Meet Mason Flannery: 13-year-old Freestyle Skier
Following our interview with 13-year-old Mille Wilkinson, a freestyle skier we sponsor, we’d like to introduce you to the other young rising star we sponsor: Mason Flannery.
Mason is 13 years old and is an extremely talented freestyle skier. He has competed in a number of competitions, including the English Slopestyle Championships 2015 and has entered this year’s Britain’s Got Skiers competition. He is always looking forward to tackling his next big trick and landed his first backflip in August this year – top work!
We caught up with Mason recently to ask him about life as a freestyle skier. Read on for some inspiration for your next ski chalet break in France with us.
How did you first get into skiing?
I first got into skiing by going on family holidays. The first time I ever skied was when I was 5 years old.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in the sport?
My biggest inspiration in skiing is Phil Casabon. I’ve been watching him ski ever since I started freestyle skiing in 2013 and he’s always been my favourite skier ever since. Also James ’Woodsy’ Woods is a big inspiration of mine and I’ve had a few opportunities to ski with him before as well.
What’s your favourite memory of skiing?
I have many good memories from skiing, but my favourites would be just skiing with big groups of friends on the slopes in the UK.
How do you unwind after a long day on the slopes?
After a long day of skiing I just come home and watch some videos of my favourite skiers and if we have filmed that day then I will edit some videos.
What is the one trick that you would absolutely love to master?
My favourite trick that I would love to be able to do in my future is a cork 360 with a training safety grab.
What advice would you give to people looking forward to their first skiing holiday?
To anyone who is skiing for the first time, I would say definitely get lessons, just have fun and don’t be scared and get frustrated because you will progress quickly as you do it more. New Generation in France are an extremely good ski school that have taught me for years!
What are your aspirations for the future?
In the future I am aiming to try and become a professional, competitive freestyle skier.
What’s the best ski resort you have visited?
My favourite resort that I’ve visited many times would be Les Arcs in France because there are a lot of fun slopes and lots of little tree routes that you can take on the way down the mountain. Nevertheless, recently I went to Cervinia and I enjoyed the park more than any others I’ve skied before.
Best of luck for the future Mason! You can check out his blog here and watch his entry video for Britain’s Got Skiers below. If you fancy trying out Mason’s favourite resort, take a look at our catered chalets in Les Arcs for some accommodation ideas.
Image Credits: Shaun Flannery Photography 2015