Photo: Allisports
1. You are young gun and this has been a break out season for you. After having so much success, do the older guys treat you differently? Do they consider you one of them or are they treating you like a freshmen?

I still get the feeling that a lot of the more experienced competitors (Bobby, Tom, Sammy, etc) still treat me like the rookie, after all I'm only 17 years old. That will change eventually though, we are all friends and I love being around all those guys. I look up to every one of them.

2. You grew up in Indiana. Skiing isn't that big a past time for the local population there; is it? How did you first get into skiing?

Southeastern Indiana certainly isn't a hot skiing destination. I wouldn't say skiing is a huge pastime where I'm from, but rather something you do with your buddies to amuse yourselves on a Friday night. I grew up skiing at a little 300 vertical foot mountain called perfect North Slopes located five minutes form my house. My mom put me in skiing lessons when I turned five. At first, I hated skiing and even the thought of it. I hated to be cold and not being able to turn my skis. Once I learned I could fly down the hill fast and jump over things I was hooked. That's when I started to love it.

3. You attend the Windell's Academy. I understand that when you decided to first attend the academy, you had to pay your own tuition. How did you pay dem bills? What was your hustle?

Photo: Rocky Maloney
West Coast Sessions '11 Dub Cork 10 muteI started attending Windell's Academy halfway through my Sophomore year of high school. I was extremely fortunate enough to receive a scholarship. My second year however, I did raise a lot of money on my own the assuming I was going to have to pay tuition. I went door to door in my neighborhood and did odd jobs for people, things like mowing lawns, staining decks, pulling weeds, and whatever they would let me. But I lucked out again and they offered me a scholarship, again. I am extremely appreciative to the President and Staff at Windell's for helping me through my career up to this point.

4. What athletes most influence your riding? Do you take inspiration from any other sports?

My main inspiration for riding comes mainly from other skiers. There are some pretty awesome innovators out there doing amazing things that I admire. I do like to watch surfing though. I guess you could say that at some point the fluidity and gracefulness of surfing has influenced my skiing.

5. Do you ever think you will take time to go to college? What do your parents think about your decision?

College is something I want to pursue in the future, along with my skiing career. My parents are 100% backing me to go to College.

6. Now that you are a baller and pocketed the big bucks; is it burning a hole in your pocket? Are you going to make any purchases to reward yourself?

Haha good question. I did buy my first car with some winnings after the first Dew Tour. Currently, I am paying for lots of repairs on my car, but that's about it. I'm not really one to go out and spend all kinds of money. I prefer to spend money wisely and save for the future. Every once in a while I'll throw away some money on something stupid for the fun of it though.

7. Between a European ski road trip or heli skiing in Alaska; what would you choose? What makes it your preferred choice?

Alaska for sure. I never really grew up skiing the big mountains and I would love the chance to do something like that.

8. On the road what are the 3 essentials in your bag and do they serve a special purpose?

#1 COMPUTER My computer keeps me connected with all my friends and fans and I also do my schoolwork on it (sometimes, haha). #2 PHONE My phone pretty much serves the same purpose as my computer but its a little more compact. Also, I like to take a lot of pictures on my phone to document my travels. #3 WALLET My wallet has all my cards, identification, and money in it. I couldn't travel without it.

9. What is the first thing you think about the morning you wake up for a competition? Is it "I AM A PODIUM WINNER!" or "I hope it make it through the day!" Or is it something else?

When I wake up on the day of a competition, I have my sights set on the podium and nothing less. I have proved to myself this year that I am capable of achieving that goal.

10. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a pro ski career?

Stay hungry, motivated, and don't take no for an answer. Anything is achievable with a little determination and opportunity.

Nick Goepper KOS '11 from Evan Heath Visual on Vimeo.