10 MINUTES: With Sammy Carlson

Was the communication barrier a challenge?
We had a couple of Japanese guys with us. Without them, we would have been like no way.

How was the skiing different than back home?
The snow is just way lighter than any snow I’ve skied before. China was my favorite part. We didn’t ski much over there, but we went to the Great Wall. We drove through a poor part of China and it was pretty interesting to see. It makes you feel good about your position—make you feel lucky, you know?

Do you have a favorite mountain or park?
Yeah, my favorite mountain for park is probably Mammoth.

Have you ever been injured?
No, not yet. Knock on some wood. Just minor little injuries here and there. I hit a tree at the beginning of the 2005 season and kinda hurt my back. But nothing major.

How do you stay in shape for skiing?
Lately I’ve been swimming laps at a pool near my house. I think I am going to ride my bike a lot this summer. I want to do really well, so I’m just going to try and work out a lot and get really strong. Probably ski a little bit and learn some new tricks.

So you’re going to be a senior in the fall, what are your plans like after that?
I’m going to graduate early. I think in January. Then I just want to ski a lot and I’ll probably go to college in the fall for one year and see how it goes.

What do you see in your future?
Hopefully good things! I hope to win a lot of contests next year, and hopefully get to the Olympics.