Hitting the Road with Freestyle Skier Nick Goepper

For Nick, part of his journey home involves spending some quality time with his winter white Toyota Tacoma and the open road. After an epic season, he has spent a lot of time this spring and summer driving across the West. When asked about some of his favorite spots he has taken the truck this year, he mentioned heading to Mammoth for some skiing; Joshua Tree National Park to do some off-roading with his fiancé; and then Mount Hood, Oregon for some skiing and trail exploring. He and his fiancé even camp in his truck with the help of a rooftop tent. "Being able to drive anywhere with a rooftop tent is pretty sweet! I like to be able to go camping in the middle of nowhere," Nick explained. It allows you to have total freedom in deciding your destination.

People from WeatherTech may have last seen Nick Goepper during his takeover of the WeatherTech Instagram account as he trekked through Wyoming. When we asked him about that trip Nick laughed and said, "It’s funny you mention that. We were driving through Rock Springs, Wyoming, and we pull up to this little valley. We let the tent down and we begin to set up camp, and the sun is going down. We didn’t realize in Wyoming, in the middle of April in the high desert, it goes from like 70 degrees during the day to 25 degrees at night. So we were NOT prepared for how freezing cold it would be that night. It was literally snowing on the inside of our tent because of the frost from the condensation! So we got some awesome photos and did some off-roading but we didn’t sleep ONE wink that night because we were freezing!"

But that’s part of the appeal of being on the road – never knowing what you’re going to come across. However, that does not mean one needs to travel completely unprepared! We asked Nick about some of his essentials for being on the road.

First are the mandatory road trip snacks. For Nick, these include PowerBars for a quick snack he can stash in the glove compartment, Red Bull to keep him alert and awake, and fruit.

Other travel essentials include his WeatherTech FloorLiners. "I love it because if I took the WeatherTech mats out of my car, you would think it’s brand new. When you go off-roading you’re tracking in mud, dirt, sand and grass. When those elements don’t seep into the interior, it really works out nicely."

And the last essential is a good podcast to enjoy, especially on a solo trip. On a recent trip from Portland to Salt Lake City, Nick shared that he spent around six hours listening to podcasts interviewing entertainer, Kevin Hart. Nick boldly claimed we could ask him anything about the entertainer and he’d probably be able to tell us…and he was right (he really was paying attention to those podcasts).

Nick’s favorite part about being on the road? He said, "I love covering ground. It’s one thing to be flying from the air and seeing things from above. But when you’re on the pavement you can really pay attention to every little detail."

He’s looking forward to his next road trip this fall as he heads to Breckenridge, Colorado to get ready for the Winter Dew Tour where he took second last year in the slopestyle competition.

Nick Goepper is a WeatherTech sponsored athlete. To follow his journey as he prepares for the upcoming freestyle skiing season and all of his other adventures, head to his Instagram page.