On top of the world: Craig Murray at Natural Selection Ski
For freeride skier, film visionary, and enduro racer Craig Murray, creativity is at the heart of everything he does. Fresh off his win at the first-ever Natural Selection Ski event in Alaska, Craig reflects on his experience at and approach to the unprecedented event.
What was your first impression when you arrived at the NST venue in Alaska?
It felt like I was on another planet. Flying in a ski plane, weaving between sharp peaks, swooping down a ridge before landing on the glacier was like being in a giant nature theme park. Then walking through the small city of tents and snow structures at camp was impressive. The thought of 25 people staying here was cool. Then there was the comp face, towering above camp. I could almost feel the magnitude of it pulling us. The scale was huge—everything was 2x the size, steep, and scary.
How did the terrain and format of NST influence your approach to your run?
I enjoyed the format which gave riders multiple opportunities to show their skiing. The wide-open terrain with sustained pitch and multiple features is my favorite canvas. I was excited to open my skiing up and largely let the mountain determine where I would turn, launch, and land. To say I was grateful is an understatement.
NST aims to blend big mountain riding with freestyle progression—how did that align with your personal style?
I think that suits me well. I enjoy and pursue many aspects of skiing. However I don’t think too much about it. I try to ski what attracts me, hopefully executing it the way that I visualize it.
How did NST challenge you differently than other comps or projects you’ve been part of?
The anticipation over the winter was intense. I wasn’t sure how my body would hold up by the end of March with a lingering injury. I stopped skiing at the end of Feb to try and get as fit as I could for it. So, for me, it was a mental challenge—I had very low confidence and was close to pulling out in early March. However, I had to trust myself and I’m glad I went for the full experience. The result was honestly just a bonus.
What about the venue itself—what made it so unique or difficult?
I think the scale of the face combined with visual inspection was challenging. There were so many features and options it was hard to not get overwhelmed when choosing a line. It is one of the longer comp venues I’ve skied in terms of vertical meters. However the biggest challenge in the end was the snow conditions. The day before the event there was a warm-up, and it became very tricky to ski most of the originally planned lines—especially on the qualification side of the venue.
Was there a moment during the event where you felt fully in your element?
After being off skis for a while, just dropping in again for that first run felt good. I had so much fun. Once I had some flow from that, the remaining runs didn’t feel as tense. I managed to slip into a groove despite a couple of big crashes.
YOUR SKIING ALWAYS FEELS LIKE A BLEND OF ART AND ATHLETICISM—HOW DO YOU DEFINE CREATIVITY IN SKIING?
Thank you, those are both things that I love. I think creativity in skiing for me is largely doing what feels right. It sounds cliché, but following your heart, standing by it, and not worrying about what others are doing, or thinking. Creativity is being you (:
WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM WHEN YOU’RE BUILDING A LINE OR VISUALIZING A RUN?
I try to pick a first feature or turn that looks fun, and let my energy, experience and preparation take it from there. Sometimes it’s hard to stop that energy because I get too excited when skiing. These days I’m trying to get better at containing it in a more sustainable way ha..
YOU’RE ALSO RACE ENDURO. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM MOUNTAIN BIKING THAT YOU CARRY INTO YOUR SKIING—PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY?
I think racing on the EDR the last few years has offered a fresh perspective on competition. It helped me deal with pressure and nerves when dropping into NST. At the EDR you race multiple stages a day. The clock starts ticking at the top and there’s no turning back, so the faster you can drop into your flow state the better. I think holding on down long EDR stages was similar to how I felt in my final runs. Reacting to things in real-time, getting bucked at speed, fighting gravity, and trying to stay strong yet fluid. It’s interesting to think about, thank you for bringing it up!
With your background in ski filmmaking, how did NST’s cinematic format influence the way you approached your line choice and riding style in Alaska?
It was super nice to be aligned with that aspect of the event. I think it helped me to choose lines that I liked.
IF YOU COULD BE REMEMBERED FOR ONE THING IN YOUR SKIING, WHAT DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?
Helping others create their own experiences in nature.
Tune in to the replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/Z6pIYw6iDZU?si=fsA174uwLud-S5Xr
Photos by: Chad Chomlack & Leslie Hittmeier/ Natural Selection Tour