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JAN/FEB 2019
You have been in the game quite
awhile now, has your riding changed
much in that time? Are there tricks
you still want to try for or just ride
new zones and features?
Yes I have been a professional skier for
20 years, since the very first twin tip skis
in ‘98, and in that time my approach to
riding has evolved. In the beginning,
I was really into riding park and pipe.
However, at around the age of 18 I
got the opportunity to go heli skiing in
Norway, and that changed everything. It
was like a kid in a candy shop, so much
terrain. No “a” to “b” take off to landing
to adhere to, just pure creative potential
as far as the eye could see. Looking
back, that was a very pivotal trip for me.
Much of what makes skiing so reward-
ing is learning new maneuvers or riding
different zones.
What are some of your favorite places
that you have travelled both for skiing
and for the culture?
Japan is special. I first went to Japan
when I was 16. Amazing experience,
and to this day, one that rises above
most other trips. Since then I have
traveled to Japan annually to experi-
ence the culture, and ride the amazing
terrain.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s skiing and ski technology were changing at
a rapid pace. Thanks to snowboarding, terrain parks started to pop up around
the country and skiers were adapting their style and equipment to keep up. One of
the early pioneers of freeride style and ski technology was Eric Pollard. Raised on the
playful slopes of Hood, Pollard’s style is unique and iconic for anyone familiar with sport.
Through his videos with the Nimbus Independent team he has shown us that you don’t need
to do double corks or go heli-skiing in Alaska to have fun on a pair of skis.
In addition to being an innovator of modern ski style, Pollard has also had a huge influence on ski tech-
nology. The latest generation of groms may not remember, but twin tip skis didn’t even exist until 1998.
Soon after this, Line Skis (a brand dedicated to freestyle skiing) gave Pollard the chance to start design-
ing skis. Beyond making skis that could ride both forward and backwards, he began to create skis that could
float and carve well in powder but were still playful and fun. Enter the Sir Francis Bacon, where we also saw the
expression of Pollard as a graphic artist. He has continued to pump out innovative skis and graphics for more than
a decade. The latest iteration of his ski designs are two directional, swallow-tail powder skis called the Sakana and the
Pescado.
The transition from ski pioneer to designer and artist seems to have come very naturally for Eric Pollard. From his mind blowing
segments in Idea, back in 2007, to his latest ski graphics, Pollard has no problem sharing his vision. This is an expression that is not
going anywhere either. Pollard continues to create skis, art, outerwear and of course ski films that make new generations fall in love with
skiing. His unique perspective and attention to detail continue to influence the ski industry on many levels.
P: Nimbus Independent
P: Nimbus Independent
Have you settled down much in the
last couple of years? Where?
As a matter of fact I have. I live in
Mount Hood, Oregon with my wife and
two daughters.
Tell us about your spot, what do you
have going on out there? How long
have you been there? Why did you
choose to stay in Oregon?
I have a few acres to my name, with a
large garden, some bees and chickens.
I travel quite a bit, make films, design
skis and outerwear for Line and Dakine,
and create graphics for said products.
It’s an awesome life, I hope I can keep it
going for a bit longer.
Was there much of a park on Hood
when you were growing up or did you
and your friends have to build all of
your own features?
Early on, there wasn’t much of a park.
But when I got to be about 14, the park
at Meadows was really solid. It was run
by some great people who know what
they were doing and took a lot of pride
in their work. It was an ideal place to
ride.
Most of Oregon isn’t know for its
steep or incredibly challenging ter-
rain, but there are unique landscapes
and features. How has this landscape
influenced your riding and how you
build features?
Good question. The lack of sustained
steep terrain forced me to look at the
terrain in a different way than most
skiers around the world, and for that
I couldn’t be more thankful. I owe Mt.
Hood so much. It shaped the way I
ride, and informed much of my art and
designs.
How did you first get into designing
skis? Did you get pretty free reign
early on at Line? What were your
influences for these early designs?
Snowboarding?
I got my first opportunity to design my
own ski in 2001. By that time I had a
laundry list of changes to make, and
things I wanted to try. Line skis gave
me a kind of carte blanche. I took that
license, and ran as fast as I could, go-
ing deeper and deeper into the rabbit
hole. Snowboarding and surfing were
the two biggest influences on my de-
signs. I wasn’t only trying to change the
look of the equipment, but also the feel.
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I wanted my skis to float like a snow-
board, and carve like a surfboard.
Were you doing a lot of the design in
conjunction with ski designers or just
on your own? What was one of your
biggest breakthroughs?
I’ve worked with a number of engineers
and designers over the years to help
bring concepts to fruition. Much of what
I do is a collaboration. The films I make
are a collaboration with great cinema-
tographers and music producers. I
direct, edit, film and ski, but it’s a group
effort. The skis I create are a collabora-
tion with engineers. I have total creative
freedom to shape the ski, create the
outline, spec the profile, and callout the
materials and layup. However, it’s the
engineer who sorts out exactly how to
achieve the end goal. Iteration after
iteration, we hone in on our goal.
Your newest skis (The Pescado and
Sakana) are directional, is this a
move away from your jib inspired rid-
ing or do you still ride backward on
these things? What influenced you to
create these skis?
The Pescado and Sakana were largely
influenced by surfboard and snowboard