For freeskier Sarah Burke, you’d actually leave the lodge

In the same way that Bed, Bath & Beyond exercises a tractor-beam-like pull on your girlfriend, hot women cannot resist performing amazing feats on North America’s slopes. When freeskier Sarah Burke competes against February 2005 FHM star Kristi Leskinen in the coming Winter X Games, the sport will once again stake its claim to being the sexiest in the world per capita.

“I don’t know why there are all these attractive girls in freeskiing,” says the 23-year-old. “I guess mountain people usually look healthy.”

Now based in Whistler, British Columbia, Sarah is looking to rule the sport after fighting her way back from a torn MCL in 2003 to finish second in the 2005 Winter X Games and Gravity Games. Her secret weapon? Dedication.

“I’ll leave a guy in bed if the powder is fresh,” Sarah says. “Good sex is good sex, but powder days are seriously special.” As is she.

What’s your most dangerous trick?
A 900-degree spin in the halfpipe. That makes me nervous. If you don’t push hard enough, you land on the top of the halfpipe; if you push too hard, you fall down to the bottom.

What happens when it all goes wrong?
Stitches and broken bones come with the territory. I’ve torn my patellar tendons, done the MCL in my right knee and I’ve broken both of my thumbs. The bruises are the worst. I was doing a rail slide last year in Oslo, Norway, and I ended up grinding the cement stairs with my face and my hip instead. In May 2005, I also fell over my ski boot and ended up with a palm-sized pocket of blood on my leg. For two months afterward, you could poke at it and feel the mushy liquid.

How can a newcomer to skiing make less of a fool of himself?
Stick to what you’re comfortable with and don’t flail your arms. It’s the crazy arms that make you look like a Larry. And if you don’t know what a Larry is, you probably are one.

Do non-skiing guys stand a chance?
Of course. He just has to like cold weather and be a good masseuse. Most guys don’t believe that I’m a skier when they see me at the lodge. They think I’ve just been lounging around all day. One of my sponsors even hit on me once; he had no clue who I was. There are always eight guys to every girl in ski towns too. I get groped a lot in ski-town bars.

You live in a ski lodge. Is it a seven-day-a-week party?
Pretty much. In skiing, everyone thrives on adrenaline. After coming off the mountain, you have to find something to keep that stoke going. There are always shots lined up.

What’s your poison?
Straight vodka. I swore off the Jägermeister two years ago because it made me super rowdy and loud.

Why isn’t freeskiing an Olympic sport?
Moguls skiing is a more dated form of freeskiing. Unfortunately, Olympic officials haven’t figured that out yet; they are a bit slow when it comes to progression. Last year was the first year women competed in freeskiing at the X Games, which we had to fight for. The next step is getting it into the Olympics.

Has a snowboarder ever deliberately made you cry?
No, but they can be jerks. Skiing is making a comeback. There are a lot more of us now than there was when I broke into the sport.

And who will win the inevitable showdown for the mountain?
Skiers for sure. Skiers are faster. Plus, we have our poles to take out snowboarders if we have to.