Ian McIntosh- Ask Me Anything

This past Friday our favorite red-headed Canadian, Ian McIntosh, ventured into the TGR Forums for a three-hour Ask Me Anything (AMA) session. Ian answered forum members' questions about everything from his recent ventures into BASE-jumping to ski selection to returning from injury. McIntosh definitely has the gift of quick wit, and kept the forum users on their toes. Below, we've compiled some of our favorite questions and responses. Check out the original thread here, and make sure you don't miss the next forum-exclusive AMA by signing up for the forums here.

Ian McIntosh, along with Johnny Collinson (right), about to get rad in La Grave, France during the filming for Almost Ablaze. 

How fast is too fast? Turning is something I do when I need to! Going fast and getting down a big line is in my mind the safest way. After all, the sooner you're at the bottom the sooner you're safe from all the dangers above.

Does anything scare you anymore? Seriously... anything? Yes, I'm always scared and that's what keeps me alive!

Do you ever check your drawers at the end of the day? Yes! But so far I have yet to actually shit myself, although I have thought I did many times.

Long term, where do you see yourself after filming? I'm working on a slow transition into stunt work for films and commercials. I really want to turn that into stunt coordinating. If that fails, I'll probably get into guiding.

And he can fly!!! BASE jumping has taken up an ever-growing part of Mac's free time. 

What goes through your head when your smashing down the side of a mountain? Personally, I like to get a Pantera song in my head and imagine my skis are giant f*cking axes and I'm choppin' down the mountain like a goddam lumberjack on crack. Not much, really. That's why I like it so much–it truly puts you in the moment and clears the mind of everything else. Pantera is awesome, though!

What's your favorite thing to do while laid up? Easy–getting laid!

After not having hucked for two year what were you thinking hitting that f#&$ing massive drop? I'm guessing it was bigger than you thought. I started with a small cliff, about 15-20 feet, and that felt good, so then I went for a bigger one, this time about 30 feet, and that felt good, so then I hit a 50 footer. At that point, I had done so much strength training that my leg was good to go. Didn't hurt a bit!

Do you sometimes have too much pressure from your sponsors and they say you have to ride 15 sick lines in the next month or something like that? Never! My sponsors never tell me what to do, nor do they pressure me. I make my own decisions in the mountains. The only pressure I get from sponsors is to do more social media posts, haha!

You said you usually wear a mouthpiece for big hucks. Any other body armor? Nope! I used to wear a spine guard, but now that I have an ABS airbag pack, it feels like too much. Plus I'm older and wiser these days.

Why does my dog love eating poop? And then licking my face? Because dogs learn these things from their owners! Stop eating poop, and maybe your dog will, too.

Biggie or Tupac? Tupac all the way!

How many days in a season do you ski at a resort? Probably about 60-70. My season is usually very busy with travel, sledding, helis and hiking, so I always get in well over 100 days in total.

Ian McIntosh performing a rare turn on the steeps of Alaska during the filming for Almost Ablaze.

What is your favorite hobby outside skiing and jumping off tall shit? Besides BASE jumping and skiing, I love mountain biking, surfing, sex, and epic dance parties!

Who's your favorite skier/snowboarder to watch? All time and currently... Shane McConkey all time! Jeremy Jones and Xavier De Le Rue are my favorite snowboarders. With skiers, it's currently a toss-up between Sage and Sean Pettit. Sage is my favorite guy to ski big lines with.

What is one thing that irks you about skiing? Tall tees and no poles!

I also want to know if he's ever skied in a kilt while playing bagpipes? No, but I got married in a kilt. I divorced her in jeans though, haha!

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It all began with a dream and a little cash scraped together from fishing in Alaska... Since 1995, we've been an action sports media company committed to fueling progression through our ground-breaking films (37 and counting) and online content.