Jess Hotter went from the local slopes of Turoa Skifield to shredding the Freeride World Tour. Instead of going straight to university after finishing high school, Jess headed off to Canada for a GAP year and has never looked back. She has just finished her first season on the Freeride Ski World Tour, coming away with ‘Rookie of the year’ and winning gold at Kicking Horse Mountain stop in Canada. We chat about her passion for skiing, mountain culture and the freeride lifestyle. We talk about risk, decision-making and the psychology of Freeride competitions. We also talk about Obsidian, the latest event to hit the snow scene in New Zealand.