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On The Radar: Taylor Lundquist
Taylor Lundquist has been killing it long enough that giving her an "On The Radar" interview at this point is almost an insult. But since we just started the column this year, you're gonna have to cut us some slack on this one. Even though Taylor has been throwing down with style in the park and streets for years already, she's still not as known as as she probably deserves to be. So maybe tossing her up On The Radar isn't a bad thing after all. We asked Austrian skier Stefanie Mössler, who was on a girls' trip to Japan with Taylor, to bust out her pad and pen and grab this interview with one of the few women making a name for herself in freeskiing outside of international contest circuits. - Ethan Stone
Taylor Lundquist
Born: 28 June 1993 (Salt Lake City, USA)
Hometown: Park City, Utah, USA
Home Resort: Brighton Resort
Currently Living: Sugar House, Utah
Hobbies: Skiing, Snowboarding, Skateboarding, Tattoos
Sponsors: Dakine, Line, Smith, Full Tilt, Brighton Resort
Interview by Stefanie Mössler
Photos by Zoe Blewett & Laura Obermeyer
Stef: Hey Taylor! Where are we right now?
Taylor: We are in Japan driving in the car. We just left Hakuba and are on our way to a new destination called Madarao.
S: What are we doing here?
T: Skiing. There is a bunch of us from all around the world who met up here in Japan to create an all-female production, called JYOSEI, which is really special, because something like this has never been done before.
S: What are your expectations for this movie?
T: I want it to become a feel-good movie encouraging more girls to get involved in the industry, weather you are skiing, taking photos, filming, being a team manager creating budgets to make these sorts of things happen. I just hope that it pushes anyone who is passionate about anything to pursue your dreams. This is a new experience for all of us and I hope what our movie portrays will be passed on to others.
Taylor Lundquist - SZN SCRAPZ
S: So we are travelling in a group of eight girls. What is the best and the worst thing travelling with an all-female crew?
T: None of us have worked together as one crew, so at first it was hard to create a pattern that worked for everyone. But as the trip goes on, day by day we grow stronger, which leads me to the best thing, we are all good at speaking our mind and growing from our mistakes.
S: What is the biggest difference from working with a boy crew?
T: Girls smell better! For sure!
S: Asahi or Sapporo beer?
T: Asahi! No wait – Strong Zero!
S: When did you hit the first street spot back in the day?
T: I think it was around 2014 in Salt Lake. Really janky down rail on the side of a LDS (Mormon) church.
S: What makes skiing at a street spot so special for you?
T: Well first you have to find a spot. Then you have to envision an inrun and an outrun. You have to think about speed and safety and then the weather has to be right, you work your ass off to build a spot, then you have to boot up and hit what you have just spent hours building. Sometimes it takes a 100+ hits to get the trick you envisioned but the reward factor is like nothing I have ever felt before.
S: What are your plans in the streets this season?
T: To get out there as much as possible and experience the art of street skiing and make a street part.
S: You have been riding a lot of contests in the past. Are you still focused on comps?
T: Competing at the X-Games was always my dream and the only way to get there is through contests. I am in love with the feeling of competing as well, but it seems to be very political. Ever since slopestyle skiing got introduced to the Olympics, I realized there was a lot of change and the fun got taken out of it for me. Now there are so many different opportunities popping up in my career that lead to different aspects of skiing. I want to be as well rounded as possible, there is so much more to the sport and lifestyle then having your skiing be judged.
S: What`s happening next after this trip?
T: Haha, funny you say that. Competing! I fly back home and head to the Mammoth Grand Prix - cause why not 😉
S: Are you planning any other trips this season?
T: No set plans just yet. I am hoping to meet up with a couple of boys who are filming a movie, get right back into the streets, and enjoy spring skiing at Brighton Resort. Once summer comes around, I will be at Windells Session Four and at Woodward Cooper with the Line Team.
S: When will we see each other again? Are you coming back to Spring Battle at Absolut Park this year?
T: Hopefully soon. I probably won´t make it to Spring Battle this year although this is one of the best contests in the game. But I´ll be back in Innsbrooklyn considering it is one of my favorite places in the world.
S: Because we have the best Schnitzel?
T: Yes! Schnitzel and big, cheap beers.
