As we count down to the Freeride World Tour Qualifier and Freeride World Tour Junior events this week, I sat down with local favourite, Finn Jacobsen who is looking to defend his title.
Residing in Mt. Eliza, 17-year-old Finn Jacobsen is a Hotham young gun with a bright future ahead of him. Winner of last year’s Junior FWT event, he’s hoping to defend the title this year against a hot field of competitors. Finn was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule and chat about the competition and freeride in general.
How long have you been competing in competitions? I’ve been competing for seven years, since the age of 11. My first sanctioned event was in Japan at a small resort called Maiko. My older brother Eddie was competing in the same event. We’ve always been super competitive against each other in all sports.
What attracted you to the sport and what's your favourite part about competing in Freeride? I watched the FWT event one year in Hakuba and that inspired me to pursue the sport. I really like the all-round nature of the discipline. From the skiing to the jumping everything. I participated in other forms of skiing, but I always found myself coming back to freeride.
Do you compete overseas and what's your summer competition schedule like? I base myself mainly in Hakuba Japan for the northern hemisphere winters and I compete in Europe also. When I’m in Europe I’m based in Austria mostly. Its central location makes it easier to get to all the events. Freeride obviously puts a high physical demand on the body.
Do you dedicate much time to dry land conditioning and what's your training program like? I spend a lot of time in the gym working on strength especially my core and lower body. Strength is key for absorbing heavy landings and avoiding injury. Building conditioning also keeps me out skiing and training for longer, having said this, I need to make sure I dedicate time to flexibility also.
How long have you been skiing and training at Hotham and what do you like most about the mountain? I first started skiing at Hotham when I was 3 years old and then started training at Hotham when I was 10. Going to school at Dinner Plain gave me lots of opportunity to get out skiing and it’s great to be able to go to school in the snow. I love how steep and interesting the terrain is, and I love getting out to the Orchard when I can.
It must be cool having an event staged at your home resort. What's the best thing about competing at Hotham? I’ve been skiing and competing on the Peach Bowl zone for many years and it’s awesome to have a competition on familiar terrain. It’s also nice to have family and friends be able to come and watch. I’ve also got mates coming over from New Zealand for the event, it’ll be fun to show them everything Hotham has to offer.
Freeride has been attracting mainstream media and gaining popularity recently. What are some of the biggest changes you've noticed over recent years? The biggest change I’ve noticed in junior competitions is the emphasis placed on the Air component in the scoring. Judges are looking for higher difficulty tricks on the way down your chosen line. With the sport gaining mainstream attention it’s providing better pathways and opportunities for kids to get involved from a younger age which is raising the overall standard of the competition’s fields.
What are your future goals and aspirations on skis? My future goal is to qualify for FWT main tour and ultimately if that goes well, I’d love to earn a spot on the Natural Selection Tour.
Awesome Finn, stoked to get out for a ski with you in the powder last week. Thanks again for taking time out to chat and best of luck with this year’s event in Peach Bowl.