With the name Jamie Iwaschuk popping up in the latest film by TSS Action Lines and in the same sledding circles as Brett Turcotte and Cody Borchers, we decided it was time to see who this Alberta-based freerider really is.
It turns out Iwaschuk is currently living in Kamloops, B.C., reason being that it’s closer to the mountains than his hometown of Edson. Having spent his formative years in Whitecourt, the self-proclaimed snowmobile capital of Alberta, Iwaschuk learned early on how to shred powder and build jumps.
Last season, though, the 24-year-old spent most of his time and dime tearing it up in Revelstoke, Valemount and basically anywhere in B.C. that had fresh snow. And this winter, he’s planning to hit it even harder.
How did you get into the sport?
I grew up sledding. I had a Kitty Kat when I was two years old and then just kept on going up from there. I built my first sled when I was seven, I think. My dad and I built one together.
Were you always into the dirt bikes, too?
Yeah, actually I raced dirt bikes professionally for three or four years. (Two years ago), I kind of got out of that and worked for the summer so I could go sledding.
Have you ever done any competitive snowmobiling?
I haven’t, but I am this year. I’m going to do the WCHA (Western Canadian Hillcross Association) hillclimbs. And then I also want to do a couple of races down in the States for the RMSHA (Rocky Mountain States HillClimb Association) circuit and try to quality for Jackson Hole. Hillcross is in X Games now, so I really want to try and qualify for that as well.
Who do you usually ride with?
Other than Brett (Turcotte), I ride with Brandon Micku, Derek Wood and Nick Woods from Whistler, Brodie Evans, Rob Alford, Cody Borchers, Chris Brown, KJ—pretty much everyone from (509).
In your opinion, who is the best backcountry rider out there?
There are lots of good guys. Everyone has their own area that they fit into. Like Chris Brown, his last segment had huge drops, so that would be his part. But the person who does the most all around riding is probably Brett. He’s really good at everything instead of just being really good at drops or tree riding. He’s just a solid, all-around rider.
How would you describe your riding style?
Oh, sketchy as hell (laughs). No, I try to be really smooth. Fairly calculated. I just want to try and make sure I land everything. I’d rather be a solid rider than just throw it all out there and crash everything. I can do basic tricks, too—like superman seat grabs and stuff like that. I’m not just doing a 300-foot jump. I’d rather do something fairly calm, but still look cool and trick it.
Is there anything you excel at?
I can definitely beat everyone up the trail! No, I just try to keep it fairly even. Some guys hate it if they are not out hitting a big jump, but I’m happy going and riding in the trees. I just try to be a good, all-around rider.
Where do you usually ride?
I ride Valemount quite a bit; Blue River; McBride a little bit; Whistler, Revelstoke, Sicamous—just everywhere I can.
Do you have a favourite?
Definitely Blue River.
Why?
It usually has wicked snow and everything is fun there. The trees aren’t super tight. It’s a little more spread open and you can also find good jumps.
Are there any places that you want to check out this winter?
I would like to go up to Northern B.C., like up to Stewart and Smithers. Last year, I went to Alaska, but I’d also like to go down to the States where those guys ride.
What’s more scary, big air on a sled or on a dirt bike?
Dirt bikes hurt more when you land whereas a sled, for the most part, unless you hit a tree, you can kind of bail and be all right. Probably a dirt bike’s a little more scary. Sleds are still scary, don’t get me wrong.
If you had to pick between the two, which one would you pick?
Now, I would pick sledding for sure. Dirt biking, I found that you get to a certain level and everything is the same, where a sled you can do so many more little things to make yourself a better rider. With a dirt bike, you find stuff and you can make yourself do different things over them, but eventually you just run out, where with a sled every little bit of terrain takes different body language. And then there are the conditions. With dirt biking, you either have wet or dry, whereas with sledding you have deep powder all the way to spring riding, and it’s always changing. It’s a more challenging environment.
What is it about sledding that you love the most?
I love the ability to get out to places where when you stop, you wonder if anyone has ever been there before. It’s just cool to know that you’re one out of a handful of people there. And when you are on top of a mountain, you can just see forever. It’s pretty surreal.
Any sponsors you’d like to thank?
Northgate Honda, 509, and my mom and dad of course because if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been started on it. And C&A Pro Skis, Blown Motor, Northwest Sledder, Highmark by Snowpulse, Mountain Sports Distribution, Strikt Gear Company, Ice Age Performance Rails and TSS.
You’ll be able to catch Iwaschuk in action next fall with the 2015 edition of 509 Films.
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