The LJ Strenio Interview

Interview by Geoff McDonald. Edited by Evan Williams

Where are you living right now?
SLC

What are you up to this summer?
Finishing college then headed to hood and New Zealand!

When/where/how did you get injured this past winter?
I had a non-union fracture to my patella (I shattered my knee cap) filming with Level 1 in Helsinki Finland back at the end of January. I was hitting an urban rail and caught the last cross bar going really fast straight to my knee. 

What did you do this past winter since you were injured?
Very little. I tried to sign up for spring semester classes but was too late. I focused on my physical therapy and tried to take it really seriously. I also picked up guitar which has been awesome and just got to hang out with my girlfriend a lot more than I expected which was also nice.

Does a season out give you perspective or just make you pissed?
Yeah I'm definitely a changed person. It puts a lot of things in perspective. I've also joked about how everyone always hurts themselves at some point and even though I have matching hardware in both my wrists, I never had a real season ender. Makes me more thankful for how much I've gotten to do before having a serious injury and is a "renewal of vows" of sorts for me. I wasn't sure if I'd come out of it being a "I don't want to ever go through that again" person and decide to mellow out or be a "I've got to push it even harder now to prove to myself I can be better than I was before my injury" person, but I know now I'll be the latter. 

How did the surgery and recovery go?  What did you do for rehab?
The surgery went great, I had the best trauma surgeon out, Dr. Kubiak, he's very down to earth and was determined to get me back to 100%. I'm equally thankful for my Physical Therapists who have probably committed more time to me than anyone else getting me stronger. Rehab has been real slow, as a patella fracture requires nearly 2 months of being leg locked. When you finally do start PT the leg is horribly atrophied and mine didn't bend more than 30 degrees. As of July I'm 5 months out and am just hitting for range and have been running since about 4 months out. PT starts out as just trying to bend, then as the flexion comes back you begin to rebuild the muscles. I've done it all...

How's the leg feeling now?  What's the plan for easing back into skiing?
The leg is nearing 85% muscle strength, which is great. I'm slowly beginning to feel normal again though it may never feel exactly the same again. I've been running hard and plan to run a marathon in the fall if it's safe. I plan to ski mellowly and coach for about a month during the summer, then I'm heading to New Zealand for a couple weeks at the end of the summer to try to push it a little harder. I'm just going to progress as feels fit. My PT's have designed a very personalized specific program for me to get me jumping again, rebuilding the key muscles.

Did you travel at all this past winter?
Yeah I actually got to travel quite a bit before injuring myself. I spent most of my short season competing but also made it to Europe twice and got to ski some of the best snow I've ever skied, which was awesome.

Best thing that happened to you this past winter?
Definitely getting to ski pow in Austria with the TC crew. I've skied a fair amount of places that are known for good snow and just was there at the right time. It was the deepest snow I've ever skied. It was amazing.

Austria Pow. (Traveling Circus Photo)

Best food you ate and where?
God I have no idea. I really like Davanza's high school special which is pizza and french fries smothered in fry sauce.

If you were a dog owner, what would you have?
I really like cairn terriers, that's what my mom's dog is and it's awesome/hilarious.

Favorite Beer:
Long Trail hands down.

Favorite Cereal:
Depends on my mood. Fruity Pebbles/Raisin Bran Crunch/Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Best restaurant in Burlington, VT:
McD's! jk maybe American Flatbread.

Shane McFalls Photo

How much do you ski terrain parks vs. hitting urban?  Which do you like better?
I'd say it's pretty even. I'm either doing nothing but park, or on an urban trip where we're hitting 2-3 rails a day. I like park better, I get to listen to music and shred with friends and do my own thing, but I love urban for the challenge and the reward.

Do you ever hit urban for fun or just when filming for movies/edits?
I definitely hit it for fun still but not as much as I used to. I love the challenge of it which means usually when I'm hitting urban I'm trying to do something I've never done before, which also means we might as well film it too. I'm always having fun though even if it's while shooting.

Most essential item for you when hitting urban other than outerwear and skis/boots/poles:
Helmet/now knee pads ha, water/salt, and a winch/bungee/drop in. Personal essentials though: candy, water, and music though I usually don't listen while we're sessioning.

Links to 3 ski edits you like from this past season (without you in them):

All the REALSKIFI episodes:

http://vimeo.com/user3455645

Some banger urban shots (not including yours) that you were pumped about in the ski films that came out in 2011:
Some of Wallisch's stuff was insane as always, especially his down C down rail that he's wanted for a while now was crazy.

Do you think coming from the East Coast has helped or hurt your skiing?
I think its kept me motivated as a skier and reminded me where I come from which I think is really important. More than made me better or worse, I think it's molded me into the skier I am.

Who were the skiers that you admired most when you were in high school?
DAVE CRICHTON

Is there a difference between hitting urban in the west vs. east?  (city layouts, cops, vibes, features, snowfall, people, etc...)
I've noticed quite a difference. The biggest being that the snow isn't nearly as consistent out west. On the east its always real cold so a decent snow pack remains as long as it doesnt get warm. The west is kind of the opposite, it's always hovering around freezing and you usually have about 36 hours after a snow to get stuff down. 

Weirdest person on the LINE team and why: Erik Olson, I can never tell what he's thinking.
Worst thing about living in the TC van: Everything always gets lost and broken and dirty in there.
Worst trend currently in skiing: Hurting your knee, definitely not what its cracked up to be.

Your ideal vacation:

Pow with friends somewhere I've never been, or somewhere tropical with my GF, also preferably somewhere I've never been. I like exploring with good people.

What's the most cost-effective dinner to buy at the grocery store if your ski bummin it?
I mean I guess like rice or something but when your ski bummin you have to think about nutrition, so probably fruit snacks and pizza.

Top 3 greatest comedy movies of all time: Dumb and Dumber, Jurassic Park annnnddddd Happy Gilmore?

What are you doing this autumn?
I'll FINALLY be done college. I'm going to focus on getting strong and hopefully go on some cool trips before the season starts.