Biografia
Professional skier and TV personality Rory "Bushy" Bushfield is making an impact worldwide. Hailing from Alberta, he began his diverse career as a Moguls skier on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, quickly earning several gold medals and a Junior World Championship title. As his reputation grew in Moguls, a new discipline called freeskiing emerged. Drawn to its adventurous, rule-breaking style, Bushfield transitioned full-time to professional freeskiing.
He garnered numerous accolades in freeskiing, including a gold medal at the 2002 Planet X Winter Games Freeskiing Championship, sixth place in slopestyle at the US Freestyle Open, and Powder Magazine’s "Most Man-Made Air" award. He became a regular at major events like the Winter X Games and BMW X3 Freeski Invitational while also pioneering backcountry skiing. Bushfield holds the distinction of being the first skier to successfully land a 1080 in Half-Pipe competition.
Bushfield has also made a strong mark in ski films, featuring in over thirty major productions such as Matchstick Productions’ Seven Sunny Days and Attack of La Nina, and Rocky Mountain Sherpas’ All.I.Can. In 2012, he joined X Games star Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus Live Tour, showcasing his freeskiing skills on roller skis to sold-out arenas worldwide.
Beyond skiing, Bushfield ventured into design, creating the "Bushywayne" powder ski in winter 2013—the first in Nordica’s "Pro Model" series. He was involved in every aspect of its development, including the Surrealistic-style graphic he describes as “basically a skull throwing up parts of my garage.”
In March of the same year, Bushfield brought his athleticism and charisma to television as the first celebrity champion of ABC’s diving competition show Splash! Despite suffering a ruptured eardrum early on, which prevented water training, he performed every dive live for the first time during broadcasts. His natural talent, positivity, and good looks won over judges, fans, and fellow cast members alike, earning him the top prize.
Off the slopes and screen, Bushfield dedicates time to philanthropy. He volunteers as a youth ski coach and founded the Sarah Burke Foundation, honoring his late wife, action sports icon and professional freeskier Sarah Burke. A 2014 Sochi Olympic Gold Medal hopeful, Sarah was the first female professional Half-Pipe skier, winning five X-Games gold medals and the first skier ESPY award, breaking barriers for women in action sports. The foundation supports young winter athletes financially and contributes to charities such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
Looking ahead to late 2013 and 2014, Bushfield remains active. In September 2013, he will join the Into the Mind World Film Tour, a philosophical sports documentary featuring top action sports athletes exploring remote global locations. He will then support Team Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics before rejoining the Nitro Circus Live Tour.
Currently, Bushfield lives in Squamish, British Columbia, with his dog, Dexter The Great.
