We recently caught up with the man, the myth, the legend, Heath Frisby to grab his take on this year's Winter X Games, his shiny new gold medal, and what the future holds for the Idaho freestyle athlete.
SCS: Heath, 3rd Gold, 10th total X Games medal. How are you feeling right now? Has the reality set in yet? HF: It has always been my goal to be a 10x medalist at Winter X Games, so I am really excited. It has been a great ride, but I can't wait to add a few more medals next season.
SCS: Take us through the event as a whole. How were you feeling coming into this years X Games? HF: I felt pretty weak to be honest. I have a torn AC joint in my left shoulder from a crash in Alaska so I wasn't feeling that strong going into the games. However, I had a positive attitude, and some great equipment to help me through it.
SCS: Were you able to get in any practice for the Long Jump or was it kind of a "fly by the seat of your pants" event? HF: Haha! At Winter X, we had two scheduled practices for that event. I had a team of guys watching practice from the side, and a mechanic from Leighton's Motorsports with me on the in run making changes to the sled. We were very prepared for the event. I felt confident in both practices going into it that we would be a contender for the Gold. The sled had a lot of power, but it was very controllable. Their suspension setup could not have been any better. It truly made the difference in how far I went compared to the others.
SCS: Talk about Speed & Style. Obviously, that is more of a bread & butter event for you, but it did not work out how I am sure you were wanting. However, you switched snowmobiles for that event, and looked comfortable. How are you liking the new snowmobile? HF: This season has been really rough with the loss of BRP Ski-Doo as a major sponsor of mine. I had to make a decision for myself, for that event, that would work in my favor, and for Long Jump as well. I believe that I made the right decision. I don't think that there is any better equipment out there than the setup that I was able to ride from Leighton's race team. The knowledge they possessed was vital to insure that the sled was durable, ran good, and held up. Those are important at X Games as these sleds can take a beating with the hard landings.
SCS: In practice, you were going the furthest from what we heard. What do you think played into your favor for winning the Gold? Obviously, with the turf, there is definitely some throttle control needed for making sure that the sled grips as much as possible. HF: I worked on suspension quite a bit. During practice we made some changes so that we could get the sled to hook up as much as possible. The setup worked perfectly. It is quite a bit different with the turf in run so you need to make sure to use the throttle wisely vs. just hammering it as the sleds are so responsive, they will just spin. It's amazing how much power these sleds are producing now. We used to be on 800's, and at that elevation, they could struggle. Now, these 600's feel even stronger. It is amazing to see the technology come so far with regard to the engine, as well as, the suspension.
SCS: You have been competing in the X Games for a long time. What's next for you after 2015 Winter X Games? HF: I am super excited for what I have in store for 2015. Keith Sayers, and I have a ton of work for the summer doing freestyle shows. We are also looking to expand our UTV program soon as well. Overall, I could not be happier with where I am at in my career. This Gold affirms that, and I am pumped.
SCS: Special thanks to anyone? HF: I would first like to thank my wife Linnae, and my family for all of their help. Also, a big thanks to my brother Russ who came down to Aspen this year to help Joe Parsons, and I mechanic. He was a huge help, and I can't thank him enough. My dad, and Uncle Wade drove all the way to Texas to bring my UTV for a Monster Jam show in Houston. Without that, I would not have had as much time to prepare for X Games. Additonally, without the help from the following people, I would not be where I am at today. It isn't just about me, it is about the great crew of people that I have surrounded myself with. Special thanks to Keith Sayers, Devin Karr, Tyler Tobin, Russ Warren, Tyler Roos, Paul Guest, Steve Miller, Monster Energy Crew - Aaron Nixon, Aaron Quesada, Cari, all of my friends at WPS - Richard, Ron, and Nathan. Teddy Culbertson, Billy Kohut, Steven Haughelstine, Danielle Sayers, Mike Bies, my mother, and so so many more, thank you for all your support.
Cheers to number 10, and thank you all for being there for me!
