We talk to defending champion Russ Henshaw as he limbers up ahead of the Red Bull Playstreets freeskiing competition in Bad Gastein, Austria on February 19…
Affable Aussie Henshaw is riding the wave of success from the Winter X Games, which was followed by a second place in the 2011 Dew Tour, and is clearly the one to watch at the urban ski spectacular.
You won the last Playstreets event in 2009 – how important is it to you to get back-to-back titles? Is that a big motivation or are you more about ‘taking part’ than ‘winning’?
I am about both for sure. I would love to win, but of course just getting up on the podium in front of such a big crowd is amazing. I’m looking forward to the event this year and hopefully I can get my name on another star in the street.
Inner city versus mountains – what are the pros and cons? What technical differences are there in the urban environment and can you do the same tricks as you would in the mountains?
Inner city and mountains are two completely different ways to ski. Inner city comps are usually all made of scaffolding and you are confined to the one run and can only hit the designated obstacles, whereas in the mountains you are free to ski around, hit what you want and express yourself in another way. I think one of the pros of having an inner city comp is the crowd it draws. You can have between 10,000 and 50,000 watching the comp, while in the mountains it’s hard to draw such a big crowd because of the limited accessibility.
'I think that true style isn't forced' – Russ Henshaw
Where in the world would you like to do an inner city contest?
I’d love to do a big air in Sydney. It would draw a lot of people if there was a competition and bands playing. I think it would also have an awesome backdrop.
How do you mark out your own style in freeskiing? What’s the secret?
I just try to make everything look as smooth as possible. I try to make it look easy. I think that true style isn't forced and you can tell the rider knows what they are doing.
Who was the first person you called to share your excitement about your first X Games success and what does that medal mean to you?
Yeah, this was my first ever X Games podium and I am so stoked about it! As soon I was finished with all the interviews and the photos, I went and called my parents. They were so stoked and couldn't believe I had got a podium in such a big event.
More congrats on the Dew Tour second overall position for 2011! How does that feel and what goal is next after Playstreets?
It feels amazing, as the best overall result I have [previously] had at the Dew Tour was 12th. So to jump up to second feels amazing. After Playstreets, I am going to America to film with Matchstick Productions [MSP] and then I come back to Europe for the European X Games and some more filming. I still have a pretty busy year ahead of me…
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