Sign-In
Cart
Born to fly: Freestyle ski roots
Paperback
Series: Epic Biographies, Book 1
AthletesAustralia & OceaniaSkiing
Publisher Price: $24.99
ISBN13: 9780958193047
Publisher: Epicscope
Published: Oct 9 2018
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.62
Height: 0.51 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
In celebration of the original 'Godfather of Freestyle'. Born to Fly is the story of Australian Eric Hymans, one of the wild men of hot-dog skiing in the 1970s and '80s, who lived an epic ski life.
Eric Hymans isn't a household name in today's ski world - not in the Australian ski world he inhabited, nor in the freestyle worlds he had a hand in forming. But this engaging biography throws the spotlight on the often eyebrow-raising ski-bum culture of the early days. More than that, it's a story of a warm-hearted, talented yet troubled man whose lack of family grounding, early exposure to drugs and desire to impress his ski-mad father sent him on a roller-coaster of partying, back-to-back ski seasons and a name as the Godfather of Freestyle.
TALES FROM THE MOUNTAIN
The story came about after a chance meeting in Mount Beauty, between Eric, approaching 60, and the author - a freerider, Falls Creek resident and fan of Team Red. At Eric's bachelor pad over a bottle of Shiraz, to the backdrop of The Verbier Connection movie poster, the one-time legend tells his story. There are also accounts from Eric's contemporaries - from Olympian Steve Lee to film-maker Trevor Avedissian, to Lynne Grosse, a major figure in the freestyle story (a former gymnast, she became Australian women's champion two years after first putting on skis, as well as the first woman to do a double backflip on skis). Included are a collection of photos.
The book features myriad mountain tales - some funny, some shocking - with Eric at the epicentre. It tells of his first break competing in bumps on the Peter Stuyvesant Freestyle Tour in Thredbo; of his job as a 'sherpa' in La Plagne, alongside Lynne, that led them towards movie-making with Jean-Claude Killy; and the birth of Team Red and Falls Creek's Summit Masters bumps competition, devised by Lynne.
TURBULENT TIMES
The peripheral stories are just as absorbing. Eric's Dutch father, Bob, built the first chairlift in the Southern Hemisphere after being a Japanese POW. The Hymans kids had a facinating upbringing. Until his 40s, Eric lived a life of mostly bumps, aerials and powder. He clocked top freestyle plaudits, appeared in films and photoshoots (namely The Verbier Connection) and, in those early days of athlete sponsorship, landed some kit deals.
Along with evening jobs - mainly cooking at The Man Restaurant - he was the life and soul of parties by night. Unsurprisingly, he sometimes ran into trouble, sometimes drugs-related, and he flitted between women. In his words: The agenda was having fun, living in the moment, searching for new thrills.
Many of his freeski and party pals had died along the way, and during the editing of the book his friend, former girlfriend, cofounder of Team Red and protégée Lynne passed away aged 56.
The book was launched in September 2018, at the revival of Falls Creek's Summit Masters, and in a sad but somehow fitting finale, Eric himself died, aged 60, that very night.
Synopsis by Yolanda Carslaw - associate editor of Fall-line skiing magazine
Also in
Athletes
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
Dick Bremer: Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins
Bruton, Jim
Bremer, Dick
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Paperback
The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool
Dugard, Martin
Hardcover
The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner
Vaccaro, Mike
Hardcover
Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
Smith, Sam
Jackson, Phil
Hardcover
Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball
Epplin, Luke
Hardcover
Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher
Strawberry, Darryl
Hardcover
The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete
Long, Matt
Butler, Charles
Paperback
Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation Into Grit
Hunt-Broersma, Jacky
Hardcover
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
Miller, John W.
Hardcover
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Walsh, Craig
Walsh, Bill
Jamison, Steve
Paperback
In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World
Freedom, Enes Kanter
Hardcover
Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors
Pronger, Chris
Hardcover
How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Formula 1 Designer
Newey, Adrian
Hardcover
Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Barrier
McLaughlin, Sean J.
Hardcover
The Bookie: How I Bet It All on Sports Gambling and Watched an Industry Explode
Manteris, Art
Birkbeck, Matt
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Hamilton, Bethany
Bundschuh, Rick
Paperback
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
O'Brien, Keith
Paperback
The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis's Battle for Freedom During World War II
Roberts, Randy
Smith, Johnny
Hardcover
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
Schaap, Jeremy
Paperback
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Durkin, Tom
Volponi, Paul
Shulman, Lenny
Hardcover
When We Were Young and Fearless: Kevin, Russell, James, and the Making of the Modern NBA
Abrams, Jonathan
Hardcover
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Miller, Kevin
Silvia, Brent
Hardcover
The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever
Talty, John
Hardcover
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Lomong, Lopez
Paperback
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Hardcover
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Ryan, Tom
Paperback
Ashes to Endzone: The Fight for Identity, Faith, and a Future Bigger Than the Game
Jones, Perris
Hardcover
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions
Parker, Candace
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird (Large Print Edition)
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Eruzione, Mike
Boudette, Neal
Paperback
That World Cup Guy: Forty Years, Nine World Cups and One Fan's Incredible Journey
Milne, Andy
Paperback
The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality
Pearlman, Jeff
Paperback
The Skateboard Life: Movers, Shakers, Makers & Rulebreakers: The Quintessential Story of Skateboard Culture
Williams, Neftalie
Hardcover
Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
Lear, Chris
Greif, Andrew
Brosnan, Sean
Hardcover
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages
Plunkett, Bill
Hardcover
Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler
Wertheim, L. Jon
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time Crossfit Games Champion
Davidsdottir, Katrin
McKernan, Rory
Paperback