Document text
CLEAR Temp: 27 °F Wind: S at 4 mph Monday, February 10, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 30, 2003 Free rider Pep Fujas performs some of his extreme skiing on a rail over a crevasse in France. The Medford native is participating in Winter X Games VII, which begin today at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. The sky’s the limit for Fujas The Medford native is one of the top skiing free riders in the United States By FRANK SILOW Mail Tribune Daredevil. Acrobat. Athlete. Pep Fujas is a combination of all of these. The 20-year-old thrill-seeker has used these abilities to become one of the top skiing free riders in the United States. The Medford native will be doing this type of extreme skiing when ESPN’s Winter X Games VII opens today at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. Fujas, who began skiing on Mount Ashland as a 3-year-old, will participate in today’s skiing slopestyle event and the SuperPipe competition Saturday. Free skiing is a youth-oriented alternative form of the sport that originated in France around 1990. It’s an outgrowth of skateboarding and in-line skating, encompassing tricks and flips while sliding on rails or going off jumps — forward and backward. Twin-tipped skis — more rounded in the tip and tail than normal skis — are used. These allow skiers to take off and ski backward down difficult terrain and do tricks forward and backward. Adam Briggs, a former head Alpine coach for the Medford Education Ski Foundation, vividly recollects Fujas. "Even before I knew him, I remember seeing him flying down the mountain," says Briggs. "It was evident he had a tremendous talent at an early age." Soon after, Briggs formed a junior ski program at Mount Ashland with a group of five eighth-graders that included Fujas. "Pep was head-and-shoulders above any kid in that group," recalls Briggs. "He didn’t really fit in." Fujas’ mother, Elizabeth, also recognized her son’s talents at an early age. An athletic-oriented family, the Fujas’ encouraged their son’s pursuits. "He’s like a cat," says Elizabeth Fujas. "He always knows where his feet are." Fujas’ earliest skiing memory is on the Mount Ashland bunny slope positioned between his parents’ legs. "Every weekend and powder day, my parents allowed me to go up there," says Fujas. "Mount Ashland has every type of terrain you might want. I know that mountain like the back of my hand." Pushing the envelope is nothing new for Fujas. "When I skied Mount Ashland, I used to go to the back side and build jumps and jump cliffs," says Fujas. "I had more fun doing that than anything else." Fujas was home schooled and attended several local schools through the eighth grade. But he had difficulty meshing his growing skiing talent with school demands, so his parents sent him to a small, private coed high school in Colorado, which focused on skiing and outdoor activities. While at the Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs, Colo., he became an accomplished competitive mogul skier. But Fujas sought even more freedom. Thus the attraction to the less restricted alternative style. "What I really enjoy is being in the back country with friends where you can build all sorts of gap jumps over crevices and ski deep powder and hit really big jumps," says Fujas. This desire for big air and new thrills has led Fujas to a budding career in the extreme sport. Fujas has traveled to exotic locations worldwide in pursuit of greater challenges. He’s been transported to isolated mountain locations in helicopters, then skis down the steep slopes at velocities reaching as much as 50 miles per hour. "It’s really scary sometimes," says Fujas. "You’ve been picturing where you’re going and all the obstacles. But when you get up there, it’s totally different. You have to figure things out quickly and instinctually. You need to know speed and distance. It’s a big precision game." "Sometimes you have to speed up or slow down while rotating in the air," adds Fujas. "If you misjudge something, you could be tumbling for days." Despite the apparent danger, Fujas has yet to sustain a serious injury. Sore thumbs from holding poles and bruised ribs from twisting in the air are the most common disabilities. Income for Fujas comes in the form of sponsorship deals with ski equipment and clothing manufacturers, film companies and prize money from competitions. Fujas lives and trains at Mammoth Lakes, Calif., where there is an all-terrain park that caters to free riders. His roommate is 19-year-old Tanner Hall, a past two-time Winter X Games champion. Fujas was nominated for the Winter X Games because of success at major free skiing competitions. The X Games provides maximum exposure with television coverage on ESPN2 and a purse in the $13,000 range — the biggest of his career. Briggs, who has known Fujas for about 10 years, is not surprised by his success. "His ability to feel the snow and his complete sense of balance is what is most impressive," says Briggs. "He’s one of the few skiers that can ski better backwards than 80 percent of skiers can go forward." Reach reporter Frank Silow at 776-4480, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S