Profile: Torin Yater-Wallace on competing under pressure

As seen in the October 2011 issue of FREESKIER Magazine.

At the tender age of 15, Torin Yater-Wallace won an X Games silver medal (and Euro X bronze). Let me repeat, he’s 15 years old. Most 15-year-olds don’t possess the physical prowess or athletic drive to achieve this. Hell, the government won’t even let him operate motor vehicles for another year.

But despite the publicity he’s received, his new globe-trotting lifestyle and one of the most impressive rookie seasons in years, Torin remains a humble, well-spoken—and hard to get a hold of—kid from Aspen.

Photo left: Shay Williams

Words: Shay Williams

YOU’RE THE NEXT IN A LONG LINE OF ASPEN PROS TO MAKE IT. ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? I think it’s just the best place to live. We’re fortunate enough to live somewhere that has four mountains that are all amazing. Since the X Games are held here, you get to ride the X Games slope and pipe all year. I think being presented with that since I was a kid has built up my skills. I feel so lucky to grow up in a super active place where everyone loves to be outside.

A LOT OF PIPE SKIERS HAVE PROBLEMS GOING BIG. YOU DON’T HAVE THAT PROBLEM AND YOU’RE LIKE 95 POUNDS. I think that’s mostly from learning to ski moguls. A lot of kids will just jump straight to park and skip the basics. I think before you do anything park or pipe, you should probably be on a race or mogul team. That and I spent a lot of days early season in the pipe doing straight airs, getting the feeling back, not doing tricks. I was getting good pumping and transition practice.

HOW DOES IT FEEL GOING FROM GATORADE FREE FLOW TO X GAMES PODIUMS AND TEAM SHOOTS? It was amazing, you know? Just the fact of having all these opportunities to go places to ski and take all these trips. That’s what I appreciate the most. I’ve always skied because I love skiing. I love it. But it’s definitely been crazy.

WHAT KIND OF PRESSURE DOES LAST YEAR’S SUCCESS PUT ON THIS COMING SEASON? When you’ve got the expectations to live up to from your prior season, you have more to worry about, which sucks. I hate that. I just try to block that out. I just want to go into next year and think about it like last year. Not get full of myself, I’m not big shit. I’m just the same as everyone else. We’re all competitors and whoever takes it, takes it. Any time I have expectations, I block them out and try to not think about it. I feel like that’s something that few people can compete under. Shaun White, Simon Dumont and even Kevin Rolland are so good at competing under pressure. That’s a really good skill.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE NAME TORIN MEANS “CHIEF” AND “THUNDER” IN GAELIC? I had no clue.

MAYBE A NEW NICKNAME IN THE CARDS FOR YOU?
Chief? [laughs] I don’t think so. I’m not quite a chief. I’m still the little Native I guess.

HOMETOWN: Aspen, CO

SPONSORS: Armada, Electric, Target, Aspen/Snowmass, Windells

FILMS: Attack of La Niña_ MSP

RESULTS: 1st, World Cup Superpipe, La Plagne, France 2nd, 2011 Winter X Games Superpipe, Aspen/Snowmass, CO 3rd, 2011 Winter X Games Europe Superpipe, Tignes, France 5th, 2010 Winter Dew Tour Superpipe, Breckenridge, CO