Profile
Enak is one of the Skier-X pioneers, a true fighter and also the most titled skier of the X-Games: winner in 1999, 3rd in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007! This Frenchman has evolved with the discipline, remaining one of the world’s best skiers for more than 8 years. Finishing on the podium of all major Skier-X events, from the Crossmax Series to the FIS World Cup or US Pro Tours, Enak’s next goal is now to win the 2008 X-Games!
A true Skier-X specialist, Enak is also an unconditional adept of Freeride and is among the most well known and most respected in the discipline: every year he stars in the ‘Nuits de la Glisse’, a joint organizer of the ‘Freeride des Arcs’ contest and always ready for a good session with his buddies from the ‘Ca envoie du gros’ team! Enak, with his gentle face is also a wild and unchained freerider, enjoying mountain biking, parachuting and base-jumping. He is currently making a base jump movie called ‘Trip Box’ with his crew. Check out www.trip-box.com
Interview
Skier-X
Tell us about your 6th medal in Skier-X.
One more for the collection! But for me it’s not the right colour. I don’t know what else to say, it’s already past history, I’d rather think of 2008 medals instead.
What about the contests you will take part in next season and your goals for the winter?
Since the beginning of the FIS contest in Skier-X, I’ve done it in an amateurish way, I only took part for 3 years, and skipped it last year. I will do it this year, though I don’t like this clinical contest, it’s not for me. Today I feel that the FIS contest is simply a waist of time, but I might have to go against my beliefs as the new French ski federation status asks me to participate in the two French races. Otherwise, I would only take part in the races that are important to me; for example Tignes Airwaves and the X-Games.
What do you dream of in your future Skier-X career and with regard to the Olympic Games in 2010?
The Olympic Games are not the only thing that counts for me; there are many other more important things. I’ll begin to think about it 3 or 4 months before the event, for the moment it’s a long way off and it’s not my soul objective. Now that Skier-X is part of the Olympic Games, I’ll have to make sacrifices and respect the limits, if I want to have a chance to win. If I have to change the way I think or the way I do things, then the Olympic Games won’t be for me. But, if I can do things the way I’m used to, the Olympic Games may very well happen.
What’s your vision of the X-Games as the most titled athlete of this major
Skier-X competition?
I don’t know, maybe I like the atmosphere around the races… you have to be there to feel it. I like the X-Games because even if the run is flat, the jumps and turns are rough unlike all the FIS runs. Actually, thinking thought about it, I’m only motivated in competitions where you’ve gotta have guts. I think this might be my problem because if I was capable of being motivated even on shitty runs, I could be great. But it doesn’t work like that for me. Looking quickly at my past, I see that all the races where the spirit was truly Skier-X, I almost always brought home a little something or took a podium. My team manager will tell you; we inspect a run and already know whether I can win or not.
What about the evolution of the circuits and Skier-X in general?
My answer is in my results. Around 50% of the FIS races are worth it, while the other half almost make me ashamed that the sport is on television. It is ridiculous. On this type of run, I have lost the World Cup Overall ranking 3 years in a row.
So, yes they have the biggest circuit, but no, it isn’t the best. If I compare it to the Saab Salomon Crossmax Series, there is no comparison. At the Salomon events, you can talk about a show… it’s fast, even really fast and you jump all over the place. Also, we leave the start gate 6 by 6 so there is more physical contact. I really like this Crossmax series. What I don’t understand is that Salomon showed what Skier-X is about and the FIS preferred something else. I am not saying it is shit, but it simply was not and really is not for me. In my opinion, you can win the Skier-X World Cup 10 times which doesn’t equal winning the X-Games once. The difference is there… One side plays with performance and nice skiing while the other is a show and stunts.
How have you been able to remain among the best Skier-X specialists for more than eight years?
I don’t know. Maybe I ski with a different perspective. Everyone comes from Alpine skiing, myself included, but I’ve moved on to freeride and do it assiduously with much pleasure. Maybe that is part of the answer, to practice skiing in all its forms. Of course, at my level I have as much fun in freestyle, rails and jumps, but the most important thing is to have fun. Anyway, when I entertain myself on the boards, I’m not good at anything else. Anyway, just having fun isn’t easy, so you can imagine!
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