HOT DOGGERS - JAKE CARNEY

The term meteoric rise tends to get thrown around frequently in the internet age, but Jake Carney’s ascent is not one to be taken lightly. Through a series of video edits that caught fire online, Carney’s brand of fast and stylish skiing and equally impressive prowess behind the lens was quickly introduced to the world.

Originally from Squamish, British Columbia, Carney grew up in a family that had been skiing in the Sea-to-Sky area since the ’70s. On wooden planks as soon as he could walk, he made the move up the highway to Whistler at the age of 17, in order to be even closer to the mountains. In the late days of 2015, while working with filmer Ryan Braun, a collection of their edits took the web by storm and caught the attention of freeskiing’s content-consuming community. Shortly thereafter, Carney signed on to collaborate with SLVSH creators Matt Walker and Joss Christensen, and began travelling the world to help shoot and star in videos for the duo’s website.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” he says. “Travelling around with them has been awesome. I’ve gotten to go to a lot of places I otherwise wouldn’t have, and have met a lot of rad people along the way.”

While helping with producing and editing, he has managed to release a consistent collection of video edits of his own skiing, which can always be counted on to generate a significant amount of hype.

Carney credits a long list of diverse skiers that he has looked up to, which includes local riders Leigh Powis, Nick McNutt and Jarrad McCarl. “There are too many to count,” he says when asked about his influences, also noting the impact of heavy hitters like Torin Yater-Wallace, Sammy Carlson and Dale Talkington. “The list goes on, but those were always the guys I looked up to growing up, and they helped shape the skier I am today.”

With support from K2, Dragon and Oyuki, Carney can be found holding court in Whistler during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, and chasing the same season in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer months in Australia and New Zealand. He’s also a regular at some of freeskiing’s most influential events, including SLVSH Cup in Andorra and Kimbo Sessions in Sweden. Going forward, Jake looks to set his sights on a well-rounded video part outside the park. “As much as I love it, the streets offer endless possibilities, and I’m equally passionate about riding powder.” And with plans to undertake the rite-of-passage of buying a snowmobile, he looks to shift his focus towards bigger mountains. “The amount of sled-accessible terrain around the Sea-to-Sky is mind blowing, and not taking advantage is a crime.”

As he continues his evolution as a skier, Carney continues to reach a growing portion of the community that he himself has now inspired, all of whom can’t wait to see what he does next. —ILANNA BARKUSKY