#5
www.slashmagazine.ca
Log ride // Craig Kelly Photo // Sean Sullivan Spot // Mt Baker
Snowboard
Volume 2.2 Intro: To whom it may concern 08 Interview with Sean Genovese 22 Backyard session 28 Event check out: Jamboree 2009 34 Opinion 36 Snowboard legends 38 Best N Worst 48 Photo gallery 52 Interview with Benji Ritchie 64 Compagny check out: Bc Action Adventures 70 Music: War Hero 72 Outro: Commitment 74 Log ride // Brian McClatchy Photo // Jeff Pearlamn Spot // Whistler Illustration // Pat Beaulieu 6 // slash snowboardmag
Editor: Pat Burns Photo Director: Oli Gagnon Editorial Director: Etienne Gilbert Advertising sales: Etienne Tremblay Creative Direction: Ralph Samson, Claudia Renaud Contributing Photographers: Ashley Barker, Dice K-maru, Mike Yoshida, Aaron Dodds, Sean Sullivan, Bud Fawcett, Mathieu Couture, Dom Gauthier, Alexis Paradis, Jonathan Kirby, Geoff Andruik, Liam Gallagher, Chris Marshall, Jeff Pearlman. Contributing Writers: Etienne Gilbert, Sean Genovese, Angel, David Melançon, Reno. Belisle, Fred Côté AKA Pedro, Charles Gagnon, Ben Bilocq , Pat Burns, Guillaume Brochu, Andrew Burns , Andrew Hardingham , Alex Auchu, DCP, Marie-France-Roy, Davey Blaze et Stainer, Eric Green, Chris Wimbles , TJ Schneider. Contributing art: Karen Lapointe, Patrick Beaulieu.
Slash Magazine 425, Gérard-Moriset, suite 8 Québec, Qc, Canada, G1S 4V5 www.slashmagazine.ca info@slashmagazine.ca Le magasine Slash(ISSN 1913-8385) est publié 3 fois par année. La rédaction n’est pas responsable des textes et des photos publiés, qui engagent la seule responsabilités de leurs auteurs. Les constributions sont les bienvenues, toutefois, vous devez fournir une enveloppe pré-affranchis pour le retour. Toute reproduction sans l’accord de l’éditeur est interdite. Slash magazine(ISSN 1913-8385) is published 3 times a year. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the autor. All rights reserved on entire content. Slash magazine welcomes edittorial submissions; however, return postage must accompagny all unsolicited manuscripts, art, or photographic materials if they are to be return.
Printed in Canada: ISSN 1913-8385 Printer: Litho Chic Web: Gc media
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: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN The intro is where I make a special effort to do something out of the ordinary. As I’ve said before, there is more to our personality than the way we identify ourselves. For instance: Etienne Gilbert, Slash Mag editor, 30 years old, French-Canadian, Caucasian, non-smoker, non-practicioner of religion, etc. The truth is, this doesn’t tell you much about who I really am. Yet we all are attached to our labels and we constantly identify ourselves by them and in doing that, we classify, separate and isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. We create our own limits, our own prison. Yes, we are snowboarders, yes, we are a snowboard magazine, but there is more to us than just being snowboarders and that’s why I like to write about things other than the regular snowboard blah, blah. What you do in life doesn’t entirely define who you are. What you do in life is just your medium to experience things like joy, insecurity, love, anxiety, jealousy, etc. All of the same things everybody in this world has been experiencing for thousands of years, simply under difference circumstances. We pay so much attention to the superficial that we often forget to look behind the mask and give more attention to our way of thinking, our way of communicating; our way to love and the motivations, emotions and expectations pushing us into action.
My New Year resolution Time passes, things changes, but really they stay the same. A new year is around the corner. We get together, we celebrate, we give each other presents, we share everything and we make resolutions that we don’t always keep. We try to make changes in our life for the reasons that suit us, but resolutions are easier said than kept. We are so used to “becoming” to go from point A to point B and reaching goals over time. Obviously, I drive from here to there, I learn tricks on my snowboard in a linear way. But when it’s time to really change—our ways, our personality, to change psychologically, is it really the same thing? Results take time to occur but does the change itself really happen through time? Or, does that change take place when we become truly and deeply conscious of the situation we are in versus the situation we want to be in? By truly and deeply conscious I don’t mean, an intellectual awareness—it is much different to know that fire burns than it is to actually get burned. To truly know something and develop an informed opinion, we need real experience. Through experience we learn. Sometimes we must go through hell to get to heaven and know where we are once we get there. Sometimes we need to be sick or hurt to know what “healthy” really means. Opposites can’t exist without each other—Yin & Yang. Opposing forces give life and sense to each other. The problem with resolutions is that nine times out of ten, we want to renounce something—like being at war with an imaginary enemy, against our own self. Resisting something that gives life. We could also say, “What you resist persists and what you accept disappears.” We don’t always realize the importance and the influence of the way we speak and think. Many people believe they need to overcome their desires, when all we really have to do is change them. True “renunciation” does not renounce but simply chooses again or differently. “I’m a smoker and I want to renounce smoking” Why not simply choose to be a non-smoker instead? Too simple for you? Not necessarily! It’s all about being positive. This represents the act of moving toward something instead of away from something. A true master does not “give up” something but simply sets it aside, like a child sets aside some of his toys simply because he has outgrown them. Yet they were very useful for the time he played with them. So, this year before you go and make some meaningless resolution, ask yourself: “Why should I make some changes?” Why not make some changes? Pay attention to your train of thought and to the state of mind you’re in when you make wishes. “Wanting to become” is one thing but “ choosing again or differently” may present a true change. I would also like to take the opportunity to send an invitation to all of you. If you have comments, opinions or questions directly or indirectly related to snowboarding or to the content of our magazine, feel free to share it with me at gilbert@slashmagazine.ca . It will be my pleasure to reply and hopefully we’ll gain inspiration from your thoughts to enrich our future issues. - Étienne Gilbert Editorial director
Method // David Melancon Photo // Oli Gagnon Spot // Whistler
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INTERVIEW
Dream State Photo // Liam Gallacher
Sean Genovese interview Interview by Sean Genovese Illustrations by Sean Genovese & Ralph Samson
The guys at Slash really screwed up when they said I could write my own
on the lever where the break usually is and not on the grip, and it’s kind of
interview. If you’re a slow reader, be prepared to ask for 10 minutes of
loose. I’ve got no idea where the damn brakes are, they must be workin’
your life back. As a rider, video director for Think Thank, and co-owner/
on mind control or somethin’. I thought there were low handlebars on it
founder of Dinosaurs Will Die Snowboards, I work with snowboarding
too, but he must’ve put big ape hangers on it for some reason. Fuck’n
everyday. Being given control of what to write in this interview gave me
things make my arms go numb, unless I just have bad circulation.
the chance to take a break and not talk about snowboarding; though I’m sure that’s not why you’re reading this magazine. Take it for what
I’ve been ridin’ for a bit, not paying attention where I’m goin’ at all. I come
it is… dream a dream…know that I love snowboarding… and send all
to this stop sign and all these other bikes pull up on the street I’m about
hate mail my way.
to pull out on to. It looks like they’re all together, and not too concerned if I join ‘em. It’s nice not to ride alone sometimes; so I pull out and ride
So, I see my friend Dean right, I never see this guy, he’s good shit. He
up with the front two or three guys, payin’ more attention to the bikes
used to work at the Rev snowboard factory out in Surrey, now he’s
than the bike-riders. They’re on a few HDs and some old BMWs, like
ramblin’ downtown. He’s got like a fleet of motorcycles or somethin’.
R69Ss. We take the next right, and the two in front of me take off, they’re ridin’ crazy… in control, but crazy. It’s a bumpy country-type road with
So when I see him he lets me borrow this BIG Birtha of a damn bike. It’s a
trees on the left side, I catch some air off a shallow bump, which is okay,
big ol’ Harley, white with red pin stripping… all dressed up, ya know. He
but weird ‘cuz the bike ain’t light. I’m tryin’ to get up along side of the
let me borrow it for a few days, not sure why, but who gives a shit right?
second guy, but he’s ziggin’ n’ zaggin’ all over. Then, when I finally get
Anyways, I take it out for a ride. Right off it’s a little weird, the throttle is
up on his right side, he looks over at me, square in the eyes, and swerves
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Fs Crail Photo // Aaron Dodds Spot // Alaska
180 switch 50-50 // Darrell Mathes Photo //Alexis Paradis Spot // QuĂŠbec
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Bs nosepress bs 180 out Photo // Mike Yoshida Spot // Anchorage, Alaska
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Method Photo // Aaron Dodds Spot // Alaska
It’s a bumpy country type road with trees on the left side, I catch some air off a shallow bump, which is okay, but weird ‘cuz the bike aint light.
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Frontside 360 indy Photo // Chris Mashall Spot // Alaska
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me, square in the eyes, and swerves left, straight into the ditch near the trees and begins jumping his BMW in it like its some sort of BMX bike on a track. He does this a few times then hops out… like, “HA”. And it was pretty damn impressive, I’ll say.
So as I concentrate on trying to catch a lil’ air like before, the HD and BMW crack their throttles and are gone. I see them make a turn way ahead at the next intersection, but I can’t remember which way once I get up there, and now there ain’t no one behind me either. So I sit there for minute, pull out right again and continue with my solo ride. I’m headin’ down a long mellow hill now and can see a cop up ahead with his lights on an’ it kicks me that I don’t got insurance! Or a helmet on! So I see this side street in front of the cop and I make a left on to it. Decide I gotta start headin’ back home on some back roads, but I realize I don’t really know where the hell I am. It all looks familiar, but I’m not exactly sure… but some internal instinct must be kickin’ in ‘cuz I know which way I feel like I should be going. I go and make another left, and I see another cop, this one’s walkin’ out of a house to an unmarked car in the driveway. And I’m feelin’ nervous, so I’m sure I’m lookin’ the same way, right. But you gotta keep your cool, or you’re fucked. Right then, probably because of the nervousness, the throttle lever starts slippin’ around on the bar, and I start slowing down ‘cuz I can’t get my hand on it quick enough. When I come to the stop in the middle of the street just past the cop’s joint, I try to look natural, like I meant to do it or something, don’t need him tryin’ to help me out or nothin’. I’m messin’ with this throttle, and now the whole damn thing is right off in my hand. So I jimmy it so I can have my left hand on the bars and work the throttle on my lap with the right, and I’m outta there.
This road I’m on bends to the right, out of sight of that last cop, and just as round the bend I can see 2 more down the way. What the shit?! Enough is enough, I gotta park this thing an’ come back with some tools to fix the throttle, then ride it home at night. I’m on a residential street right next to a townhouse complex, so I park the bike and duck off thinkin’ I know where I’m goin’ and I can cut through the complex. I don’t get very far ‘till I see all these people, in some sorta courtyard. So I hang back in the bushes to kinda see what’s up before I go trompin’ through their “private property”. It’s some sorta Boyscout gatherin’ or somethin’. There’s these kids over on the right, workin’ on their sashes… full of badges and such. Then a guy’s voice yells, “NO, you’re not bringing the drugs”. This guy’s standing across the courtyard to the left; having a badge of his own sewn onto a green sash, by a man who’s wearing a red sash. I don’t know what the colours mean, but I’m thinkin’ that the one in the green is a group leader, and the one in red is a scout instructor, like an “upper management” type. They both look really familiar, like two characters from “Deadwood”. The guy in green looks like Johnny Burns, and has the hairiest damn hands I’ve almost ever seen, and the guy in red looks like Leon. They’re talking and mumblin’ back and forth. I’m tryin’ to see what the badge that’s being sewn on is all about; looks like some sort of saw on it. And damn are this guy’s hands hairy! So he finishes up the badge and the Johnny Burns lookin’, greensashed guy starts walkin back towards his troop. The guy in red yells to him, “Hey”, the green sash stops and turns… “… You should bring those drugs… it could get really cold tonight.”
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Snowboarding is not about going big, 1080’s, double cork, front side board slide down a double kink rail or even riding powder. Nope! None of that! Snowboarding is about evolution, it’s about having fun with your friends doing something that everybody loves doing, improving and pushing each other’s level. No pressure, no expectations, just snowboarding. That’s what really matters. That’s probably one of the reasons why backyard sessions have and will always be some of the best sessions we’ll ever have. It represents for most of us some of our best snowboard memories. It’s so simple, yet has everything a session needs to have to be a success right there in your backyard. Plus snowboarding at night during the short days of winter is wicked. It doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you have some snow, a creative mind, some friends and a few shovels, you can always manage to have the time.
- Etienne Gilbert
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Backyard // Ben Bilocq Photo // Oli Gagnon Spot // Whistler
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Handplant // Charles Gagnon Photo // Oli Gagnon Spot // Whistler
Everywhere I stayed in Canada I’ve always had something to ride in my backyard or if it was not in my backyard it was the snow bank in front of my mom’s house. As a young buck my mom would ask me to shovel the front of the house during the snowstorm! So instead of shovelling for no reason I would have fun building up a jump and then my friends and I would hit it, getting our speed with my mom’s car! Good feelings going off that big take off to flat. Ha ha! Now I do it in the backcountry for real. When I first moved to Whistler BC it was easy to build something in your yard because there was so much snow in the village. My friends Mike Page and Dave Kenny had the perfect set up. It was a bomb drop from the roof into a 1/4 pipe. . That one night a lot of people showed up for a mini contest. Guy Deschenes brought a homemade Trophy. It was a bunch of beer cans piled up together. So we called it the Drunk Session. You had to chug three beers before your first bomb drop. Really good stuff! Where I live right now, one of my old roommates JF Giasson a.k.a. G built a mini ramp. In the winter, we use it as a jump. I think if you really love snowboarding you can get creative with anything.
- David Melançon Yeah! I love the back yard session at Melancon’s. It’s always a lot of fun. First you get there and drink a couple beers, eat some dogs, strap in, shred the course, couple grabs, couple hits on the quarter pipe just enough to get you warmed up. Then we take a break for a couple of other beers and dogs and start the sessions again until we are out of energy, dogs or beers!!! When is the next session Melançon????????
- Reno. B I started snowboarding when I was about 12 years old. My friends and I used to build a set up in my backyard or on the small hill just behind my house. Every night after school, I would put on my gear and be ready to go ride. This is how I picked up and fell in love with snowboarding. A couple of years after, I decided to move to whistler with my crew. We found a nice place to live upstairs from David’s place with a really nice backyard! We started shovelling pretty much from the first snowstorm of the season and as the winter progressed, the set up kept getting bigger and bigger. It was so fun! It was like my early days, except now we would bring some beers and some girls. Ha ha! You can call it a party; we have a BBQ, music and a lot of action. Every session we push each other and try to ride the set up the best we can. For me, Back Yard sessions always bring the best out of snowboarding.
- Fred Côté AKA Pedro
I think if you really love snowboarding you can get creative Iwith think if you really love snowboarding you can get creative anything. with anything. - David Melançon
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Fsair // Ben Bilocq Photo // Ashley Barker Spot // Whistler
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Last year I moved to Whistler for the winter into a nice little place above the legendary David Melançon’s apartment. It was supposed to be five of us in there. Somehow we ended being twelve at some point. I think this over population forced us to get out and play. We started by building a rhythm section and a quarter pipe, then a hip and a bowl transfer and finally a handrail was also added. To celebrate this great set up the invitation for a second “Drunk Session” was sent out. It turned out to be memorable. A lot of local riders came around to our set up throughout the season and everybody always left with a smile on their face. Not too bad for a simple backyard.
- Charles Gagnon AKA ‘‘Mon Natch’’
In my book, backyard set ups and sessions will always be part of some of the most memorable sessions of our snowboarding lives. One of the cool things about them is that you can go from your couch to the starter within minutes. The space available for obstacles is always maximized. Everything is so tight that it needs to be as perfect as possible. It’s always a great way to improve your board control at low speed. The more love you put into your set up the more you’ll get back from it. I’ve always loved shoveling; touching up and making the course bigger and better every time you have some free time or new snow. Some of my friends think I went crazy with Melançon’s set up last year, but this is what makes to difference between an OK set up and a sick one. For me this represents more than just a little snow park, it’s like a piece of art. You got to be proud of your creation! Ha ha!
- Ben Bilocq
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Method // David Melanรงon Photo // Dice K-Maru Spot // Whistler slash snowboardmag // 33
EVENT CHECK OUT « The technical level is very high. The best jibbers are always there and it’s hard to focus on your game because there is an - Nic Sauvé avalanche of tricks going down on the site! » Text by Pat Burns As we have described numerous many times in this magazine, the streets of Québec city have always been a great place to snowboard. Over the past five years, the importance of street riding in our industry has made this city one of the foremost locations for film and photos. This urban phenomenon has given a lot of exposure to the old capital. For the last four seasons, the city has benefited from the outpouring of magazines and video coverage and has given the general public a chance to see the other side of the sport, and some of its best performers. The Stairsmaster Contest has built its reputation on converting natural urban structures into a dynamic, spectacular and very unique competition venue, which isvery different from the average, manmade ski resort contest. The Slash editorial team sincerely believes that this event is helping promote our sport in a positive way. To get behind the scenes, we decided to interview Guillaume Brochu, director of the Stairmasters event and a guy who is synonymous with Quebec street riding history—one of the originators of the local scene. Slash: To start things off, we know that the Stairsmasters is one of the many events of the Snowboard Jamboree. For those unfamiliar with it, can you tell us where this project came from and who’s behind it? GB: The Stairsmaster events started back in the fall of 2005, in a context where the very dynamic event management team of GESTEV, located in STE-Anne-de Beaupré, has hosted since 1992, a stop of the FIS Snowboard World Cup. With the race popularity substantially decreasing and the absence of halfpipe and Big Air in the program, the organization wanted to offer something 34 // slash snowboardmag
more spectacular, that would reflect what the scene had really become. In 2004, they ask me and Etienne Gilbert to help them out with our handrail knowledge, and how to make a perfect competition that would please the new edge-scratched riders. At that time, with a passion for what we were doing, we decided to seriously work with GESTEV to create “The Stairsmasters”, at the Carré d’Youville concrete ledges. Since that first year, injuries and business have kept me out east and available to work on the Stairsmasters, and Etienne has kept snowboarding professionally in Whistler, something he fully deserves. I’m now working alone as director, along with Gestev, which has many efficient employees. I know you’ve worked hard to make the Stairmasters what it is today, but ultimately, what is the mission of this event? The main objective is to showcase to the public what street snowboarding is really like. Standard adult skiers sometimes don’t realize that the origin of obstacles in their resort’s snowparks. We’re shwing them that they are simply the handrails and ledges they put their hand on everyday. Maybe this will foster better understanding to police or private owners when we practice this sport on the streets. The other part of the mission is to make the most original, progressive, spectacular and enjoyable street event for the riders. What do you think the Stairmaster brings to the snowboard scene? Mainly, it allows people who love the sport to gather and watch the best riders perform. It also brings a great presentation of what is happening in the snowboard videos and mags. It contributes to the sport by pushing mainstream acceptance and gives incredible
Photo // Mathieu Couture
visbility to our talented snowboarders. It shows the accomplishment of all the efforts that have been made by everyone to make street jibbing what it is today. The Stairmasters also give really helps the financial situation of one guy, for the season, which makes me really happy. What makes the StairMasters different from other contests? Can you discuss the choice of the location, riders, and cash prizes? The Stairsmasters is not only different than other contests, but the event itself also differs from year to year. It changes locations and format and this gives the contest a different flavor each time. The main idea is to use pre-existing urban infrastructures. The Carré d’Youville Ledges, the down rails of the Abram’s Plains and the walls of fortifications are all locations you can normally ride. You can see these spots in almost every recent snowboard video. We all know that having a sketchy set-up is something that makes the riders hate a contest. Having a secure and efficient set-up and schedule is the most legit way to please the riders, and this is my first priority. Each year the cash prize is around $10,000 and with no registration fee and cash compensations for every rider. Another thing that makes it interesting is the riders line up. I only select
the best street riders available, to make sure the crowd is pleased with a never-before-seen higly-skilled show. Are there any surprises for this fourth edition? A little scoop for Slash readers? A scoop for Slash readers? Of course! This year will be by far the most impressive set-up. The date is February 21st. We will reproduce something that ….ah! come and check it out. There will be a Big Air world cup event directly downtown, during the day. Huge setup! Big Air+Stairsmaster+ Fashion Jam, this is a very solid program for one day. Snowboard and parties always work well together, is there another Fashion Jam this year? Combining a serious party with a snowboard comp is a fundamental rule to respect snowboard’s origins. The Fashion Jam is definitely where you want to end your night. Every year a great effort is put into presenting a unique snowboard fashion show with industry’s top brands. We’ve also got great DJ’s and artists along with mind-blowing Fokus visuals, be ready to close the place!
« I’m not really into contest but everytime I get the invitation for the stairmasters I cant refuse cause I know its always a really fun time. In the middle of downtown Quebec city, theres always a good vibe, everybody’s friendly. Nobody takes it too seriously. And the setup is always mellow. You can try tons of different tricks on it. Not the kind of setup a boardslide would be crazy to do on you know. » - Louif slash snowboardmag // 35
Fs360 // Andrew Hardingham Photo // Ashley Barker Spot // Golden
OPINION
There is only a hand full of guys out there that can deliver contest wins,sick video parts and solid magazine coverage all in one year. Most riders like to make a choice and commit to one thing so they can push hard in one direction. What is the most important for you : contest results, video parts or photos? I like to focus on several aspects of snowboarding. I used to be very interested in competing but I lost the drive when someone kicked me out of a competition for swearing. That was a pretty good sign that it wasn’t for me anymore because of how much I love and cherish swear words. They really make me who I am, plus chicks dig profanity. So I began focusing on photography and filming. I always knew that photography was more of an art because it was not only focusing on the rider and trick being performed but also the landscape and mountains that made that drop possible. There are so many cool ways to shoot a photo so I started shooting them all. I also focus a great deal on filming these days because it’s an art form that if done correctly, can bring out the personality in a drop or rider. It takes a shitload more work but filming is also kinda brainless. In snowboarding it can be very brainless. But there are filmers out there that can layer shots and then transform their ideas into really cool shit in the editing room. I love seeing that. As far as the terrain I focus on, I find myself more drawn to gnarly backcountry lines, not like AK style shit but more serious lines that have several technical steps to them. Rocks you have to clear, pillows you have to hit before clearing the rocks, tiny pieces of transition you have to land in after hitting the pillow and clearing the rocks. Stuff like that really gets me off. The kinda stuff that scares you a bit and makes you pee your pants a little. I like peeing my pants a little. This shot was taken in Golden Backcountry. The thing about the Rockies and surrounding ranges like these «Purcell mountains» is there is a very low and dry snowpack that doesn’t bond to rocks well. So you are constantly hitting things under the snow. I always have friends come out from the coastal snow pack regions and want to spin off everything they see. But there is very little room for error here so that’s one of the technical elements you always have to add into any line you do. It makes you hard as the rocks you hit but it also keeps most of the sweet lines fresh because most people don’t want to deal with that shit. So I can wake up at noon and still get all my lines fresh. I love it out here.
- Andrew Hardingham
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Indy // Andrew Bruns Photo // Ashley Barker Spot // Terrace BC
OPINION
There is only a hand full of guys out there that can deliver contest wins,sick video parts and solid magazine coverage all in one year. Most riders like to make a choice and commit to one thing so they can push hard in one direction. What is the most important for you : contest results, video parts or photos?
The most important thing for me is being stoked when I ride, which is why I try and do everything. I really have a lot of fun at contests with my friends, but it doesn’t compare to getting some big tricks on film or some really creative photos. Usually on a sick sunnypow day the stuff that I hit will be good for both video and photos, so it works out pretty well, but there are definitely days where I will focus on one of the two. Basically, whatever will make me smile the most on that day will be what I’m concentrating on.
- Andrew Burns
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85 Method Photo // budfawcett.com Spot // Sugar Bowl, CA
Snowboard
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W
hat do you know about the rider on the cover of this magazine? Many people know that Graig Kelly died in an avalanche a few years ago. Although, less people know that he was the first rider to get his own pro model board with Burton or that he was the world champion in the ‘80s. Due to the average age of the snowboarding consumer, many kids were not even born when Graig was at top of his game. Fortunately, since last year the media seems to be paying more attention to the history of the sport. For example, a movie called “Let it ride” came out just over a year ago and is a tribute to his career. This year, the web site VBS.TV and MDP production, maker of “Double Decade”, are putting the riders that put snowboarding on the map back into the spot light. To better understand the snowboarding progression, it is essential to know about those who created it.
VBS.TV is a web site created by Vice magazine. They present a web show called “Powder and rails”. This small documentary, divided in many episodes, help whoever is interested get to know the stars of the first snowboard movies ever made. Guys like Damian Sanders, who was by far the first rock star that snowboarding saw emerge. Damian was riding hard boot and was trying to convince people that they were better than the traditional soft freestyle boot that we know today. Him and Steve Graham, just to name a couple, were already doing double back flips without any real concern for landings. They were dropping huge cliffs that are considered pretty much impossible to land even to this day. Obviously, this borderline red neck riding style was appealing to the general public. It was also the fluo and spandex era, where everybody just wanted to go bigger and bigger. Damian’s motto was “Go big or go home”.
Damian was also the star of “Snowboard in Exile”, a movie that introduced us to a new breed of riders. Chris Roach captured my attention from his different approach. From the clothing he was wearing to the tricks he was doing, everything was skate influenced. No spandex, no funky grab. Just skate style and skate grabs. Chris Roach pretty much opened our eyes to a different style of riding and kind of opened doors for more riders like; Noah Salasnek, Mike Ranquet and John Cardiel with the same influence. Noah and many others were to become the future high profile snowboarders of the legendary Mack Dawg production. Mike (MDP), with his “to the point” editing style, his choice in music and riders and interest for aggressive riding, revolutionized the snowboard movie industry. Some of his movies even had a skateboarding segment, so more skaters
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were getting into snowboarding, specially the ones that could not skateboard during the winter months. As far as I’m concerned, Noah was the most progressive at the time being the first one to do switch tricks. Then the first jibbers made their mark; guys like, Roan Rogers, Nate Cole, Jake Blatner and Dale Rehberg. Picnic table, handrails, and any kind of junk were now introduced as a riding feature. Suddenly our horizons were opening to a new kind of riding.
We would spend hours on a simple garbage can. We got to remember that back then the “ski resorts” did not give a fuck about us. No snowpark, jumping was not even allowed. A typical day consisted of ollieing over rope into close slope, side hits, tree buck etc. and all that while trying to stay out of site of the patrols. There was only a few of us per resort so all snowboarders were automatically your friends and skiers were our enemies. For them we were nothing but a bunch of little punks practicing a sport that would end up going nowhere. No skier would have thought that one day snowboarding would become so big that it would actually revolutionize skiing itself by opening the eye of the ski industry to the potential of freestyle skiing. No skier would have thought that one day they would use our park features, our pipes and our handrails and would even call grabs and tricks according to our language.
89 Chris Roach // FS Air Photo // Sean Sullivan Spot // Boreal
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Chris Roach // Kickflip Photo /// Sean Sullivan Spot // Sacramento
90 Mike Ranquet // Melancholy Photo // Sean Sullivan Spot // Mt Baker
In the mean time one of the most influential riders in the history of snowboarding was emerging. Jamie Lynn changed the way everybody wanted to snowboard. In 1993, Road Kill was one of the first movies in which I saw Jamie ride. His style is what set him apart. He was smooth, rode with a larger stance with his knees wide apart. It was pretty simple; you wanted to snowboard like him. Road Kill was filmed in some of the rare snowparks around at that time. In the following years, more and more snowparks were being built all over North America. Eventually, real half pipes were also built. Ski resorts saw the change in their clientele and finally saw the potential in snowboarding and were now investing in snowboarding. The need for a reserve area for snowboarders was growing and sooner or later all good ski resorts had their own snowboard park.
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92 Noah Salaznek // FS Air Photo // Sean Sullivan Spot // Squaw Valley
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92 Jeff Brushie // FS Air Photo //budfacett.com Spot // June Mtn
This is when the level of jumping and pipe riding took a big step up. Even jibbing almost disappeared for a few years. Great new jumpers and pipe riders like: Peter Line, Daniel Frank, Gabe Crane, Dave Lee, were now making their mark in the new movies. We saw the birth of new tricks like the first corkscrew and the first rodeo. We also saw some of the first big spin combos in the pipe. Peter Line is without a doubt, one of the riders that brought the most new tricks to life. From the corkscrew, to the heel spin, to the back rodeo it seems he always had something up his sleeves that nobody else had. In the pipe, Frank and Terje were destroying the scene. MDP, Standard and the Kingpin videos dominated the movie industry for a long time and were reflecting in their own way the progression of the sport.
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93 John Cardiel // Method Photo // budfawcett.com Spot // Lake Tahoe
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All this bring us into today’s scene where jibbing is stronger then ever. It’s because of riders like JP Walker and J. Jones that took jibbing where Roan Roger and friends left it and took it to a new level. I found it weird to see a lot of these pioneers forgotten by our industry. Companies replace older riders with the new 15 to 18 year old park machines and send them to the x-games. It is hard for pro snowboarders to have long healthy careers and therefore harder to create legends and respectable individuals that the youth can look up too for years.
Fortunately there are riders like Terje and Peter that are still supported by companies and media. Snowboarding would not be the same today without them. It can be easy to forget how snowboarding became a multi-million dollar industry. We have to remind ourselves of the people that made it possible for us to enjoy this lifestyle even if some companies don’t always do their share for keeping the legends alive.
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Photo // Ashley Barker
Best trip ever: snowboarding and/or non snowboarding : Iceland 4 years ago and Mexico last summer. Worst trip ever: snowboarding and/or non snowboarding : Even if a trip turns out not the best, I still try to appreciate it because it’s such a blessing to be able to travel, so I don’t have a ‘’worst trip ever’’. Best trick ever landed : Gap to bullshit, switch! Worst bail ever (Injury) : hyperextended my elbow going 5km/h in 2 feet of powder. So stupid and still my worse injury ever. Best movie ever: snowboard and/or non snowboard : The Never Ending Story I Worst movie: snowboard and/or non snowboard : One missed call Best day ever snowboarding : There are so many but its got to be one of those powder days in whistler. Worst contest ever entered: US Open when it’s pissing rain in practice and -20 the next day for the contest. Best sport other than snowboarding : Surfing Worst sport : Speed walking Best way to get over the worst : Taking off by yourself somewhere you’ve never been before to think about how lucky we are.
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Worst way to enjoy the best : Taking things for granted. Best thing that ever happed to you : Growing up in a good family and a good environment. Best thing about snowboarding : You have to do it to understand. Hard to describe, but it’s just so much fun. Worst thing about snowboarding : The attitude and the industry bullshit. Best party ever : Any party with the Hell Perado crew!! Best thing to do on a stormy winter day : Go snowboarding on Whistler with friends. Worst thing to do on a blue bird day : Sleeping in after a big night out. Best thing about snowboarding being a Olympic sport : People would stop asking us if we are gonna do the Olympics and think it’s because we are just amateurs when we say no. Worst thing about snowboarding being a Olympic sport : It doesn’t fit with what freestyle snowboarding is all about at all. Best thing about competition : Prize money can be nice. Worst thing about competition : It’s way overrated. What brings the best out of you : Being with people with good values, nature, travels What brings the worst out of you : Being tired, really hungry or stressed out.
Mute // Marie-France Roy Photo // Ashley Barker Spot // Japan
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Photo // Dom Gauthier
Best trip ever: snowboarding and/or non snowboarding : My best trip snowboarding was probably my first trip to Valdez Alaska with MDP, Jussi, Dirksen, Moran and Kremer. We got there without expectation and scored. We ended up riding 67 runs and filmed some pretty sweet stuff. Worst trip ever: snowboarding and/or non snowboarding : My worst trip, well to be honest, all trips are interesting and I always see them as adventures so there hasn’t been a worst trip. Best movie ever: snowboard and/or non snowboard : Best movie ever is Subjekt Haakonsen but I just saw That’s it That’s all and really think this could be the best of all time. Worst movie: snowboard and/or non snowboard : Worst snowboard movie ever is South Park from FLM, no offense to everyone involved but it really sucked! Best contest ever entered: The best contest I ever entered was the Nissan X-Trail in Tokyo, Japan. The reason why is that there is 50,000 screaming fans and you feel like a true rockstar... But I could also say that this last season’s natural selection at Jackson Hole was epicness. Worst contest ever entered: The worst contest I ever entered was the FIS World Cup in Whistler, when it snowed two feet of fresh from the end of qualifiers till final and I was the first one to drop in. Best way to get over the worst : The best way to get over the worst is to let it go... as soon as you let it go, things are starting to roll in again. I am really working on this these days. Be positive, but also have no stress and no expectation of the outcome. Worst way to enjoy the best : The worst way to enjoy the best is when you act like an ungrateful spoiled brat and you think that nothing is good enough for your sorry ass. Complaining and never being satisfied is the worst. 50 // slash snowboardmag
Best thing you ever did : The best thing I ever did was to become a dad. Worst thing you ever did : The worst thing I ever did was to be mean to friends, parents and loved ones. Best thing about snowboarding : The best thing about snowboarding is landing in deep pow and powering through waist deep pow in steep trees. Worst thing about snowboarding : The worst thing about snowboarding is the tight jean trend... no offence to Laurent, but seriously how can you ride in those pants man? Isn’t it cold on top of that! Best season ever : Wow. That’s a hard one... every season is becoming the best season ever; although, 1998 was a good, low stress, powdery winter. Worst season ever : The worst season ever will only happen if there is no more snow falling, so maybe in 100 years... Best party ever : The best party ever was my wedding at St-Jean Lake in July 2005. Worst party ever : The worst party ever doesn’t happen. As long as you are with friends you are golden... Parties are always fun... except if you drink too much. What bring the best out of you : My family and friends bring the best out of me. What bring the worst out of you : Being stressed and impatient bring the worst out of me.
Handplant // DCP Photo // Dom Gauthier Spot // Whistler
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50-50 // Nic Houle Photo // Alexis Paradis Spot // QuĂŠbec
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Slash // Tadashi Fuse Photo // Jonathan Kirby Spot // Whistler
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Frontboard // Louif Paradis Photo // Mike Yoshida Spot // Ottawa
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Fs180 // David Aubry Photo // Oli Gagnon Spot // Whistler
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Bs5-0 // Phil Jacques Photo // Alexis Paradis Spot // QuĂŠbec
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Method // Kevin Sansalone Photo // Jonathan Kirby Spot // Whistler
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Bs360 // Shin Campos Photo // Geoff Andruik Spot // Whistler
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INTERVIEW
If you know anything at all about snowboarding, then you already know that Benji is a sick rider. What you might not know is that Benji is motivated, positive, and doesn’t get discouraged easily when his riding isn’t at its best. He’s one of those guys that always seems to keep it cool, no matter what happens, and never gets anxious about anything. Basically, Benji is a guy that likes to have fun, and knows how to do it. He appreciates everything he’s got, and never knocks anybody else down. For me, Benji is a good example of the kind of guy I like to ride with. His attitude towards life and his snowboard are a big part of why he’s so successful.
Photo // Oli Gagnon
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Switch backside 180 Photo // Oli Gagnon Spot // Whistler
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Frontside 180 melon Photo // Oli Gagnon Spot // Whistler
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Interview by Alex Auchu What do you think of the new season of Entourage? I really liked the first episode, but I was a little disappointed by the others. For sure I still watch it every week, but in general it’s a little less funny than the previous seasons. Is it still your favorite TV show? Probably. I’ve watched and re-watched every season a bunch of times without ever getting bored. But I also really like “The Office”, it’s so funny! What’s it like living with Mikey and Eero? Is it really different than living in Paris with a bunch of guys from Quebec? I’ve got a lot of great memories from our house in Whistler, and I really loved all the years I spent there but at a certain point I was ready for a change of pace and roommates. The idea of getting away a bit from Whistler and moving to Squamish with Mikey, Eero, and Pavo seemed great. We all get along really well and we’re pretty much on the same schedule. I’ve been finding it way easier to concentrate on my riding since I’ve been living in Squamish. What was it like filming with the Grenade guys? It was sick. The guys don’t really know the Whistler backcountry so I was pretty much playing the tour guide role as well. Everything went super well. My crew was Gabe Taylor, Danny Kass, our filmer Greg Wheeler, and myself. I already knew Danny pretty well, but I didn’t really know Gabe too well and was really impressed by his riding and determination. We all got along really well and everybody got some good shots. I would’ve liked to have had a little more time filming with them, they were up in Whistler for two weeks total, and then I met up with them in Wyoming but only got to ride one day because of bad weather. The good news was I got to hang out with the Sugar Shack guys the rest of the time. Why do you think it’s still hard for Canadian riders to have careers as long lasting as the American’s? The industry is mostly there so I think certain American companies would rather support their own. At the same time tough, if you look at guys like Devun and J-F, it’s still possible... Do you think that backcountry is less popular than before? You know, you’ll always hear people saying “backcountry isn’t accessible, so kids identify more with rail riders, etc. etc.”. I come from Quebec, and sure, I’ve ridden a lot of rails but I always had that dream to ride the dream spots and powder that I saw in the videos. That’s what got me to where I am. I don’t have a single idea if the backcountry is less popular than before, but I’d hope not. There are guys who just don’t understand why a rider like you, who did a ton of rails in early video parts, concentrates exclusively on backcountry... It’s too bad for them! But I was riding rails less and less and eventually I just stopped all together. I guess my real passion for riding happens in the backcountry.
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What do you think of videos that are mostly all rails? I don’t know, I don’t watch them! I’m kidding, but seriously I respect all types of riding and I would never get down on somebody who just rides rails. I think it’s great if there’s a different type of video for a different type of rider. Having lived with you, I know you’re not the guy that goes out every day. You’re more the kind of guy who rides only when they’re filming. How do you progress without riding park? It probably has something to do with the fact I only go up on good days, so the other days are the bad ones that aren’t ideal for riding park either. I also like to take those days off sometimes and relax my body between two weeks of great weather. I ride a lot of backcountry jumps throughout the year, which gives me a chance to try new tricks. As soon as your video parts are done, you leave to go surf. Do you like surfing better than snowboarding? I can’t say I like either one more, but I can tell you I like the sunshine and the beach more than frostbites and the cold! After your career as a snowboarder, are you going to move back to Québec for good or move to Mexico to surf? I’d for sure love to do Mexico, but realistically I’ll have to work eventually. I don’t know where, or doing what, and I for sure love Québec, but you never know where life takes you. Rossignol didn’t put your name in the first ads this season, are you still riding for them? No. It was up in the air all summer. Nobody was telling me either way if they were going to sign me again. It was hard being treated like that by a company I’ve ridden for for so long, but I’m moving on. I’m currently looking for a new board sponsor.
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Backside 180 tailgrab Photo // Mike Yoshida Spot // Whistler
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COMPANY CHECK OUT
: BC ACTION ADVENTURES
Interview with Shandy Campos
Photo // Lucas Jmieff
Where are you from? Born and raised in Slocan Valley, the Kootenay region of BC, Canada How many years have you been snowboarding for? Since 1991, a young shredders life time, 17 years Does snowboarding ever get old after all those years? No way, this is a passion, a life style, this isn’t no trend for me. What keeps you going? «Life» Aging can be scary but you just have to take her all in, enjoy and embrace whichever chapter of life you are in. Every situation, good or bad, is a new opportunity. What is your background like? What have you been doing in the last 10 years? Being born and raised in the Kootenay’s, my background largely consists of being in and around the rural BC country, living, playing and loving what it has to offer. It has influenced what I have been doing for the last 10 years and continues to feed my passions today. Fresh out of high school, like many others, I high-tailed it to Whistler to pursue a professional snowboard career. This was great for many years, good travels, people paying you to live and do what you love doing, it couldn’t have been much better.
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How did you come around to start this new business of yours? You get to an age where making a solid foundation for life starts to become important. My Professional snowboard career was great but not the most profitable in the last couple of years. I realized time was creeping on me and if I wanted to continue doing this for a life time, I would have to think of pursuing this career from different angles. So now I continue to ride for various snowboard sponsors but have also started my own business [BC action adventure services]. Having lots of friends who have become cinematographers and team managers, I realized there are many ways to be out there in the field as well as making a living. I didn’t go to college after school or do an apprenticeship to learn a trade. I have been snowboarding for the last 17 years of my life, traveling, organizing trips, finding new shred zones and then figuring out how to get to them in the most productive/safe manner possible. So this is what I have learned in the last 10 years, this is my trade, how to get the shot in the most productive/ safe manner possible, in the most unique locations ever. This is what I have to offer. Tell us more about it. BC Action Adventure Services Ltd. is a one of a kind business dedicated to organizing and facilitating shred trips for action sports media groups into the rural Kootenay Backcountry. My 99% born and raised crew and I have lived, loved and breathed the Kootenay mountains since we were born and have been exploring it forever. Our business mainly consists in selling the use of our local knowledge and backcountry experience.
How can people learn more about your company?
Check out BC Action Adventures on our all-new web site at bcactionadventures.com
We set up and provide unique location, terrain, and accommodation and fully catered local grown food. Snowmobile trails are put in and maintained prior to group arrival. We hire a fully certified safety/avalanche technician that accompanies the group at all times and comes fully equipped with evacuation sled, spine board, first aid kit, oxygen, and satellite phone for any emergencies that may occur. My two to three man crew work closely with the group during every trip, doubling riders to jumps, getting them to new terrain, helping the clients dig out their snowmobiles, making sure they play safe and are safe at all times. Our objective as a company is to provide our clients with the most productive/unique/fun film trip possible. We just want them to come and worry about nothing but shredding and getting the shot. At «Get ‘er done» we take care of the rest. Last year was your first season. How was the experience? Last year was rad, more groups came through than we ever expected and a lot of big name, high-end clients, which was great. It was a lot of fun once we were on the trips, a shitload of work but a ton of fun. Who else gets to shred epic «pow» every day right next their clients? We’re not talking powder eights either; we’re talking “holy shits”. The business side of it was the hardest for me, lots of paper work, legal documents, and seeking clients. They don’t really come to you when it’s your first year because you don’t have a reputation yet. But yeah, it was tons of fun and I learned a lot. The shitty part is I now have to mind my tongue, save the radest lines for the clients and watch them hack them up. Ha ha!
What’s in store this season? This season is a scary one for tourism with the collapse of economies and everything. People are being very careful with their money. But we are a small company directed towards a niche market and I figure we will be able to bare the storm. (When you start with nothing the only way to go is up). Groups are always reluctant to book super early before they know how the winter will be and so on, but the good thing for us is where we go there is no such thing as a bad winter, it just snows. We have a bunch of groups in the midst of booking trips and we are also planning a weeklong media week with one of the local snowcat operators (Rettalack Resort). We expect the Rome Team, Absinth Crew, Runway Crew and the Volcom Crew to all come back this year along with many others. This year we have extended our services beyond providing the trip, logistics, lodging, food, rentals, safety and local knowledge of areas. We now have a fully trained rigging crew fully equipped to set up cable cams and tree stands for any group wishing to get that unique angle. Is this something you see yourself doing for many years to come? For sure, that is the plan. We also plan to extend our services into other areas within the tourism market. We are planning on starting a series of skate camps in the interior of BC. Starting small on our first year, we want to hold a camp for kids in the rural Kootenay area and get something going for these kids. Getting them stoked about being from the country. There is something great about every place; you sometimes just have to learn to appreciate it.
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Text by Davey Blaze and Stainer
WAR HERO
If you’re into short, fast, and loud, look no further. WAR HERO will shred you a new asshole… if you let them use your amplifier.We gathered in a couch-filled garage with three quarters of the band, and sparked one up… WAR HERO http://myspace.com/warheroviolence
STAINER: Hey Idiots. Where are you from, and what do you sound like? TOMMY: We’re from Squamtown and we sound like a cinder block to your emo-lovin face. GRAHAM: Idiot. T: Huh huh yeah idiot S: Squamish, HEH! DAVEY: Who’s in the band? COLIN: Well our first bassist quit two days before a show, so we recruited a long haired bastard to play… T: A long haired greasy bastard. D: You guys mean Lee. ALL: Yeah, Lee. G: Once Lee joined it was all chill. Things were a lot better. D: Okay, so you’ve got Lee on bass. C: Originally Tommy and I started the band, Tommy on vocals and guitar and me on drums. Then we got Graham on guitar and Tommy just does vocals. D: What’s it like being in a punk band in Squamish these days? G: We’re the only guys that do shows around here. C: Yeah, except the guys who used to do stuff like Chuck Norris. T: Kids go nuts because we’re the fastest band. C: At least in Squamish. S: How did Squamish influence the band? C: We took after other bands in Squamish and just used shitty places like the youth centre and our garages and shit… And it’s been like that a few years, like our old band ‘Pieces of Bread’ T: I’d get a bread monster tattoo. C: Yeah I’d get one with like a bucket of sludge oozing on it and… G: I’d get a sweet, badass, fucking monster hittin’ a huge badass bong, lighting it with a shaman torch. (to Tommy) And the monster would have killer bloodshot eyes…(goes off about bongs and cool shit)
Photo // Oli Gagnon
T: But it’s finally, almost, finished. And we’re gonna be writing for a three way split with Stegasorus Beach Defence and Elastic Death from Brazil. C: Stegasorus Beach Defence are kids from Victoria that came up for four days, and we just had a heinous weekend. T: Trashin’ houses and throwing cinder blocks at peoples ankles. D: You foos play a lot of shows, what’s the best…? T: CINDER BLOCKS. C: (laughing) Tommy, you fuckin idiot. T: Alf house shows are good. C: After Chilliwack, we played Rancid Mofo’s basement. War Hero only, playing out of keyboard amps. T: (puts Infest on…) Smokin’ doobs. C: Smokin’ doobs and running over dead animals. G: Gary. D: When are you dudes gonna play a Vancouver show with your own gear? T: Hahaha. Never. C: That’s awesome. G: Why would we? We can use other peoples stuff. C: Yeah, we got so many hook ups in Van now, haha. Props to Hesher. S: Tell us about Drinkin’ Lots of Liquor, Starting Lots of Fights? T: Well, Skidge made the rule that nobody comes home without starting at least one fight. It’s a big Squamish idiot fest destroying the United States of Turdmerica. D: So it’s a tour. T: Yeah. C: Maybe. G: It should be. T: We’re gonna do it sometime with Chuck Norris. C: We’re also hoping to go to Toronto in the Spring.
D: So how long have you foos been in War Hero? C: A year and a half. T: Yeah, a year and a half since our first show, we spent a bit of time writing riffs before that. G: I joined just before that show. (short argument about when Lee joined) Lee’s been there since day two.
D: How well does the band get along in the truck/car/van? C: Haha, it’s really loud. G: Lots of call-downs. Lots of doobs. C: Lots of doobs and lots of metal. G: We have arguments too, but they usually work out good. T: We have good ones, we have bad ones. G: Sometimes Lee yells “HUGE DUMP” for no reason. C: We like to make up dumb words like Marfus. We called a song Marfus.
D: Have you guys, uh, done anything yet? T: We’ve done a shitty demo. C: We’ve been selling that forever. We’re working on a split with Hominid, some band we met on a shitty little tour we did. AND, they’re all the same age as us and we just blazed tons. You can write that down. G: We gotta talk about the Ummm split. It’s been taking a long time.
D: Why does War Hero do it? G: Because it’s awesome. C: It’s exciting when you know there’s a show coming up, and you just practice tons so the band plays better. We know Tommy’s always out booking us more shows, so we always get to play. T: Thrashin’ shit is awesome. Peace.
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Text by Éric Green This ideological noun encompasses limitless values relating to life and snowboarding. So what is commitment in our lives? Is it following our goals through determination and self-discipline? Always being true to our personal values? Finishing everything we start without being sidetracked? Persevering through fear and obstacles, whether immediate or long-term? Personally, I believe there are far too many variables to distinguish guidelines for this process of executing commitment in our lives. However, it is reasonable to argue that this mental practice corresponds with all of our questions, decisions and answers. Somewhere along our individual paths, many of us committed our lives to snowboarding. Perhaps we recognized this turning point as a personal epiphany when it presented itself, or maybe we didn’t even see it coming until we noticed the education, career or relationship that we may have left behind us. Whatever the case, snowboarding is a passion, an expression and a lifestyle for countless people around the world. Our commitment to it is an easy one. Unlike committing to the TPS reports that are due at the Xerox machine by 5:00pm Friday, snowboarding just feels natural and fulfilling. All of our positions on commitment are proportionately directed to our individual goals. We commit to varying aspects such as improving, succeeding, teaching, winning, or healing. These practices define what we our seeking in snowboarding and life, along with what we are contributing to these norms. For snowboarding, the determination to progress sparks a commitment that often places a priority to the sport that rests high above anything else. It comes as almost surrendering yourself to snowboarding, similar to Alcoholic’s Anonymous meetings when members are encouraged to admit they are powerless against the influence of alcohol. Luckily for snowboarders, our vice is more inspiring, creative and physically rewarding. Commitment can be expressed as a metaphysical state of mind with regards to snowboarding; to execute one’s actions in a relaxed and confidant manner, while remaining aware of the immediate dangers and consequences. It’s simple reality that snowboarding possesses all the ingredients of a dangerous sport. When riding progressively and pushing your personal limits, commitment plays a crucial role. Utilizing good judgment and maintaining confidence in your abilities can still put you in precarious situations. With this in mind, perhaps commitment can be enlightened as the execution of our actions wholly and without hesitation. The mental approach to snowboarding is the key element to staying out of harm’s way. Consider your surroundings, the scenarios and the consequences before committing yourself to the situation. Many riders execute the “3 Second Rule” with religious diligence. This rule is the principle of deciding on what you’re doing and allowing yourself only three seconds to do it. Once you drop in, there’s a requirement of 100% commitment in order to avoid error, failure, or disaster.
- Chris Wimbles
- TJ Schneider
Commitment, being committed, should we be committed? I couldn’t tell you for certain. I guess it comes down to sacrifice, what are you willing to give up in order to snowboard? Are you committed enough to snowboarding to give up a summer and work so you can shred? Are you willing to back flip this rail even though your ankle is sprained and it could mean breaking it? Are you willing to die if you mess up this line? There are all types of levels of commitment you can have. I’ve given a lot of things up to snowboard so I guess I’m committed, probably not that smart but committed. I just love it and that seems reason enough.
tj schneider Hmm what am I committed to? I think the only conscious commitment I’ve made is to be true to my art. A few years ago I let someone determine what I could and couldn’t create, now I make whatever I want and I don’t worry about what others have to say about it. If you like it cool, if you don’t that’s fine, I’m going to make it either way and I guess I would say my snowboarding is the same way. I’m going to do it how I do it, I’m not Travis Rice or someone like that, I snowboard how I want to and you either respect that or you don’t. Either way it doesn’t really matter because I’m never going to snowboard like someone other than myself.
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Benjii Ritchie Photo // Dom Gauthier Spot // Whistler
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