Interview

Austin Smith

Austin Smith is Up to Something 

Austin Smith has a vision. It’s for today, tomorrow and what’s coming down the line. But currently he’s set on making sure we are well fed. On the menu: fried eggs on artisan sourdough with roasted red peppers and Havarti. It’s a high-end breakfast for Timberline Lodge, OR’s parking lot, prepared in the back of Austin’s recently rebuilt 1953 firetruck. One of the upgrades to the rig was the Bluetooth-controlled frying pan he’s currently cooking in.

We eat and Austin starts outlining how he sees the coming days unfolding: We’ll ride the park, hike a jump, take a few laps on the rope tow, then catch the last chair up Palmer and camp overnight somewhere on the mountain. Maybe we’ll climb to the top too. We’ll try, and see how far we get. Then we’ll sleep up there and watch the sun set over Illumination Rock and Portland. A bivy sack is a good idea. As are lots of snacks. Austin’s packing sardines, avocado and hummus. On our way down the next day, we’ll ride the mountain, the park and hang late to rip the pipe once everyone’s gone. It’ll be a top-to-bottom exploration of this volcano—Hood-life in a day…

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