An alpine skier when he moved to Whitefish, Montana, in 1995, Reid Sabin very quickly learned there was an easier way to get into the backcountry...telemark.
Five years later, he usurped friend and teammate Chris Rice's five-year winning streak when he won the US Nationals. He also won the overall telemark World Cup title, becoming the first American to leap ahead in a sport that has been historically dominated by Europeans.
"I was first interested in just going touring and skiing off area and really liked the new struggle, the new way to get down the hill and wanted to get better at it," he says. Now, at 28, he's the best in the US, and the best in the world.
Reid's motivation is simple: the guy just loves skiing. This past summer he skied from the summit of El Dorado while on a touring trip around Forbidden Peak in Washington's burly North Cascades. Usually backcountry telemarkers are the antithesis of ski racers, but Reid walks the line.
Originally from Gig Harbor, Washington, Reid grew up skiing and ski racing. His mom and dad are both ski instructors, and his dad, after 40 years, still teaches at Washington's Crystal Mountain and Snoqualmie. So, born into a skiing family, Reid says, "Skiing has definitely been the main passion in my life."
Even after becoming the best in the world, Reid is still paying his own way. He has equipment sponsors behind him, and he and other members of the US Telemark Ski team (seven of them live in Whitefish) get some financial support from the Big Mountain Ski Resort and the local community, which he says sees no financial reward, but they "do it out of the good nature of their hearts." To foot the bills for his skiing-filled winters, he spends summers putting in sprinkler systems.
During basically self-funded trips to Canada, Europe and the US's East Coast during the '99-'00 season, Reid won six World Cup races and the US Nationals. All of his wins were in the classic event — the ultimate test for the über skier, it's a triathlon on skis.
The classic sets telemark apart from other World Cup events. The classic usually starts with a giant slalom and then transitions through a variety of terrain, including freeskiing sections, uphill skating, Nordic distance jumping, and the infamous 360 degree bank turn (also known as "the noose"). It's the true test of Nordic and alpine ability— and for those not in the best of shape, it also very often ends with puking.
Reid still lives in Whitefish where he skis and trains with six other members of the team, including Cody Thompson, who finished 2nd in the overall women's World Cup tele standings. The seven skiers coach each other, and their small ski town shows its pride for the unique posse of talented free heelers.
As far as the future goes, it would be Reid's dream to go to the Olympics. Unfortunately, telemark failed to make it into the 2002 or 2006 Winter Games — even though it is the oldest style of skiing and its popularity is growing. Supporters are now shooting for 2010, when Reid will be 38.
In the meantime, as long as he gets to race the best telemark skiers in the world somewhere, he says, "wherever it is, it's going to be enough to make me happy."
— Michelle Quigley, MountainZone.com Staff
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