Five Minutes with Angeli VanLaanen
A couple weeks ago we celebrated the end of July by heading up to Mt. Hood to meet up and shred with Red Bull team rider Angeli VanLaanen. We rolled up to the lift at Timberline and got up on the glacier just as the racers were getting out, and cruised around with Angeli as she sessioned Windell's jumps, rails, and pipe. Afterwards, we sat down and talked about her season, injury, the former USSR, and being a Red Bull rider. What are you doing up at Hood?
I had an ankle injury this season that I was taking some time off to let heal, and I got the A-OK after the Fourth of July to come ride. So I started biking and doing some mellow stuff and then came up here to see how I felt on my skis.
And how's is it?
It's going good. I'm going every other day to be nice to my ankle, but overall it's feels pretty solid.
What have you been working on up here on snow?
Definitely just getting my ski legs back. Just jumping, doing basic stuff.
Give us a rundown of this last winter for you. Obviously with the ankle injury it started off better than it ended.
Yeah. I focused mainly on competing at the beginning of the season and after my ankle injury I had to take some time off at the very end of February and it got better just enough for me to go to Russia with a bunch of the Oakley girls and Red Bull girls and that was amazing, so in March I went to Russia, and after that I got to go to Utah and do some filming there with the Atomic crew. That pretty much sums it up. Sitting out for my ankle was bummer, I missed out on going to Japan, but going to Russia was a big highlight, so it wasn't too bad.
How tough is it for you to sit out at the height of the ski season due to injury?
It's hard. It's really hard to watch your friends go out, especially when you live with the people you ski with every day and you're in a ski town. Yeah, it's really hard to sit out.
What was that Russia trip like?
Overall, Russia was the most different place I've ever been to ski. Super old-world ski resort kind of style. So, Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana were the resorts we were at. There were dirt roads leading up to them and rickety old chair lifts that were crazy high off the ground in places. You had to hold your gear on your lap because they didn't have ramps with snow on them. The winter Olympics are going to be there soon, so that was probably the coolest thing: to see it before it gets developed. There's certain parts of town that are starting to develop, so when you go through the beginning of the little mountain town you see some of the signs of the coming Olympics, but right now it's just super old school.
How did you find the Russian people?
Well, at first I felt like they were really cold. Just like day to day in Moscow, walking down the street, people don't smile at each other. I'm from Bellingham, Washington, a town where people smile at everyone, it doesn't matter who are. So, that was a shocker for me, but then we got to know some people from the mountain through out guides and they were awesome. We got to go to a wedding reception. So in the end I thought the people were just great.
How was the food?
I wasn't a big fan. I don't eat a lot of meat and I don't eat a lot of bread and that was kind of their main staples.
So you were just hungry the whole time?
No, we actually had a cook at the place we were staying that was cooking us sort of unconventional Russian food, like kind of with an American twist. So, that was helpful.
What are you looking forward to this coming season?
I'm looking to focus my energy on getting shots and filming, and competing as well, but I think I focused so hard on that this past season that the end of the season came along so quick and I was like, "Oh no, I want more video for my part!" Also, going home to Baker and skiing and shooting backcountry stuff is a huge goal and I haven't done that in few years.
How did your film segment in Atomic's "44 Days" turn out?
My story of my season is super long, so I'll try to make it short. I actually had mono this year and I didn't know it. When I was in Utah I was supposed to be there for two and a half to three weeks, and we got some bad weather the first week and then I just got super sick. I also got really sick in Russia. I just had no energy and I didn't really know what was wrong. So I had to leave Utah early and my segment's super short and sweet. I think I got some good shots, but definitely not what I was hoping. I feel like next season, with more time in front of the camera, I can do a lot more.
You're a really new edition to the Red Bull Ski Team. How's that been thus far?
It has been amazing. All the Red Bull people are super friendly, welcoming, and going to events that aren't skiing, like Air Race, is awesome. Just being included in that and meeting all the people in the Red Bull family has been great. I just love how it's all connected, so I'm really happy with it. It's a little intimidating though wearing the helmet, because, you know, you got to wear it with pride and you gotta make it proud.
Yeah. I focused mainly on competing at the beginning of the season and after my ankle injury I had to take some time off at the very end of February and it got better just enough for me to go to Russia with a bunch of the Oakley girls and Red Bull girls and that was amazing, so in March I went to Russia, and after that I got to go to Utah and do some filming there with the Atomic crew. That pretty much sums it up. Sitting out for my ankle was bummer, I missed out on going to Japan, but going to Russia was a big highlight, so it wasn't too bad.
How tough is it for you to sit out at the height of the ski season due to injury?
It's hard. It's really hard to watch your friends go out, especially when you live with the people you ski with every day and you're in a ski town. Yeah, it's really hard to sit out.
What was that Russia trip like?
Overall, Russia was the most different place I've ever been to ski. Super old-world ski resort kind of style. So, Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana were the resorts we were at. There were dirt roads leading up to them and rickety old chair lifts that were crazy high off the ground in places. You had to hold your gear on your lap because they didn't have ramps with snow on them. The winter Olympics are going to be there soon, so that was probably the coolest thing: to see it before it gets developed. There's certain parts of town that are starting to develop, so when you go through the beginning of the little mountain town you see some of the signs of the coming Olympics, but right now it's just super old school.
How did you find the Russian people?
Well, at first I felt like they were really cold. Just like day to day in Moscow, walking down the street, people don't smile at each other. I'm from Bellingham, Washington, a town where people smile at everyone, it doesn't matter who are. So, that was a shocker for me, but then we got to know some people from the mountain through out guides and they were awesome. We got to go to a wedding reception. So in the end I thought the people were just great.
How was the food?
I wasn't a big fan. I don't eat a lot of meat and I don't eat a lot of bread and that was kind of their main staples.
So you were just hungry the whole time?
No, we actually had a cook at the place we were staying that was cooking us sort of unconventional Russian food, like kind of with an American twist. So, that was helpful.
What are you looking forward to this coming season?
I'm looking to focus my energy on getting shots and filming, and competing as well, but I think I focused so hard on that this past season that the end of the season came along so quick and I was like, "Oh no, I want more video for my part!" Also, going home to Baker and skiing and shooting backcountry stuff is a huge goal and I haven't done that in few years.
How did your film segment in Atomic's "44 Days" turn out?
My story of my season is super long, so I'll try to make it short. I actually had mono this year and I didn't know it. When I was in Utah I was supposed to be there for two and a half to three weeks, and we got some bad weather the first week and then I just got super sick. I also got really sick in Russia. I just had no energy and I didn't really know what was wrong. So I had to leave Utah early and my segment's super short and sweet. I think I got some good shots, but definitely not what I was hoping. I feel like next season, with more time in front of the camera, I can do a lot more.
You're a really new edition to the Red Bull Ski Team. How's that been thus far?
It has been amazing. All the Red Bull people are super friendly, welcoming, and going to events that aren't skiing, like Air Race, is awesome. Just being included in that and meeting all the people in the Red Bull family has been great. I just love how it's all connected, so I'm really happy with it. It's a little intimidating though wearing the helmet, because, you know, you got to wear it with pride and you gotta make it proud.
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