GREG STUMP started skiing at an early age at Pleasant Mountain when his family moved to Maine. In 1970 At age nine he won his first competition at Sugarloaf and his prowess in this PSIA style technique competition led him to freestyle.

In 1978 Greg won the Junior National Championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado. His strengths were moguls and ballet which combined with aerials to fill out the competition. It was a family effort as one year Greg, sister Kim and brother Geoff all won their age groups at the Nationals.

In 1979, Greg won the North American Freestyle Championships at Edelweiss Valley in Ontario, becoming the first ever international amateur freestyle champion.

It was 15 years later that Greg began to make his own ski films. The sound tracks and his narrative style in particular leading them to worldwide acclaim.

Here he talks about the road to his success and how he has combined his passions in life to produce videos of the highest quality.

How did you first become involved in skiing and what and who were your early influences?

I was a competitor in the early stages of freestyle skiing. It was a programme in New England called Jr. Ski Masters. We competed in ski school final forms and then had a free run where you could do tricks. That evolved into the three event freestyle skiing with Moguls, Ballet and air. I won the Jr. National title in 1978 and the first ever FIS competition, the North American Championships in 1979.

I was very much influenced by the pro freestylers of the day. People like Wayne Wong, who was and remains a personal friend, John Clendenin and ‘Airborne’ Eddie Ferguson.

As a youngster you had several early successes in the sport. How did you cope with the pressure as a young boy?

There was no pressure. I loved skiing and was good enough to win if I practiced hard and concentrated. It was fun not scary.

Your prowess on the slopes caught the eye of ski magazine editor Doug Pfeiffer and it wasn’t long before you were featured on ski films. What did this involve and was it something you had ever imagined doing?

I had always loved ski films, Dick Barrymore’s in particular. When I met Dick through the Pfiefer connection I made sure he knew I was keen to ski for him. I was after Dick for sure and it worked.

Having appeared in the films you were soon at the other end of the camera. How did the progression to filming take place and did it come naturally to you at the start?

I was working as a radio DJ so I knew I could narrate and produce the audio for my films

After seeing Barrymore as a one man crew making a film I was inspired to try. I was working as a radio DJ so I knew I could narrate and produce the audio for my films. That was a huge leg up in making a film. I had always been playing with 8mm cameras filming as a kid so it was a natural progression. I certainly was not skilled but I learned as we went along.

You appealed to a new audience by including rock sound tracks on your videos. What was the inspiration behind this and could you tell us a little about your musical background?

Again as a DJ I knew the new killer music and I went after licensing it. Fortunately, British rock producer Trevor Horn’s late wife Jill Sinclair took a liking to me and made licensing the impossible a reality. Without her ski movies might still be playing crap needle drop soundtracks.

You also began to feature snowboarders in your films. How have you found the public’s perception to watching snowboarders compared to skiers?

It’s the same really. I never experienced the snowboarder/skier rivalry especially when I was living in Whistler. It’s the mountain that is the challenge not the toy you use to ride it.

In 1988 you produced Blizzard of Aahhh’s which is credited as being the best extreme ski video ever produced. What was it that made the film so special?

Many things… it was new exposing extreme to the masses. It had great music and it had great characters. Glen, Scot and Mike in particular.

Since then you have produced many more films to world acclaim. Could you tell us some of your highlights from this period and what other films have really stood out to you personally?

I love Groove Requiem: In The Key Of Ski, Siberia, P-tex… I like all my films.

How are you currently spending your time, do you still ski yourself and what are you plans for the future?

I live in Idaho near Jackson Hole, Wyoming where I have a killer studio. I do still ski although not nearly as much. I prefer to snowboard because my feet are really sick of ski boots.

Greg Stump – Blizzard of Aahhhs