Birthdate: Apr 11 Hometown: Sun Valley , ID Current Resort: Films: Soul Purpose, High Life, The Prophecy, Mind the Addiction, Further, Realm, Uprising Sponsors:

PHOTOS: Keoki Flagg(L) · CPG(R)

ONS: First, let's get the plugs out of the way --- Who are your current sponsors?
KK: My sponsors are Spyder, Rossignol and Smith. I feel really lucky to be with all of them. They're all companies which have never waned in their dedication to skiing. The are all companies which are run up to the level of President by skiers, no matter what other sports they are involved in. That means alot in terms of longevity and dedication to the sport.


ONS: So Kent, you've been playing this game for a long time now. How has the scene changed for you since you first started?
KK: Well, I'm older now and hopefully wiser and I've seen alot of changes. When I was in my 20's we really struggled for recognition from our own industry. It was a tough battle. Now the sport is highly supported and there are alot of opportunities for these kids. That's what we were aiming for so it's great and there's still room in that area for even more industry dedication for these guys. We were also the big mountain generation, thrilled by exploring and getting to places no one has ever been, following in the footsteps of guys like Trevor Peterson and skiing style from guys like Scott Schmidt. Now it's about freestyle performance more than anything. There's definitely less emphasis on skiing style and more on air style these days but all of this is always in transition. The scene used to be like 20 people. Now it's huge and I hardly even know any of these guys any more. I want to but we just don't cross paths. I like reading interviews in the mags to find out about these guys.


ONS: You raced as a kid right? Do you think that's still a solid way for kids to get skills and confidence on the mountain?
KK: Definitely. Racing is about skiing a line top to bottom and quite honestly, it's about the most balanced, functional and powerful skiing style. It's the best way to get confidence on the mountain. The meaning that the media gives to the word "big mountain" has really changed. In my opinion this definition has been tamed significantly. There's a racer kid from Squaw named Cody Townsend who is going to keep the old defintion alive. He is a bad ass. I think it's hard for these kind of guys to get the recognition and opportunities that they deserve for their skills though. Everything has become very freestyle oriented. There really is only room for a couple of guys to really excel in the big mountian area. If these guys can throw in a few freestyle tricks they'll have a lot of opportunity to do what they love.


ONS: You seem to have laid some roots in the Tahoe area. What keeps you there?
KK:I have close friends here and in my opinion it's the best lift accessed skiing in the country (as in getting off the lift and ripping) and we have great snowmobile access to the backcountry. It's also an easy place to travel out of as it's not so isolated. It takes me 40 minutes from my from door to the Reno airport which is a significant enough hub.


ONS: In High Life you had some comments kind of questioning whether jibbers / huckers can legitimately be called skiers. Did you take any shit for that? Can you expand on that line of thought a little?
KK: Well these things get blown out of proportion and editors put things together how they will. I did have a chance to O.K. that but in retrospect I kind of wish I had pulled it. Alot of times with the media, quotes get taken out of context and take on a new meaning than what was intended. What I was getting at there is that we don't need to copy what is "cool" in other sports or copy skateboard manuevers to be "cool". Our sport has alot of roots which are actually more like surfing, which involve power and style in the turn. That's where I was going with that.


ONS: You seem to be always working on progression, and continuing to set the tone. Where do you want to be with your skiing five years from now?
KK: I go year by year. In five years I feel that I'll be teaching and guiding big mountain clinics and doing more of the exploration thing again. I like travelling to exotic places and skiing untapped areas more than anything. I want to stay involved with my sponsors and their clients too and with the industry but more on my own terms and not where my fate is dependent on what the media decides.


ONS: Who do you think are the next up-and-comers? Why? Do you see yourself as a mentor to any of these guys / girls?
KK: I used to be more in touch with the scene and could call who was solid and would be the future. There
are so many people and so much talent now it's hard to get a grip. I'll stick with my picks of C.R. Johnson and Jon Olsson to be 2 guys who are going to evolve and have a long run of it. Tanner is amazing and so consistent but I question his diversity. Steel Spence has always been my darkhorse pick. Cody Townsend is my Big Mountain pick. The newcomers to TGR are great too. There are so many others that I both know and don't know. I like being a mentor when I have the chance. I prefer to go on trips with the younger guys both so I can try to help them on the big mountain end if I can and so that I have friends around who want to mix some freestyle in. They keep it exciting for me.


ONS: Along those lines, what people do you respect the most in the industry? Why?
KK: I respect honesty and fairness. I'm at odds with anyone who can't tell the truth, be fair or is manipulative. I do business in accordance with that law and that's why I can be a hard ass and I have a reputation for it. Sponsors should do as much as they can for an athlete instead of doing as little as they can get away with. As far as the sport goes, I respect everything. There is one thing I'm not really into so I have to be honest. This zipper-line stuff that the old freestyle has become I'm not into. Sorry to the freestylers, they'll hate me now. I grew up skiing bumps in Sun Valley, the mecca of the bump era. I'm not into that thing that they call "Freestyle" now. FIS has ruined it and people better watch out for them ruining our sport too.


ONS: I know you moto in the summer. What other sports do you do?
KK: I surf when I can. I still suck but I like being in the water. I'm on my moto alot these days. I really enjoy going on long trail rides. "Trail Ride" sounds kind of sissy but we're pretty much full throttle on single track and dirt roads for hours on end. It's sick and you can get into some big peaks up in Idaho where I do the most of my riding. I also got back into mountain biking last summer and I want to do some more kite-surfing soon.


ONS: Anything you like as much as skiing?
KK: No. Sex can be close but a powder day comes first.


ONS: I've noticed that you are kind of into fully controlling your body with meditation, controlling your biorhythms, etc. Tell me a little about that.
KK: I'm just into working on being more and more aware of the body, mind, spirit connection. Controlling biorythms is really key for keeping the fear instinct in check on alot of the stuff we are doing in the films. I've been into alot of spiritual material from shamanic practice to zen meditation. These things are very real and very much a part of our world. Physics has proven that there are 11 or so dimensions. We inhabit one or all but our normal awareness is only aware of one. What is going on in the other 10? What we call "spirit" actually just includes all of reality instead of just one facet and the mind and body intertwine with that and you can witness it if you work on obtaining that awareness.


ONS: What's the biggest fall you've ever taken?
KK: Geez, I've taken lots of big falls but so far not one of those that goes on and on and on like you see in some of the extreme comps. I took a huge fall that was in last years Warren Miller movie. We had this big issue because I wrote into my contract that they couldn't use falls because they always use every fall a guy makes and they wanted to use that one. I thought that it was such a big one that it was worthy so I said "O.K.". The TGR viewers are more perfectionist though. They want to see stomps not falls so most falls except really good ones get canned and they don't waste people's time with a bunch of crap.


ONS: In January this year you took a pretty burly fall and blew a knee. What happened?
KK: I landed on a rock and dislocated my whole knee and tore all of the tendons and ligaments. My lower leg was hanging to the side when I stopped. I made a bad call and didn't know my line. It was one of the stupidest things I've done.


ONS: What's the prognosis?
KK: I'm going to recover 100%. I believe that most of these circumstances can be healed and I know it will heal 100%. In the end I want to be able to show people that they can heal 100%. I think alot of people give up or have a bad attitude and this inhibits the healing process. The tissue in the body responds positively to positive thought. I'm also incorporating various healing techniques from Reiki energy work, to some micro-current technology which has increased healing time by 275% in tests, to healthy diet and vitamin use, and various other factors. Skogen clued me into the micro-current which he utilized to recover from a similar accident. It's been only 2 months and I'm already walking without a limp or crutches and I haven't taken pain killers since the 1st week. I almost have the full bend back and all of the extension. I still have swelling because of the amount of damage to the blood vessals. I'm also lucky. None of the doctors could believe that my artery didn't blow which could have been limb and life threatening and would have added significant complication. I also did no damage to my cartilage or meniscus. I'm lucky.


ONS: You play a pretty high stakes game. How does the family feel about the risks you take?
KK: I tell them that it just looks dangerous. In reality though it does look more dangerous than it feels to us. We know our capabilities.


ONS: Where do you really want to ski that you've never been?
KK: There are alot of places in Canada. I also would like to go to Russia and some of these other places people have been going. I want to go to this operation in the Hymilayas badly but it's really expensive.


ONS: The lines you put on film and in the mags might tend to encourage a lot of regular Joes to go out there and seek bigger, better backcountry experiences. What advice can you give to those folks wanting to go out and step up their game?
KK: Just be with your friends and if there are any bad vibes don't do anything. Those are signs. Just be smart and step up slowly. Know what the conditions are doing wherever you are. Have fun!


ONS: What's in your CD player right now?
KK: I made this mix hip-hop C.D. which I listen to non-stop at the moment. It's all feel-good pimp shit. I like to think I'm a pimp and this C .D. get's me there.


ONS: Thanks Kent.