Todd Ligare

Name: Todd Ligare

Nickname: Big Air Ligare, Liger

Birthdate: 01/11/1982

Nationality: American

Home Mountain: Alta and Snowbird

Discipline: Big Mountain

Athlete talk

How and when did you start skiing, how has it evolved ever since and what got you into freeskiing?
My parents moved from the beach to the mountains in Park City to live the skiing lifestyle, so I was sort of born into it.  I started in the race program really early on and pursued that all the way through college, but I was always wanting to expand into riding big mountains.  I was really inspired by the mountains I was seeing on film and knew that I had to figure out how to create those opportunities for myself.

Was there any particular experience that made you consider pursuing skiing professionally
Skiing has been a thread throughout my whole life and when I finished college and racing, I didn’t know exactly how i was going to do it, but I knew I wanted to keep skiing.  It was a sort of epiphany type moment actually, I was down to one class (my last quarter of school) and was skiing a spring pow day by myself, having a killer day and I just realized that there was so much more I wanted to do on skis.  I knew that skiing professionally would take me to the places I wanted to go to test myself, like Alaska and British Columbia.

Who were/are your idols on and off the hill?
Early on I really admired Dana Flahr, he has a good mix of touch and aggression in his skiing.  Often, I'm inspired by non-athletes too, sometimes a musician or artist who really excels at their craft can motivate me to keep shaping my craft, too.

What does skiing mean to you personally?
Skiing offers me so many things, when conditions are good it’s still about just the pure fun of sliding around the hills, but it’s also been the vehicle to get to travel the world, challenge myself, and learn about myself as well.

Do you have any specific goals for your skiing in the future?
I have had the chance to see a lot of different terrain over the course of my career and on pretty much every trip there has been some of the “lines that got away.”  So, I’ve got a long tick list in my head of specific lines I’d like to go back to and get, some are just crazy features and others are full, big peak objectives.

What aspect of skiing thrills you the most?
I think I’m still kind of a purist, just really on the hunt for good snow.  From time to time when I’ve found myself in the right place, there’s a lot of gratitude for that and it leads to the best days.  Best case scenario it aligns on top of an untouched AK wall.

In what conditions and what terrain do enjoy riding the most?
Prime condition AK, absolutely!

Any activities that aren’t ski related?
Mountain Biking, Running, Camping, Hunting for swimming holes, Climbing, and Surfing when I get the chance.

Please answer, if possible, with one word only.

• Trick/move: Backflip
• Food: Burritos
• Resort/Place to ski: Alaska
• Car: Tundra

What do you like about SCOTT?
I really like the heritage of the brand; they are one of the original brands in skiing that’s still around and have always made innovative contributions.

What are your favorite SCOTT products?
Patrol Series Backpacks and Shield Goggles.  The Patrol series are the lightest airbag packs I’ve ever used, and they are so easy to travel with, it’s so nice to not have to deal with compressed gas cartridges anymore.

What SCOTT products are you using this year?
Patrol 22 and 30 backpacks, Shield goggles, Couloir Helmet, Ultimate Premium GTX Mitten, Shield Sunglasses.

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
Still out in the mountains, healthy and happy.

People you feel you need to thank:
Scott, Armada, Sierra Nevada, TenderBelly - Thanks for helping me live this lifestyle!  And also, Amie Engerbretson, for putting up with this lifestyle.

Out of Bounds Podcast
E137: with Todd Ligare