Angel Collinson on 1000ft falls, knee injuries and ski-mad families

Angel Collinson: Actually both are pretty good. In fact Hawaii is amazing! It’s my first time here, and I’m not missing the mountains as I now love the ocean so much. It’s the best place for spending time for rehab (after a torn ACL in April 2016 filming with Teton Gravity Research in Alaska).
Angel rips it up at Revelstoke | freerideworldtour.com/J AntoniukAC: Not now I’ve been given the all clear to ski again! My knee is feeling great; not 100% but nearly there. So soon I’ll be back for a couple of days at home in Snowbird then up to Retallack for a Völkl shoot.
AC: I suppose so; but I have a lot of friends who’ll be there and looking out for me.
AC: I really needed the down time. The pressure is a big thing. It can get to you. I feel everyone with injuries gains a lot. That’s the silver lining everyone told me about. You’d never choose to have these things happen, but there is some good to it.
AC: I’m grateful, don’t get me wrong – but the social media side is a lot to do with how someone is, and who they are.
I’d be happy being a barista no-one noticed, and just being able to ski every day. I’d be stoked on that.
AC: It’s challenging. But, above all, people crave authenticity and real people. Not glorified, but still inspirational and portraying what is real. If a sponsor wants that, I can understand it.
AC: It is for John. He’s always amped, staying out for long days, having lots of fun. For me when skiing became my job it changed. I started to get some other hobbies to balance what I’d lost… I’m a dabbler – not super great at anything, but I’m painting and wanting to learn the banjo, which I brought to Hawaii. I’ve not picked it up yet!
| Bryan Ralph/Red Bull Content PoolAC: Yes. We spent a lot of time in the mountains. I was alone in the mountains a lot more than I was around people. It taught us to be uncomfortable and know that’s OK.
AC: Any time when you are sick near the end of a trip or expedition. Everything is so much harder as everyone is so tired. My first winter camping experience was Alaska and Denali. It was –40° at night, I’d not camped in conditions like that before. I was offered it super last minute, so didn’t really have the preparation time (mentally or physically), then got sick.
Having frozen ski boots the whole time, not being able to sleep without multiple hot water bottles, and the weather being so cold if you put a can of beer outside the tent it would just blow up and explode… You just have to accept the hard times.
AC: That was just the way life was for us; it was our life. For sure, lots of times I’d rather have been at pool parties or on a trampoline, rather than being woken up at 4am, given a rotten banana and told to hit the trail. In that moment it’s not what I would have chosen. But as adults we’ve had the pay off. It’s hard to understand when you’re so young that what sucks now will get better when you start walking or whatever, but I’m glad dad pushed us. Most parents are frightened of doing that.
AC: (Long pause.) Alaska is definitely possible, as the terrain is not all like the footage you see. But you do need to be an expert. And having a racing background (Angel started at eight and quit when, against expectation, she missed a place on the US team in her late teens) really does help in terms of strength and technique. Especially if you are skiing spines. This is as challenging as it gets. It’s not only the steepness, but also the sluff management.
AC: Yes, that right, it’s all down to him.
AC: The success was hard, but he’s always been so supportive. Genuinely happy. He’s been awesome, and now he’s doing
really well (winning Powder awards and being all over this year’s The North Face snow campaign).
AC: I’m not sure I know. It’s a drive to be the best I can be. Not to be the best; I don’t care about being the best on the mountain. It’s just about me. The best sister, the best I can be in everything.
AC: There’s always new and different. That’s what humanity is like. We always see something. Then there’s the stoke to get it done. There’s nothing obvious for me… at the moment!
AC: I really enjoyed that too, and found it super interesting. That’s Sam all over. Very funny. Skiing is an exploration
of self, and it’s not just about different terrain but other cultures too.
AC: Mmm, that’s hard, as most have been done. India probably, as the culture is so drastically different and challenging. I’ve never been to Gulmarg. Kosovo, two winters ago, with my brother and TGR, was the closest I got to crazy; definitely on the outside of normal.
AC: Take things incrementally. One step at a time. Not every challenge has to be achieved with a huge jump. Or stretch.
Be patient, give yourself time, enjoy your skiing and the breakthroughs will come naturally, often when you least
expect them.
Angel Collinson is sponsored by The North Face, Völkl, Red Bull and more.