Johnny Collinson is a Utah born and bred ripper. His big mountain backcountry exploits have been captured by the lenses of Teton Gravity Research, and now, Faction Collective. I caught up with Johnny at the SLC premiere of This Is Home, just as his autograph line was filling up. He was kind enough to talk about both the movie, and skiing in the Wasatch.
What was the inspiration behind This Is Home?
What inspired This Is Home is a team style video, which isn’t very prevalent in the ski movie world. Instead of filming individual segments, we are making connections with the riders; bringing the team closer together as we are making the movie. So the idea was to film at our home resorts that shaped us as skiers, and bring in our buddies to show them our backyards. Showing them all the different pieces that turned us into the kind of skier we are today.
What were your teammates’ responses experiencing Utah?
They were psyched! Duncan Adams and Sam Anthamatten were here. Sam skies big stuff all over. It was pretty fun for them to see the amount of stoke here in Utah, the amount of people out getting it in the backcountry. They’re like “whoa is there a lift out here or something? There are so many people out here touring; this is crazy!” It’s not like that in Europe. It was pretty cool for them to see.
Best Resort in Utah?
Snowbird-Alta (laughing). The dual pass is the dream. Early season at Alta is the best. Once Snowbird fills in it’s always sick to go there for hot laps in March. Bouncing back and forth is the way to go, for sure.
If you aren’t riding Utah, what is #2 on your list?
I always have a good time in Alaska, for sure. But outside of extravagant heli trips and that kind of thing, Jackson Hole is super fun. I spent a lot of time there this year with TGR. So number two would be Jackson.
What is your dream day in the Wasatch?
Waking up pretty early, big snow day. You know, three feet at Alta-Bird. Cruise up the canyon and they shut it down early in the morning, but there are just enough employees to get the lifts spinning, get the resort under control. Enough patrol out there doing the work. So, the road’s closed, the lifts are running and you’re just getting free refills all day.