VERMONT Magazine Winter 2024 | Page 12

He ’ s the Mount Snow Weekend Program Head Coach , and he has coached some big names in the sport from Vermont , including Ben Smith , Parker White , and Chris Logan . I met him at Stratton , and I did one season where I split my time between moguls and freeskiing , and then I switched to the freeski team full-time when I was 13 . I always loved skiing the parks at Stratton and Mount Snow .
Q : Do you remember any specific breakthrough moments in your freeskiing journey at Stratton or Mount Snow ?
Forehand : A really big moment happened at Mount Snow when I was 13 . I did my first double-cork 1260 °. I was so ecstatic . I was at Corinthia , which had great jumps and rails . It was a mecca for freeskiing , and it was such a pivotal moment in my career .
Q : After skiing for the Stratton Mountain weekend team , you went on to attend Stratton Mountain School ( SMS ), and you made history for winning the overall World Cup when you were 17 . How did the environment at SMS foster your athletic skillset and creativity ?
Forehand : I came to SMS when I was 14 , and I was skiing every day in the morning and afternoon before and after school . It was awesome to have that opportunity . You become a better skier if you ’ re on the snow as much as you can be . The SMS staff did a great job with keeping us regimented in all aspects of our work – both athletically and academically . If you didn ’ t finish your work on time , you couldn ’ t go skiing . You had to sit in a library and get it all done . The trampoline at their training center was so fun and next-level . You could learn a bunch of new tricks on the trampoline and go skateboarding , and that ’ s where I really found my love for skateboarding . I have such a good group of friends that I still talk to from SMS , including Zeb Powell . I still have videos on my phone of him doing crazy stuff at the skatepark . I truly believe that I would not be where I am today
VTMAG . COM WINTER 2024 5