10 MINUTES: With Andy Mahre
Andy Mahre drove down from his hometown of Yakima, Washington to make a few summer runs on Mt. Hood, but surprisingly, he wasn’t hitting the park like his had been doing all summer. Instead, he was making laps on race skis with the racers and tourists. After last year’s agonizing season with a broken wrist and a broken back, The Mayor has returned. He’s ready for a big year that will include throwing some racing into his schedule and going exclusive with his filming to work on a top-secret project We caught up with him on the glacier.-Courtney Vermaas
What’s with the race skis?
I’m going to start racing this year a little bit. These are my summer boards. I’ve only been on race skis this summer.
How long has it been since you last raced?
Probably eight years.
Why are you picking it up after so long?
It’s another side of skiing that I enjoy doing so I might as well do it. I’m not too stoked on the park contests right now. The top 10 people always do the same run, there’s never a variety. A park contest is an opinion, not an actual event that gets timed.
What about the K2 Back Nine that you competed in this year?
That was more like racing in a sense. We didn’t have 100 people picking the winner, there were just a few. The riders usually know who won it, not the judges.
Did your dad (Olympic medallist Steve Mahre) have any influence on your decision to start racing again?
No, it’s just something to do.
Are you going to start skiing more with your dad now that you’re into racing?
Nope. I rarely ski with him. He’s out skiing courses, I’m not. He’ll keep doing his thing and I’ll do mine. It is easier for me to go to the course with him than for him to come to the park.