Catching Up With Mike Riddle

The man, the myth, the legend, Mike Riddle checked in with Freeskier to let them know about this season, the next season, and Las Vegas.

Freeskier: Hello Mr. Riddle. Where in the world are you these days?
Mike Riddle: Hi Mr. Williams! I am in the sin city Las Vegas for a couple days enjoying the sunshine and all the fabulous amenities offered in this fine city.

FS: The Palms or the Wynn? … or an outside guess, the Hard Rock?
MR: Treasure Island, baby! right on the strip but cheaper than the Wynn… plus there are pirates!

FS: Good call. Did you double your contest earnings this year at the craps table?
MR: Sure did… I am now “Simon Dumont rich.” [laughs] not really though… I don’t know how to play craps… just stick to blackjack and slots.

FS: Nice, keep it simple. Where are you jetting off to after Sin City?
MR: Not sure yet… leaving today but not sure where to… either to Mammoth to try to get some spring skiing in or headed back to Whistler to hit some sweet-az jumps. Either way… win-win.



FS: Better odds than Treasure Island. Would you say you had a decent season this year?
MR: I had a really good season! not Bobby-esque but u know… got my first victory in the Dew Tour which was awesome and then a couple 4th place finishes in X-Games and 4th overall in the Dew Tour so I’m pretty stoked!!

FS: Yes, you finally broke the X Games curse… how does that feel?
MR: Well I was having a rough time not making finals at X-Games (except for once like 4 years ago) so it felt good to finally put down some decent efforts. Can’t wait for those podiums though… next year!

FS: I bet it does. Are you going to be airbag/foampit/water ramp training to get new doubles, or are you just going to man up and do them on snow? I guess Slopestyle vs. Pipe skier doubles training?
MR: I am most definately going to learn new stuff for next year. I will be on the water ramps and trampolines bunches and hopefully get a chance to use a foam pit or an airbag on snow, but if not I guess I’ll just man up. I really want to get back into slope next year, too! I took a season off of that but I want to stay well rounded

FS: Speaking of well rounded skiers, how’s your golf game?
MR: It’s coming along… I’m about 14 handicap but I feel if I played more I could be a lot better! All the courses in Squamish are looking good so I need to get out… still waiting on my first round of the year.



FS: Will golf be a fall back skill when skiing gets too gnarly and Bobby is doing quad flips in his run?
MR: [laughs] That’d be nice… golf is pretty low impact as far as sports go. but Tiger blew his knee golfing so i think ill stick to skiing and keep progressing and having fun!

FS: What are looking forward to the most this year at summer camps?
MR: The vibe! Its always my favorite time of year because it is so laid-back, but I want to be on a mission this summer to learn new tricks. So I’m pretty excited for that. That and golfing.

FS: Do you ever feel all powerful that you are shaping kids minds? You can mold them like clay up on the glacier?
MR: [laughs] YES! Definitely, I am a sculptor. In all seriosness though, it’s pretty cool to teach a kid something new and see the level of stoke in their eyes.

FS: What was the best moment of your year this season?
MR: Definitely my win at the Dew Tour in Breck! career highlight so far.



FS: Good work there. Do you think being from Edmonton you have an advantage in freezing locales like Breck in Dec?
MR: Maybe… it’s in my Canadian blood. It really wasn’t that bad this year though. I didn’t even have to wear a jacket for the event.

FS: Speaking of Canada, who is your prediction for the Stanley Cup?
MR: Well my team won the biggest loser this year so my adopted team the ‘Nucks just got knocked out but I gotta stay Canadian and jump on the Habs bandwagon.

FS: Of course you do. Last question: Are you going to put it on black or red before you leave Vegas?
MR: Black… don’t know why… I can just sense it… I’ll let yah know how it goes…