Semi-professional freeskier Luke “Lupe” Hagearty stated, “I began the sport around two-years-old. My parents would take me down the hill between their legs.”
Hagearty said, “Skiers who inspired me growing up are Phil Casabon, Chris Logan, and Henrik Harlaut.”
The rising skier has a range of sponsors from outfitters to ski parks. Hagearty said, “I am sponsored by Nordica Skis, Orage Outerwear, Shred Optics, Studio Clothing, Digit Poles Carinthia Parks at Mount Snow, Suburban Sports, and Inspired Media.”
Hagearty said accumulating a fan base has, “been incredibly exciting. It makes me want to keep doing what I am doing.”
He continued, “It’s strange having gone from being someone who was confused about what they were doing on the mountain, to being a person that people come up to for advice.”
The Connecticut-born skier recently worked with freeskier Tanner Hall and about the experience said, “The experience was surreal; I grew up watching Hall’s movies. If someone told me at twelve [years old] that I’d be working with him I wouldn’t believe them.” The two began collaborating after working together, “After being featured in the same edits, though we didn’t actually film together for them, I hit him up about filming together,” Hagearty said.
Hagearty continued, “Tanner put me in touch with Eric Iberg who suggested doing a web series.”
Iberg is a director and co-founder of Inspired Media Concepts which has produced numerous films within the ski industry, according to Hagearty.
“Iberg is pretty open with letting me do what I want with the series.” Said Hagearty.
Hagearty has released two episodes of his web series titled The Style Files on the Inspired Media Concepts website. The first episode was released on February 20 with the second following on April 12.
Brett Coffin, a KSC sophomore and long-time friend of Hagearty’s, said, “A lot of people don’t know Lupe can snowboard, in sixth grade he switched to skiing. Since then we’ve been skiing together. I’ve known him since elementary school.” Coffin, who frequently films for Lupe, continued, “We used to ride around filming as kids. One of our other friends used to film, but he was pretty bad, then he started skiing so I bought a camera and started filming.
Coffin described Lupe as, “Such a maniac with a wild personality but also one of the nicest people. Junior year of high school we realized he was going to be a pro. He went off on his own living at a house on Mount Snow and got really into the lifestyle.”
“Last year Lupe started helping us out through his connections. Eight-sixty [860] Media (Coffins film production organization) wouldn’t be where it is today without Lupe behind us pushing.”
Shred Optics’ Content Manager, AJ Avrin, said, “I found Luke in a video for the Superunkown competition on freeskier.com that they had for a magazine.” Avrin continued, “We chose him to represent our brand because he really embodies the free ski movement. I think he is very authentic and has a tremendous passion; that made him such a great match for us.”
He then said, “I would like to see him continue his filming projects, whether it be with Inspired Media or whatever he wants. Lupe is in his natural environment while he’s on the mountain, if he wants to create his own project who would we be to stop him.”
Sophomore Nathaniel Backus said, “He’s an animal, he’s got guts sending it off of the jumps he sends it off.”
Zachary Fournier can be contacted at zfournier@keene-equinox.com