Deeptalk with Tanner Hall

2009-04-09 Tanner Hall is the biggest of them all. As the star of his sport many wants to see him and hear him. Freerides editor Dan-Marcus sat down for a chat with Tanner.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

What's going on in your ski career right now that comp season is over? How is life?
I am loving life because I am done with the comp season and now I can get out in the mountains and actually ski. I figured out from all the contests that I am not skiing for the right reasons, I need to fall in love with skiing again and that's happening right now. I force myself into these positions, I have won the X Games enough, I have won overall Dew Tour champion, I won the Red Bull Huckfest, I don't know what more I have to prove. I put so much pressure on myself and I just want to have fun skiing now. I am not a competitive robot, I will never be that guy.

When and where was it your eyes opened and you realized skiing was your big thing?
My first time was when I was 3 years old. I was just skiing in Montana where I am from. I can't remember much, but I knew I was going to do it for the rest of my life.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

You are on top and are inspiring lots of young skiers out there, who was your hero when you first started skiing?
Glen Plake was definitely my hero, he still is.

As one of the pioneers of the sport, are you happy over what you see on the scene today?
Yes. The lines are getting crazier and crazier. The backcountry booters are getting crazier, and the progression in the park is amazing. It's the fastest progressing action sport in the world. I never would have thought in 10 years it would have come this far.

As no.1, if you are honest and humble at the same time now =) … what is the key to your skiing?
The key to my skiing is to try to have as much fun as possible. To break it up into parts. At times its powder, at times it's pipe, at times it's rails. I don't want to do just one thing, I think the best thing is to mix it up. I would never want to just ski one thing all the time.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

What's your best tip for young skiers out there who really want to give it all to reach the top?
Ski every day. The more you are on your skis, the better you are going to get. You have to have fun, the more fun you have the more you are going to learn and progress.

What do you do for training?
I ski the mountain, I ski all over the resort, I warm up with high speed groomers. I stay out of the park as much as a can. There is a time and place to ski the park, but if you are spending all your time in there, your overall skiing is not going to progress. Skiing outside of the park makes you better at park also. It's a 24/7 365 job to train. I spend a lot of time in the gym with a trainer during the summers, lots of water ramps and trampolines as well.

Tanner Hall as an competitor... have your focus always been primary on X Games?
Yes, for sure, it's the biggest event we have in skiing. It's the Olympics of what we do.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

And, how does your many X Games medals so far affect you? Pushing you for more X medals or does it make it harder to give it all in Aspen?
It pushes me to get more, but as you get older you start thinking about different things. It's a great sense of accomplishment to set your mind to something and get it done, it's a great sense of achievement and makes me strive to get more.

Is there by the way any unofficial X Games medal competition between you and Shaun White?
Not at all, Shaun does his thing and I do mine.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

In earlier interviews you state that freeriding is better in Europe but the best parks are found in North America. So where in the Alps would you go freeriding? And what park is your favorite?
I spend a lot of time in Arlberg in Austria, love to freeride there, so many natural features everywhere. Chamonix is sick as well, and I have had great trips to Valdisere. My favorite park is Park City Utah.

What kind of terrain do you prefer when freeriding?
Pillows.

What did the Chad's Gap crash back in march 2005, your time in physical therapy and the comeback to the scene do to your skiing?
If anything it made it smarter, calmed me down a bit, I think things through more now. I grew up, it matured me.

More pipe rather than slopestyle and big air?
Yes, I focused more on pipe for sure, I was really sore, so pipe is lower impact and I can still have a lot of fun and push myself. It also made me focus on skiing more pow, which has changed my life.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

You started to freeride a lot during this period with award winning Believe as one of the outputs. Was this because of the injury or more of an ambition to broaden your skiing?
I really wanted to broaden my horizons, I have always been a skier and loved every kind of skiing. The comp scene was taking up a lot of time and it gave me opportunity to broaden my horizons and focus on other parts of my skiing that I had been neglecting by doing too many comps.

What would you say Swedish riders have given to the sport? Both in and off competitions?
Jacob is insane, his air sense is amazing. Fun to watch him hit big jumps, he is one of the guys progressing jumps the most right now. The Scandos bring new tricks to the table, I give full respect to all those guys. Henrik is awesome to watch.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

Are there any Swedish or Scandinavian style to talk about in freestyle skiing?
Henrik is amazing to watch in the park and on rails, he's so young he can learn new tricks every day skiing.

Lets talk about the progression of freestyle skiing. New tricks and hardcore riding have been developing so fast in the last couple of years. Is it possible to go on in the same tempo in the future?
For sure, it's going to keep getting crazier and crazier. Kids are learning fast with good park set ups and lots of training. There is a legitimate outlet for them now, there are sponsors willing to support kids and hopefully half pipe will be in the next Olympics, so the progression there is going to be amazing. There is a huge charge in the park right now: Jacob Wester, Henrik, Tom Wallisch, the sky is the limit. As long as the kids stay hungry the sport will keep growing and progressing.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

What is needed for the development to go on?
Just keeping the love for the sport. Don't' let money take part of what they are doing and stay level headed everything is going to be just fine. Armada has launched the Alpha Series, which is the most progressive park ski out there. It's the first park ski with early rise in the tip and tail, which is borrowed from their famous JJ design. Things like that are going to increase the park progression so much. Good parks help too, but there are so many good ones now.

What freestyle discipline do you think will lead the way and push the other forward: pipe, slope, big air?
Half Pipe for sure. That's the one event that will make it to the Olympics next. More kids are realizing that and the level is getting ridiculous. It's easy to understand for the masses, and TV viewers are used to the snowboard half pipe, so I think that Half Pipe is going to push skiing more than any other discipline over the next few years as far as the exposure of the sport.

Photo: Chris O´Connel

What do you see as the most important riding/trick trend in freestyle skiing for the years to come?
Good question. I think the most important thing to focus on now is to keep the love. I know I keep saying it, but that's so important. I think you need to be having fun, if you aren't then go do something else. I also think being a well rounded skier is everything, not too many people can do that, so that is what makes a skier special when they can do it all.

Lets be innovative...if you would have the chance to invent a new "new school discipline", what would it look like?
A slopestyle into a half pipe.

What's your opinion, does freestyle skiing need to move in the same direction as snowboard and become an Olympic sport or can we manage as it is? Is there room for both more "FIS-like" freestyle skiing and more of soul riding events?
I don't think we really have a choice, we don't really have control over that. I think if anything should go in, it should be half pipe. Right now, I don't' think it's that important though. I think we need to just show people how skiing has progressed and how different it is than 15 years ago. We know it's going to be half pipe in the Olympics, so we just have to make sure it's done right. There is room for more other events too, why not?

Photo: Chris O´Connel

In both Dew Tour and X Games you left your start number in slopestyle to up-comers and got plenty of cred for it. What's your comment, is it time for fresh blood? Will we see you in slopestyle again?
I don't know at this point, I don't really give a shit, I am just trying to have fun. I have won slopestyle titles, I have won pipe events. I don't have anything to prove really.
I think it's time for new blood, there are a ton of kids that are representing out there and I wanted to give a chance for some of them to compete, and I think it worked out well. I am stoked on watching them and skiing with them. I will compete if I think it's a fun contest, no problem, it doesn't matter what discipline it is. I still ski slopestyle all the time, I love it just as much as I ever did and personally, I feel like I am skiing slope better than I ever did. I will compete in it when the time is right.

What was the story with you and Armada from the start? Who contacted who and how does your involvement in Armada look like today?
Chris O'Connell contacted me in 2002 and asked me if I wanted to be a part of something great. He had been working on it for a few months and it was going to be insane. I felt it was time for the first rider owned, rider driven ski company dedicated to making the best product out there. At the time to be a part of a team with all those guys was amazing, they were my heroes.
So from there it was on. Hans Smith from Oakley switched over to be our CEO and my brother works there too, he's the man. We have a great crew now, righteous group of people, everyone works so hard and our designers, engineers and team all have a lot of input, it really is something special. I am constantly in contact with everyone there and we are pushing the envelope with lots of new technologies. The new outerwear is looking insane, the new line up of skis is amazing, and the accessories, gloves and hoodies are super solid this year. I am really proud of everything that Armada has become. For me Armada is a life thing. I will ride for Armada until the day I die.

Photo: Chris O´Connel
What about your other business venture: Retallack Lodge, BC?
That's another one that Chris O'Connell contacted me about. That's been my most fun investment to date. Seth Morrison, Greg Strokes (Oakley), OC and myself are part of the new investment group there and we are working to make it better every year. It is the ultimate snowcat ski operation in BC, the people there are so great, there is awesome terrain, steep, tight tree skiing. I have never seen bad conditions there, January through March that is the place to be for epic blower powder tree skiing. It's my home away from home; I spend as much time there as I can.

What kind of skis do you want in the future?
I want the same type of skis I am skiing on right now. I like the rockered style pow skis like the JJ and the ARG, the Alphas are fun to play on, Pipe Cleaners are epic, and my pro model is perfect for all around on hill riding and jibbing.

You will go back to high school this year? In let's say 10 years, will we still be hearing of the skier Tanner or the ski businessman Tanner?
Yes, I will go back to high school, and you will be hearing about the skier Tanner Hall.

Sponsors:
Armada Skis, Oakley Eyewear and Outerwear, Red Bull, Dalbello, POC Helmets, Park City Resort, Dakine, Pull In, Skull Candy

Text: Dan-Marcus Pethrus