Catching up With Jossi Wells

Jossi Wells, at the tender age of 17 found himself on the podium at Winter X, the US Open and Nippon Open, all the while garnering A-list sponsors. The kiwi superstar has been showing signs well beyond his age: competition confidence, backcountry maturity and actually talking to girls this season. Through the wonders of technology, I had a word with our native down under on his thoughts this season.

Freeskier: What’s up Jossi, where are your currently?
Jossi Wells: South of the Equator, the land down under in a little town by the name of Wanaka.

FS: You had a pretty good year, stoked on it?
JW: Yeah man, this season was the best few months of my life. Everything went so well. I felt no pressure to ski well "” apart from the pressure I put on myself to try do every comp run the best I’d done to date. So every time I dropped in, all I was thinking about was doing the tricks in my run the best i could.

FS: “But your year was cut a little short by injury… how are you coping with that?
JW: Yeah… as I said best few months until that… haha. It was at the Jeep King Of The Mountain in Sun Valley. We had one day training before the event and I was feeling super confident. The day of quals I was just lapping my run in practice and i was having a little trouble with my right 900. I worked it out and was just going to do one last run in practice to get my head straight. But unfortunately, that last run was my last run for the northern winter. I didn’t pop exactly right on takeoff and clipped the deck as I came back in and my left leg got caught up as I fell in and bent up to the side tearing my MCL.

FS: I hear you’ve been killing the rehab and getting is strong for whatever’s next.
JW: Yeah man, I had a bunch of X-rays and MRIs. I didn’t fully snap it and it was still attached a little "” a grade 2 tear. So no surgery or anything, just lots of physio and gym work. As soon as I got back here I’ve began going to physio everyday and working at the gym to make sure I am ready to charge when the snow comes down here.

FS: So you’ll be all ready to go next fall to train for the barrage of comps on the schedule next season?
JW: Yup! They are saying i will be 100% by July, I’m pumped. So as of now i’m just thinking about all the tricks I’m going to need for next season and when the snow comes I’m going to be working my butt off.

FS: So you’re still stoked on the US and trying to take all our money?
JW: [laughs] Damn right! I love the US, I love the fast lifestyle and traveling all over the place. So when I come back to NZ it takes me a little while to get used to the slow, laid back lifestyle. My plan is to find a nice little US girl to marry so I can come live over there as well as here. Ha!

FS: Sounds like you’ve got it all on lock. What does one do in that slow NZ lifestyle?
JW: Skateboard. And get school work done so he can be a smart skier not a ski bum. [laughs] Wanaka isn’t a very big place you know.Everyone pretty much knows everyone. I love it here. I mean if you go to the middle of town at 10 pm onwards, you can walk down the middle of the road and not even worry about cars. It’s sick.

FS: That sounds like a nice juxtaposition in lifestyle. Did you manage to get any filming in before NZ?
JW: I took an epic trip with Nike 6.0 and Poor Boyz to Austria. It was me, Sammy and Simon. It was such a fun trip and a real eye opener for me. I had never done much backcountry work and from watching the movies it looks like it’s not too hard. But after being there and doing it myself I found it is a lot harder. It’s just different you know, in the park everything is groomed every night and made perfect for us. In the backcountry you have to make everything yourself and it is never perfect. I loved it and think it went pretty well so I’ll definitely be jumping on any chance I get out there.

FS: Well it looks like you’ve got your injury, next season and girls all figured out… Any last words?
JW: Hmm… last words. Just a big shout out to all my sponsors, my parents and my homies all over the world.