OSM-Knapp: What was your first experience on a sled?
Parsons: The first experience I can remember on a sled was when I was 5 years old, I was riding an early 90's 440 cougar in Halfway Oregon. It was super low light and we were trying to get back and I was following my pops, we went up this little hill through some tree's that plateaued at the top and the trees vanished. My dad went and circled around just above the trees and back down. I followed, but when I approached the turn, my brake cable snapped, I couldn't slowdown and was headed for a 30 plus foot cliff. Luckily I bailed, but that was definitely the first sled I totalled as well as my first memory of snowmobiling.

OSM-Knapp: Who got you into riding?
Parsons: My dad is to blame for sure. He's an old oval racer. There are trophies everywhere at our shop from those days. He obviously got me a sled when I was too young to remember and from there I just rode in the hills until I was 12, and that’s when I started racing.

OSM-Knapp: During your first years of riding, did you ever imagine the sport of freestyle would have grown to where it is today?
Parsons: As far as progression goes and what the riders who started this movement have done, I am pretty excited to see what top riders are currently doing. While the sport of freestyle has grown a ton, we still have a long way to go to truly rival a lot of other action sports in the ways of business and financial marks that sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross have set. That being said, my main goal is to perhaps ride the wave of such sports by working with those athletes who are setting the bar for smaller sports like ours.

OSM-Knapp: Who would you consider your biggest competitor?
Parsons: I consider everyone who made a podium at X last year and the year before to be on top of their game this year. There are also a few guys who are coming up and have been around for a while that I keep my eye on.

OSM-Knapp: You took home some serious hardware at "X" (X- Games 13), what was your training routine leading up to it, and did you expect to do so well?
Parsons: I knew with the consistency and tricks I was carrying in training before X that I had what it takes to do what I did. It was just a matter of riding good when I got to X and making it happen. Heath Frisby, Isaac Sherbine, and myself, spent an hour to two nearly everyday riding. Coming into the last two months before X,

we would usually spend that same amount of time working on our sleds, bringing them up to par for good confident practice. The Sherbine family gave us a great opportunity by letting us do whatever it took to be ready for X, and that was huge.

OSM-Knapp: Can you share with OSM readers any new tricks you’re perfecting for X Games 14? A double flip perhaps?
Parsons: Secrecy is key, no comment.

OSM-Knapp: I watched you ride at the Toronto International Snowmobile, ATV & Powersports Show, where you whipped that Ski-Doo in to a seamless back flip. For the casual rider, can you explain how to whip a sled off a big kicker?
Parsons: First of all, Do Not try this at home!
For myself, there are three key factors to jumps. #1 is the terrain you’re jumping off of; #2 is body position; #3 is centrifugal force. Now considering most people won’t be trying to whip off a ramp, which is probably the hardest jump to whip off of anyways, we'll just say you’re riding in the hills and you find a poppy ‘lil table top with a decent down slope to land on. The first thing you’re going to look for is a slope to the right or left of the jump. If you can find a spot where the jump is sloped to one side, you can use this to get more "whip" out of the jump. Just as you leave the jump, you’ll want to shift your weight to the downhill side of the slope. Then you want to get the nose of your sled down using the preload of the rear suspension, throttle, and body weight. DO NOT use your brake to do this. The reason you don't want to use your brake is centrifugal force generated by your track. This is the key to not only whipping your sled, but also returning back for a straight landing. By this part of your whip, you should be reaching the apex of your jump, and your sled should be at least level with the nose still going down. The next step is, as you go through the apex, shift your body weight to the opposite side and give the sled a little throttle. By doing this, you are increasing the centrifugal force of your track to influence the sled back into a normal flight pattern on its way through the final stages of the jump and on to a smooth straight landing.

OSM-Knapp: This was your third consecutive year riding here in Toronto at the Toronto Snowmobile Show, what’s this show like for you?
Parsons: It's great man! The show is absolutely amazing, and we always have a good set up for our shows. As far as Snow shows go, OSM kills it, period!
Plus I'm actually pretty scared of flying, but super interested in aeronautics, so being next to Toronto International Airport is awesome. Sometimes when I’m jumping, I'll look over and see an A 380 coming in hot to land a quarter mile away and just forget I'm even in the air myself.

OSM-Knapp: Do you have any background in freestyle moto?
Parsons: Slight background I would say, no comps or demo's. I definitely did my first can-cans and heel clickers on a dirt bike though.

OSM-Knapp: If you found one of the sacks with the giant "$" on it filled with cash (say 50K), what would you buy first?
Parsons: Well with this economy, my gut says to invest it in some gold stocks as it has gone up over 1000 percent in the last forty years, and is currently killing it... but if I was going to blow it, I’d probably buy a new skid-steer... with tracks of course.

OSM-Knapp: What are your goals for the future? How long can you be competitive in such a demanding sport?
Parsons: First and foremost, my goals are to have fun and stay healthy. No one can retire off freestyle right now and I doubt they ever will be able to. So being prepared for the real world is obviously necessary. As long as I’m enjoying myself, I see at least 3 more years of freestyle. Beyond that, there are many different avenues I'm considering. I am super down with excavation, I grew up building jumps, moving dirt, and understanding terrain and I can sit in a cab and listen to talk radio all day. Marketing is also a new avenue that opened up for me, I’ve been learning a lot about it since I started freestyle and it definitely interests me. I'm also big into the secrets of the universe and unlocking the mystery's of the universe.... ha-ha. I think when I succumb to the real world I'll take a combination of all the things I've learned about business, people, and the world to become successful at whatever I choose to do.

OSM-Knapp: I watched a video called Turn Again Hard Core 7 and can't believe how big you guys are jumping in the natural terrain stuff. Who is the first to usually hit new kickers out of your regular riding crew?
Parsons: It depends. I'm usually all about hitting a jump first and watching everybody else go off your speed. It feels good to hit a jump first and money the landing. It also helps with confidence which is huge.

OSM-Knapp: Can you recall the biggest natural jump you've hit?
Parsons: I'd say that the biggest natural jump I've hit... that’s on film, is a jump I found in Whittier, AK. When we were filming Turn Again Hardcore 7. It was only about 150 TRUE (not fish story) feet, but the lip was only about head high and supeeeerrr off camber to the left. So you’re going full throttle on a 121" 800 Summit into a super poppy head high lip, clearing a 150' sloppy, stop you dead in your tracks 65 degree snow to a nice steep tranny. Check it out in THC 7, it might not look like the gnarlest jump in the movie, but I didn't see anyone else try it!

OSM-Knapp: Now that you’re one of the best in the game, what advice would you give to any young guns looking to break into the scene?
Parsons: Get an education and Go to College.... ha-ha. No, if you want it, go get it. That was my motto.

OSM-Knapp: What does Joe Parsons do when he isn't riding sleds?
Parsons: Golf entered my life this summer and I definitely spent some time on the course this year. Moto is also big for me. I have a supercross track that I rally to keep in shape. Spending time in a tractor building jumps, clearing weeds, levelling driveways... I'm pretty simple about it.

OSM-Knapp: If you could have a date with any girl who would it be and why? (Excluding your chick if you have one!)
Parsons: Well I have a chick, so intellectually speaking; I'd probably take Laura Bush out for some seafood and drinks and see if I can’t get her to tell me some sweet government secrets.

OSM-Knapp: What’s your greatest fear in life?
Parsons: Laying on my deathbed at 90 years of age and regretting.



OSM-Knapp: In 2007 did you have the distance jump record? I believe Paul Thacker holds it right now, any plans on breaking that?
Parsons: Well truth be told; when I did a distance jump, I think Paul had it at 238'. At first my goal was to go for that. However things changed. Long story short, I ended up jumping a geared up 440 207' doing a superman seat grab. So I never had the overall distance record, but I still hold the longest trick record.
Finally let’s plug your sponsors. But tell us who has helped you the most in your career up to this point?
Parsons: My mom and pops are the sole reason I can even ride a snowmobile. They have supported me so much and taught me just as much. Tony Andreas has raked enough woodchips at my practice facility to be a body builder, but I don't know what happened there…? Heath Frisby and the SCS vinyl works crew gave me a ton of chances throughout my short career to progress and learn about the sport, and a great friendship along the way, along with the Sherbine family. Ski-Doo is a huge part of my program and one of the best partners I have, and I am in love with the XP Chassis. HMK is an unbelievable group of people who are as real as it gets. They are creating the best outerwear for snowmobiling, and have supported me for 5 years. Fly Racing, 509 goggles, Woody's, Stompgrip, Ultimax Belts, and Caliber are all intricate parts of my program providing me with some of the best support in freestyle. Oh yeah, and OSM is doing some great things with their magazine that I feel and hope will leave other stale, old school mags in the dust. So thanks for all your efforts, and keeping it real OSM!