Noah Gaffney Talks His Mind-Melting Palisades Double Backflip
Skier Noah Gaffney has already left a mark on Palisades Tahoe's world-renowned terrain. Cliff drops, straight lines—you name it, Gaffney's probably done it.
But that doesn't mean there still isn't room for improvement.
Last week, Gaffney uploaded a video of himself notching a presumed Palisades Tahoe first: a double backflip off Goodwill's.
The double backflip itself is impressive, but Gaffney's willingness to attempt this not once but three times is the real star of the show. Stepping up to a huck this large multiple times takes an absurd amount of perseverance, and work.
Goodwill's is accessible from the Granite Chief lift but requires about 20 minutes of hiking to reach. In total, Gaffney had to schlep more than an hour to finally lace the double on his third attempt. If anything, his doggedness should dispel the myth that committed skiers—and ski bums—are a lazy bunch.
Here's a quick email interview with Gaffney to shed a little more light on the recent Goodwill's action:
To your knowledge, is this the first time someone's double back flipped Goodwill's?
"To my knowledge this is the first time anybody has double backflipped Goodwill's. Never seen a photo, video, or even heard of someone doing it before so I'm pretty sure I'm the first."
Trying something terrifying after you've crashed isn't easy. How did you develop the mental fortitude to give a trick that gnarly multiple goes?
"After I crashed on the first attempt I realized that it wasn't that bad. The crash didn't hurt at all and midair it felt like I was going to land it. After going through that first crash I knew I could do it. I just stayed confident and kept telling myself that I could stomp the trick."
In my understanding, most of your recent content has been relegated to YouTube and Instagram. Can we expect any longer form videos or ski movie appearances from you in the future?
"I'm not gonna be in any ski movies this year, but I am planning on making more longer videos. Going to start creating some vlog style content of some of my adventures in the backcountry."
To add onto that question—what's next for you? What shape do you hope your ski career takes? It seems like you're only getting started.
"Not really sure what's next for me. I have a lot of zones I want to explore in the backcountry all over Tahoe and start doing some more freeride out there, but other than I don't have many other plans for my future ski career. I'm just going to continue to ski, hopefully get out into new terrain and document my adventures in some longer videos."
Related: The Best April Fools Day Jokes From Around The Ski Industry
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