Stoke the Fire Athlete Edits: Sammy Carlson

For most of his career, the name Sammy Carlson has been associated with several X Games medals and iconic segments in countless ski films. Dating back to the 2006 Poor Boyz Productions film Ski Porn, Carlson gained a rock solid reputation in the freestyle ski world. But the past few years have looked a little different for the talented skier. Since leaving competition and his hometown of Mt. Hood, Carlson’s focus has been all in the backcountry. Following his Make Believe segment and the release of his short film Resilience, the film world was frothing for more Sammy C this year. Even after taking the bars of his snowmobile to his face and not being able to film as much as he’d hoped, Carlson’s segment in Stoke the Fire certainly delivers all the style we’re used to seeing from him. We caught up with Sammy on the tail end of a surf and ski trip to Switzerland and France and heard more about how he continues to find inspiration in skiing.

How did last season in Revelstoke go for you?

Sammy Carlson: Last season was really cool but definitely weird. I felt pretty lucky to be able to ski considering everything with COVID. It was hard to get in a good flow, cause we’re constantly having to adapt with all the changes. It was also weird living in Canada. With my current status I wasn’t able to leave the country so I just posted up there and a lot of the crew that I normally ski and work with was able to come up, so pretty different. There was lots of pow, I was pretty fortunate to be skiing in the mountains during such crazy times. 

Sammy C doing Sammy C things. Bruno Long photo.

How has moving up to Revy and staying for a whole season changed your skiing?

SC: Moving to Revy definitely changed my skiing for the better. Everyday I'm riding I’m able to find different terrain and good terrain that challenges me. Like the sky’s the limit, you know? As far as you wanna take it, it’s there. So that’s been really cool. And just being able to ride an abundance of different terrain has challenged me and made me a better skier. Being able to spend so much time in the mountains has been such a good experience. I’m super happy I made the move, it’s part of the reason I moved there. I wanted to surround myself with the best terrain I could possibly be in. Not traveling all over the world to find it and having it right in my backyard has been really fun. 

After filming for so long, how do you keep finding inspiration?

SC: For me, having a balance and a life outside of skiing has helped me keep that stoke alive. Surfing in the summertime, looking for waves, and getting out of the mountains has been a breath of fresh air. When I return to the mountains in the winter time, I always feel super stoked, like “let’s go,” getting all fired up again. While we’re out filming and working on different projects, to be skiing for the right reasons, I guess. I try not to get too caught up in the pressure and doing it for the wrong reasons. More like focusing on terrain that speaks to me and that I enjoy riding so I’m not over stressed out, and then also just working with people that I relate with and enjoy being in the mountains with helps me keep it fun.

With anything, if you do it, if you stay focused on the same thing for too long, you’ll get burnt out. Part of what’s helped me keep the passion is that every early season, I try and go out everyday skiing with my buddies bell to bell and try and get as many laps in as we can. And when I’m not working on film projects, trying to go out and ski with my buddies and for myself. Also snowboarding, getting out on the board, and pow surfing is so fun. That way, when we start working on projects, I can just lock in. Don’t feel bad if we only get one or two laps a day, I’m not like kicking myself cause I’ve already got the shredding for the soul in, if that makes sense. 

Spending so much time skiing in the park gives Sammy an edge in the backcountry. Bruno Long photo.

Do you approach filming a segment differently than when you first started?

SC: Yes and no. It just depends on the project. For sure every year I try to be a little more strategic with it so we’re not wasting energy out there. 

What are your goals moving forward?

SC: Well keeping the stoke alive, number one. Trying to stay passionate about what I’m doing. Constantly evolving as a skier, never staying the same. Like every year with film segments, and going into the season, I try to look back and see what I did in previous years, and I’ll try and sometimes one up myself or kinda keep moving on the same path and not try and continue doing the same things over and over cause I grew up skiing so much park and was getting more into the backcountry and focusing on tricks. I was building different jumps and it got to the point where I’d done so many different double corks off so many crazy features and building so many big airs so when I got to Revy I just started skiing lines. For a few seasons I didn’t even bring my shovel out and was really able to progress as a skier and read the mountains better. Since I moved to Revy, I’m ready to put all this, the new skills, everything I’ve been working towards, and there’s still more, I wanna bring it all full circle. Not losing the tricks and stuff - I was riding park this summer. I wanted to polish up the skills, get a little tune up in the air. I’d like to try and show the complete package I guess. Bring it all together, tie it all together. 

Do you think you’d ever start competing again?

SC: No, no way. Definitely not. No. That was a really fun time in my life, but I’m glad I stepped away from contests when I did. It’s one I don’t regret and I’m definitely excited to keep producing content and working on different video projects. I'm excited for the next few years. Definitely trying to put as much energy into it as I can and then reevaluate the program. I’ve been doing this for a long time, gotta go out with a bang. It isn’t over yet. 

Revelstoke was not a bad place to spend an entire winter. Bruno Long photo.

Anything else to add about stoking the fire?

SC: It was a major bummer cause the first day we were out on the film project, I was really psyched to meet up with Nick McNutt coming off his injury and I really enjoy riding with Dane and Nick. But the first day I crashed my sled and got a really bad concussion. I wasn’t able to film much at all on that trip. I tried to get back out like a week after the crash cause I hit my chin on the snowmobile, like a freak accident. Sledded into a washout on the side of the road. And then Nick was in town and really fired up to shred so I tried to rally with him and we went out another day but my body felt like shit. So I took like three weeks off and was able to link back up with him but the conditions didn’t quite line up so it was a bit of a struggle. It was definitely a learning experience for me, it was pretty traumatic - I had post-concussive syndrome. I felt like I was good, but I went back too soon, my energy levels, I had a really hard time maintaining good energy. I found myself, after the morning session, just completely losing the stoke and motivation.

After feeling that, I had to take even more time off. Definitely for the people out there, take your head injuries seriously. Even when you hit your chin, sometimes, I guess, it was my second time. One time I took my knee to my chin, and this time off the bars, those are almost worse than hitting my head, just cause I didn’t take it as serious I guess. I’m grateful to be back now and have full energy, but it took more time than I was expecting.