Toben Sutherland is possibly one of the most laid back and relaxed skiers in the world. He lives in Shane Szoc's parents' four story pad in Whistler. When I called him up, he was out back bouncing on the trampoline (which he stole from the BFSC for the summer). For him, skiing isn't a serious thing, it's about going out and having fun with the guys.

"Skiing is about having fun. It's going out there with some friends and doing whatever, not trying to impress everyone. I don't go out to be sponsored, I go to have fun."

He doesn't do most of the big name competitions but he by far, one of the most accomplished and well rounded skiers in the world.

"I've done a some World Cup events and things like the Snow Show and Blackcomb Expression Sessions but I haven't done any of the bigger competitions like the X-Games and the Freeskiing Open, but yeah, I'd like to get more into big name big air, slopestyle and halfpipe competitions."

He's now just beginning to make his mark on the freesking circuit. He's going to be in the new upcoming movie from John DeCasare (State of Mind, Degenerates) called "13". He still working on it and they're still getting footage but things are going good.

"You know, it'll just be like a normal day, John will set up and be like 'Ok, go for it' and I'll hit it and it's all cool. It's just fun with the guys."

What tricks will he be pulling might you ask?

"Well the Toblerone is really a misty 900 ... I'm thinking of calling it (it being a trick, flare to front flip in the quarterpipe) a ToBone, but I'm not sure if it's been done before."

Modest guy eh? You can be sure he'll turn some heads. Toben comes from a freestyle skiing background and as you can guess, freestyle skiers are dominating the freesking movement and Toben is going to explode onto the scene.

"I definitely think freestyle is one of the best learning environments. Look at it, you have you bumps which make you a better skier and able to ski any terrain. You refine your technique and you become a much better skier all around. There's also air (in the bumps and in it's own event) and you learn all your tricks like spins, grabs and even your old school stuff. But there's even acro. Acro definitely helps tune your skiing. You learn to control the rotation of your spin, you learn how to flip and control your body in the air. It's an event I'm gonna miss."

Acro officially ended it's freestyle career in Canada on March 28th right after BC Freestyle Skiing Championships. But that doesn't mean he's still not doing it. Recently at the 1998 Vancouver Snow Show, Toben went balls out by land on the top of the quarterpipe and promptly doing a rock-and-roll (balance on your poles for a second, now do a front flip between them) over the edge before smacking his head on the landing. Can he Randy (gut flip 900) though?

"No, only about five people in the world can do Randy. I'm struggling with double full but Randy would definitely be cool."

It goes to prove the kind of guy he is. He always learning even when he's at the top.

Among other things he's going to be coaching this summer at Mogul International. He is also sponsored by the good guys at Fate Clothing, Kniessel/Dachenstein and Bell Mobility. And we all know how he loves his Fate jackets and Kneissel skis. Those nice warm Fate clothes and strong and sturdy Kneissel skis. You can be sure he's happy with Kneissel and Fate. Boy, does he like being sponsored by Kneissel and Fate. Did I mention he gets paid when his sponsors are mentioned along with Toben's name? Fate and Kneissel do.