Here is a story of the wild and crazy antics that our own free-spirited Victor Residents Andy Parry and Will Wesson are up to with their nomadic lives. They live, breathe, and occasionally eat snow, literally.
They are the stars of their own ski web episodes for their sponsor Line Ski’s and their following is cult-like. They have had about a half million viewers from the last two episodes.
They roam around the country jammed into one or two cars with other ski athletes. They perform Extreme Skiing, highlighting known and unknown areas while their old friend Shane McFalls from Cicero, New York, films their adventures.
How did this idea evolve? Andy explained that “We went to the owner of Line Ski’s in Vermont and showed them two possible ideas of what they could do. So, they tried an episode with us and that turned into a pilot episode.” Will continues on “Basically, Andy and I started it because we wanted to travel somehow and continue to make ski videos while making money to support ourselves.” One way” to see the country is that we call ahead to resorts to get free ski time for promoting them.”
I was there from the beginning when they began their dare-devil stunts. Andy is my next door neighbor and I’ve known him since he was in fourth grade. He’s 23 years old now. Only a few feet away from my window as I worked on my computer, I would watch Andy, Will and their friends practice stunts on his driveway by skating off a ramp, tumbling in midair and landing on an old mattress - with no helmets on! I would literally startle every time each one would land, getting ready to jump up and take one to the hospital. He did end up with three fractures by the end of his childhood though. One thing I learned about Andy early on, he had absolutely no fear of trying anything.
As he matured, I watched him build an eight foot high ramp in his backyard that ended with a metal rail when he became serious with skiing. Several times, Andy and his friends would stop at the local ice company and fill the back of his car with crushed ice. They would unload the ice around the home-made ski jump to make it more realistic when they videotaped. That was their summer home in the early days when they practiced tricks off season. Erik Olson, a close Victor friend and skier gave Andy’s brother the nickname ‘The Red Knight’ when Alex and Andy fooled around with sword fighting during a break from filming and the name stuck. Alex Parry comments “I do a guest appearance occasionally during their summer stunt practice videos.”
They do it all- Bombing, Cruising, Airplane Turns and making incredibly Big Air. Andy’s most memorable experience is not skiing down one of the highest mountains or grinding the rails, it’s the time “we drove to Virginia recently during their snow storm and skied around an abandoned insane asylum- it was creepy”.
Living this lifestyle doesn’t come without a price. They usually eat at Wal-Mart or fast food joints. Last spring at Mammoth California, they slept two and a half weeks in their car. Andy has incurred a number of lacerations and 3-4 concussions. It’s not for the average “Vermin”- (ski talk for ‘the typical skier’).
How have they survived visiting and skiing in 20 or more states? As they claw their way to notoriety, doors are beginning to open for them. Line Skis, Orage Clothing, Ski the East and Full Tilt Boots all sponsor them now.
Their newest adventure plans is “to start in October and visit the NW Pacific, then we’ll find a Van or RV and travel up and down the East Coast-maybe Europe next year.” Andy hopes.
I was lucky to catch up with Andy visiting his home town since he is usually on the road. They still get jobs in the summertime accumulating money for their important essentials: toothpaste, toilet paper, peanut butter and jelly, and gas.
Andy is painting houses until he meets up with Will where they will teach skiing at Windell’s Summer Camp at Mt. Hood, Oregon. Then, the circus is off again to film their new episode.
Will and Andy give insight into what The Traveling Circus really is to them. “It’s a dream come true to travel instead of doing a 9-5 job” Will says. Andy agrees, “Traveling is amazing because it’s good for life experience. I love the freedom of doing what I want, wherever I want”.
Check out these sites and Will and Andy will take you along on their wild adventures:
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