Most places in the Midwest, you ski on piles of trash, like retired landfills.

I started skiing when I was five years old. I grew up on a little 300-foot mountain called Perfect North Slopes. It wasn't a great destination in the world, but it was a good enough place to learn how to do tricks.

The inclusion of slopestyle in the Olympics is cool. I think it's going to be a total breath of fresh air. The Olympics needs us more than we need it.

All the exciting contests and travel and sponsorships are cool, but I like to be able to have influence on people and on youngsters.

I'm pretty well-rounded. I can do most of my tricks left and right, in both directions. I try to be smooth and confident. But it's still developing. I'm still trying to find my own personal touch in the way I ski.

We've separated from mogul and aerial skiing and we've built our own sport and our own tricks. And now we're going back to the roots. But the Olympics is a world stage for athletics and it's going to be pretty sweet to represent our sport and represent our culture and show everyone what we're all about.

It's never fun to do it by yourself. It's good to have other people that are on the same path as you. It's nice to have that in common and be able to converse with them. It's cool to share that.