then depending on what kind of seven rotation like may be like a spot like if you're going to do like let's just say like a core seven you'd want to be kind of like spotting at 360 like looking at the horizon like kind of like a little upside down and then you're going to watch your feet like follow back through.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I think that's all like probably, I don't know, it's all hypothetical, but in general, it would just be believing yourself, have confidence, don't overcook the takeoff, be patient, and let it come to you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then I'm interested, like when you say we're about to go, like we're staying at a jump, you're going to go hit it and you're going to throw a cork
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[SPEAKER_00]: What do you actually, what are like the simple cues you now through all the practice think about?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, like, you mentioned the horizon thing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When I do my technical skin, I have these things that I think about, like, where am I feet of going at a certain point?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Where my hand is relative to stuff?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do you have similar stuff like is it relative position to the environment to, like, your hand to your foot?
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[SPEAKER_00]: like, how do you simplify it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like, core 10, don't don't.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, if I go, I think it's hard.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it's, if I have to put a metric to it and I could be like totally wrong, but I think to some degree, when I'm like getting ready on the takeoff or whatever, and this is going to make me sound old, but like I haven't learned like a new trick in a really wild diet.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I have it like it will a lot of what I'm doing is basically like I learned it when I was younger and then now I'm adapting it to a new space which is adding difficulty or like I'm basically doing tricks that I haven't done in a very long time or adding small variation so I would say like a lot of the like groundwork that I have was kind of like putting at that like young age by like might and everything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I always do think, like, maybe, like, on the take-off and, like, like, I was saying that the quarks have been, like, being patient and, like, not rushing it and, like, the same thing with, like, where your head's looking and everything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I honestly think about it as, and this is, like, this is just in general, like, a coaching debate, which is, like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: how much when you're going off a jump that's like 25 meters and you're going to go upside down three times.
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[SPEAKER_01]: How much can you actually think about your takeoff versus how much of it is like fight or flight instincts?
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[SPEAKER_01]: So basically what I try and think more than anything what I do tricks is just keeping like a very calm mindset.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And like basically like using those nerves that I have to my advantage and not letting them consume me because I let them consume me Then I'm going to forget the training that I had and I'm going to rush my take off and I'm going to like you hop up on adrenaline.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to be doing my risk versus reward like
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm pretty correct.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like when I'm doing the big tricks, I'm almost not thinking too much about like technique, like I might think, okay, I know like for example, like this is maybe like the small cracks of the trick, which is like I need to take off or okay, like I usually end up spinning too much, so I need to think a little more flip.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I'll think like a maybe something like vague if that made you Yes, or maybe not something super like my hip needs to be here in this year But I think like vaguely like okay, like if you have to try and nail one part What's that one part that you're gonna nail?
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[SPEAKER_01]: But so I'll think about that and then I'll think mainly just about okay
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[SPEAKER_01]: how do I regulate my emotions and how do I think correctly and how do I think like sound despite the nerves and despite the desire to get the shot and despite all that stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think about as like 20% technicality and also one thing I will say these days you have like airbags and stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like if I do do new tricks, I generally have already kind of more or less done it into an airbag.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's like the technique is usually there and then the on snow is like the mental part.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, okay, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So airbags really like if you grew up in the era without airbags obviously the progression slows a bit right like that's just opened up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: masses.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I did grow up in the era without airbags.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like airbags came when I started exiting so fausky.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So now I get to use airbags and I'm like, wow, this is a cheat code, but I also not that jealous either because with that cheat code, then comes the flood gates and the flood gate.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And and and.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, exactly because you're able to trade and you're already able to test things out and then like it's just like it's just making it so the sports progressing super fast.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think or it's one of the contributing factors.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I feel like it's like there's both pros and cons to both.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm not jealous that because I'm like I'm happy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you're telling him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, the terminus of when you made your rise in in skiing was good.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then I think we share a similar passion in film making, like I loved skiing but then making videos about skiing and I did it in the beginning because I wanted it, it was for me to be like, so I could look back and remember it and it was fun.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When did you start playing with video editing in skiing?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then, like, I think it was like, it's like the same thing, like you just want to get tricks of you and your home is to just like see what it looks like, compare yourself to your idol, so like you go on new schoolers, you find people sees net hits, and then you'd see what kind of tricks they were doing, and then I think like a lot of like how I got into filmmaking was just like emulate like those sees net hits or emulate what other people were doing,
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[SPEAKER_01]: And just like to like the joy of like doing a trick and having it on film and being able to just show people like that was probably where all started and then I just realized that like I do love like filmmaking in general like I'm a huge like movie nerd and like I generally do enjoy
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[SPEAKER_01]: just like the act of filmmaking so it kind of was just like one of the things where just started as just like getting clips with homies and then I realized like wait like the act of filming with my friends is adding enjoyment and is something that I actively like and then that sort of when I decided to like try and like stand up the filmmaking to make ski movies and to sort of like go from there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Have you seen anybody get really good at skiing without doing much filming stuff or do you think they go hand in hand because of the feedback loop?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, so I think like...
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[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so 100% like nowadays, I think you have to, not you have to, but like filming yourself.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's insane, like good quality phones we have in our pockets and like how much basically like filming and rewatching the film to see your movements is going to help you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think you would like have to do that to some degree, but I would say like I know a lot of skiers who like I got really good at skiing was pretty much zero interest in the filmmaking side of things.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So like the film is basically purely to just like they don't care if the shot looks good or if the angle or if they're song hits good or anything like that they're just like I somebody got to cook me I can see what my take-off looks like boom okay like I'm just gonna like keep cranky tricks so I think that it's like 50-50 I think some people start filming their skiing and then think that that's fun and go into it and I think that other 50 percent just see it as like a means to the end of basically like
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[SPEAKER_01]: Seeing what their set looks like or seeing you know how their skiing looks.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, okay cool So you've taken that passion of filming and work with some video editors to now make a YouTube channel Lots of people these days, especially young kids like want to be a YouTuber
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[SPEAKER_00]: Can you give us your maybe like bit of advice on that and is it isn't as easy as maybe it seems or or not what's your take on becoming a youtuber
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[SPEAKER_01]: devil, so I say like anybody's like, I want to become a youtuber, I'll be like me too, like, and I think that that's like the basis for like anything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think if you have the desire to do it, I would actually be like super encouraging to tell you that I think you can do it, and that it's just like this, I almost think it's like very similar to like how I do like skiing and how I approach skiing, which is like first I was a fan.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then like once you're a fan then you're like, okay, I want to get involved and then you basically then you start trying and then when you start trying it's not going to be good first attempt and then you just sort of like learn and learn and learn and like I think I'm constantly learning on the YouTube front and like that I have so much farther to go in that basically like I just see this like a constant evolution of like a skill and like
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[SPEAKER_01]: that it's like pretty similar skiing, which is like you start with the passion, you decide you want to do it and then you work your way by starting and then through doing it, then you get better and better and better and then you sort of like work your way up in in talent.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Like what's the, what's the most recent thing you've learned about you tubing, then like that you like, oh, took me a wall to figure that out or I was making that mistake.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I think that a lot of it is like, oh, I'd watch some of the else do a video on a certain topic and I think like, oh, if I just do a video on this topic, then that's also going to go good or like, oh, like my favorite youtuber does this in their video.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So if I just copy this and it's going to go good and then realizing that like there's a whole lot of nuance and like so for example, like maybe your favorite skier is like super great and they have like a great set.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They have a great grab, but they're landing's poor, but if you don't know enough about the technique and you copy the landing, then you're just copying potentially like the worst part of their thing, so I would just say like getting really nerdy and like trying to see like what works, what doesn't work, trying to watch videos, and like...
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[SPEAKER_01]: Kind of like a reverse engineer like what was it about that video that was really good?
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[SPEAKER_01]: What would it like I try and improve on this and sort of like not just necessarily copying everything But more trying to like figure out like okay, like what do I think they do good and what do I think is contributing?
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[SPEAKER_01]: First what do I think maybe is like the sloppiness and whatnot and trying to figure out to emulate what I think they do great
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[SPEAKER_01]: and then to give out solveness and then just like skiing, how to embrace like authenticity, like I think that a lot of skiing can be emulation and it takes a long time of emulating to then put your style on it and I still think in YouTube maybe if I were to critique myself like I still feel like my personal style hasn't truly come forward yet because I've been still in the
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[SPEAKER_00]: Would you say is there a video you've created so far that you feel maybe didn't go like gangbusters?
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[SPEAKER_00]: But do you feel there's one that you like this felt more like my style?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or you really enjoyed Enjoyed creating it or doing it a certain way?
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[SPEAKER_01]: uh... i would say so i would say i mean i i think they're all and hope they're all but they all have their own blessings and cursing but that's a different i think i would say the one i did about the it's called the white rush which was like the china's down hill one yeah i don't want to do that one
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[SPEAKER_01]: That one just felt awesome, because it felt like a great intersection of a really cool story to tell with actual history, plus like a fun ski, fun and engaging skiing, and it felt like we got to tell that story.
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[SPEAKER_01]: like be one of the first people to really tell that story and also like it was such a fun ski event like I everybody I'm talking to and I'm like like you should do the event like you would love the event like you would have a class because it's like uh if you're like indescribable to it's quickly like what because the voice around is that right?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the vice rush.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's a 500 person Chinese downhill ski race and it's like meant for just physical torture.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So you start and it's like this like downhill section and like everybody starts at the same time and they
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[SPEAKER_01]: have like a pistol and it's like the start pistol so they just give you a one minute heads up and then within that minute whenever the start pistol goes then the race starts it could be five seconds after the one minute it could be 59 seconds so everybody's on edge and you do this like downhill for like about a minute.
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[SPEAKER_01]: and then it goes uphill to the point that you can't like get enough speed to go uphill.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So that at like 3,000 meters, you more or less have to run at max speed for a minute.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then you get to the top of this hill and then you have more or less the entire vertical of St. Anton like pretty much from the top to the bottom and they don't groom it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So they intentionally wait
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[SPEAKER_01]: to like 5 PM and they let all the molecules get as big as humanly possible and then they grew nothing to make it so that you are like just your legs are getting absolutely destroyed and then at the very end after you make it down like 3,000 vertical meters and like by the time you ran that one minute you're just like life support.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, do you ever do the beep test as a kid?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like in gym, imagine you did the beep test.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then at the end of the beep test, somebody drops you off at the top of like, take downtown and it's just like, all right, go through all this stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then they build these like objects at the end, like these hails with the snowcat.
27:37.914 --> 28:02.824
[SPEAKER_01]: So then at the end you have to ski down and you have to take them off and the last bit is like climbing these mountains so it's like a ski iron man but it's like it's not quite the endurance it's like more like a sprint so like to win you would do it in nine minutes to I got like 12 I did it in like like I think like 10 minutes like 10 to 11 or something like that and then like but like people like can train their whole lives to get under like 11
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[SPEAKER_01]: But if you enjoy, if you're good at skiing, which you are and you enjoy like physical effort, then it's like a one of a kind experience.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And the funnest part was just like, I'm never skied at that level of physical exhaustion before.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I felt like a beginner again to some degree because like when you take out your ability to think straight, you also take out your expertise to some degree.
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[SPEAKER_01]: and then also it felt like runners high like when you were like in the middle of it like he both wanted to like stop him cute immediately and you were also like oh my god like this is like insane so it was like just a great physical Russian telling that story about the event was like something that felt like it was authentic to me and it was like an interest of mine and also I got to do storytelling.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'd say that was like an example of like putting it
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I really enjoyed watching that one.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I watched that with Archie my eight-year-old and he really he really liked that one too So yeah, that's cool.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can be a champion.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You can start training him.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's right.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's right.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, man my legs going down
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[SPEAKER_00]: yeah after running because I saw you you took the strategy of not trying to like skate up you took your skis off and ran with them after you've done that one minute and just full ball and yeah your legs are just done by the time you got to bomb these these mogles and again I guess another
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[SPEAKER_00]: Cool trait you show in that is utilizing expertise like seeking out you sought out someone who's done it before Got some tips right to try and help you not suck at it and actually give yourself the best chance
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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah, I would say like just in general, if I didn't like talk to anybody like that would be I would bet so screwed.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There's so many like small intricacies of that like event that more or less like you have not you have to but like people like usually like have to do it many times to like figure out like
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[SPEAKER_01]: For example, where's the best place to start and what's the best type of equipment and all the stuff?
30:10.199 --> 30:22.576
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's definitely a life hack in general, like if you can find somebody who's like more talented You had something in your humble enough to listen, then it's usually going to get in good health.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what the quote is, but it's just like anybody can learn from their own mistakes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: A smart person learns from somebody else's mistakes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
30:34.083 --> 30:35.884
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, why did you start a ski company?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, we started a ski company, um, mainly, uh, it was a friend of mine, Power's idea, and then he sort of just like pitched it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then it's sort of just the stars aligned and it worked, but I would say it was like a little bit of like we were mainly all professional athletes and we were working with ski companies and then we were like way to second like, you know, like, there's like this big, you know, pie which is like a ski company and then like the professional athletes were just like this tiny like marketing like, like, slat of this pie.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And that basically, like, I mean, the upshot of that is you deal with none of the business.
31:20.439 --> 31:23.742
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're just, you're getting all bonus, which is like, you're part of the marketing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But it did feel like way the second, like, we ski these things every day, we're super tied into the culture, and like, we believe that we're,
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, or that in general, like free skiers are worth more than just this like small pie and like if we want to You know, ever be more than a small pie than we kind of got to do it ourselves.
31:41.670 --> 31:58.213
[SPEAKER_01]: So it was kind of this like And naive Idea that end up working which was like hey, well, we just started our own one and then we can you know Like rethink things and we can sort of like do things the way that we see fit with our perspective of having been athletes
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, I was when when we stayed together and in hint of talks and we tried to skis for like the skiing back down to the the phoena house Whatever, I was like all these skis are gonna suck because it's like they just made for park skiing and I was like
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[SPEAKER_00]: blown away I was really surprised that I actually enjoyed them and they kind of they're not super narrow at all like and they held a good edge um yeah it was really kind of fun so I think you've done well in making it like it's a good excuse I've tried some like freestyle skis that's sort of don't don't don't turn very well but those ones I don't know what they were but there was kind
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[SPEAKER_01]: uh... in that so yet curled to i don't i'm i'm i'm pretty sure that and i will give the credit elsewhere i was the one design skis they would be newtles and it would be terrible but luckily i'm like uh... for somebody who like just in general it sounds so weird i'm a very untechnical person i'm i love like ideas and i love
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[SPEAKER_01]: But the technicality even on tricks sometimes is maybe not my like strength and so like for example My friend, PowerHogland or Payban like he does the R&D and like he grew up ski racing and he really has a mind for like all aspects of skiing from ski racing to free riding to parts skiing
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[SPEAKER_01]: And he also has like a really good mind for the specifics of what a good skier.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'll give him full credit that Like it's awesome when you start coming into your friends and then you figure out that your friends are actually extremely talented and that they yes that they definitely that they got it Yes, so what's coming up next for you like what's What's on the horizon what are your next projects?
33:50.328 --> 34:06.715
[SPEAKER_01]: So on the horizon for me, I would say, well, one, I'm really enjoying getting to like ski while I'm really enjoying getting to have like a basically a job that is able to then like give me the opportunity to ski in cool places.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I would say just appreciating that and enjoying that is definitely high upon the priorities.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Then there's always like visions of like where you want to go forward.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say that I've been starting to do like free riding and I've come really close to qualifying for the free ride world tour.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, uh,
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[SPEAKER_01]: basically all three years on the Challenger series.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say that I would love to continue my free riding journey and to be able to eventually qualify for the tour.
34:33.933 --> 34:40.056
[SPEAKER_01]: And then also like the same thing with like, you know, the content that I create both on YouTube, the short form is like,
34:40.616 --> 35:04.264
[SPEAKER_01]: Basically, like, how do I enjoy where I am at the presence, but also, like, how do I keep developing those crafts and how can I make videos that I feel like represent me better or more authentic or able to perform better and reach more people, so I would just say, like, it sounds like bad, but like basically just do what I'm doing, just do it better and keep developing is basically what's on the horizon for me, I feel like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, nice, nice.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Where's the next trip to?
35:08.599 --> 35:10.500
[SPEAKER_01]: The next trip is to your neck of the woods.
35:11.321 --> 35:16.465
[SPEAKER_01]: The next trip is, I don't know when this really is, but I'm going to go to Australia.
35:16.505 --> 35:18.266
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to go to Parish here in Threadbow.
35:18.306 --> 35:20.387
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm actually never skied Threadbow before.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm excited to go back at things spent 10 years and I'm going to go,
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[SPEAKER_01]: do some part skiing at Parasure but then also has some YouTube video ideas and hopefully potentially I would love if you were involved in one of them and also like work on my ski technique and you know get some days get some days working on that.
35:42.773 --> 35:44.135
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, nice, nice.
35:44.977 --> 35:56.235
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, Hey Alex, the only thing I want to close out this conversation with is, I was really, uh, surprised, surprised the roadward, maybe not surprised.
35:57.535 --> 36:13.553
[SPEAKER_00]: You came across as very health conscious when I met you and you know, like coming from like the freestyle world can be a bit loose right you know that culture of whatever If the man that's the thing and then you're like no, I need to get my sleep.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not eating this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm drinking that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I've got to you know get all that right
36:19.959 --> 36:44.238
[SPEAKER_00]: would you say do you really feel that part is pretty important and I'm I'm this this is you're speaking to like the younger generation who the body's a like you can flog them pretty hard and they don't really notice and then like me and older where we really are starting to notice the effect of what we do with our body yeah any any advice there like was there lessen or something they went I need to
36:48.798 --> 36:50.279
[SPEAKER_01]: definitely know.
36:50.399 --> 37:01.085
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say like what I basically learned is like when I was younger I could basically just ski all day and then make pretty much any like choice after skiing and I would be like fine.
37:01.105 --> 37:12.351
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd be able to go up and ski the next day and I went on and then like as I got older I started realize like wait a second like I have like a finite amount of energy and I might have also like a finite amount of time to
37:13.732 --> 37:21.154
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, be able to like put into skiing because I can't just like do it like at maximum and then do that maximum again and maximum again.
37:21.214 --> 37:30.797
[SPEAKER_01]: So I have to like try and, uh, basically plan like when like when I'm doing it like how am I going to make the most out of it because I love skiing at maximum capability.
37:30.957 --> 37:36.279
[SPEAKER_01]: And then started also thinking, okay, like what are the things I can put around myself that will like maximize that window.
37:37.039 --> 37:57.233
[SPEAKER_01]: And like for me, I would say like the biggest thing is just like a really good sleep schedule and like routine so like I just try and like basically make sure that I'm constantly getting like approximately let's just say eight hours of sleep and that I'm consciously like if I have a great day and everything's feeling good and like maybe I do want to you know keep talking at the
37:57.513 --> 38:08.498
[SPEAKER_01]: at the bar with my friends or something on my way to say, okay, like if I want tomorrow to be also like a day where I have like energy and to not borrow from tomorrow's time, like I have to have like discipline today.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say for myself like and what I found like worked really well for me to help give me more energy to be able to ski more was just basically like coming with like a pretty consistent sleep schedule and then also I try still like even in the winter to do
38:26.367 --> 38:46.182
[SPEAKER_01]: basically like morning exercise like like a day like some days it doesn't work if it's like a really big ski day but like more or less like five days a week like how to have like a physical routine and basically how to be like keeping your body like active and not just like doing it through the sport but doing it also like proactively and doing that with like long-term thinking.
38:46.202 --> 38:58.231
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think in general, the biggest shift was just short-term thinking, the long-term thinking, and then focusing mainly on getting a good day, routine, and basically thinking long-term away.
38:58.271 --> 39:11.140
[SPEAKER_01]: If I maximize my days, it's a great short-term, my de-harder, long-term, and then same thing with exercise and it's like, it might not feel good every day, but I know that over the long period of time, it's going to make my body hold up.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I also think to like tie this in a little bit like also has to do with like mental health as well like just like I also realize that I'm a person and I think many people who find their way to skiing are attracted to the adrenaline and they love getting up and they love like the like whatnot.
39:27.982 --> 39:50.920
[SPEAKER_01]: But I started to realize like in my personal life that I had like all these goals and that the goals demanded me consistency and that like going like super up and super down was not the best way for me to get consistency so it was also like part of like overall shift to like basically I want to feel like happier in my skin and I want to feel like more consistent in who I am.
39:51.200 --> 40:17.655
[SPEAKER_01]: if that makes sense and like part of that too, what's like committing to like like long-term things like sleep schedules and not sleep schedules, I'm not like that militant about it, but actively thinking about like how much you're sleeping and like thinking about like working out and whatnot and I felt that that helped obviously myself as a skier to be able to get the most out of my physical limits, but also I felt like just as a person just like,
40:18.455 --> 40:21.557
[SPEAKER_01]: how do I feel more authentic and how do I feel happier in my skin?
40:22.357 --> 40:39.366
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, that seems to be another sort of theme with you, the like how you realize the 40% more time if you went to the West Coast to the East Coast and so I was like you were just thinking like how do I maximize things and so now
40:40.086 --> 40:49.070
[SPEAKER_00]: you want to keep skiing, making videos, not be racks doing it, what have I got to do right now the decisions I need to make so I achieve that?
40:49.530 --> 40:53.111
[SPEAKER_00]: Super driven man, that's why I can just, that's why I wanted to do this podcast.
40:53.872 --> 41:06.017
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember spending that little bit of time with you, the hour and a bit of whatever to film that YouTube video, and on the, and on the TV, chatting just very quickly and I was like, holy cow, this guy, like,
41:07.097 --> 41:24.158
[SPEAKER_00]: if he wants to achieve something he just he knows what to do to achieve it so yeah really impressed I hope there's been some things people people can take away from this from this conversation any final words you want to say before he say goodbye
41:25.658 --> 41:28.860
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, I would just like flip back and I thought the same thing about you.
41:28.880 --> 41:32.323
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, holy cow, like this guy, like lives in Sydney.
41:32.343 --> 41:49.394
[SPEAKER_01]: He's like a professional ski instructor and like, you know, just like how much it takes to be able to juggle that and you have like a whole family and you're crushing it on the ski instructor, crushing on YouTube and also like, how did you develop all this amazing expertise, like growing up in
41:49.574 --> 42:13.960
[SPEAKER_01]: Australia like because like you know how I say 40% more like you stack the cards in your favor and I feel like in Australia like it would be more difficult so I have a lot of respect and I think you're also going out there and getting it and also just like your demeanors just amazing like when you were instructing me for a day I was like this is like the best instructor at work with like you're so patient you know when to be analytical you know
42:16.381 --> 42:23.988
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, this guy's clearly put a lot of time, not just into learning skiing, but also learning basically how how people work and how people best learn.
42:24.008 --> 42:27.171
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would flip it back to you, which was I was also when I met you.
42:27.191 --> 42:29.954
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, this guy's also like, I'm super impressed.
42:30.455 --> 42:31.816
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Panda Man.
42:34.760 --> 42:36.941
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, thanks so much for your time, Alex.
42:37.361 --> 42:46.305
[SPEAKER_00]: If you were want to find out more, you should search Alex Hackel on YouTube, Alex Hackel on Instagram, and check out thousand skis, is that right?
42:46.945 --> 42:48.926
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, one thousand skis.com.
42:49.667 --> 42:51.127
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, that's awesome.
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[SPEAKER_00]: All right, well, I look forward to catching up with you, hopefully in a couple of weeks, down under in Australia with me.
42:57.550 --> 42:59.771
[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, we'll see, see what happens there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Awesome, I'm looking forward to it,
43:06.835 --> 43:07.287
[SPEAKER_01]: There we go.
