Sponsored, Episode 8: Sammy Carlson

Sammy Carlson's start began with a fateful powder day in which he missed a ski training on Mount Hood. On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, presented by Powder Radio, Carlson tells host Mike Powell that after he missed the training, his coaches wouldn't let him ski in a big race. So he and a buddy hiked over the backside of the hill where the park was.

"We were sitting in the trees, watching, and we saw [Eric] Pollard roll through with a couple buddies and it was slow motion the way he made it look. We were blown away," says Carlson. "We followed him down and shadowed him for a couple laps and we both just decided, alright, we’re done racing. That’s when it started."

Carlson also talks about how, after his sponsorship with APO skis dissolved, he cold-called Armada simply looking for a pair of new skis.

“I didn’t think I would make it this far as a pro skier. I’m just going to call Armada and hope that I have the relationship in the ski industry where I can at least get some free skis from them and I’ll just go skiing," says Carlson. "Because that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. Just skiing. It still brings me a lot of joy.”

Show notes: 1:00 Premiere season 2:15: Getting into skiing 4:30: Inspiration to get out of racing 6:15: The beginning of a career 10:45: School as a pro skier and tough decisions 17:45: Competition, Apo and the end of traditional contests 32:45: Personal projects 39:40: Why isn’t Sammy looked at as one of the best ever?