Amie Engerbretson on Hosting X Games Ventura
"You really just have to hustle", says professional freeskier Amie Engerbretson on how being an action sports athlete has changed in the last fifteen years.
Engerbretson has flexed her creative muscles as a producer, filmmaker, and on-screen talent since turning pro, but her debut as the host of the in-house show at X Games Ventura last month in front of 20,000+ fans was a leap into something completely new.
Courtesy Amie Engerbretson
The opportunity came after she took a gig as the on-screen host of Outside's new Ultimate Mountain Athlete (UMA) series where she worked alongside Selema Masekela. The legendary on-screen action sports host was impressed, and sent tapes of Engerbretson's performance to X Games for consideration.
"I was stoked to get the call [from X Games]", says Engerbretson, "because hosting is something that I thought would be fun before my ski career started working out."
X Games Ventura was Engerbretson's first gig outside of the skiing world, but it wasn't her first on-camera hosting role. "One year when I was trying to qualify for the Freeride World Tour, I blew out my knee. So I ended up hosting a little bit, like field announcing, and what was crazy about that is, back then, I was getting paid more to host than I would have gotten paid if I won."
That was a decade ago, but Engerbretson has been honing her public speaking and on-camera chops through work with Protect Our Winters (POW), sponsorship opportunities, and a slew of ski movie cameos throughout her career.
Courtesy Amie Engrebretson
Her prior experience in ski media certainly helped, but Engerbretson had to pour through "hundreds" of pages of research on BMX, moto, and skate athletes to prepare for her assignments at X Games Ventura.
"I didn't have to call tricks, but [as the color commentator] it was my job to keep track of the competition.", said Engerbretson. "I was really intimidated because I'd never been to X Games. I'd never done a commentating role. And I honestly didn't really know much about any of those sports."
Any fan of Engerbretson's career knows she hasn't shied away from challenges. Whether it's starring in Warren Miller movies, mastering her beloved Snow Pony, testifying to congress, or creating an impactful yet "exhausting" short film called 'The Hypocrite' about climate change, she finds comfort in being uncomfortable.
"I'm not quitting my ski career to start hosting, but I think it's a cool thing that could maybe, if anything, help extend my ski career, just even from a financial perspective."
Courtesy Amie Engerbretson
Engerbretson has her eyes set on more hosting gigs both in and out of skiing, but there's one goal she's been manifesting for "years" that she hopes all of this leads to.
"It's silly, outrageous and fairly unlikely, but I'm also dead serious that it's always been my life goal to somehow become a G, maybe D level celebrity and get invited on Dancing with the Stars. That's actually my goal."
Whether she's the first pro skier on Dancing With The Stars or not, we're certain Engerbretson's career in the action sports world is far from over.
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