Professional Freeskier Simon Dumont’s annual Dumont Cup in Sunday River, Maine is a unique open-format slopestyle event offering up-and-coming freeskiers the chance to face off against the best in the game. Gus Kenworthy and X Games Ski Slopestyle Gold Medalist Nick Goepper lead the charge throwing down from the qualifiers to the finals with Nick Goepper taking first place. Simon keeps good vibes throughout the week hosting a dinner at his house and treating the top three finalists to celebratory laps at the Team O’Neil Rally school!
Nick Goepper won three Olympic medals in slopestyle, then called it a career and retired. Fast forward a year, and Nick is out of retirement, and he has his goals set: rebranding himself and making the Olympic Halfpipe team. On the podcast, we talk about how hard that will be, all things Goepper, and then I do a mini-podcast with the man behind the scenes of Nick’s rebrand, controversial pro skier Steve Stepp. This one’s a little different; think two guys, one mic.
Nick Goepper Show Notes:
3:00: My Olympic predictions, best Olympic experience, celebrating, retirement, and not skiing.
13:00: Getting dropped by sponsors, incentives, his compound, World Skate Games,
21:00: Stanley: Get up to 60% off site-wide until 12/4 over at Stanley1913.com
Best Day Brewing: All of the flavor of your favorite IPA or Kolsch, without the alcohol, the calories, and sugar.
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better.
24:30: Coming out of retirement for Halfpipe, learning all four doubles in pipe, and the Nick Goepper rebrand
30:00: Steve Stepp Mini Podcast: being a smart ass, getting suspended, ski racing, finding the park and pipe, Tom Wallisch and The University of Utah
40:30: Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there.
42:30: 4bi9, sponsors, changing the fit of skiing, and the fallout with Saga
54:00: His trolling series, did his controversial antics impact his career, pissing people off, Zane goes to Snowbird, where his career is now, and his Nick Goepper rebrand
There was a time when Axl Rose left his small town in Indiana as there was nothing left for him there. To make it, he needed to move west where he would surround himself with other, likeminded people. While Nick Goepper is no Axl Rose, his story is the same. He started honing his craft in the Hoosier state, moved west to Windells Academy and found more success than he ever dreamed of. Like Axl, Nick learned that with success comes problems. While Nick didn’t alienate his fans and get fat, he did uncover some real issues that we talk about in the podcast.
Nick Goepper Show Notes:
1:44: The Olympic facility and what it offers
4:09: Christmas at the Goeppers and life starting in Indiana
8:11: Being the oldest in the family and sports
13:25: Evo (Use the code TPM10 for 10% off at checkout) and RESQWATER (enter the code resqwatertpm for a 20% discount on a 12 pack)
15:00: Rollerblading, skateboarding and trampolines
18:00: Getting into skiing at Perfect North
21:07: The recession and having to work for himself to keep the ski dream alive
26:42: Backyard set ups
28:00: Who is he in High School and competing against Chris Laker
32:00: Keeping the dream alive with a full scholarship to Windell’ s Academy
40:30: 10Barrel Brewery and The Summit at Snoqualmie (use the code Powell18 to get pre-season pass prices)
42:25: Does he ski powder, tricks that were career changing, and first X-Games
47:00: His ski lifestyle. Does he care if other people like him?
52:15: Crushing it at contests and heading into the Olympics with a broken hand, skiing without poles, and hearing about it on the internet.
58:40: Is he pissed about 3rd place in the Olympics
61:00: What does it take to qualify for South Korea
63:00: Throwing rocks at cars and Nick’s downward summertime spiral into alcohol and depression
74:00: What will he do after skiing and what can he make in a good year?
