Age: 35 | Vitals: 5’9,” 160 lbs. | Years skiing: 25 | Current Residence: Los Alamos, New Mexico
Background:
Garrett was born in Mammoth Lakes, California and raised in Sun Valley, Idaho. He began skiing when he was 10 years old, and after ski racing and snowboarding for two years, he transitioned to freestyle competition for the next 12 years. He was ranked in the top ten nationally for moguls and dual moguls, and competed internationally on the US Freestyle Development Team. After a knee injury sidelined him at the World Cup selections prior to the 2002 Olympic games, Garrett took an academic hiatus in New Mexico and Alaska. He resumed ski competition at the 2008 Freeskiing World Championships in Alyeska, Alaska – his first Big Mountain Freeskiing event – where he qualified in 9th place and finished 14th overall. In 2009, Garrett took 3rd place at the Taos Freeskiing Championship, 5th at Kirkwood, and 9th at the World Championships in Alaska.
He is currently qualified for the 2014 Freeride World Tour (FWT) following a successful 2013 season where he finished 3rd overall for Region II (Americas) and 10th globally on the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) tour.
Garrett’s strength as a skier is his diversity of skills. He has competed and achieved success in skier cross, moguls, half pipe, aerials, ski jumping, and most recently, big mountain freeskiing. His natural talent blends a style of fluidity, efficiency, and technically sound skiing, all grounded in his commitment to having fun on the mountain. Garrett is best known for catching HUGE air, and can be seen doing so in multiple Warren Miller films and publications. He has been featured as a pioneer of half pipe skiing (alongside Jonny Moseley) in instructional videos, and was the World Hot Dog Skiing Champion in 1999. With Glen Plake as a strong supporter, he continues to pursue his competitive goal of reaching the top 3 in worldwide standings. When he’s not looking to up the competitive ante, Garrett spends time coaching the local ski racing program and mentoring young rippers. His career has included significant time spent in Mammoth, Sun Valley, Squaw Valley, Park City, Silverton, Alaska, and currently, Taos.
Some favorite skis:
2010 MOMENT Belafonte, 182cm; 2012 Praxis Powder Board, 192cm; 2008 Dynastar XXL, 187cm; 2009 LIB NAS Freeride, 188cm
Damn, this is our little Garrett?