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Rachael Burks

WHY DO YOU RIDE FOR THE LEVITATION PROJECT?

Because Levitation is a revolution. Its connotation exceeds its premises. It's fucking badass.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU RIDE FOR THE LEVITATION PROJECT AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN RIDING FOR OTHER COMPANIES?

I'll take, "Supporting local peeps with global vision" for $1,000

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LEVITATION PROJECT PRODUCT?

Base layer---sans question; base layer stuff is THE BEST stuff ever invented.

WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU MADE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE?

Along the way I found it was easier to convince sponsors that I wanted to be a skier than the people I love the most—after you get a college degree and you tell your loved ones you want to be a skier a lot of people received that as “I want to throw away the thousands of dollars I've just spent on an education”…. It's been a struggle to prove that I've made the right decisions…. Struggles pay off though.

WORST JOB YOU EVER HAD?

Working behind the scenes for the Celebrity Ski Festival in Deer Valley. It was a shitload of work—like SHITLOAD of work—I worked overtime knowing I wasn't going to get overtime pay--- I worked in a big room with NO WINDOWS putting together "gifts" for hundreds of famous people---like HUGE BAGS OF goodies... each person wanted different sizes and models etc to go in their bags... at the end of the week I was accused of stealing these ULTRA DINKY GAY-ASS goggles... I had a fucking goggle sponsor? I was doing all this shit and working overtime only to get accused of STEALING something... fuck that.

WHAT ARE THE WORST INJURIES THAT YOU HAVE HAD TO DATE?

Knock on wood. Ankle breaks...

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WINTER DAY LIKE?

Alarm.smile.levitation base layer.coffee. eggncheese bagel.ski stuff in car. Head up. Shred.shred.shred.legs start to die a little.maybe shred more.maybe drink a beer. Sitz or tram. Drive home. Sweatpants. Grocery store. Buy dinner. Make dinner. Watch movie/eat dinner. Bed.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL SUMMER DAY LIKE?

My last two summers have been spent in France on a vineyard: Wake up 5:00 am. Coffee/chocolate bread. Hunt. Try to kill a boar or two. Return to vineyard. Work in the wine cave. Work in the vineyard. Head to neighboring village for cleaning the dead boars. Drink pastis. Return to vineyard, eat lunch. Sieste. Work on vineyard till 9:00pm. Shower. Appetizer with wine. Dinner with wine. Cheese with wine. Maybe hunt around 2:00 am, maybe not. Sleep. Wake up and do it again the next day. Dude.

TOP 5 PEOPLE YOU RESPECT ALIVE OR DEAD?

Dad, Brother, Dad, Grandmother, Dad

BEST MOUNTAIN YOU HAVE EVER RIDDEN?

Wasatch Mountains... that's why I live at the base of the canyon: Snowbird /Alta / Brighton

TOP 5 RIDING DAYS OF YOUR LIFE?

  1. Sour toe /pillow talk /kindergarten, Mica Heli 2006 (with Levitation)
  2. Keyhole, 4-4-2009 (with dad)
  3. Hump-a-love session, Alta 2006 (with friends of LP)
  4. Tiger Tail, 4-1-2009 (with Levitation)
  5. Alta, 2006 with Honky—shredded together all morning... watched Poole session that I didn't have the balls to hit... He told me to go back up and hit it, but he had to leave and couldn't go with me. I went back solo… thought about it for 5 solid minutes... Hit it, stomped it, and got a call from Poole who was standing on the road next to his car watching me/ waiting for me to go... He was sooo stoked.

TOP 5 HEROES ON THE SNOW?

  1. Seth Morrison
  2. Billy Poole
  3. Adam Clark
  4. Ingrid Backstrom
  5. Seth Morrison

GOALS IN LIFE ON SNOW AND OFF?

Find challenges in the midst of passion and bliss.

TOP 5 BEST CHOICES YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR LIFE?

  1. DROPPING OUT OF COLLEGE IN TEXAS, MOVING TO UTAH AND BEING A SKI BUM FOR A SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!best decision I've EVER made
  2. Choosing to become a skier
  3. Moving to France for 6 months to learn French.
  4. Not joining facebook
  5. Never saying NO to cheese

WHERE WERE YOU A YEAR AGO?

Here, in France.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

In France, working on the same vineyard.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BE A YEAR FROM NOW?

Hopefully in South America... shredding.