John Gaston is a ski racer based in Aspen, CO who has been competing for 5 years, yet is only 29 years old. He is new to theCAMP team, and competes with fellow athletes Max Taam and Jessie Young in races put on by the United States Ski Mountaineering Association.
How did you start competitive skiing and why did you stick with it?
During college I became a bit of a “Bowl Rat” – my brother and I started hiking up into Highland Bowl near Aspen every day we were in town, and that served as my introduction to endurance activities in general. Eventually I entered the local Inferno race, which is a single lap up and down the bowl. And I got my butt kicked. But that single race served as my motivation to get faster. After I finally won it for the first time in 2010, things began snowballing quickly into other MTB and skimo races as I realized there were much broader applications of my fitness and skiing abilities.
What are your 3 favorite ski events or races (or local training missions?)
Pretty much any race in Europe kicks ass. They’re generally very technical, both up and down, with really cool atmosphere and world class athletes to humble you. Stateside, I’d say PowderKeg is probably my favorite individual race, followed by Jackson and Irwin Lodge. My favorite Team races are PowderKeg and Power of Four.
What motivates you or draws you into your sub discipline of
mountain adventure? What parts of skiing or mountain sports have you tried and disliked?
mountain adventure? What parts of skiing or mountain sports have you tried and disliked?
I think the light and fast mentality that racing instills is totally addicting. It is knowing you can go farther, quicker, and also having the confidence that you can adapt to tricky situations/conditions easier and better. I still love alpine skiing, riding lifts and ripping back down, but I definitely find myself spending a higher and higher percentage of my time on lighter gear. Even my “heavy” touring setups are getting stupidly light. The boots, bindings and skis in these categories have made monumental jumps in the last few years and it’s really opened up a lot doors for those willing to commit.
Does your work/employment complement your passion? Make you better at some aspect of it?
Or is it purely an escape from work?
Or is it purely an escape from work?
In a lot of ways, yes. I am the head designer for a mountain apparel brand (Strafe Outerwear), and it certainly gives me a lot of excuses to go “product testing.” I would say my skimo training/racing has actually had a bigger impact on my work than the other way around. It gives me a lot of inspiration to make better product that’s more versatile and suited to this new brand of mountain adventure.
If you could give any training / improving / ski advice to yourself 5 yrs ago, what would it be?
Probably to listen to your body better, and not just try and copy what the “pros” do. Especially if you’re just getting into serious training regimens. It’s easy to overdue it and end up injured or burnt out.
Any plans/goals for the next year?
Well the last two weeks had some of the biggest goals – namely Nationals at Crested Butte, and the Power of Four in Aspen. Not it’s onto Pierra Menta in France, followed the Grand Traverse and finally the PDG back in Switzerland to close out the winter season. Then hopefully some fun, relaxed spring tours!
If you could only eat one breakfast for the rest of your life (you eat the same thing every day, so one breakfast “order”) what would it be? Be specific. And you don’t have to pay for it.
Banana Pancakes! With a healthy side of bacon.
