Sage Cattabriga-Alosa
BEND, OREGON
“A cool thing about the human experience is that we all have these unique ways we see the world. And the more you have an outlet like that, the more you're able to sort of see other peoples’ minds and visions. So I think it both allows you to be creative and expressive, and also opens you up to seeing that world in others and appreciating the differences.”
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa emerged in the early 2000s as skiing’s reluctant visionary; an artist disguised as an athlete. Raised between the deserts of Oregon and the high ranges of Wyoming, he absorbed both landscapes: the openness of one, the volatility of the other. But it was in Utah where Sage made his first notable artistic stroke. In 2001, after helping a Teton Gravity Research film crew build a gap jump in at Pyramid Gap, Sage threw and landed a massive double front flip on his first attempt that turned the heads of TGR founders. It landed him his first film segment in TGR’s “Mind the Addiction,” and not long after, the coveted invitation to film in Alaska.
“There was a year in Petersburg when we had a super-long down day set—two weeks of being skunked by the weather. The first day it cleared, we went out and I found a spine into a crevasse gap. I flat-spun over the crevasse gap, which was massive, probably one of the biggest gaps I’ve ever hit, and I was at the bottom with this great sense of pride and awe. What brings you awe, and what brings you a sense of accomplishment, is that you're fulfilling your imagination.”
Alaska quickly became Sage’s primary canvas. His expertise in freeriding’s most revered terrain grew with each season, all captured by the lenses of Teton Gravity Research’s cameras, where Sage is featured in over 18 of their annual films. Watching Sage ski, you feel the weight of calculation vanish. Every drop, every arc, every airborne pause seems both improvised and inevitable. Sage never fights with the terrain, instead, he’s in constant conversation, the mountains feeding his creativity. For Sage, gravity is less like a force and more like a partnership.
“I focus on the love of it and just enjoy skiing. I’m not afraid to do hard things, but I am mostly out here for the challenges that eventually lead to some sense of accomplishment and joy, rather than the type-two suffering fun.”
Sage has left a considerable mark on free skiing, mentoring athletes like Angel Collinson and Nick McNutt. Sage’s 20-plus-year career came not just from his award-winning segments or his self-produced art projects, but through his emphasis on the joy of skiing that continues to inspire fans and fellow pros to get out on the slopes. Sage still films jaw-dropping segments each year, but contrasts those segments with his self-produced vlog that celebrates resort riding and includes educational tips on gear and packing. When Sage isn’t riding spines or pillow lines, he can be found in a lift line with his twin daughters, probably grinning.
Career Highlights
● More than 25 major ski film appearances, including Warren Miller Entertainment and Teton Gravity Research (2004–present)
● Best Powder Segment, Powder Video Awards (2013, 2014, 2018)
● Best Male Performance, Powder Video Awards (2004, 2009, 2011, 2015)
● Reader Poll Winner, Powder Awards (2005–2013)
● Named among ESPN’s 50 Most Influential Action Sports Athletes (2013)
● 3rd Place, Red Bull Cold Rush (2012)
● 2nd Place, Red Bull Cold Rush (2011)
● Freeride World Tour competitor (2008–2010)
● Breakthrough Performance, Powder Video Awards (2004)
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