SCOUTED: searching for talent across the country and featuring stand out skiers one at a time. In this edition of Scout, we catch up with Jonathan Rollins.
MEET JONATHAN ROLLINS
HI! My name is Jonathan Rollins and was born 20 years ago in the town of Rossland BC. Rossland has been the perfect stomping ground for me. I was introduced to skiing by my parents when I was 3 years old and instantly fell in love with the sport. I love to get out in the pow, build jumps, find new hits, and generally just huck myself off whatever I can. I’m super stoked for this season and am planning to film all winter around BC. I’ve been working all summer trail building and just got myself a sled, a new tool that opens the door to all sorts of new filming opportunities this winter. I’m hoping to turn all the footage into a little web series or a collection of Instagram edits but everything is still in the works and there is no plan set in stone quite yet! Last year I was dealing with some injuries but my body is feeling strong and healthy coming into this one and I couldn’t be more stoked!
FAST FACTS
Name: Jonathan Rollins
Age: 20
Hometown: Rossland B.C.
Team: Head Freeski
Sponsors: Head, Quiksilver, Red Mountain Resort.
Best Trick: Skipping the lift line on powder days.
Claim to Fame: Backflip to pond skim.
Years Skiing: 17
INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN ROLLINS
SBC: How would you describe your signature style?
JR: I think in the past my style was a bit reckless, I definitely like to huck myself off anything I come across but I think I’m becoming more calculated. I want to bring tricks from the park and do them in the backcountry and off natural features to add flavour to my skiing, I try to think of the mountain like a skatepark almost.
SBC: Goals for the upcoming season?
JR: I just bought a new sled so I am going to be filming a lot in the backcountry, I’d really like to film enough to put out a few different edits over the course of the winter and I have a bit of a trick list I’d like to tackle, but I don’t want to start claiming anything just yet haha. Other than that I think a big goal is to just stay safe out there and avoid any scary situations as well as keeping my body in one piece and avoiding injury.
SBC: What progression have you seen in yourself?
JR: I don’t really notice my own progression to be honest unless I learn a new trick I had never done before. When I ski a line I haven’t skied before or film something I have been thinking about, it doesn’t feel like progression because I feel like I’ve always been capable and all the components just have to align before I actually go and do it.
SBC: What do you think is trending in ski culture that shouldn’t be?
JR: The price of poutine in the lodges continues to rise every single year, $15 dollars for poutine is ridiculous. Also, the bigger corporations having the monopoly of ski resorts, unless Vail will make the poutines cheaper I don’t think they need to be buying any more resorts.
SBC: What are you crushing on your playlist?
JR: Mostly rap for sure, but there’s a little sprinkle of everything except country in my playlist. I go through different phases of what I listen to.
SBC: How did you bounce back from your injury?
JR: It wasn’t really a big injury that took me out for a long period of time, it has just been a recurring injury that takes me out for a week or two at a time. I have a torn labrum so my shoulder has been super unstable and was frequently popping out. I’ve just been crushing physio exercises to get my shoulder strong again and so I can avoid surgery later on, it’s feeling really good.
SBC: Any thoughts for the aspiring pro skiers out there?
JR: I’m still trying to figure it out myself but the biggest thing for me is doing it for the love of skiing. I wouldn’t be doing anything differently if I didn’t have awesome sponsors who had my back and supported me. I’d still be out there with my friends filming ski videos on a handy cam because that is what I love to do. So if it’s taking away the fun from skiing don’t do it. Some of my favourite people to ski with have no social media presence and you wouldn’t ever know they were a skier until you see them absolutely sending it under the chair on a powder day.
SBC: How are you cross-training these days?
JR: I’ve been trail building all summer which is a pretty physically demanding job so I like to think of that as getting paid to cross-train haha. Outside of work I’ve been riding my bike and skate lots and hitting the gym whenever I can. Lots of physio work on the shoulder.
SBC: Any shout outs?
JR: Shout out to all my dope sponsors, Head, Quiksilver, Red Mountain Resort, Shred Posse, Powderhound Sports in Rossland for always mounting my ski’s up for me. And shout out to all the homies who make skiing so damn fun!
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