Born to fly

Freestyle ski roots

Peter Corney, Eric Marc Hymans

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Paperback

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English

Epicscope
09 October 2018

Biography: sport; Australasian & Pacific history; Philosophy; Religion & beliefs; Skiing

Series: Epic Biographies

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 protegee 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

By: Peter Corney
Other: Eric Marc Hymans
Imprint: Epicscope
Edition: 3rd Memorial Color ed.
Volume: 1
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 281g
ISBN: 9780958193047
ISBN 10: 0958193045
Series: Epic Biographies
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 09 October 2018
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Peter Corney is a visionary, storyteller, freerider. He has published ten Journals and Poetry for the People, a storybook that put skiers, boardriders, bikers and flyers in the same genre. As a pioneer snowboarder he was criticised for putting a skier on the cover of his first edition. He stands up for the greater freeride family. Peter first visited Falls Creek to go snowboarding in 1988 and moved there in the autumn of '91. Since then he has lived twenty-six winters at home and thirteen overseas. Chasing snow and working seasons in the USA, Japan, Canada, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. Preacher of the Summit Heartcore International Freeride Tribe (SHIFT), he is a campaigner for everyone to find their own EpicBalance. Creating photo storylines to inspire one-love and equilibrium is a passion, hence his business being called Epicscope and his moniker - Pea Ce. Born in Papua New Guinea in 1970 to an Australian mother and a Kiwi father, Peter was private school educated at Braemar College in Woodend, north of Melbourne. He then successfully completed an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering apprenticeship with the now defunct Ansett Australia, '1987-1991 (Airframe & Engines), in the top 5% of inductees. To the shock of family, friends and peers he resigned almost immediately to become a snowboard bum. Gaining experience in a wide variety of mountain resort employment, from ski tech to kitchen hand, pizza chef to bar manager, snowmaking to terrain park development and resort grooming maintenance operations. All the while writing and modeling for magazines to market freeride action sports to wider audiences. He continues on his mission of expanding balance on Earth. Eric Hymans was a town drunk in his later years who has a story or two to share. He has lived an epic life as a ski champion and an outlaw. His story is about freestyle. Eric passed away from alcohol related liver failure the night this book was launched to the world. Rest in peace grand master.

Reviews for Born to fly: Freestyle ski roots

'From my generation, Eric Hymans was one of the real characters of the Falls Creek community.' Steven Lee - Champion skier 'Some very good writing and sensational memories... Nice work, you've captured an era.' Jim Darby - Editor of The Ski Mag 'A truly great presentation of a deeply passionate and complex friend. You have done him proud with your words... and have managed in the same breath, to give some honour to many people who shared his journey... not an easy feat.' Katie Steven - Champion Team Red Skier 'Born to Fly is a beautifully crafted portrait of Eric Hymans. It shows the sheer gravity of success Hymans' achieved and the difficulty of maintaining such success. Raw, honest, and emotional. 'Born to Fly' highlights not only the rise of freestyle skiing, but the journey of its foremost athlete. Readers will be captivated and inspired.' Ashley Pascual - Senior Editor at Austin Macauley