February 2016 by Arkade Magazine

PHOTO: CANNON / ZEITER

J A K E B L A UV E LT

J A KE W EL C H

H AN A BE A MA N

YUKI KADONO

MA R CO F E I C HTN ER

AL EX C AN TI N

DAN I MAL S

R ID E S N O WB O A R DS . C O M @R ID E S N O W B O A R DS J A K E BL A U V ELT 2016_ BE R Z E R K ER

NIT

Plumb Photo

TRO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

R: LTC CREW L: SNOWBIRD, UT P: ANDREW MILLER

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10-11 17-19 20 24-25 28-30 34-41 46-54 58-66 68 70

OPENING ACT COVER STORY A GRAPHIC STORY: MICHAEL PADDOCK CHARACTERS: SETH HUOT ORIGINS: CAPITA SNOWBOARDS TRAVEL: CHILE PAT MOORE SHOOTING GALLERY HI-THERE: CHRISTIAN SPARKS INSTAHAM

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OPENING ACT

BRANDON HAMMID WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANE

PHOTO BY BOB PLUMB

Bridges are pretty amazing structures, but far too often taken for granted. Regardless of whether they traverse great distances like San Francisco’s Golden Gate or small creeks like the bridge in this Bob Plumb photo of Brandon Hammid there is something inspiring about them. They signify, both literally and metaphorically, man’s ability to overcome obstacles, to not give in to the hand that’s been dealt, and to always push forward. Brandon Hammid knows all about over coming obstacles. In a young kid’s game Hammid started snowboarding in his twenties, but that did not deter him. He set his mind on becoming pro, and he did that. He wanted to see the world, and he did that. He wanted to film video parts including getting an opener and ender in a video, and he did that too. Now Brandon has come to another bridge to cross, leaving professional snowboarding behind and moving forward with his education. You have to respect a guy who can go out on his own terms, especially in this industry. I’m not sure what future obstacles Brandon has in his path, but I feel confident he will have no problem crossing those bridges when he comes to them just as he does here.

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MASTHEAD

EDITOR & DESIGN Paul Bundy paul@arkadesnowboarding.com

EDITOR & ADVERTISING Cory LLewelyn cory@arkadesnowboarding.com

EDITOR & ONLINE EDITOR Daniel Cochrane daniel@arkadesnowboarding.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Andy Wright, Bob Plumb, E-Stone, Andrew Miller, Tim Peare, Kyle Beckmann, Alex Mertz, Russell Darby

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jacob Malenick, Josh Ruggles

DISTRIBUTION Cooper Llewelyn, The Norm, Laramie Patrick Proudly Printed in Salt Lake City, UT

R: SAM TAXWOOD L: SNOWBIRD, UT P: ANDREW MILLER

ARKADE MAGAZINE 127 South 800 East STE #37 SLC, UT 84102 www.arkadesnowboarding.com info@arkadesnowboarding.com Facebook.com/arkadesnowboarding Twitter.com/arkadesnow Instagram @arkadesnowboarding

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Photo: BEN GIRARDI

CATCH Marie IN

Fall 2016

COVER STORY

PAT MOORE PHOTOGRAPHED BY

ANDREW MILLER WRITTEN BY JACOB MALENICK

Hanging out the side of a helicopter, dangling above the Chilean slopes below with his trusty camera in hand, Andrew Miller captured a piece of Pat Moore’s soul. The story of this photo is a long time in the making, culminating in the meeting of two incredibly talented individuals. Growing up on opposite coasts, Pat and Andrew forged their own impressive careers until snowboarding inevitably drew them to Utah. Despite both living and riding here, they never met until they were deep in the Andes Mountains some 5,000 miles away from where we all call home. With the goal of finishing up the cinematic masterpiece that is Mr. Plant, an all-star cast of riders was brought together to embark on a journey south. Pat and Andrew’s expertise alone would have made for an epic trip, but the legendary crew was rounded out by the shred prowess of Bryan Iguchi, Curtis Ciszek, and filmer Jake Price. With Chile in their sites and a very loose plan in place, they were airborne and excited in no time. They got the legs warmed up early in the trip with laps at the local resort followed by nights of skating and days of surfing when the snow was at its worst, but they knew if powder was to be had, they had to take to the sky. On the second day of the search and after a switch to a braver heli pilot, they all found what they were looking for in the backcountry near Valle Nevado, a resort about 3 hours away from Santiago. For a moment, it was as if the rhythm of the propellers aligned with the shared heartbeat of everyone aboard as the time came to drop. “This was more like a one chance type of situation,” comments Pat, “We were conserving our heli time but wanted to get some over head shots. Each rider got one run to blast some pow turns and luckily we lined up for this one!” The crew had known since the beginning that they were in for spotty snow conditions, but that didn’t stop them from undertaking this adventure. “The thin snowpack made it super sketchy,” reminisces Pat, “Just rallying into a turn was terrifying waiting to clip a rock.” Andrew adds, “This shot was pretty lucky in the fact that the upper turns on this face were pretty wind scoured. Pat some how managed to sniff out this small pocket of pretty blower snow right before disappearing into the shade.” Andrew said he was shooting uncharacteristically tight for such big mountain lines, but I think we can all be thankful he did so, because the end result is photo gold.

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A GRAPHIC STORY

MICHAEL PADDOCK WRITTEN BY JACOB MALENICK

The year 2017 is going to be a particularly good-looking one in the snowboard industry. With the overflow of images pouring in from SIA, there’s no denying that snowboarding’s aesthetics are marching full force into the future, and leading the pack with a flaming sword atop a pitch black unicorn is Art Director and Master Maker Michael Paddock of the Rome Snowboard Design Syndicate. Of all the art concocted by Paddock for Rome’s 2016/17 line, the all-new Buckshot is an obvious standout. The board’s warped women, with their blank eyes and eerie smiles, are able to see into your soul while simultaneously giving you a sense of comfort and familiarity, like gazing lovingly at an old portrait of your mother after a long and twisted night in the throes of LSD. But enough of my diluted words, let’s go to the source. “The Buckshot was a great collaboration inside the Syndicate here,” comments Paddock on the inspiration for the graphic. “Bone Daddy Stillman came across these absurd stock photos from the 70’s, and Sick Boy Fernandez had sent over a wildly distorted piece of art earlier in the year that was the visual inspiration for the piece. I printed out the images of Dolores, Patti and Cynthia (names my own) and started messing with them on the scanner bed. Since Ozzy and Toni helped with the conception of the board, I kept sending sketches to those guys of the artwork for their feedback, and they helped push the artwork to the place you see on the finished board. Overall, this was one of the most fun graphics I’ve had the chance to create.” Having worked with Rome in one way or another since 2003, Paddock’s refined his “modern collage” artistic style to perfectly compliment the overall image and message of the Snowboard Design Syndicate. When asked how he usually comes up with these masterpieces, he mentions, “Lots of wandering down dark holes on the internet helps me find artists that I’d like to work with, and I’m always sketching and writing down notes that will eventually help inform a board graphic in one way or another. There is a fair amount of spontaneity that comes into play as well, and those ideas always feel the best, since they literally take no effort to come up with.” No matter the amount of effort, Paddock’s inspiration always produces, and this time it was the collaborative creative efforts of the Syndicate that prevailed, “With the Buckshot in particular, there is no underlying hidden meaning, but rather a really fun collaboration between a handful of people in the Syndicate,” Paddock comments in summation, “Shouts to the three ladies for being so bizarre in the first place.”

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B-PRO by Barrett Christy / Art by Adam Haynes Gnu.com

CHARACTERS

Seth Huot WRITTEN BY DANIEL COCHRANE PHOTO

BY TIM PEARE

Seth Huot is a throwback to an earlier, some would say purer, DIY era of snowboarding. So it may seem ironic that today he finds himself instrumental in helping other snowboarders establish and maintain their careers with his long time sponsor Volcom. First things first however, reminiscing of his own career and journey through the industry Seth’s path sounds similar the stories of most riders of his era; unplanned and organic; more of a by product of having fun with his friends than a calculated ascent towards sponsorship. “You know it really wasn’t planned at all, especially by todays standards”, recounts Seth speaking about how he broke into the industry “me and my friends saved up for a 3 chip camera and started filming each other, total bro cam style, and from there a lot of things just fell into place.” Those initial edits with the homies were the culmination of years of snowboarding at Brighton after Seth and his family moved to Utah when he was thirteen. “I claim Salt Lake and Utah, even though I was born in North Dakota because when I was really young we traveled a lot. We didn’t really stay in one place more than a year or two. Utah was the first place my family settled down. My dad was really big into hockey, still is, so I think it kind of stung a little when I gave up the hockey pads for this snowboarding thing once we were here,” laughs Seth. In the beginning a career in professional snowboarding was not even on the radar for Seth. Although Utah had professional snowboarders on the mountains Seth’s early heroes were of a more Pacific Northwest fair a la Jamie Lynn. He recounts that he really didn’t see Utah in the magazines or videos so to him it never seemed like something that was obtainable. “It wasn’t about trying to become a pro you know. We didn’t see it that way. We lived and breathed snowboarding for sure, but it was more about riding all weekend and watching videos in the basement all night than it was trying to get sponsors.” It wasn’t until Seth noticed Jason Brown and Brighton in a video did he realize that the dream was alive and well in Utah. Filming with friends on the aforementioned 3-chip camera Seth handed off some footage to local filmmaker Shane Charlebois. “I had all of this footage complied and had somehow become acquainted with Shane Charlebois who was filming with 411 video magazine back then. I handed him a bunch of footage and ended up getting a few shots in one of the videos.” During this time Seth also caught the attention of Blue Montgomery during a summer session in Oregon. In 2000 Blue brought Seth in on

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the ground floor of a yet unnamed project, which eventually came to be known to everyone in the snowboarding world as Capita. Not only did Blue hook Seth up with Capita but also he facilitated Seth’s partnership with Volcom “Blue sent my sponsor me tape to Jay who was the Volcom TM at the time and that’s how I got on Volcom. They were my first and only choice for outerwear.” Seth enjoyed his partnership with Capita, but it was with Volcom that he really cemented a life long relationship. “I had been filming since day one, exploring angles, taking pictures, as well as all of the snowboarding things too like scouting locations, building back country booters, and looking for rails in the city, and Volcom just kind of latched on to that. Billy (Anderson) the TM that followed Jay needed a guy in the field so to speak that could organize trips, get shots all of that and my experience made me someone they could trust to get the job done,” says Seth. From there the road was paved for Seth to really become the go to guy in the trenches for Volcom. “Billy and all of those guys were in Southern California at the HQ so they really relied on me to be the man on the street for them, handling the troops on the ground so speak.” Anderson’s eventual exit from Volcom afforded Seth the opportunity to step in to a bigger role at Volcom running the snow division’s social media as well as making edits, dabbling in photography as well as being a liaison between the HQ and slopes. When asked about the irony of being a mentor for team members and helping them rise through the ranks in comparison to his own personal route Seth is quick to point out he is more of a facilitator than teacher. “I try not to have heavy hand. I take the guys out into the back country or whatever and kind of point them in the right direction, but they are building their own kickers,” laughs Seth. “It’s amazing to see the level of talent not only at Volcom but in snowboarding in general, and to be part of that still after all of these years is a great thing you know. I’ve gotten to work with Pat (Moore), Mike Rav, and just this last week I took Alex Rodway and Zack Normandin into the Brighton slack country. Normandin had never hit a backcountry jump and within a few tries he’s pulling double corks out here. Believe me I was never a natural talent. I had to work for everything I landed, so it’s amazing to see this kind of riding from the young guys. I’m just lucky to get to be out here with them. I never planned to have the career I did I just got lucky, as well as had a lot of help along the way. It’s the least I can do to pass that along.” He still uses the 3-chip by the way.

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ORIGINS

WRITTEN PHOTOS

JOSH RUGGLES

RUSSELL DALBY

Snowboarding was a different place 16 years ago. The Olympics had just introduced standing sideways in 1998, and while the industry had previously been looked at like a bunch of idiot kids causing problems, the world started hopping on the wagon. To companies with deep pockets, snowboarding was like the Wild West—where one would just need to roll in on their fancy white carriage with 32-inch rims, stake their claim and make their fortune. Even with the corporate assault on snowboarding, there were still some cowboys that weren’t interested playing by the rules, or chasing the money. They were the purists, who fought for the soul of snowboarding. Among them was former pro shred Blue Montgomery and his company CAPiTA Snowboards had just been born in his garage. Over the better part of a decade, CAPiTA has become one of the most iconic brands by doing things that no one else had the balls for—and they’ve fought for every inch, and have yet to let up. But before any of the pro teams, art concepts or tradeshows, it started in Iowa. “Well, the thing about Iowa is: it’s hot as hell in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. My friends and I skated all summer and then when it got cold we were bummed because there wasn’t anyplace to skate. I was in middle school and a friend of mine got a snowboard and we all tripped out,” recalls Montgomery. “It seemed like such a natural thing to do and I think I was obsessed with the idea of snowboarding before I ever got one. I begged and begged my mom for a snowboard for Christmas, and then there it was—a Sims Pocket Knife 1440 that changed my life forever.” Years after getting on his Sims, Blue had gone from riding transitioned out of his role riding pro, and was looking for the next move. “My pro days ended and I got an industry job,” he says. “I was trying to figure out what my place in snowboarding would become and how I could contribute something of value. What led us to start our own company was circumstance, friendship, and, really the desire to create new things and help shape what snowboarding is.” He and fellow pro rider Jason Brown started from of Blue’s garage, and started forming their plans. But every revolution needs a name and theirs was no different. “At the time, snowboarding was so exclusionary. It was all about core shops, core companies, and professional snowboarding. You had to be the coolest dude on the planet to ride certain boards like Forum,” Blue notes. “CAPiTA is a derivative of per capita, meaning: by and for the people. To us this ties back to the rider driven concept that the future of snowboarding should be shaped by snowboarders. It also is an inclusive message many people have tried to define CAPiTA as a ‘core brand’ over the years, but our own intention has always been the opposite of that.” This inclusive mentality, and a pure focus on doing things with the good of snowboarding in mind was what set them apart from all the major snowboard brands. While other companies pushed so hard to be core and exclusive by dumping millions into brand messaging and sponsorships, CAPiTA was creating a viciously loyal following that has proven to outlast the bulk of its competitors. They did it by being exactly what their tagline suggests: Defenders of Awesome. When Capita started pulling boards off the press, everyone knew they were something different. Whether they loved them, or hated them, Capita pushed the level of personality and progressiveness in snowboarding and people knew it. “From an outsider’s perspective. Progressive products, innovative graphics, and a uniquely talented team of riders are what a lot of people think of when they think of us,” Blue says. But while everyone on the outside was paying attention to how different their style was, he feels that what has kept them ahead of the game was and is the hunger. “In those early years I think our main point of differentiation was just our energy. We were running so loose back then—things were just raw,” he says.

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“Cooking without a cookbook style, where we might make a masterpiece or we may make the kitchen explode. We had no idea what we were doing, but we were doing it 150 million percent. It was all in, guns blazing, emotional, awesome, go-for-broke times.” Understaffed, underfunded and lacking experience forced Blue and the crew to fight that much more intensely. If no one was going to give them that inch, they we’re going to figure out a way to take the next few miles. “Everyone involved could see there was something special brewing but it was a challenge to put all of the pieces together,” Blue says. “We learned a lot about the business side of snowboarding in those early years. The snowboarding part was always easy for us. It was a bunch of kids trying to turn an idea into a healthy and sustainable company that was the hard part.” Despite the organizational, and financial issues they faced, CAPiTA has been responsible for setting industry trends and standards since their first year, and while so many companies are following Blue’s lead, it’s likely because he’s not paying attention to what they’re doing. “We don’t pay much attention to what other snowboard com-

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panies are doing, and some of them are paying too much attention to what we’re doing,” he explains. “Snowboarding has always been full of progression, creativity, and new idea—but unfortunately snowboard business has always felt pretty regurgitated and recycled.” This notion carries over to their snow team, which over the years has brought on multiple influential and inventive riders, from TJ Schneider and Tyler Lepore to Dan Brisse and Kazu Kokubo. Now 16 years after CAPiTA started, snowboarding has seen a 30 percent drop in people getting their shred on. With the industry now a shadow of it’s former self, some of the biggest brands have pulled up stakes in search of better opportunity, or have been dissolved completely. Meanwhile, CAPiTA has been putting the finishing touches on “The Mothership” factory, which is setting a new standard for snowboard production. This is what happens when the little guy doesn’t back down, and stays true to their cause. “Life moves in unexpected ways, and doors of opportunity open, and things change. We’re really proud and feel very lucky to be in the situation we’re in with ‘The Mothership,’” says Blue. “Our hopes are that the facility can be a positive attribute for snowboarding above our brand.“

PHOTO: JOEL FRASER

SCOTT STEVENS

PURVEYORS OF THE WILD LIFE

WWW.CAPiTASNOWBOARDING.COM

FEATURING PRESS SEAL TECHNOLOGY SIMPLE - SEALED - SOLID

Q U I C K C H A N G E O V E R S I Z E D M O L D I N J E C T E D C Y L I N D R I C A L P O LY C A R B O N A T E L E N S - S U P E R A N T I F O G & A N T I S C R A T C H H A R D C O A T I N G

TRAVEL

Chile PHOTOS BY ANDREW MILLER INTRODUCTION BY JACOB MALENICK

A breeze rolls in as the sun dips below the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface. You shiver ever so slightly as your eyes adjust to the growing darkness. Your gaze drifts to the looming mountains in the hazy distance. All the while, you patiently wait your turn to drop in. The brief chill in your bones reminds you of a feeling. You swear you had this feeling ages ago, when in reality the time that had passed was but a few moments. You were staring down a steep, snow-covered face as a helicopter pulled away with cameras at the ready to capture your every move. You are reminded that even fewer moments ago, you were bobbing in the very water that the sun just dove into, watching one of your closet friends get completely barreled in the surf. You then snap back to the present as that same friend pumps out of the mini ramp and reaches for his beer, sweat glistening off both the beverage and his forehead in the diminishing light. You take stock in the fact that all this has been just one day in an other-worldy journey to a foreign land where everything but the actions of your body on your board have been lost in translation. With the last drops of your cerveza rolling down the back of your throat, a smile stretches across your face, and you drop in. Photographer Andrew Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undeniable skill behind the lens has painted an all-encompassing portrait of the dream shred trip. Even with lower than expected amounts of snow on top of massive human triggered avalanches, the most was made of this adventure to the Andes by easily one of the best, well-rounded crews in snowboarding with the likes of Pat Moore, Bryan Iguchi, Curtis Ciszek, and filmer Jake Price. Without a single person able to speak the native language, the odds of producing what they came for were certainly stacked against this elite group. Thankfully, with an incredible attitude and drive on top shear amounts of stoke just from their surroundings alone, any adversity they faced was overcome in a manner only possible when the right people are involved. Heading to Chile on a final Mr. Plant mission proved to be the ultimate culmination of our collective sideways culture. From skating local bowls and ramps to surfing left hand breaks to the grand finale of epic pow slashes thousands of feet in the sky, this trip and these photos perfectly sum up why we all pursue this passion with an unquenchable thirst for more and more.

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CLASSIC

1936

Jeff Keenan

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INTERVIEW BY PHOTOS

DANIEL

COCHRANE

BY TIM PEARE

I’ve lost count of the number of intros I’ve tried to write for the Pat Moore interview. Pat is one of those people who have that certain indefinable ability to make you instantly like them. Such abilities however do not make for easy or concise interview introductions. In an age where everyone is screaming “the sky is falling” about the state of affairs within snowboarding Pat’s out here just doing his thing. Supporting friends, family, and even the hometown skate park by any means necessary. If you are one of those snow industry doomsayers the Pat’s of the industry don’t really fit into your narrative. If however you are one of the optimists that believe the future is only as bright as you make it well Pat is a golden ray of hope. I still don’t feel like I’ve done Pat justice in the intro, but that’s ok because I don’t really need to convince you that he is a great guy. Just read these following few pages and he’ll do that himself.

Arkade: So Pat first and foremost how is it being back in Salt Lake on a permanent basis? You’re living in the 9 th and 9 th area correct? Pat: Yeah I bought that house like 8 years ago and lived there for a couple of years and then really started traveling and living all over while renting that house out. I moved back in a little over a year ago and it’s been great, the little 9th and 9th zone has really blown up. Arkade: Well that place is pretty well known it seems like half of SLC has lived there, but honestly I didn’t know you owned it.

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Pat: Yeah it was a flophouse for a while for sure, who knows what happened in there! But yeah it was really nice after living in so many places to settle back in SLC. I moved to SLC pretty much right out of New Hampshire but for whatever reason I always thought somewhere else was going to be better so I tried Seattle, New York, LA, and Tahoe before finally realizing SLC was actually the perfect scenario. So now getting back and planting some roots and really getting into SLC has been rad. My lady and I have been working on the house and exploring around to places I’ve never been, just mountain biking, hiking, split boarding… it’s crazy what I didn’t see when I lived here before. Arkade: SLC is super cool and also it has its kind of weird shit going on, but every place does you know. I always like to say everyone that’s never lived here can give you 100 reasons not to, but everyone that has lived here can give you 100 reasons to stay. Pat: Exactly. If there’s anything I’ve learned from bouncing around is you could say the same about anywhere. If you’re trying to be a pro snowboarder, this is a pretty good place to be. Arkade: Snowboard industry-wise SLC’s popularity comes and goes and right now we are in a high spot. Pat: Yeah for sure, the scene is always shifting. Arkade: So getting into snowboarding talk I’ve had the fortune of interviewing four riders, now five including you, from the end of the Forum era. Can we briefly discuss your search for sponsors after Burton shut Forum down? I would say you were probably the most sought after rider from that group so I’m interested to hear about your frame of mind when you set out on that journey. Pat: When Forum went under I was given the opportunity to ride for Burton if I wanted to. Just a couple hours after the press release went out Volcom hit me with an offer as well, and I kind of went back and forth on that for a little while trying to figure out which made the most sense for me. To me what I chose was the one that had more longevity, at least in my opinion. With Burton you have an amazing brand but there are a million examples of how they just burn people both team riders and employees. Where as with Volcom there has always been a family vibe team wise and it just seemed like the better fit for what I wanted to do with my career down the road you know. What is kind of weird in that decision was that after I decided to go with Volcom it was actually Bryan Knox at Burton who got me lined up with the people at Vans. It all just kind of fell into place and I think if it had been a year or so later it might not have happened the way it did. So yeah timing wise I think I got really lucky and having people watching out for me helped a lot, but those sponsor decisions come down to you and I feel pretty good about how I’ve dealt with that then and in the past. I rode for Burton at a rep level when I was younger, but when I was given the opportunity to ride for Forum I jumped at that, and that was a big turning point in my career; making that leap from the giant Burton program to Forum. Joining the Forum team and getting involved with their videos is literally what made my career. Arkade: So coming out of Forum they (Burton) just didn’t seem like the direction you wanted to take? It’s more about personal fit than anti-Burton. Pat: Yeah I certainly wasn’t anti-Burton at the time, they were killing it then and I had a lot of great friends on the team, I was actually living with John J at the time. But it was always a dream for me to ride for Volcom, whereas that just wasn’t the case with Burton. I just went with my gut, I’m really happy I did.

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Arkade: So you were really looking for more of a partner than just a sponsor? A company that was invested in helping you achieve your personal goals in snowboarding? Pat: Oh yes for sure, and of course with Volcom came the chance to do my own film. Once I got that offer it was like a dream come true. Arkade: Seriously! Having your own Volcom movie is one of the Holy Grails of snowboarding. Pat: Yeah you can’t pass that up. Arkade: That’s something I definitely wanted to touch on. Not just your Volcom project, Mr. Plant, but also with your Blueprint web series. In those you really went out of your way to help a few guys, notably Jeremy Jones and Jake Welch. Talk to me about your motivations behind that. In such a hyper competitive industry some riders would think twice about choosing to do what you did. I mean you’re all fighting for the same piece of pie … Pat: I can see where that perception could come from, but I don’t know I just think with snowboarding and the way our community works we have to look out for each other even though in some regards we’re competing too. I think whether it’s the guys coming up or the guy that is established everyone needs a boost at some point in time you know. Like Jake Welch just needed that little help to get back in the game, or Jeremy when Burton dropped him but he still had the opportunity to do Real Snow. It was just a way for me to be part of all that. I was still looking after me by filming my stuff, but why not help those guys out too? We had a laundry list of other guys we wanted to work with, but it just didn’t all line up in some cases. I’m really happy for those two, and that footage I feel like is some of the best stuff I have been a part of, and that was really cool. Arkade: As you’ve grown and matured is that something that you’ve come to realize or was that always there in some form or another? Pat: It’s always been a part of snowboarding in general in my opinion. For myself in New Hampshire we had a great community of people looking out for one another. I had so much great guidance from that older generation who had already lived through a lot of the decisions that I was just coming to in my life. They just wanted to see me do well, and that second hand ambition stuck with me. Obviously there was a long period where I had to focus on me, on my video parts you know, but I think you reach that point where the sharing of the limelight and helping others becomes the more important part. I don’t know if that was my personal mentality or if snowboarding as a whole shifted that way in the past few years. I learned a lot of that from my friends back east and also working with the Forum guys and seeing how much effort everyone would put into helping other team members get their shots. I think that just kind of ballooned into a bigger picture for me. Specifically with The Blueprint Project part of the goal was to give my friends a platform that would help them get new sponsors, like Jake and Ride and Jeremy with Electric. It seems like that worked really well and now those guys are back out there doing their own thing and that’s awesome. Arkade: You mention the community of guys that influenced you growing up. Do you think the average non-pro local rider type under estimates his (or her) ability to influence snowboarding/snowboarders? Pat: Not everyone has the platform that sponsored snowboarder’s have that’s obvious. For me though growing up in New Hampshire as a grom I looked up to older local guys and sought their approval for lack of a better term simply because they were older. I think that is a natural thing not just in snowboarding but in any endeavor you know, and that could come in the form of guidance or even stealing their tricks. That influence that you asked about doesn’t have to be this big broad scale that affects the entire industry. The best part about snowboarding are these little groups at each town or resort that can look after each other and help further snowboarding whether that be helping that next generation or even just having a good solid scene. That’s probably the biggest thing that someone can do for snowboarding.

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Arkade: So like Lick The Cat can be just as pivotal as say the Olympics in the grand scheme of things? Well, shit, I guess that really isn’t the best example with the Sage overlap there. Pat: Yeah, I mean for myself I remember as a kid I didn’t even connect with the big pros because New Hampshire was so far removed from all of that you know. Whatever the pros were doing wasn’t leaving as big of an impression on me as the local crew of older riders were. I found style and music through our own scene and I think the local guys whether they be pro, am, flow, or whatever, they have a profound impact on snowboarding that is just as important as some mainstream or huge contest. Actually if you remember the “we live Forum” project that was something I was really invested in. Basically the idea was that we would be working through local shops and Ams to really try and build snowboarding on that local level. It is critically important. Arkade: Totally shifting gears here. You mentioned filming with Forum a good bit and that sort of very traditional organized way of getting a product to market each year. How has branching out post-Forum been different? Has it been more of a challenge, more fulfilling, or has it been harder than anticipated? You’ve made one traditional style video (Mr. Plant) but also two highly successful web series. Do you foresee the death of traditional video format in lieu of the web series? Pat: I don’t think we will see the death of traditional videos but I think you’ll see them be less frequent. That yearly video platform with a large accompanying premiere tour is a lot of money with little return, and unfortunately a lot of times that is what these decisions boil down to. I think you’ll still see team videos but with more time between films. I do think the web series model is under utilized in snowboarding. That may sound crazy but if you look at skateboarding and how well they have handled that shift to web, snowboarding is really far behind. Like I go to Berrics and Thrasher pretty much every day and there is an amazing amount of content, and then every couple of years there will be a big video drop, like the Vans video just came out, but the vast majority of content even from the professionals is web based. Snowboarding isn’t there one because it is such a seasonal thing and also I don’t think anyone has really committed to it, like REALLY committed to it. It takes a lot of time and effort to produce a web series, and most riders just want to focus on their snowboarding and their parts. But I do see a shift happening because there are a lot of benefits to that extra work. Arkade: You mentioned the seasonal side of snowboarding. Do you think the seasonal aspect has put the industry into a rut that it needs to work its way out of? Maybe it worked ten or fifteen years ago but not so much anymore? Pat: Yes and no. I think the bigger projects are rad, and brands that can afford a two-year project usually benefit from that extra year of production. For myself however I am more interested in things like Drink Water’s Mediocre Madness. Those types of projects take a few weeks to film and there is less production, but they capture my attention more than the big projects. Snowboarding has pigeon holed itself seasonally with everything dropping at once; videos, mags, product, everything comes out at the same time. It has worked to this point, but things are changing and kids want to see things sooner. That is where things like Mediocre Madness offer that new platform. A two week trip, we get what we get, take a week to edit, and then it goes up. I feel like I’m just rambling at this point though. I think as far as being a rider those seasonal expectations can be rough. It is the main reason people get burned out or that

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professionals have a five-year career you know. Instead of putting all of your eggs into one basket to film this epic part in one season, what if you had multiple video projects come out throughout the year that were scaled back. I’m not sure if that answers your question, but basically I just want to see more rad shit from snowboarding, and it doesn’t all need to follow the same formula. Arkade: Well I guess the biggest two things left to touch on would be the launch of Ragdoll Snowboarding, which kind of ties into what we were just talking about, and then your Volcom collaboration with Capita next season, which goes back to some of our earlier discussions about sponsors. Can you give us the lowdown on both of those projects? Pat: Yeah, well talking about web content, myself and a group of other pro riders have gotten together to make a new website to host snowboard videos and stories. The idea behind it was to create a new platform to host good snowboarding content that we wanted to see. We are in our beginning stages but we have a lot of big plans for the upcoming winter and I think it will turn into something really cool. As far as the Volcom, Capita guest board, I actually went to them with the idea. I thought it would be really cool to have a legit Volcom board out on the shelves and I thought it would be a perfect way to raise money for the Plymouth skate park back in my hometown in NH. All of my royalties go to the park, so hopefully we sell a ton. Arkade: Of course finally before we go an opportunity to say thank you to anyone and everyone. Pat: You know rather than thanking particular sponsors I just want to say a really huge thank you to Seth Huot. He has been working with Volcom as a rider, filmer, social media manager, team leader and every other hat you can imagine for years. Pretty much ever since I got on the team he has been like an older brother to me, from the Mr. Plant project to Blueprint, he has been just a tremendous support for me. Part of that is of course a thank you to Volcom, but also a personal nod to Seth who has been a huge part of my success these past few years and many times without the credit he deserves so I’d say that is my thank you.

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STRONGER.

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BRANDON HAMMID SALT LAKE CITY, UT ANDY WRIGHT

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HI THERE!

CHRISTIAN SPARKS

WRITTEN BY JACOB MALENICK + PHOTO BY E-STONE

With a love of Technine that borders on obsession, Christian Sparks is undoubtedly a snowboarder through and through. Originally from Las Vegas, 2016 marks Christian’s second season in sunny Salt Lake City. Like most Utah transplants that are amongst the shred elite, he can be found on the majestic slopes of Brighton, making his way through the Bone Zone one hand-crafted feature at a time. With no shortage of determination or work ethic, Christian is a man with a plan to go on as many trips and to stack as many clips as the life of a Snowbird valet can afford. Next time you find yourself at The Bird in need of a spot for your Maserati, toss Christian a high-five along with your keys and hefty tip so he can continue to astound on a snowboard.

Name: Christian Matthew Sparks Nickname(s): C-Sparks Age: 21

Favorite Trick: Back one swag three

Years Snowboarding: Six

Life Off the Hill: Mellow. Gym, skate, mini ramp sessions, coffee, kick it with good homies, get out and explore a little bit.

Home Mountain: Lee Canyon

Single or Taken: Single

Inspiration to Start Snowboarding: F.O.D.T Productions/Technine, my favorite videos to this day.

Dream Job: Starting up my own company one day.

Proudest Moment: Tech week, Windells summer 2013

Define Your Style: I’ve been skating my whole life so I’m heavily influenced by that and MFM’s always flawless powerful riding.

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Sponsors / Shout-Outs: Huge shout out to my Mom, Dad, big sis, my whole family, Cole Taylor, E-Stone, Jay Weber and all my homies. Technine, Ovan, Crabgrab, Celtek.

CLASSIFIEDS SEPTEMBER 2015

REAL ESTATE

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Saga Outerwear is looking for Professional Snowboarders to join our team! Previous snowboarding experience isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t required, but would be nice. Must be able to film once a week and MUST get along with skiers. Please only apply if you are willing to risk life and limb for minimal pay! Please visit www.sagaouterwear.com for more info. GENERAL MANAGER Local restaurant looking for a General Manager. MUST HAVE MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE. Must be comfortable managing junior level employees as well as the Kitchen staff. Hours vary and working weekends is required. Salary is not competitive, but free food is offered. Please swing by and drop off a Resume in person at 7769 S 450 N900, SLC, UT. SECURITY Mall looking for security guards. Must be trained in some sort of martial arts training. Please be comfortable riding in golfcarts and busting kids for skateboarding. Must be is shape and wear UFC branded apparel! This is a full-time salary position. $25/hr + healthcare and free mall pretzels. Call Stan at: 801-888-9621 NEW JOB TIRED OF WORKING FOR $9.75 a hr? We offer great opportunities to everyone. Pay starts at $7.50 a hr! Call: 801-444-9633

SERVICES ENGLISH CLASS If English is a second language for you, please contact Julio for English lessons. Non-Students are welcome. $25/hr. Please call 801-334-7751 POOL BOY Woman looking for strong pool boy. Must be willing to clean the pool with your shirt off. Hours are flexible. Stop by and apply in person, Green Meadow Assisted Living Home, SLC, UT, 84225 STUDENT LOANS Do you need a student loan? We provide all kinds of options to assist you financially. Paying them back is hard and the rates are insane, but trying getting a job without a degree! Call us today! 800-get-paid. TINDER LESSONS Did you miss the tech boom? Dating got you down? We offer lessons on how to set up the perfect tinder profile. Our experts are well versed in Tinder dating and have been perfecting the craft for years. Please contact: 801-803-9607 Ask for J. HOUSE CLEANING No time to clean up your sloppy roommates messes? Beer cans and pizza boxes everywhere? We provide a large range of cleaning services. Our housekeepers are shifty so hide valuables before letting them inside! Call Paula: 805-855-3245 PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR Think your girl is cheating? Your boo on Tinder? Maybe your neighbors dog is pooping in your yard? Maybe your kids are texting and driving? Call Larry today and get to the bottom of these questions. I have over 40 years experience as a PI and have solved cases all over the country and can help you today! These services are most affordable than you think. Call me at 801-582-3333

INSTAHAM

Row 1. Blue Montgomery @bluemont 2. Pat Moore @patmoore 3. Michael Paddock @paddock 4. Seth Huot @sethhuot

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