Photo By: Will Pippin
Phil Casabon has never really followed the rules of freeskiing. From walking away from racing as a kid in Quebec to becoming one of the most recognisable and influential names in street skiing, B-Dog has built a career around doing things his own way. His skiing has always been less about ticking off tricks and more about finding new possibilities, whether that means reshaping a street spot, hunting for a line, building a soundtrack or turning a ski project into something bigger.
From the B&E era with Henrik Harlaut and the creative spirit of the B&E Invitational, to Real Ski, Off The Leash and his latest project Casablunted, Casabon has spent more than two decades pushing freeskiing forward without losing sight of why he started in the first place: freedom, creativity and having fun.
Now, with years of experience, injuries and countless video parts behind him, B-Dog is still chasing progression. We caught up with the freeskiing legend to talk street skiing, hip-hop, risk, creativity, J.P. Auclair, animation, social media and why staying authentic might be the hardest trick of them all.
FRANK 151: Growing up in Quebec, you walked away from racing after discovering ski films. What did you see in freeskiing that racing could never give you?
PHIL CASABON: Freedom. No coaches correcting your every move. No schedule. No team uniform. Freeskiing had a rebellious style, and I’m a rebel. Plus, I’d reached the age where racing meant wearing a tight speed suit. There was no way that was happening.
Photo by: Félix Rioux
FRANK 151: People can usually recognise a B-Dog clip before they even see your name. What makes a trick or line feel authentically yours?
PHIL CASABON: When I’m being filmed, it’s repetition until satisfaction or exhaustion. Satisfaction iz feeling like I can’t do it better—even though there’s alwayz better. It’s hard to put into wordz, but I know it’s IT when I’m fully immersed in the doing, relaxed, and I get the clip high after landing it — real stoked!
FRANK 151: You look at street spots with a skateboarder’s eye. When you arrive somewhere new, what do you see that most skiers miss?
PHIL CASABON: Possibilities that might take a little extra set up work. I’ll spend another day shovelling or exploring if it means more ski time and keeping thingz interesting. Rather than bringing park trickz into the street, I’m drawn to features I wouldn’t find in a park and figuring out what I can do with them.
FRANK 151: Your skiing has always carried a strong hip-hop rhythm. Does music influence how you move on skis before it ever reaches the editing room?
PHIL CASABON: Yesir, it’s in my heartbeat. I’ve been listening to hip-hop for just about thirty yearz, so it’s shaped how I move. I love variety and listen to plenty of other genrez, but hip-hop, and reggae, drive me the most.
FRANK 151: Casablunted feels more like a complete film than a collection of tricks. How involved are you in the music, filming, pacing and final edit?
PHIL CASABON: For this one, I’m involved in everything except the actual filming: skiing, production, creative direction, and editing. I don’t make the music myself, but I like being in the studio and shaping it together. For Casablunted, that meant building the soundtrack with Jessee Pépin.
FRANK 151: Real Ski pushed you into some heavy battles. With more years and injuries behind you, how has your relationship with risk changed?
PHIL CASABON: There’s still some recklessness in me, but nowadayz I try to leave as little as possible to chance. I put in the extra work to make a spot as safe as I can, and stay patient when the conditionz aren’t right. The goal iz to ski for as long as possible, so I set myself up for that.
Photo by: Riley Leboe
FRANK 151: Off The Leash attracted more than 60 video entries. What did those riders show you about the current state and future of freeskiing?
PHIL CASABON: That we’re in a golden age of street skiing, and the youth iz hungry to prove themselves. The format iz amazing, and I have to credit Eric Iberg for it. This year, we’re putting up $21k in prize money. Hopefully, it keeps gaining momentum so I can keep refining the formula.
FRANK 151: You and Henrik Harlaut challenged the traditional contest format through the B&E era. What did that movement unlock—and what does competitive skiing still misunderstand about creativity?
PHIL CASABON: I wouldn’t claim the B&E Invitational unlocked something that hadn’t been done before. The Candide Invitational had a similar spirit. We kept that grassrootz style of event alive and gave it our flavor.
Jib League iz one example of competitive skiing doing it right. It starts with the culture and a passion for skiing. I think that a lot of contest are runned by people powered by lucrative intentionz. When profit comes first, thingz tend to stay ordinary. A passion project can become profitable, but the order matterz.
FRANK 151: J.P. Auclair recognised your talent early and helped open the door to Armada. What lesson from J.P. still guides the decisions you make today?
PHIL CASABON: He shared his priority list with me: health, family, craft, friendz, leisure—in that order. I’ve done my best to respect it. Through his actionz, he also taught me to treat people with kindness, speak with intent and to have fun.
I’m eternally grateful for J-P’z impact on my life and ski career, I would not be here if it wasn’t for him providing opportunities.
Phil taking his own route as usual at Kimbo Sessions. Photo: Daniel Ronnback
FRANK 151: A knee injury pushed your creativity into animation and the B-Dog character. Where does that project stand, and what did animation teach you about storytelling?
PHIL CASABON: It’s still on hold while the story gets rewritten to give it a stronger arc. Along the way, it’s morphed into the comic book realm. It taught me that making a compelling story iz incredibly hard and that animation, done by human’z, iz mad expensive.
FRANK 151: Social media rewards tricks that can be understood in seconds. Do you think that has helped creativity in skiing, or made originality harder to protect?
PHIL CASABON: Both. Social media exposes skierz to a wealth of techniques and possibilities. But when everyone draws from the same sources, thingz start looking alike. That’s nothing new—it’s how trendz work. Social media just accelerates the cycle.
Incredible skiing gets consumed like fast food, with little time to appreciate what went into it. That’s why longer-format projectz matter: they give your ideaz room to develop and your character space to come through. Authenticity standz the test of time.
FRANK 151: After influencing freeskiing for more than two decades, what are you chasing now—not just as a skier, but as an artist?
PHIL CASABON: Consistency, and bridging the generational gapz. Staying open to new perspectives enables me to adapt and keep progressing. Detailz. The goal iz refinement—make what I do as palatable as possible without losing the flavor. Above all, I find fulfilment in the whole creative process. It keepz life fun and interesting.
