JF Houle Quietly Making His Way to the Top

The near future..


JW: I’m going to make the assumption that you have lots of time right now to answer these questions. What happened to you and how are you feeling?

JF: On October 21st, the guys from Plehouse Films and myself decided we were going to hit our first urban rail of the year in Sherbrooke. I know that October is early to start the season but I did it last year and it went pretty well, I got a lot of good footage early on. Earlier this summer, I had found a nice double kink rail, which seems to be the perfect way for me to launch the new filming season. So, I showed some pictures of the rail to Frank Raymond and he was up for the challenge. Once on location, we got some snow from the local ice rink and it didn’t took long before our set-up was built and we were ready to start what would be one memorable session. Everything started great, I landed the rail cleanly on only my third try in unnatural and I was super confident going in for my next try when, in a matter of seconds, the day switched from being a great one to probably being the worst day of my life. My edge cut on the flat part of the rail and I got ejected really bad on my left side. It felt like being hit by a bus, I broke my Pelvis, my hand at 3 places and I got a concussion. I can’t even describe how horrible the pain was for the first 3 weeks, I had never felt anything like that before. However, a full month has passed since the accident and I’m feeling a lot better right now. I made a lot of progress, I no longer have any more pain in my pelvis and I’m able to walk without help. The greatest news for me tough is that I should be at 100% for January when all the big events start.

JW: As opposed to many skiers, you have not had a rapid rise to the top of the game; instead you slowly and gradually made a name for yourself. Why is that? What advantages does this have?

JF: The first thing that comes to mind when talking about my slow ascent within the industry is the fact that I have never won any major event and that’s when sponsors are on the lookout and expect you to perform. For example, if you look at Charles or TJ, because they both won the US Open and the X-Games, they got a really fast rise to the top, it’s almost crazy. Also, as I discovered more and more about the industry, I fell in love with the whole filming experience and that’s the area in which I was able to focus my energy and prove what I was capable of and that’s what got me invited to the X-Games. There’s no secret to that way around the industry, you just have to be focused on the end goal and never let go until you reach it. I can say that my passion for skiing has really helped me reach the level at which I perform today and also the fact that and I have always believed in my skills regardless of the situation. I worked so hard in the past 5 years to make my little place in the ski industry and I’m not about to let it go. A lot of people like Félix Rioux, Phil Béland, Phil Larose, Charles Boileau, Thomas Rinfret and Charle Gagnier helped me in keeping my motivation level high so I could keep on pushing my limits and live my dream. Even tough I enjoyed my way up and wouldn’t change anything, I don’t think there are too many advantages to the way I made a name for myself, because, once you get the kind of support I can count on today, you realize that it would have made your life way easier would have you gotten it sooner.

JW: What was the ski scene like where you grew up?

JF: I grew up in Drummondville, a little city in the middle of the province of Quebec. When I was 5 years old, I started going to Stoneham every week-end with my family. I was part of a ski-school program for a couple of years, but I was always attracted by moguls and jumps. I mostly spent my childhood skiing with my brothers and cousins and we were always challenging ourselves in race, jump or anything that could give the winner bragging rights over the others. Back when I was 10, my brother Nic stopped skiing and started snowboarding. I almost made the same mistake, but, I finally held on to my skis and started trying to do what snowboarders were doing in the first snowboard parks we had ever seen. I was so pissed off that my brother could go on and ride the park’s features while I was not allowed in there because I was a skier. I used to sneak in and try to hit some jumps, but the war between skiers and snowboarders was so intense in those days, that a snowboarder even threw his snowboard at me one time. Sick and tired of risking my health and my season pass on every jump, I started building my own little jumps at the bottom of the hills and that’s where I threw my first 540s and 720s. A couple of years later, I made my first urban rail with my brother and that was the beginning of a long love story. I was influenced a lot by the snowboard movies me and my brother used to watch together until JP, JF, Philou and the 3 Phils came along and started a freeskiing revolution.

JW: What skiers have had the biggest influence on you?

JF: I have a lot of respect for Tanner Hall, David Crichton, JP Auclair and Jon Olsson. They were the riders I look up to when I was younger. I can’t recount how many times I’ve watched Happy Days before hitting the slopes of Stoneham. I each admire them for various reasons: Tanner, for his overall skills and his knack for performing when the pressure is on, Crichton for his urban skills, JP, simply because he is the father of freeskiing and Jon, because, to me, he represents perfection.

JW: How important has it been to have someone like Charles Gagnier in the picture with you?

JF: Charles is an amazing skier. Every time I ski with him he shows me some new stuff he just learned or created and that’s always ridiculous. You just learn so much when you ski with him. He his the best park rider in the scene right now and I think he showed that to everyone when he won the X-Games in 2005. I was so stoked for him. Charles was the first rider to spin both ways in contests. He is definitely one of the factors why freeskiing progressed so much in the past two or three years. Charles has been really important for my ski career, showing me that if you want, you can. He also is my favourite rider to ski with.

JW: Why have you decided to continue to live in Drummondville despite the obvious lack of any reasonably decent skiing?

JF: If I still live in Drummondville it’s because I really enjoy to be at home with my girfriend and be in my hometown, living a normal quiet life, it helps in keeping me grounded and not developing an ego. Simply put it that way, I love Quebec. We don’t have the big mountains but we still have a lot of decent urban rails that transcend in some nice films shots. It’s also good for my wallet, since renting a place in a big time ski resort is so expensive. Anyway, I travel everywhere for eight months of the year so I’m not in Drummondville too much. The only reason why I would really like to live out west one day would actually be to learn more about backcountry and become better in that area.

JW: With companies like D-Structure and Plehouse, among others, your province is easily one of the most important regions in the world for freeskiing. Does the scene in Quebec stand on its own, or is it reliant on the US?

JF: I’m really stoked to be part of one of the most important regions in freeskiing. I think that the Quebec scene can stand on its own as far as developing and supporting riders is concerned, but, we will always need the US scene for the exposure. With Plehouse and D-Structure helping along the way, Quebecers have developed another mentality, oriented towards our own little community. Plehouse brings a different feeling and it looks like almost everybody in the province of Quebec likes it. I think that it’s time for a Canadian company to step up to the plate and for us to have a big event in Quebec like the Shakedown in snowboarding.

JW: Being that you’ve filmed with both Plehouse and Level 1 in recent years, how would you describe each? Is the vibe much different?

JF: I think there is a big difference between Level 1 and Plehouse. I have not filmed too much with Berman last year but I can say that with him, it’s all about production. He knows exactly what he is doing and where is he going, like everything is set up in his mind. I went filming with him in Montreal last year and those were four intense days of filming, believe me. At some point, it was even too intense, two rails in one night, but, I got like eight shots in four days and that’s amazing. With Plehouse it’s more like a real crew for me, with real friends, and trying to make something happen together. They don’t have the experience of Level 1, but they have some really nice ideas for new concepts, new approaches, new destinations and it makes for a very unique movie experience. I like watching Level 1 for all the crazy rails, but I have way more fun when I’m watching Skimatic for the vibe it creates.


JW: Having seen you first hand with Level 1 and on film in Skimatic and White Shine, you seemed much louder and rambunctious with Plehouse. Would you say that you are more comfortable with these guys? Do language barriers influence your behaviour on Level 1 shoots? Does it change anything in the way you ski?

JF: For sure, being a French Canadian, the language barriers influence me a lot. Normally, I’m a shy person, so, imagine when I try to speak English; I become so shy, I can’t really say what I mean in my head so it kind of sucks. If I was perfectly bilingual, it could be so much fun and easier for everyone, but, I’m working hard on this. The only thing not being affected by all these languages problems is my skiing and that’s what counts.

JW: Why are French-Canadian riders so popular in France, maybe even more popular than local riders in that country?

JF: Usually all the French people in general like the people from Quebec. They really like our accent and while we sound different, we still speak the same language, so it’s easier for everyone to communicate. I don’t think I can be more popular over there than Candide, Laurent or Loic, because French people are so proud. I really like to go in France and ski with the AFRO crew with a bunch of great skiers.

JW: Can you really support yourself as a pro rider without making a big name for yourself in the US?

JF: I think that the way our sport is more and more becoming internationally popular, it’s becoming increasingly possible for someone to make a career out of skiing without being a big name in the US. It’s not a big deal for me to be recognized in the US although I really enjoy to ski there, the snow parks are so nice and the people too. Even though I like being there, I’m not in love with the US, if you know what I mean… 21 to go in bars, I hate the food and there’s way too much attitude. That’s why Europe got my vote.

JW: What prompted your switch from Orage to Rossignol clothing?

JF: First and foremost, I would like to thank Orage for helping me progress a lot in the skiing industry. I moved on because I thought it was time for me to take a step toward reaching the next level and I felt I could not accomplish that with Orage when they have TJ, JP, Corey and Michelle being featured as the main riders. When Rossignol asked me if I wanted to ride for the clothing, I was not sure because Orage is a really nice brand. Simply put it this way, Rossignol stepped it up and made me an offer Orage could never match because of the money they already had invested in other riders. As of now, I am still sure I made the right choice by going with Rossignol; I got my first poster ever, I’m on the international team, I will get a lot more exposure this year and the clothing line as a whole is simply amazing. I just received a couple of jackets last week and it looks so good.

JW: What are your future plans? Short-term when you recover and long-term in the next few years.

JF: As far as my rehab is concerned, I made a lot of progress last week and I’m ahead of schedule in getting back to 100%. I should be back on the slopes fully healed in January. If everything goes as planned, my first contest will be the Tignes Airwave on January 8 in France. After that, I will go to the Us Open in Copper Mountain, Colorado, followed by the X-Games and then some filming in Utah. As soon as the competitions season wraps up, I will come back to Quebec to film for my rail segment and it should be crazy as I have found some gnarly ones. Once that project is completed, it’s back to Europe for some backcountry filming sessions, then it’s the European Open in Laax, followed by the Candide Invitational and it’s back to Canada for the WSSI in Whistler. After that, we’ll be hitting the last stretch of the season with some more filming and the Orage Masters. I’ll then head back home in Drummondville to spend some quality time with my girlfriend and my family and my plans for the summer are to go to New Zealand. In the future, I really see myself improving my big mountain skills while keeping pushing the limits in urban rails.

JW: What was your reaction to getting the Freeskier cover? How does it compare to other significant events in your career?

JF: It’s a dream come true for me to be on the Freeskier Magazine’s cover and I have to thank Félix Rioux on that one. I was so stoked when I saw it for the first time, I can’t even describe how great I felt at that very moment. It’s probably one of the best thing that happened in my short career as far as exposure is concerned, it ranks right up there with my X-Games experience and my segment in SKIMATIC. It definitely gave me a great boost of confidence when I needed it the most.

JW: Where should we look for you in the coming months?
JF: … Tignes Airwave, Us Open, X-Game…