-Whats the biggest cliff you have successfully jumped off on skis?

210 feet. Front flip. Engelberg Switzerland.

-What do you consider succesfull?

It all depends on what your goal is. For me, my goal is to enjoy myself in the air, if I am able to do that then I consider it successful. If you are asking about whether or not my skis stay on, if I ski away, and all that – I have jumped lots of cliffs well over 100 feet where I’ve skied away fluidly without having to wiggle out of a bomb-hole, I’ve jumped some where I’ve lost one ski, sometimes both. What it comes down to when you are jumping stuff that big – it’s all about the air. It’s a bonus if my skis stay on and I’m able to ski away clean. The air itself is the aim.

-What does it feel like?

It feels like a time warp. I don’t know how to explain it, when I first pop out into the open air and I get that very first visual of how far down the ground is, I have a 15 second internal dialogue going on in my head in a split second. And the sound of the wind is incredible. Essentially my technique with front flipping big airs – I am essentially swan diving off big cliffs – it’s an incredible feeling. I love it.

Julian going big for the masses, Snowbird Utah, Wissman photo

-Are you always looking for the next monster?

My eyes are always open. Big, safe, perfect cliffs with good run-ins and steep landings with no rocks are not abundant.

-What goes through your head the week before
Often times, a week prior to some of the cliffs I’ve jumped I didn’t know I would be jumping a 175-footer next Tuesday. It’s all about fresh, deep, light, big storms rolling through and hooking up the proper snow depth to make it all go down.

-The night before?
I get very excited. If it’s a cliff that I’ve done all my homework on and I know it’s good to go – I am just plain old excited. If it’s a cliff that should have the right conditions, but I still have to do some homework on the take-off or landing or snow-quality – then I’m stoked but I also realize it may not go down if it doesn’t pass my checklist.

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5 minutes before?
Full awareness. Of the snowpack and of my abilities. Confidence. In the snowpack and in my abilities. Zen. Focus. Stoke.

-while you are in the air?
First and foremost it’s concentration. Then it’s saying things to myself in my head, ‘wow, the ground is wayyy down there’, ‘sure is quiet’, ‘was that a bird chirping?’, Then the wind gets louder and louder and I go back into concentration mode. Definitely a mind trip. Then I’ll land the cliff and more often than not I am laughing my ass off from the experience. Very cool feeling.

-Why do you do it?
Because I love it. I love the feeling of flying through the air. I like the mental preparation that goes into it. It’s like a chess game against the mountain and the cliff. It is very rewarding both physically and mentally. And it’s just in me –when I was a little kid I had a roof jumping club.

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What is the perfect cliff?
The perfect cliff has a vast steep apron of deep snow to land in. We are talking 200 by 200 feet of perfect landing zone. A good 10 foot base, a 2 day old three foot storm on top of that, then a fresh 30” the night before. And cold. The cliff itself is sheer or overhanging, in other words you have zero risk of coming up short. And the take off has no rocks, not too steep so you can ski to the edge and manicure a perfect take-off and make a pole drag mark from the tip all the way to where you are starting –

so you know exactly what to expect. Zero surprises and dead on accuracy with where you want to land.

-Is there a difference between you and the rest of big cliff skiers?

Some of the other big cliff skiers from what I’ve observed leads me to the conclusion that they are comfortable relying on their balls to get the job done. I need to see and visualize the feat, be at peace with the air, less balls. With my front flip technique, when I land my body momentum is going with the mountain –

rather than the other guys that do straight airs and make them land going backwards working against the mountain. Mad respect for every one of them though.

Julian backflipping Wolverine Cirque, Wissman photo

-What do you think the human body is capable of?

In regards to cliff height? I don’t think there is a limit. What I think there is a limit on is having the mental ability to calmly think through the process of jumping a 400 footer and being able to be so dialed mentally enabling you to land in a position that will not cause your body injury. That is the real ability. Some people just think I’m an idiot and am going to kill myself – and that’s my point – most of these people don’t have the mental skill set required to calmly think through this kind of a process. If they were to attempt to jump cliffs of that magnitude most/some would kill themselves cause they don’t have it and/or get it.

-Do you think you would do it if you weren’t filming or taking photos, making money?

Always have. Always will. When the cameras are around. When they aren’t. Making some money. Not making any money. I know that if I didn’t ski and there was some guy out there jumping big ass cliffs I’d be stoked to see pictures of it. That is my perspective, I am out there having fun and I want to document it to share it with people. And if I can make a career out of it along the way, then better yet. I love skiing, I like the personalities in the ski industry, I love the mountains and being in them. I love looking at the opportunities the mountains provide. It’s our oversized gymnastics room out there. Transcend the boundaries.

Julian transcending some boundries-Oskar Enander photo