Lake Placid native Jake Doan executes a move on his home hill at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington. Photo — Jake Sporn

Lake Placid native Jake Doan has been making a big name for himself in the freestyle ski world over the past few years. Just last month, he joined with Saga Outerwear and had a featured segment in the recent “4 bi 9 Media” film “Burn.”

Northwood School teacher/freestyle team coach Ross Perrot had the chance to sit down with the Northwood alum and talk about Doan’s experience growing up in Lake Placid, skiing at Whiteface, attending Northwood School, his band “Big Slyde” and his freestyle skiing career.

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Ross Perrot: What’s new with Jake Doan?

Jake Doan: Winter is coming up, so I’m gearing up for another ski season and getting ready to head back to Utah. I’m stoked to be on board with some new sponsors this year which has provided some new opportunities for me. Being with bigger companies creates bigger possibilities.

Jake Doan Photo — Jake Sporn

RP: Highlights from last season?

JD: I would say being able to film a full segment with “4 bi 9” for their new film “Burn.” That was my main focus for last season. Another highlight was filming a lot of online content for the “I Ride Park City” series. It was awesome being featured in some of the edits with some of the best skiers out there right now.

RP: Who are your favorite pros to work/ski with?

JD: Dale Talkington and Karl Fostvedt. They are both really creative skiers and are extremely good at what they do. They have the ability to open up your eyes to what is physically possible. They do stuff that you wouldn’t think would work. Carl skis in ways that are unique and completely different from anybody else. He does stuff in the park that you couldn’t imagine.

RP: What’s going to be new for you this upcoming season?

JD: I’ll be filming a lot of online content for the “I Ride Park City” series and filming a lot of online edits for Saga, Spy and ON3P. It’ll be cool because working with these new companies will allow my skiing to be a lot more open-ended it terms of what I want to do personally. If there’s something I want to film for, they’ll be open to supporting it whether it’s urban, backcountry or park. I want to push backcountry more this season and get my avalanche 1 course certification so that I can be as safe as possible with all aspects of backcountry.

RP: Tell me about your band? Do you have an axe (guitar) of preference?

JD: That’s a tough one. In Big Slyde, I primarily play bass, but I’ve pretty much strictly been playing electric guitar recently. Both are equally as fun, but playing guitar is more new to me so I’m still exploring a lot with it. It’s cool playing with my sister and dad because I was heavily influenced by my family, but I’m mostly self-taught with a lot of help from my dad.

RP: Can you tell me a little bit about the “Hot Lappin” video edit you made last season? It received a lot of hype on the internet.

JD: That was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It incorporated my own music and my own skiing. Music is a huge part of skiing in the sense that every edit has music put to it, and can give an edit a certain vibe. I’ve always thought of creating a song that could fit my own skiing, and I got together with a few friends who were very talented musicians/editors and it all flowed together really well. The song only took four or five takes to get it down the way we wanted. I did the rhythm and the bass part. My buddy Max did the solos. I hope to do more of that this year.

RP: Favorite things about Whiteface?

JD: (Laughs.) A lot of things can be a blessing in disguise! Although conditions can sometimes be brutal, Whiteface can genuinely make you appreciate skiing anywhere on the earth. My favorite thing about Whiteface is simply the terrain. There are so many natural features off the trails to play on. Skiing at Whiteface definitely makes you a better skier overall. Narrow tree lines, natural jumps, steep trails. They have a small yet dedicated crew, and everyone who rides there creates a tight-knit group of friends who push each other on a daily basis.

RP: Favorite restaurant in Lake Placid?

JD: I’d have to go with Liquids and Solids, since we are sitting here during this interview.

RP: Favorite things about Lake Placid?

JD: The natural landscape. It’s something I overlooked a little until I moved to Utah. Ever since I’ve come back for summers, I’ve learned to appreciate how beautiful it is and all the different (things) it offers. There’s so much to keep you busy during all seasons: skiing, hiking, golfing, mountain biking, climbing. The fact that Lake Placid has the OTC (Olympic Training Center) and the water ramps is huge for me personally. Pretty much every jump trick I’ve ever learned has been from being able to have access to the water ramps.

RP: When did you have the biggest growth/advances in your skiing progression?

JD: I still look back at my senior year at Northwood as my biggest step that I’ve had. That was the year I landed my first dub (double) flip. I had some really good competitions. I placed top 10 at Junior Olympics. It was also the first year I did a private film shoot with Meathead Films. I was skiing really well and really confidently. The natural progression at the water ramps mixed with motivation made things fall into place that year.

RP: Has growing up in an Olympic town influenced you? Do you think it’s a coincidence that you moved from one Winter Olympic location to another?

JD: Lake Placid and Salt Lake City have a lot in common. Just the level in skiing in both places – there are so many skiers. Both towns are influenced so much by the ski culture, it was a natural switch for me. It goes well with my lifestyle. Both are really similar as far as the culture goes, but are obviously a little different in terms of size and industry.

RP: Best Northwood School memory?

JD: It would have to be skiing at Whiteface every day with the freestyle crew and getting to know a lot of good friends on a day-to-day basis who aren’t skiers. Even though most students are at Northwood for a certain reason, it’s cool to get to know some kids you wouldn’t otherwise interact with. There are a lot of different people from different places.

RP: Do you run into Northwood alums on the slopes or outside of Northwood?

JD: I run into Becca Lindsay (Class of 2011) and Taylor Pfohl (’09) quite a bit. My sister is out west and coaches for Park City Freeride, so I also see her quite a bit.

RP: Which Northwood teacher/teachers made an impact on your life/world?

JD: Brody, mostly because he was a great teacher, but he could be strict with me, and it was because he needed to be. I also really enjoyed Mr. Edwards’ classes. It was the definition of being able to learn and have fun at the same time.

RP: How was your Northwood experience as a day student?

JD: It was nice being able to go home in the evenings, but at the same time, still get the boarding school experience. I felt like I had the best of both worlds.

RP: What made you get into freestyle skiing?

JD: I was heavily influenced by Justin Perry (’05) because we were good family friends growing up. He started freestyle skiing, so I wanted to do freestyle skiing. I started skiing moguls first at age 12 for three years, and then I stopped skiing moguls entirely and only focused on slopestyle. I think skiing moguls helped me as a skier overall. It’s technical and the competition mindset helps because you have to perform under pressure.

RP: What goes through your mind mid-trick?

JD: Honestly, I only mentally prepare myself leading up to the jump and when I’m landing. When I’m in the air, not much goes through my mind. It’s 100 percent focus throughout the trick unless I’m going to fall, and then I know something has gone wrong.

RP: If you could give a few words of wisdom to an aspiring freestyle skier, what would it be?

JD: Ski as much as you can. Take every opportunity you can, whether it’s competing at a competition or going to film at another ski area with your friends. Every single place you go will teach you a lesson, or provide you with an opportunity to learn something new. That’s the biggest thing.

For me, when we go film urban, even if I’m tired, I know that just by going out every chance I get, I’ll be better off. It could be the best session of your life or your worst, and that’s the chance that you have to take, especially at night when we ski urban. Sometimes, I want to stay in, but after you get to watch the shots later of the coolest features, it’s always worth it when it all works out. I have serious “FOMO” sometimes. Fear of missing out. You don’t want to have that. Every chance you have, take it. You’ll make new connections and create good memories.

RP: What do you envision yourself doing 10-20 years from now?

JD: Definitely still skiing. Probably either coaching or working within the ski industry in some regard. I see myself working with/for a company. This is my life; it’s what I know best, so it makes sense to stay involved with it in some form. I’m taking this school year off to ski full time, but in the fall of 2015 I’m going back to school and I have three semesters left. School will always be there, and I fully intend to finish with a degree in environmental studies (shoutout to Ms. Fagan and Mr. Eaton), but at this point in my life, I need to take the opportunities while I have them.

RP: Any final shoutouts?

JD: My parents, for sure. They are the reason why I’m in the place I am today. And big shoutout to Justin Perry (’05), my sponsors and everyone who’s helped me out along the way at Northwood.