Will’s Blog – the JULIAN CARR Interview

Interview blog | Will Stolk

G’day again,

In this instalment of my blog I continue to showcase the different views and style of fellow snow sliders. First it was Xavier Del Rue and now this week I’ve interviewed a friend of mine, world Record cliff jumper (for biggest flip of a cliff) and TGR athlete Julian Carr.

Busy as he may seem Julian was kind enough to sit down with us between 150 front flips and pow turns to show us what makes him tick…

Anyways till next time pray for snow!!

(Right)Julian is a powder man too. Image:: Courtesy Julian Carr

Name: Julian Carr

Sponsors: Spyder, Atomic, Skullcandy, Discrete headwear, Smith, Backcountry.com, Suunto watches, POW gloves, GoPro cameras.

How long have you been skiing?
I have been skiing since I was 13 years old

What’s your fav kind of terrain to shred?
I love powder man. I’m a powder hound.

What motivates you to do 150 foot front flips off cliffs and huge 200 foot drops?
The snow is a miracle. I look at it as the landings off of these monsters are like never-ending piles of leaves. Somebody needs to jump in them!

Can you tell our readers what kind of preparation goes into such jumps?
Quite a bit. I need to know the snow depth, quality, moisture content and so on, then, the steepness of the landing area. After that I probe the landing zone for a few hours, so I KNOW for a fact that the landing is 100% GOOD TO GO. Then I study the sheerness of the cliff. Once I know that is 100%, then I look at the take-off. If all three are 100%, then I check with myself – am I 100%? If my body is calm and my mind is clear – that is when I know all is good.

What goes through your mind when you do that sort of stuff? Does time slow down?
Yeah man. It’s a time warp. I’ll have a 15 second internal conversation in my head in a split second real time – I don’t know how to explain it.

Would you like to break the world record for biggest cliff drop or do you just do it for the sheer pleasure of it?
I would be stoked to find a cliff that big and safe and get it done. And if it ended up being the biggest ever – that would be a bonus.

What’s it like living in Utah? It seems to be the epicentre of the ski universe in America with so many big pros and local rippers around, does it ever get old? Do you ever feel you might want to seek greener pastures?
Well living in SLC, Ut, we have four beautiful seasons. Our summers are great. So, yes, I love winter, but I also love the summer time. And Utah is awesome for skiing with lots of other amazing skiers all the time. So fun to be a part of.

What kind of Avalanche training do you have and what can you tell our readers to help keep them safe in the Backcountry?
I’ve done AVY I and have picked the brain of countless ski mates over the last few years in the backcountry. All I can say is read the obvious, trust your gut and make sure you’re out there with other people you know can save your ass – and vice versa.

Who pushes you to ski harder?
All my friends!

Have you skied much in Europe and what do you think of the whole extreme ski scene in places like Chamonix? Do you have a desire as you get older to do more high alpine/mountaineering lines?
I’ve skied in Switzerland and Austria. I think the high alpine is amazing and I respect the mountaineers so much. That stuff is scary. Those guys have the ability to concentrate like I’ve never seen.

Julian at Snowbird, Utah in 2008. Image:: Wissman photo

Who do you personally think is pushing big mountain riding – snowboarding or skiing – to its limits at the moment?
Ian McIntosh, Dana Flahr, Todd Ligare, Seth Morrison, Travis Rice, Jeremy Jones, Sage and the late Billy Poole.

Can you do any park tricks like cork 3s cork 7s or mistys? And do you plan on taking those to cliffs as well?
I’ve been learning cork 7’s at the water ramps in Park City, I really want to take one of those off a decent sized cliff.

Are there any specific cliffs or tricks you have in your mind that you really want to do?
There are a few cliffs in Jackson, Engleberg and Alta I’ve had on the to-do list for quite some time. Big ones. Hopefully someday the conditions will be just right and I’ll be there that day to have a look.

You own a head wear and clothing company called Discrete. Can you tell us about that?
Yes, about when I started skiing professionally, I decided I wanted to create a brand I could grow with my skiing and have it reflect me and my group of friends. It’s a company born from the mountains!

Any plans for distribution Down Under?
I’ve been talking to a few groups for winter 2012! I’ll keep you posted.
If given an unlimited budget for heli time and the ability to take any three people you like, where in the world would you go and why?
I would go to Haines Alaska with Billy Poole, Parker Cook and Rich Peterson. I would go to Haines because it’s all time. I would go with Billy cause he’s the beastiest skier I’ve ever known. P.Cook is my right hand man. And Rich Peterson taught me how to ski in 8th grade. Still the most amazing skier I know, but he snowboards now.