A chat with one of the most underrated sledders on the scene. Derek makes it look almost too easy...
Stats:
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Instagram - @saskskill
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Age - 37
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Years riding - 15
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Height - 6'
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Sleds - 2024 Polaris Pro Converted to Khaos Boost 155 3.25 and a 2022 Polaris 850 Khaos 146
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Bar - Kesterke in black and white
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Riser - Polaris FTP 2” rise
(CFR - Derek is relatively tall but rides a fairly low rise; it shows that there is no easy formula for what makes you comfortable on a sled.) He’s 1” below a stock Polaris ‘Low’ cockpit.
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Grips - Hero black
CFR - Congrats on your Send of the Season and one of the most creative airs we’ve ever seen! You mentioned on your Instagram post that it was a small jump compared to the other finalists, so how surprised were you when you won?
Derek - Yeah, I was very surprised! When you see Turcotte boosting huge flips, the Revy crew going huge, Ty doing double drops with mid-air goggle wipes, it's pretty easy to think a mini-barrel roll isn't gonna hold up haha.
CFR - How long had you been thinking about barrel rolls as a possibility?
Derek - Probably around a year, then finally I was done thinking about it and had watched enough of the Swedish boys doing them that it was time to just go for it.
CFR - Did you know that this feature (with some digging) was the perfect place for the barrel roll, or did it suddenly just pop into your head that it could work?
Derek - Yeah, it was a last-second find. I tried one in a different spot first that was more of a step up. I had the rotation but not the height. My landing was already cement so I just quickly found something and got digging.
Saskskill barrel roll - Send of the Season Winner!
Video: @j.chris.g
CFR - When you launched, how much force did you have to put into the weight-transfer? Was it a bit violent, or pretty chill?
Derek - I don’t remember pulling too hard. I think when you get the timing of things, the sled feels pretty weightless...
CFR - Since you have never done a trick like this, are you fully improvising, or are you good at estimating what your body should probably do?
Derek - I’m pretty good at watching videos and understanding what I need to do, and roughly what it's going to feel like. I definitely watched Andreas on repeat over my lunch breaks.
Smooooooooth...
CFR - When things go wrong in the air and you have to bail, you have some of the most entertaining and seemingly graceful sled-fails on Instagram. Have you always been calm in the air, or is it something you’ve progressed at?
Derek - Haha, so far…..for the most part I’ve been really lucky. I feel like I have bad luck in general, BUT when it comes to flukes and staying alive is when my luck pays off. It's a trade-off I’ll gladly take.
CFR - You got so much cool stuff going on outside of sledding. Do you think your other sports, like speed flying, inspire your creative sled style? Are you creative in other aspects of your life?
Derek - Yeah, thanks! I’ve never really thought of it like that. I’m sure it all helps in some way that I’m not too conscious about. I do feel like I’m creative and always a little outside of the box.
Next level airtime
CFR -How does riding a Polaris shape your riding style?
Derek - Being on the Polaris allows me to be more maneuverable and predictable, which just builds more trust in myself.
CFR - How does an aftermarket bar and riser help you send these wild maneuvers?
Derek - Being able to customize my bar setup to exactly what I want makes me feel more comfortable with the sled, it's literally the only thing you hold onto for hours and hours while trying to make a 450lbs machine do what you want. So having an aftermarket setup configured exactly how I want just lets my body feel more natural on the sled. I also noticed I’m not getting the back pain that I normally get from big days on the sled!
CFR - Any tricks you’re stoked to work on this season?
Derek - I have one thing on my mind…we'll see if I have the balls to go for it later in the season.
CFR - Thanks Derek. We can't wait to see what you dream up next. Your creativity on a sled is inspiring!
Derek making it look easy
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Video: @curtisgage
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Derek has some of Instagram's most entertaining sled fails!
