Rider Profile

Name: Katie Summerhayes

Hometown: Sheffield, England

DOB: 8^th Oct 1995

Sponsors: Oakley, Salomon, Rocket Dog, SNO!zone, Forcefield body armour,

Favourite tunes: Chart stuff

Favourite resort: Laax, Switzerland. I was there for the Brits and this year’s European Open. The park and halfpipe are really cool and shaped really well.

From Sheffield ski village to the Burton European Open, Katie Summerhayes is a rising star - we caught up with her in London

How did you get into skiing?
I went to the Sheffield ski village with my family when I was about six and a half years old and my sister was about 4, and we just decided to have a couple of lessons to see if we liked it – I just loved it! So we joined the ski club, the Sheffield Sharks, and would go every week. As I got better I started race training and doing some freestyle, which was on moguls to start with. You had to do tricks and jumps in moguls, which I really liked, so focused my training there instead of in gates. When I did my first 180 I thought, “Aw, this is alright”, but carried on racing as well, then after my first 360 I realised I liked freestyle better than all the other events.

How old where you when you did your first 360?
Think I was about 9.

Do you feel that as you’re fairly young injuries aren’t too much of a problem?
Yeah, and because I started younger and I’m a girl, I don’t really go for it quite as much as the boys. Once I’d done a 360 I didn’t feel the need to do a 540 straight away – I did 360s for a while then when I’d got my confidence up I took it slowly up to the next trick.

Is there much rivalry between you and your younger sister Molly, also a skier?
Yes! All the time, even on the trampoline. She’s really good.

So you’re going to be the Venus and Serena Williams of the skiing world?
Hope so!

How will you feel if/when she beats you one day?
I’ll be really pleased for her cos she’s always been under me, and it’ll be good for her to have her chance.

This is your GCSE year – how do you combine skiing and school work?
I’m at a sports college so they really understand that I have to be away at times, and I send back pictures and videos of what I’m up to. My first form tutor was a snowboard instructor at Sheffield so he really understood.

So last season at the Brits you won Big Air, Slopestyle, came second in the halfpipe and won the Red Bull Home Run – what are the aims for this season?
Definitely bigger competitions. If I do the Brits it’ll be my fourth time there this year so I’m going to try and get to some more European competitions, especially the European Open again.

What’s been your scariest moment on skis?
I think at the top of the Freeze jump – I’m scared of heights and it’s terrifying up there! The first hit is the scariest but then after that it’s alright. The European Open was also pretty scary when I was about to drop into the slopestyle course – I was waiting with Becky Hammond, my coach, and Woodsy and my ski was broken. It had snapped towards the tail and it was wobbling a little, but I didn’t think it was such a problem. Becky and Woodsy didn’t tell me but it was so close to breaking that if it had I would have been in big trouble.

When you’re not competing, who do you like to ride with the most?
James Woods. He’s so good. I also love Tyler Harding, they both push me a lot, and my sister too. The other day I went riding with Pat [Sharples – Salomon’s freestyle coach] and we were just testing lots of skis and just riding around normally which was fun.

At the Ski and Snowboard Show you pulled a 9 (two and a half spins in the air) – do you feel that you have to keep pushing yourself as hard as you can?
Yes, definitely. It feels like freestyle is the hardest it’s ever been and the standard is always getting better. Even putting a hand down on landing will lose you marks, which has always been the case but now, really, don’t do it – you’ll lose big marks.

When you’re not skiing, what are you doing?
Just chilling out with my friends, I have the bestest and nicest friends in the world. We hang out and go the cinema and things – I went to see Paranormal Activity 2 recently and screamed twice! The first time I was the only one who made a sound and it was so embarrassing, the second time everyone else screamed, so I felt a bit better.

If you could ride with one person in the world anywhere, who would it be and where?
In America, probably Breckenride, with Woodsy. He’s like my brother, he got me into freestyle and he’s from Sheffield as well.

Where are your favourite parks?
As well as Laax, I went to Mayrhofen for the first time this year, just for a week and that was really good. I also like Saas Fee for the summer skiing – it was my fourth time out there this summer, only for a week, but it really helps me prepare for the winter.

When you’re skiing are you kitted in body armour?
Yeah, I always make sure I’ve got my back protector on when I’m skiing, even recreationally. I won’t always wear my padded shorts though, it just depends what I’m doing.

Do you listen to music when you’re riding?
Well, at the events music is always playing loud so it’s good just to listen to that, plus you’re always talking to people so if you’ve got your headphones on you can’t really hear. But it depends where I am, if it’s quiet then I might put one ear in.