Last month I got in touch with Dave Stratton – an up and coming big mountain freeheel skier from Salt Lake City, UT. Dave and I immediately hit things off during our conversation on the phone. I was stoked to get to talk to Dave, he showed me how in tune with freeheel skiing he is. He’s the only team member on the Monster Squad from Utah, a group of up and coming freeheel skiers from all across the country who are sponsored by Freeheellife.com, with hook-ups from Voile bindings and Karhu skis. Dave will continue this season right where he left off last season – on his journey of continually progressing freeheel skiing, where every turn feels like the first turn. Read on.

Skier Bio

Age: 24

Hometown: Canton, CT

Resides: Salt Lake City, UT

Current Set-up:
— Skis - 4Front VCTs
— Bindings - Targa G3s
— Boots - Scarpa T-Race

Sponsors: Monster Squad/FHL.com

Home Mountain: Bird/Alta combo

How long have you been freeheel skiing?
I think this will be my ninth year – since I was 16 or 17.

Why do you freeheel ski?
I got caught up in it back in high school. It just seemed like at the time alpine skiing was stalled out and tele-skiing seemed cool. I just got into it and kept going with it because of the challenge of the whole thing. There’s such a fine line of being on top of it [tele-skiing] and just totally flailing. It’s a hard thing to play with; it’s a pretty fragile zone being on top of it. I think that’s where the addiction to it comes from right there.

What’s your favorite type of terrain?
Definitely big mountain. I’m not much of a billy-goater. I like getting into technical fun stuff, but I think my favorite thing is a two-huck line with big open fields to lay out turns in between. If I’m not hucking, I’d rather be laying out big GS turns.

What kind of music are you listening to most these days?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Jay-Z. I like a lot of his old-school stuff. I also listen to a lot of Rise Against, too. Lately though it’s mostly been Immortal Technique.

What was your first impression of Freeheellife.com?
I’m just stoked to see where Josh [Madsen] is taking it. It’s focused where it should be - on the younger aspect of telemark skiing. We all know how tele-skiing is more popular with the 30 – 40 year old crowd who are more into the outdoorsy scene. But then there’s this younger aspect of the sport that’s been sparking up; kids are becoming more and more interested in freeheeling and I think it’s really cool that there’s a website that feeds their need.

How do you plan on utilizing the Monster Squad hook-ups and Freeheellife.com to get noticed?
I’ve had this ridiculous dream of being a professional skier since I was a kid. It’s sure going to be fun getting involved at this level and getting the exposure to finance the sport to a certain level to at least pursue what I want to in it. I’m stoked for the exposure. This interview alone, it’s pretty wild. It blows me away that anybody would be interested in what I think about this stuff. Getting in with the Monster Squad and FHL.com is just adding stoke to the fire.

What do you have to say about the freeheel scene in Utah?
I think it’s awesome. This is the place to be. There are a couple other places where it’s going off, but looking at what people are doing in bounds at the resorts and then what people like the Powder Whores are doing in the backcountry is great.

What’s your favorite après ski hangout?
I’m a big fan of the Tram Club at Snowbird. I hang out at the Tram Club, and, shoot, I don’t know. That’s the weird thing about living in Salt Lake City, the ski crowd scatters when the sun goes down.

What direction do you see freeheel skiing taking in the next three years or so?
I see it focusing more on freeheel skiing itself. Some of the big mountain boys might kill me for this, but giving up on the chase against alpine skiing. The reality is we’re not going to catch alpine skiing with the equipment we’ve got. So I think people are going to come around and realize that telemark skiing is about the turn and it’s about laying down smooth lines that look good. So hopefully a focus on cleaner more polished telemarking. When people are doing airs on film we’re not going to see any more hip checks or tele-flops.

What do you want to see more of in freeheel skiing?
Stomped airs. I’m not one to talk; I definitely throw a lot of hip checks. But that’s what I’m focusing on, sticking my landings. I think that’s what we need to do.

Less of?
This attitude of simulating alpine skiing. It’s kind of funny when you see a tele-skier roll up to a 20 foot cliff and pause and jump off and their music soundtrack is Rage Against the Machine or something. It doesn’t quite fit.

Any last words?
Just a quick analogy for the readers to think about: Alpine skiing is like eating with a fork; freeheel skiing is like eating with chop sticks. It just looks cooler.

QUICK ANSWER SECTION

Sleds or skins?
I gotta go with skins.

Any relationship to Stratton mountain?
I wish. I tried a couple times. No free tickets.

Who’s played out more: JP Walker or Jeremy Jones?
Probably Jones. Who makes a movie called “Jibbing with Jeremy Jones?”

Favorite place to eat?
Desert Edge - $4.50 pitchers with the college ID.

Favorite freeheel video?
Powder Whores ‘05

Favorite beverage?
Jack and Coke.

Most ridiculous ski out on the market?
I don’t know. I need to do my homework more.

WINDING DOWN

Is there anybody you’d like to thank?
Tim Wennrich, Powder Whore trio, Scotty Murray, & Jeff Wright.

Any last words?
Just a quick analogy for the readers to think about: Alpine skiing is like eating with a fork; freeheel skiing is like eating with chop sticks. It just looks cooler.