Will Cardamone

USA

I am very grateful to have grown up in a mountain setting such as Aspen. Through my experiences thus far in life, I have adopted an active lifestyle that is unique compared to other professional snowsport athletes. My background in skiing began as soon as I could walk. My dad built me a pair of wooden house skis allowing me to cruise around the house. When I began attempting the stairs I moved to the driveway and then to the mountain. I began ski racing with the Aspen Valley Ski Club around age ten and continued racing into high school. With the emergence of the freeride and park scene I quit the racing program and focused on freeskiing, both all-mountain and park riding. During this time I was introduced to telemark skiing and by the next season I had sold my alpine setup and was focused completely on riding with the free-heel. Since then my style, skill, and self-discipline for the sport have all evolved and with more big mountains and deep powder in my future I can't wait to see where this adventure takes me next.

The other half of my life that is not focused on skiing is still centered in the beautiful West Elk mountains surrounding Aspen. I spend my summers working as a fly fishing guide on the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan rivers. My free time is split between road biking, mountain biking, fly fishing and basically exploring the beautiful mountains that I am lucky enough to call home.

Birthday? March 2, 1985

Year you first started skiing? 1987

Three skiing achievements you are most proud of? Skiing three 14ers in one day with Davenport on his 14er mission. Spending a month skiing and filming in Japan, and having the opportunity to ski amazing lines in Haines and Valdez AK.

Memory/story of the first time you ever went skiing? My dad had me on one of those leashes and he put the leash down while he was talking to a friend on the mountain. When he looked down I was gone. He had to follow a straight pair of tracks all the way to the bottom where I was waiting for him.

Favorite skiing area and why? Aspen Highlands because of Highlands bowl and the 2500 ft of vert. Also for the unreal sidecountry.

Best skiing experience? First tracks down Tonar bowl, a big backcountry line off of Aspen Highlands. I had hit this line multiple times before but never had the chance to get it untracked. It is the same line where a good friend had died during a film shoot two years prior, after he impacted on a hidden rock. It is a committing line and to get first drop in untracked pow on a perfect bluebird day really meant a lot. It was definitely one of the best and most meaningful runs of my life.

Worst skiing experience? I hit a tree while skiing backcountry in Big Cottonwood canyon. And ended up shattering my right kidney on impact. By far the most painful experience of my life. They tried to rig me up on a splitboard to sled me out but that didn't work so I skied out all hunched over. Not anything I would ever recommend.

What's your dream trip? Where? With who? Haines, Alaska with all of my friends that I ski with on a regular basis in Aspen. Any one of them could be a pro skier and it would be awesome to have the whole crew up in AK shredding big lines.

Guilty pleasure? Madonna Techno Remixes

BD gear you use every time you go skiing? The O1 bindings with ridstiff cartridges.

Something that annoys you while skiing? Egos and attitudes

What/who inspires you in skiing? Big fluent lines on big beautiful mountains, fresh powder, and the stoke that is in the air when I am skiing with all my friends on a deep day, there is nothing better.

Favorite après-ski meal? Burritos

Favorite skiing flick? Aspen Extreme

What's in your iPod? Water

Strangest place you've ever woken up? Hot tub with no water

Strangest person you've ever woken up with? Brando

Three things you'd never road trip without? Music, map, sleeping bag

Superstitions? Ravens are good omens. You just need to know when they are warning you.

What's your dream job? Telemarketer

How are you training when you are not skiing? Mountain biking, fishing, bow hunting, thinking about skiing.

If you could steal one thing and not get caught, what would it be? A lamp with a genie in it.

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would they be? Bob Marley, William Wallace, and Dr. Seuss

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Nope.