2013 Ski Test Team

BECCA FRIEDLANDER
TELEMARK TESTER
GALLATIN GATEWAY, MT
AGE: 36
HEIGHT: 5FT. 4IN.
WEIGHT: 125LBS.

Every day she can, Becca hits the hill, carving turns at Big Sky, MT and logging over 30 days in the nearby bc. She has a soft spot for slushy spring bump and a self-described "mellow style." Becca claims to be a conservative skier, but enjoys the rush of steep lines and high speeds. With the Scarpa T1 as her go to boot, she rides the bc on the Movement Black Rose paired with the BD O1.

CAT AMBROSE
AT TESTER
BRECKENRIDGE, CO
AGE: 31
HEIGHT: 5FT. 9IN.
WEIGHT: 160LBS.

Cat moved from the right coast to Breck' in 2003 and immediately discovered a love for backcountry skiing. Each season, she logs about 40 bc days in and around Summit County, CO. Touring on a powerful setup—the K2 Seth Vicious mounted with the Marker Duke—she enjoys opening it up with medium-to-large-radius turns at high speeds. Cat prefers moderate-angle, powder-filled trees, which she calls "funsies."

CHRISTINE RAYMOND
AT TESTER
BOZEMAN, MT
AGE: 46
HEIGHT: 5FT. 2IN.
WEIGHT: 125LBS

Full-time software engineer, wife of BCM Technical Editor Lance Riek and mother of two, Christine barely squeaks in 30 bc days each winter. And with such a weighty schedule, she's got to fit in as many turns as possible on the lightest gear around. Whether it's a multi-day traverse or short jaunt in the backyard, Christine is always cognizant of weight: Her light setup features the Voile Carbon Surf and Scarpa Magic boot. She's most at home on mellow powder slopes and maximizes each run with her mainstay style of short-radius turns at slow-to-medium speeds.

CRISTA SEIER
TELEMARK TESTER
CRESTED BUTTE, CO
AGE: 30
HEIGHT: 5FT. 7IN.
WEIGHT: 130LBS.

Even with six years of Telemark experience, "I'm still a rookie, in skiing and in life," says Crista--after being reminded of her youth by a 65-year-old friend. While she typically puts in 40 days each winter in and around Colorado, a knee injury last summer set her back this season. Still on the rebound, her current style is reserved, sticking to medium-radius turns at moderate speeds. She has a quiver of Volkl skis--like the Aura and T-rock--and rides the Garmont Venus.

DAMIAN "ROAD DUST" RIDDLE
AT TESTER
LEOMINSTER, MA
AGE: 38
HEIGHT: 5FT. 10IN.
WEIGHT: 178LBS.

Damian has over 10 years of racing experience, with his career capped off banging gates at Western State College in Gunnison, CO. No longer into spandex and carving boards, he's still an aggressive skier and fast too, with a bent for big mountains and deep snow. He's into beefy gear, with a personal backcountry setup featuring the BD Factor boot and G3 El Hombre ski. He spends about 30 days each winter exploring the lost ski trails of northern New England and rekindles his competitive spirit at pond skimming championships throughout Vermont.

GREGG DAVIS
ALTA, UT
AT TESTER
AGE: 47
HEIGHT: 6FT. 3IN.
WEIGHT: 200LBS.

In each of the past 19 years, Gregg has logged over 100 days on snow, with his last nine seasons primarily spent around Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT. He's checked off 16 lines in Andrew McLean's Chuting Gallery and each winter, racks up 50 slackcountry days in addition to 25 exclusive touring days. Gregg skis long, beefy boards and tours with Technica Agent boots and the Rossignol Scratch Steez mounted with Fritschi Freeride bindings. He lives for late-season corn, but poor Gregg spends most days chasing deep, untracked Wasatch powder.

JAIME KRAKOWIAK
AT AND TELEMARK TESTER
BRECKENRIDGE, CO
AGE: 35
HEIGHT: 5FT. 2IN.
WEIGHT: 110LBS.

Jamie first experienced backcountry skiing in 1999, when she took a course in Alaska with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Learning glacial and backcountry travel techniques, NOLS sparked her deep love for ski mountaineering. She moved to Breckenridge in 2001 to follow her newfound passion and later jumped on Telemark gear to better access the backcountry. For three seasons, she worked with the Roxy Mountain Project, a grassroots program devoted to fueling women's stoke on skiing and riding. Nowadays, she spends 70 days each winter climbing and skiing Colorado's 13 and 14ers and hitting laps on local mountain passes.

JASON LAYH
TELEMARK TESTER
TAHOE CITY, CA
AGE: 36
HEIGHT: 6FT.
WEIGHT: 178LBS.

Jason is the founder of Tahoe Freeheel, Alpine Meadows' youth Telemark program. Each year, he spends 200 days on snow, instructing, competing, guiding and always charging hard. He's taught at Whistler, patrolled at Fernie Mountain Resort, and has notched a few top-ten finishes in the North American Freeride Series. He's also a PSIA Level Three Telemark instructor. Each winter, over half of his days are spent in the backcountry. For Jason, speed is a must, airs are mandatory and steep chutes are always on tap.

JAY PRENTISS
AT TESTER
CRESTED BUTTE, CO
AGE: 41
HEIGHT: 6FT.
WEIGHT: 160LBS.

A freeski ambassador for Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Jay has 13 years of ski mountaineering and backcountry touring experience. He has skied many summits throughout the West Coast, Alaska and Europe including a first descent of the East Face of Colorado's Pyramid Peak. Jay, who prefers big-mountain lines and big turns, rides a collection of stiff, powerful Fischer boards. A self-described "all-terrain skier," he spends 40 days each season slashing turns in the backcountry.

JEREMY "SHAGGY" BAILEY
TELEMARK TESTER
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO
AGE: 40
HEIGHT: 6FT.
WEIGHT: 170LBS.

Learning to ski on a farm in Ohio is tough. Along with his brother, Shaggy managed to "ski" each winter while growing up, even though it involved a three-wheeler with a tail rope. It wasn't until 2000, when he met his wife, tester Marla Bailey, that Shaggy really went skiing. Though his skis were retro, the slopes at Winter Park/Mary Jane proved sufficient and he was hooked. Now, he logs over 65 days each season in the backcountry near Buffalo Pass, CO. A high-speed skier, he prefers a burly setup and rides the Scarpa T-Race and Rossi' S3.

LANCE RIEK
AT TESTER
BOZEMAN, MT
AGE: 47
HEIGHT: 5FT. 8IN.
WEIGHT: 140LBS.

BCM's Technical Editor fits the bill for a weight-conscious skier. Riding skis like the Trab Free Rando Light, Voile Asylum and Goode Carbon 95--to name a few--Lance's entire quiver likely weighs only ounces more than many people's everyday setup. A busy father, he puts in 30 full bc days each winter, touring, traversing and logging laps throughout the Bozeman area. He has been dubbed "The Patroller" by the rest of the Backcountry editorial staff for his controlled, moderate-speed style.

MARLA BAILEY
TELEMARK TESTER
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO
AGE: 38
HEIGHT: 5FT. 8IN.
WEIGHT: 118LBS.

A Telemark skier of nine years, Marla's greatest accomplishment to date was being told "nice skiing, dude," on a day when her braids were tucked underneath her helmet. She lives to ski aggressively and has the setup to match, rocking the Scarpa T-Race and Rossignol Kali, among other powerful boards in her quiver. Marla makes each run count and is continually focused on perfecting every aspect of her Tele-turn. For 60-plus days each season, she seeks out "(1) balls-deep powder and (2) knee-deep powder," throughout the Buffalo Pass, CO backcountry. "I love the challenge of a steep, tight pitch... the steeper the better."

MEGAN SCHULTZ
TELEMARK TESTER
MORETOWN, VT
AGE: 34
HEIGHT: 5FT. 9IN.
WEIGHT: 185LBS.

Megan's a true Vermont skier. Her parents met at Mad River Glen: She was practically raised there and has never left its challenging slopes. A 12-year Tele-veteran, she has spent the last nine years instructing under the famed Single Chair for both MRG and the North American Telemark Organization. Each winter, she logs over 100 days, on-piste and throughout the Mad River Valley. Not one for straight-lining, Megan will pick her way through any conditions--even the occasional mud and grass--but prefers making as many turns as tightly as possible, preferably among trees.

PAT GILROY
TELEMARK TESTER
VICTOR, ID
AGE: 39
HEIGHT: 5FT. 10IN.
WEIGHT: 155LBS.

Pat is an athletic powerhouse. He raced NCAA Division I Nordic at Western State College in Gunnison, CO. He's placed in the top three at Jackson Hole's Ski Mountaineering Championships. He regularly climbs and skis the peaks in his backyard--the Tetons to be specific. And he's no stranger to ski mountaineering trips to Alaska, Europe and New Zealand. Spending the majority of each season on Telemark gear--he reserves AT for long tours and mountaineering--Pat finds his groove making big turns in all types of terrain.

SEAN PRENTISS
TELEMARK TESTER
GRAND RAPIDS, MI
AGE: 39
HEIGHT: 5FT. 6IN.
WEIGHT: 137LBS.

Sean spent many years searching for himself while backcountry touring throughout Montana, New Mexico, Colorado and Idaho. But all he discovered was great skiing and odd jobs. Now that he's found himself--in Michigan--he's stuck far from the big mountains he wishes he were skiing. Between a few trips to Colorado each winter and spring, he'll muster up 20 days of skiing (but if you ask, he'll say 50). He's a scrappy skier, with a quick, hoppy style. He prefers a light and nimble setup that's good for touring, fun and forgiving, like his Scarpa T2s and G3 Rapid Transit.

SHERIDAN DAVIS
ALTA, UT
AT TESTER
AGE: 46
HEIGHT: 5FT. 9IN.
WEIGHT: 125LBS.

At 44, Sheridan was one of the most experienced testers on the hill. Ripping with the zest of any skier half her age, this AT diva is a Wasatch transplant, moving west from Vermont's Green Mountains eight years ago. Now, she logs over 50 days in the slack- and backcountry throughout Utah's Cottonwood Canyons. Sheridan has a quiver of fatties and her backcountry setup features the Volkl Gotama mounted with Fritschi Freeride bindings.

WILLIE KERN
AT TESTER
LOGAN, UT
AGE: 39
HEIGHT: 6FT. 2IN.
WEIGHT: 199LBS.

It's been a work in progress, but over the past ten years, Willie has weaned himself almost entirely off chairlifts. He typically logs over one hundred days on skis, depending on when he inevitably hurts himself, and shreds like the big fella' he is. "I enjoy medium-to-long-to-no-radius turns in complex terrain," he says. Bred in New England but transplanted to the West in the early '90s, he's skied extensively in Western Canada and Europe too.

GAVIN COOPER
TELEMARK TESTER
GALLATIN GATEWAY, MT
AGE: 30
HEIGHT: 6FT.
WEIGHT: 160LBS.

A Telemark skier of seven years, Gavin skis almost every day each winter all over Montana. With an aggressive, snappy style, he enjoys making lots of turns while keeping speed and control. He prefers a quick, turnable ski and typically rides the Icelantic Shaman or BD Havoc in the backcountry. When it comes to boot choice, he's a devout Garmont Ener-G fanatic.

A.J. CARGILL
TELEMARK AND AT
JACKSON, WYOMING
AGE: 40
HEIGHT: 5' 5"
WEIGHT: 130

Former pro freeskier A.J. Cargill unlocked her heals to make the first female tele descent of the Grand Teton. Yeah, we guess you could call her a renaissance woman. She spent her formative years in Sun Valley before moving to Jackson where she's been embarrassing the boys for nearly two decades.

ALEX MACLEAN
AT
PEACHAM, VERMONT
AGE: 29
HEIGHT: 5' 5"
WEIGHT: 115

When she's not fixing things for Vermont's Governor, Alex is travelling or skiing the trees at Burke Mountain in the Northeast Kingdom. A converted snowboarder, she picked up skiing so she could keep up with the boys. She's a deep snow specialist who abhors sun baked crust and skiing in the rain. Though she'll tough it through both. That's how she rolls.

HOLLY HOWARD
CAMBRIDGE, VERMONT
TELEMARK
AGE: 37
HEIGHT: 5' 3"
WEIGHT: 115

A former Nordic ski racer Holly started telemark skiing while at Western State College in 1994. Known at the test for her grace and smooth, classic style, Holly is most at home in trees and open, mellow, powder fields.

PETER LINN
WILSON, WYOMING/VICTOR, IDAHO
TELEMARK AND AT
AGE: 36
HEIGHT: 6' 3"
WEIGHT: 180

When it comes to skiing Pete Linn has done it all: First descents in Alaska (where he was a D I Nordic ski racer at University of Alaska, Anchorage); control routes at Jackson Hole where he currently ski patrols; countless laps in the Jackson area bc. You can see his Nord roots come through in his tele style, but he can rip tight, technical descents with aplomb.

JON HOWARD
UNDERHILL, VERMONT
TELEMARK AND AT
AGE: 38
HEIGHT: 5' 2"
WEIGHT: 165

His former pro-patrol mates from Smugglers' Notch call him Tiny Howie (Not to be confused with his fellow patroller at the time and Editor Adam (Large Howie) Howard). And, basically, he can ski the Large Howie and most of the rest of the staff at Backcountry into the ground on any given day and nearly any conditions. Tele, AT, steep, nasty descents. Powder, trees, whatever. Tiny rules!

STEPHANIE CAMPBELL
CAMBRIDGE, VERMONT
AT
AGE: 37
HEIGHT:
WEIGHT:

Steph grew up skiing at Smugglers' Notch in northern Vermont. So she knows how to set and edge. After four years at Stowe she moved to Tahoe where she tuned her propensity for pow, mank, crud and tech terrain. 100 mm at the waist skis are where her heart is.

TEO CAMPBELL
CAMBRIDGE, VERMONT
AT
AGE: 38
HEIGHT: 5' 10"
WEIGHT: 145

Year in, year out, Mr. Campbell is probably the best skier at the test. He's got a smooth, super fast style that makes skiing look easy. Forty-foot drops? Yep. Forty miles an hour into a field of bumps? Sure. Forty ounces of beer in the Beer Mingo? He'll take two.

TIM SEWELL
GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
TELEMARK
AGE: 47
HEIGHT: 6'
WEIGHT: 155

Before his untimely death in July, Tim had been strictly heels-free for 18 years. But he'd Alpine skied for 23 years before that. He started touring and teleing in the Wasatch in the mid 1990s and would bang out the odd hut trip here and there. Some called him old school, but that could have been due to his dated quiver. We got him on some fatties at the test and the youngsters wagged on his tail. Rest In Peace, Tim!

GWEN CAMERON
TELEMARK
AGE: 23
WESTFORD, VT
HEIGHT: 5'10"
WEIGHT: 135 LBS.

Since she first toddled on skis 20 years ago, Gwen Cameron has procured mediocre skill in most types of snow sliding. For the past five years, she's been dropping her knees in the aspen groves of her native Western Colorado and the tight-and-fast woods of Vermont. Having spent all her money on climbing gear, Gwen looks for a ski that excels as a quiver of one in a variety of terrain on her front and backcountry mini-adventures.

MIKE ROSENBERG
TELEMARK AND AT
AGE: 28
SALT LAKE CITY, UT / BURLINGTON, VT
HEIGHT: 5'6"
WEIGHT: 155 LBS.

Mike Rosenberg was "raised Jay" (Jay Peak, that is), but now spends his winters living in Utah and skiing primarily at Snowbird. He prefers skiing woods, chutes and steeps by his motto "more speed, less gravity." Mike is the founder of Garuka Bars, the official snack bar of the Backcountry Magazine Gear Test Week.

STEVE COHEN
AT
AGE: 59
NATICK, MA
HEIGHT: 5'6"
WEIGHT: 140 LBS.

Steve Cohen has been working as a volunteer and professional ski patroller for more than 35 years at Mount Snow in southern Vermont. He prefers narrower, turny skis and enjoys taking top-to-bottom runs without stopping.

SARAH CARR
AT
FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS
AGE: 33
HEIGHT: 5'5"
WEIGHT: 130 LBS.

Sophomore ski tester Sarah Carr grew up in Boulder, Colorado as a ski racer. After college Sarah moved to Breckenridge, where she patrolled for seven years. She now lives in Illinois with tester and boyfriend Henry Yu.

HENRY YU
AT
FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS
AGE: 33
HEIGHT: 5'10"
WEIGHT: 170 LBS.

Freshman tester Henry Yu (33) lives in Chicago, Illinois where he's attending med school. He previously lived in Breckenridge, Colorado, where he patrolled for 10 years and taught skiing for two years prior to that.

EMMA LANDÉ
AT
AGELESS, WEIGHTLESS, ADDRESSLESS

Former Backcountry intern Emma Landé is originally from Shelburne, Vermont where she grew up skiing at Mad River Glen. She now lives in Aspen, Colorado and has competed on the Freeskiing World Tour, where she placed fifth at Telluride in 2010.

BO RANDOLPH
AT
AGE: 24
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO

A recovering competitive mogul skier, Bo Randolph (24, aka Bo Diddley, Bojangles, Tae Bo) hails from Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he now rips knee-to-ski telemark turns.

ALEX PAUL
TELEMARK AND AT

Behind a seriously quaffed mustache is Alex Paul: music man, smooth talker and telemark skier. Alex lives by NTN—he regularly skis Scarpa TX Comps—and he's equally at home jibbing rails or hiking for backcountry turns. He filmed with Sweetgrass Productions for their 2011 film, Solitaire, and is currently working with Sweetgrass on their next project.

BEN REEDER
AT

"Hi. This is Ben. I'll be on the river from August 24 until September 4 so feel free to leave me a message or email me."