Breckenridge's Tom Riggins has established himself as one of the top Powder 8 skiers in the world.

When asked where he got his inspiration to compete, the Oregon native hearkened back to Powder Magazine issues from the early 1970s.

"I used to read about mogul-master Wayne Wong when he was the man," Riggins said. "I just started pursuing that dream."

Riggins and his partner Tom Truss of Alta, Utah, are the reigning American and Canadian national champions.

The dynamic duo won the Canadian nationals in Fernie, British Columbia, on Feb. 10, as the only American team at the competition, which was open to non-Canadians for the first time this year.

After claiming north-of-the border bragging rights and the five-day helicopter skiing trip that came with it, the Alta Ski Area-sponsored tandem moved on to the U.S. nationals at Aspen in early March.

"We had a run in Highlands Bowl that was probably one of our best ever," said Riggins, who has won eight competitions during his career. "It was a 45-degree run with about 30 inches of powder on it. It was very difficult skiing and it had been tracked up a little bit by other competitors. We nailed the highest-scoring run of the day to put us in the lead. I could barely see (Truss) the whole time - it was some of the deepest snow I've ever skied at a Powder 8s event."

Riggins and Truss' success in Aspen earned them yet another five-day heli trip at Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing in Blue River, British Columbia.

Being the powder hound he is, it's only natural that Riggins would love such an activity.

"We go every year; it's awesome," he said. "Once you go, you're hooked - you just start saving money. It's the whole package of skiing terrain that's untracked, the adrenaline rush of riding in the helicopter and the anticipation of the whole thing. Every day you wake up and here comes your machine to pick you up. It's exciting."

Last year at this time, Riggins and company were gearing up for the World Powder 8s - something they would be doing again if the event hadn't been canceled.

"Mike Wiegele's helicopter operation puts a lot of money into the event," Riggins explained. "People have been knocking down their doors to go heli skiing because Europe doesn't have any snow, so they've extended their season by three weeks. They're booked solid and they don't have time to put on the event this year. It's a drag because the Discovery Channel was going to film it in HD this year."

Their desire to shred powder undeterred, Riggins and Truss will still head up to Blue River next month to cash in on one of their free heli trips.

The accomplished tandem, who became friends while studying at Fort Lewis College in Durango, were world champions in 2005.



Do you always ski behind Truss and if so, why?

"Tom is probably a stronger free skier and my technical abilities are a little stronger as far as matching the turn, synching what he's doing and making it look like a mirror."



Are the roles much different from one another?

"They're very different, but they really are equal parts. He is just skiing powder and he has to do it perfectly because I have to match what he does. Skiing in the back is a blast. Sometimes I can barely see what's going on - I'll just get a look at his head."

How old are you?

"Forty-four. ... One thing that's nice about what we're doing is that we get a lot of respect within the Powder 8 community because we are some of the older guys competing. We're up against hot-shot Canadian ski-instructor teams in their 20s and 30s - people are amazed. They're like, 'How do you guys do it?' because we usually win the party at night then come back and ski hard during the day. I guess practice makes perfect."



What's the secret to your success?

"It's just consistency. Tom and I ski a lot the same. When we won in Canada, we hadn't skied together since last year's Worlds. We just know how each other skis, but if we spend too much time together we drive each other nuts. It's good to show up and get the thing out of the way, move on and send him back to Utah. We're good buddies - we know each other too well."