Sammy Carlson: HEAVY style at Absolut Park

Sammy Carlson

Sammy Carlson is an American freeskiing legend whose impact spans competition, film, style, and backcountry exploration. Born on January 11, 1989, in Portland, Oregon, he was raised in a ski environment near Mount Hood and developed a deep affinity for varied terrain from a very young age. Carlson has become renowned not just for tricks, but for pushing the boundaries of what freeskiing means—integrating creativity, risk, terrain, style, and storytelling. Early life and competition beginning Carlson grew up skiing with his family around Mount Hood, starting at about age four. His exposure to ski camps and summer park terrain shaped his early style. By age twelve he was attending more formal ski camps and spending summers focusing on tricks, rails, jumps and slopestyle terrain. His early competition success came in his late teens. Major competitive achievements and technical milestones One of the standout moments in his career was in summer 2010, when he successfully landed the first switch triple rodeo 1260—a complex trick combining switch take-off, multiple rotations, and aerial orientation. That solidified his reputation as a technical innovator. He earned multiple X Games medals, including a gold in slopestyle in 2011. He also won a silver medal at the FIS World Championships in slopestyle in 2011. These results placed him among the top freeskiing competitors of his generation. In early 2012 Carlson attempted a triple cork 1620 in an X Games big air final but suffered a serious knee injury, torn ligament, which forced him into a recovery period. This injury was a turning point—after it, his priorities shifted more toward creative freedom and backcountry skiing instead of just contest results. Transition toward film, backcountry and style evolution After his injury, Carlson invested more effort in video segments and backcountry skiing. He became widely known for his video work in the Real Ski Backcountry competition, which emphasizes creative ski film pieces filmed in natural mountain environments, away from traditional competition runs. He won this Real Ski Backcountry contest multiple times, displaying a blend of technical park tricks, terrain features such as pillows and natural jumps, and flowing transitions. Carlson’s style is often praised for its fluidity, for bringing surf-like motions to powder, for creative use of natural terrain features, and for blending daring with grace. This style has inspired many skiers who want more than just competitive success—they want expression, aesthetic, adventure. Recent work, philosophy, and legacy In the last several years, Carlson has focused strongly on backcountry film projects, exploring remote zones in British Columbia, exploring safety and risk more carefully, improving his narrative voice in his videos, and emphasizing maturity in decision-making in mountain environments. He has released feature-length works and shorter segments that highlight not only his skiing, but his evolution as a person, an athlete, and someone wrestling with risk, creativity, and joy. Even though he stepped back from being a full-time competitor, he remains active, and many see his current era as one of artistic peak—where his influence through video, style, and exploring uncharted terrain is as important as any medal. His equipment sponsors and brand relationships reflect this balance: they support both quality performance gear and the freedom to film and experiment. Samson Carlson (commonly called Sammy C) is based now much of the time in British Columbia during winter seasons, which gives him access to prime backcountry terrain.