Going Deep with the Crist Brothers
Jan 23 2007 / Ketchum, IDThe most friendly sibling rivarly in the ski world now battles it out in their hometown at the Ski Tour
Life for Reggie and Zach Crist has always been a family affair. Standing on top of an X-games podium, a knife-edge ridge in Alaska, sitting above an Indian Ocean reef or in a small eddy above a Himalayan rapid they are always in it together. Their houses are less than a ¼ mile from each other, right about where the pavement ends on the outskirts of their hometown of Ketchum, ID. Located snuggly between Bald Mountain and it’s 3,500 vertical feet of speed breeding terrain and the nearly endless wilderness that is central Idaho, theirs is a neighborhood that reminds one of what ski towns used to be. Places where everyone knew each other and you could ski powder to your doorstep. Family photos pepper the walls, sharing space with pictures of big mountains and foreign shores, maps and the occasional X-games gold medal hanging nonchalantly in the back office.
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Ski Racing was the primary focus of their formative years, culminating with berths on the U.S National ski team and, for Reggie, an appearance in the 1992 Olympic games. Following ski racing they focused their talents on the emerging sport of skier cross and, every spring, on the big mountains of Alaska. Skier cross as a sport came of age underneath them from non-existence to an Olympic event in 2010. Both hold multiple X-Games medals including a memorable gold/silver effort in 2005 from the pursuit. Far from the clocks and competition of skier cross in the towering peaks of Alaska Zach and Reggie found yet another arena to excel in. Their prowess on the big mountains led to a recurring part in Warren Miller’s annual films and a litany of appearances in ski films throughout the years. Along the way each also managed to squeeze in trips to nearly every corner of the globe. Notching first descents in Greenland, deep snow in Argentina and Chile, paddling big whitewater in Nepal and Bhutan, surfing the waves of Indonesia, Hawaii and Central America while helping to run a production company documenting their, and their equally crazy friends, exploits. Recently Zach even found enough time to add a new member to the Crist Family with his baby daughter, Ruby. With all they have seen and done in the past two decades both are happiest when at home in their neighborhood, barbequing with friends and skiing the mountains which surround them.
Last winter was one of the biggest winters in Idaho on record. Big Pacific storms lined up all the way to Japan, each seeming to be postmarked for central Idaho. As the snow piled up lines began to open up where no one remembered anyone skiing, Zach and Reggie Crist were like kids in a candy store. They grew up in these mountains and to see them live up to their full potential was like seeing years of daydreams come to life. Far from the race courses, X-games and Alaskan big mountains in which they have made their careers, they were transported back to the days when all that mattered was the next run, skiing with your buddies and chasing one another around the mountains. They couldn’t have been happier. Looking around at the end of another run we still couldn’t believe existed, Zach shrugged, looked around, smiled and said to no one in particular “doesn’t get any better than this.” Just then, Reggie blew out of a cloud of cold smoke and passed us headed for another, Zach nodded in approval and skied after him, disappearing into a cloud of his own.
Far from satisfied with their past achievements and always looking towards the future, the brothers Crist have lept headlong into the production of The Ski Tour, a new professional ski tour debuting this year across the western USA. I sat down with both of them in the hectic Ski Tour office to talk about life, their legacy and working in an office.
Lat34: Of all the trips you guys have taken together which ones stand out and why?
Zach: Heli skiing in Alaska is always outstanding, but I'd have to say that surfing in Indo was about as raw of an experience as I've ever had. The culture was almost more intense than the surf.
Reggie: My most memorable moments with my brother have been standing on top of some crazy peak in Alaska wondering how the hell we are going to get down. Fear is a bonding experience.
Lat34: Defining moments of your skiing career?
Z: Many, but probably the most was overcoming a knee reconstruction at the age of 16.
R: finishing 1st and 2nd at the X Games was definitely the highlight of my skiing career
Lat34: You've been racing against each other for your whole lives, is the competitive fire between you two still lit or has it dimmed through the years?
Z: I still like to win as much as I ever have, but I don't depend on it. I'm always stoked to see Reg win as I'm sure he is for me.
R: as odd as it sounds, I don't consider Zach competition because if he wins then it is good for me and visa versa. I can't count the number of times that people get us confused. Zach will win and people will come up and congratulate me and in the end the sponsors don't care. It's kind of like having two chances to win.
Lat34: Much has been made of the driving effect highly competitive brothers can have on one another. Would you agree with the statement that you wouldn't be where you are today had it not been for one another?
Z: Bottom line is, neither of us would have achieved what we have without the other. We've made a great team for a long time.
R: No doubt- I would never have achieved the level of success without my brother. We push each other and keep it fun. It's always good to have family when you are on the road and we spend a lot of time traveling.
Lat34: In what activity outside of skiing are you most competitive with one another?
Z: I don't think we're all that competitive with each other anymore. It was pretty fierce when we were younger, but I don't think either of us has any serious desire to prove anything now. He's better at some things and I'm better at others. Who's counting?
R: We've been known to try and hammer each other on a mountain bike.
Lat34: Does an event such as skier cross benefit teamwork or is it a one against all kind of thing?
Z: Nice to have a friend in a dog-eat-dog world.
R: There are no friends in skier cross but Zach and I definitely look after each other.
Lat34: You both have spent a considerable time up in Alaska where teamwork necessarily replaces competition. How valuable is it
to have your brother watching your back in such intense situations?
Z: Crucial. I wouldn't ski that kind of terrain without a tight group of close friends who know how to react in serious situations.
R: Skiing in Alaska requires a strong team and it definitely helps when you have a history to draw from. Zach knows my abilities and knows how to direct me into position to ski the lines that I am capable of charging.
Lat34: You both have had a great deal to do with getting The Ski Tour up and running. How's the dual role of athlete/businessman treating you?
Z: It's cramping my style, actually. Some of my bro's can't believe I finally have an office job for the first time in 33 years - they look at me like I've just told them that Santa Clause doesn't really exist.
R: It's been a crazy - working on The Ski Tour, working out, and building a garage. It makes skiing on the mountain feel like a vacation.
Lat34: What would you guys say your role is here at The Ski Tour?
Z: Most events are characterized by a separation between athletes, event producers, and sponsors with no real vested interest in the sport. We’re here to make sure the athletes are represented on all levels of the event, making sure everything is done right from the parties to the event and everything in between, quality control.
R: Giving the Athletes a strong say in the way the event is put on. We work directly with all aspects to ensure the event is top notch throughout and portrays the sport of skiing, our sport, the way we believe it should be.
Lat34: Describe in a few words where you think the future of ski competition is headed and how elder athletes such as yourselves can help steer the next generation in a good direction?
R: X Games medals look good in the trophy case but The Ski Tour is our legacy. If we do this thing right, mainstream America will get a chance to experience mountain culture at its finest.
Z: The future of competitive skiing is headed in the direction of whatever the spectator wants to see most. If snowboarding holds any indication, I'd say it looks like halfpipe and skiercross is an excellent direction to be headed. That's what young AND 'elder' skiers have to understand first; It's not so much about what we like about skiing - it's about what everyone likes.
Competition isn't really what people want to see most. Sure, people appreciate amazing athletic feats, but this is a lifestyle sport. Naturally, people love mountain culture - fresh air, kind people, a bit of exercise followed by an après ski party, some good live music and sexy people getting lucky before they wake up and do it all over again. That's what The Ski Tour is all about.
Lat34: Favorite activity outside of skiing?
