Sam Kuch
Freeskier
Hometown:
Nelson, BC
Birthday:
12/28/1997
Sponsors:
- Arc'teryx
- Head
- Mons Royale
- Village Ski Hut
- Whitewater Resort
Biography
If you’re hunting ghosts, you call the Ghostbusters. If you’re hunting for adventure, you call Sam Kuch – and get ready for the show.
A native of the magical community of Nelson, BC, Sam’s first ski home was none other than Whitewater Ski Area. It was at that special little location that Sam developed a strong passion for his favorite sport ever – and began to hone the stylish and technical backcountry skiing that has made him world-famous.
In such communities, there are almost always talents, and sometimes there are even Sam Kuch-level talents.
That is to say the level of talents with accolades such as “Powder Magazine’s Skier of the Year” and “Video Part of the Year” recipients. In fact, in a recent Matchstick title, Sam had both a feature part AND participated in a separate part of the film.
But it wasn’t always a seemingly effortless, cruise-control style for 23 year-old Sam. Like so many predecessors, Sam paid his dues to reach the top. There were the seemingly mandatory trips to compete against his peers back in his late teens (not really Sam’s cup of tea). Then there was also the work of operating as an unpaid guide – for Forecast Ski Magazine’s series “Beyond the Powder Highway.”
Those efforts delivered a strong return on investment though, when Sam was named “Discovery of the Year” at the 2018 iF3 Festival, marking an early milestone of a young, but extraordinary career.
Today, whether he is casually leaning into a stylish cork 7 from a cliff, collaborating on his own short film with friends, or being the principal creative mind behind his 2021 Arc’teryx feature, Third Person, it is clear that Sam is on another level from the pack.
Adventure to him means exploring mountain ranges in a helicopter, climbing and descending thousands of feet on motorcycles and mountain bikes, or paragliding across a few different towns.
Sam has never wanted to be one-dimensional though. He has too much energy, ambition and restlessness for that. When asked, he quickly rattles off “adventure, travelling, and skiing” as his three passions.
Cool, we all like a little adventure sometimes, eh? Sure, but Sam is a bit different. Adventure to him means exploring mountain ranges in a helicopter, climbing and descending thousands of feet on motorcycles and mountain bikes, or paragliding across a few different towns.
This is Sam Kuch – and Ghostbuster pack or not – he’s the most stylish adventure man we know.
