Issue #3 Vol #5 Feb 10
FREE
ALAN GERLACH!!!
JOMMY SMITH!!! JAKE TOMLINSON!!!
INTERVIEW ISSUE!
n t o u i v r e ol Snowskate Shop Wenatchee, Washington
509-665-6662 revolutionsnowandskate.com
Starfishsnowskatemagazine.com starfishsnoskate@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/starfishmag
"I didn't even get my snowboard out of the car". Cory Macdonald on snowboarding vs snowskating
"It looks like the poop from a lava monster" Ian Roberts on the serpentine massacre trophy
"If I was Terry I would be stoked" Uttech on the new revolution ads
e s t o u Q
"I could beat that in my sleep" Chad the breaker on the new land speed record "Don"t let him use your skate." Roy on Chad the Breaker
"i thought it was kinda of retarded." Abhominal On the Ralston Cup Story "he got free floorspace" Danny Sheehan on the Ralston Cup Story. "fear is a great teacher" Mark Edmundson "It really is not that legit" Paul Elkins on the x games 4x event drawing by Nick Jonas
Ted Amell
photos by Big John
starfishsnowskatemagazine.com
Jommy Smith
Inter view by Jack Hitchcock
W
hat’s your name? It seems a little confusing; I think we spelled it like three different ways in the last magazine. Yeah, It’s JOMMY.
here. How old are you? I am 14. When did you start snowskating? I started when I was about 8.
Alright and where are Why did you start? you from? South Lake Tahoe. Originally? I grew up here. I was born
I saw some of my mom’s friends doing it and I saw a video, it got me pretty
“I saw some of my mom’s friends doing it, and I saw a video, it got me pretty excited” excited and I wanted to try it. Do you remember what video it was?
Where do you usually skate? In my back yard, at the Bonzer Pipeline and at Sierra.
It was the “What’s that?” video, the first What contests did one. I didn’t know you win last year? any of the guys really.
The Ralston Cup. Where do you go to school?
Umm... Sort of... Everyone was pretty stoked that I won.
I am home schooled this year.
Did Sheehan ever pay you?
If you don’t go to a regular school how do you meet girls?
Yeah.
Dude, ahhh, chicks dig me!
How often do you skate over at Bonzer”s house?
Almost every weekDude do the girls end. Whenever I react to your success can. as a snowskater?
“Dude, ahhh, chicks dig me!” Do the girls that dig you hang out there too?
Umm. I don’t think they know I hang out there. What would be your
dream session? Would you ride the park or powder? I like more street style like rails and drops. I’m not really into the powder that much on a snowskate.
Jommy Smith
“I don’t think there is really a best, I think everyone has there own style.” there. That’s it? That’s the dream session? Parks, rails and drops? I don’t know but it would be something like Amped II.
Is it sick? Yeah, me and my friend play it. What’s your set-up on Amped? What board do you ride?
Amped II that is the video game?
I ride a Ralston.
Yeah they got snowskating on
Who would you say is the best snowskater?
PLUTO SPORTS WEST 245 N. Seven Oaks Dr. Knoxville, TN. 37922 865-693-8990
PLUTO SPORTS 1723-C Cumberland Ave Knoxville, TN, 37916 865-523-0045
JESS www.plutosports.com
I don’t think there is really a best, I think everyone has there own style. Did you see the Flat deck movie? Where? On You Tube? I think so. I don’t know, I’m not into the flat decks. They put out a movie and it is pretty sick. They do flip tricks onto rails and stuff. Yeah, I wanna start trying that stuff but You know like Sheehan, your mom or I don’t know. I don’t like those flat decks. your little sister. Alright. What’s your plan for the Winter? Take a few trips, promote Ralston Snowskates, and try to get out there a little more. OK, before we end this, who do you gotta thank? I don’t know.
Yeah, I gotta thank Danny Sheehan a lot and a lot of people that helped me get
on the team, like Seth Hall and my parents for giving me time to skate.
Starfish presents the second annual
serpentine massacre at silver fir
March 2oth High noon
Starfish T-Shirts Still Available
$10
starfishsnowskate magazine.com
o s n n i l m o t ake etter
J "the pictures aarlekinbg." t e m n a h t
Jake Interview by: Clarke #3 In the World
&
O
K so what issue is this?
The interview issue. The Starfish Interview issue? Jake Tomlinson. First Question. What's your name?
Leavitt Laughter. Jake L. Tomlinson. Where are you from? Born in Wenatchee. Home Mountain?
Photos by Leavitt
Home Mountain is the scummit. When did you get into snowskating? Oh, when was that first time they came up? that has got to be about six or seven years ago? Seven years ago before the Michigan's even came out. We rode the first ones that Lib
made. Me and you and the Cummins brothers and Pos and Paul Ferrell. That was the first time I ever rode one. Where was that at? At Central. No, West in the Park. I remember Cummins doing cabs off one of those jumps Like the first time riding those boards. Matt or Temple?
Temple, but both of them were there. They had a whole bunch of One Ball spikes for us to nail our boards out with. Had you seen Steve Frink's bi-deck design at this point in time? Never. Were you allowed on the lift? Laughter. No, No? Were we? I can't remember. you were there. Your right nobody really hassled us. We got hassled a little bit the first year, but it wasn't that first day. Some lifts would let you on, some wouldn't let you on. They would tell you to go back to the other one and we would go back, but that was only that first year.
Photo by PLWP
How do those early boards compare to the new board designs that are coming out now? We thought they were bad ass, Laughter. but they rode like shit. We didn't know no better. we were like this is kill!" I'm sure we looked like goons trying to
"fuck Burton." come down and make them carve. They wouldn't carve, that's for fucking sure. Those were the Michigans, like the first ones but is seemed like it was
on. Did you have a leash? I think we had shoe strings or something shitty. Luck-
Photos by Leavitt
I think we had shoe strings or something shitty. Luckily we never killed anybody. When did you first realize that you could ride powder and the whole mountain with out bindings? Oh... Umm. Watching wolle. And then riding Florida once we rode Florida's. me and Carlson took them up and I think that was the first time. Me and Dani took them out and rode Knoll #2, and that is a real mountain. We did like full top to bottom knoll #2, knoll #1, and snake dance all in like a foot and a half of new, you actually could drop some cliffs and ride some powder.
so natural for me it was the perfect evolution.
"we didn't know no better. we were like this is kill!"
All the goons you get to hang out with? Defiantly. The cool people. Laughter. and all of the
I've never actually ridden a Florida Board. You haven't? make sure it is a big decent one. don't ride the little one. ride like the 152. What attracts you to binding free riding? Fame? Money? Fun? Laughter. I've been skating my whole life. When I first found out about snowskating i jumped right on it. It was so fun. SNowskating feels
Photo by Dane
fights I get to get into. fighting is the cool part about snowskating. How did you come to Own Rocker trucks? What was your plan? Me and Tyson were working at a shop. I think I broke the first Lib Tech ones a couple of times and was like, "that's not right" and we knew we could make them better. Me and Tyson made the first ones out of just blocks of Aluminum. Every year since, we have been making them.
I want my snowskate to ride like the best skateboard and snowboard combined. I think letting the ski flex as much as possible is the best wasty to do this, that is what Rocker trucks do. Clarke: How many mills do you have?
I got one mill and two C&C lathes. Are those five Axis? Four axis mills. How long does it take to make a truck?
"Luckily we never killed anybody." What do you think about the flat deckers? Have you seen the flat deck video?
Oh, fuck we make a ton at a time. I've got an all star staff?
I'm stoked on it. After meeting Alan I'm more stoked on it. Somebody that can see it all..
Who is on your staff?
Those guys tear it up. There is a
place for it. Not on my hill but... kickfliping onto rails is sick.. What do you think about the Noboard design? It's wack. Laughter. You can't print that.
Eric Neadller. Really? Rocker neadler, Monty Hayes on occasion. Leavitt. Leavitt made some trucks... Huh... Like two. I' don't think I made them. Yeah, I guess you just grinded a couple of pairs. Where is your factory at? Seattle Washington, in the city, in the heart of the ghetto, Photo by Leavitt
If your not then ride like Wolle... and fucking ride a flat board without any straps or any rope to hold onto. What would you say are the most important design changes you have seen since you started snowskating?
"Is this the part where I sock you?"
Good leashes that are gonna keep us snowskating and not kill anyone. Mag, Magnatraction on snowskates, Banana. All those things that make snowskating better and more fun. Killer decks with the right concave,
Putting Rockers on your board. Photo by Dane
laughter.
It's true. Laughter.
Laughter.
"It's wack"
I think Wolle's got it right.
Here's my fighting words for the interview,
Laughter
Laughter. I set you up for that.
"That shit sucks." I should put that in the Quotes Section,
Yeah, if you are gonna snowboard or put a strap over your feet you might as well strap your feet in.
On to the Clarke Questions. So jake, how high can you Ollie? Laughter. You don't have to answer that.
Is this the part where I sock you? Why is Segornie weaver so hot? Bad ass. I like Bad ass chicks that is just the way it is. Even if they are bald? Yep even if they are bald. It doesn't matter. As long as they are bad ass. So when you were up in Canada how many times did you get beat up for being an American? I think there was one fight but it wasn't for being a yank. I love Canada. What's new for this year? What tricks
"My anti-thank for the whole issue." have you got in your head? Hmm. You know when you are driving up to the hill and you are thinking about what tricks you are gonna do in your head? Yeah? I don't think anybody does that but you Clarke. Nobody thinks about that shit? I can't get to sleep at night.
Nope,,, maybe a frontside invert and an egg plant. Alright, we will be looking for that.
Photos by Leavitt
Use the pictures. The pictures are better than me talking. who do you wanna thank? My wife Dani, Mike Olson, Chiller Mark, Florida. Leavitt for doing what he's doing. Jordan. Everybody out there. Sheehan. Frank or Frink or whatever his name is...
Photo by Dane
The inventor. The inventor, the original inventor. Fuck Burton for trying their best to ruin snowskating I asked you who you wanna thank. Yeah, fuck Burton. Laughter. My anti-thank for the whole issue. Thank Pos and Cobb and Shag for building stuff for us. Cool. That's a rap. I gotta go take a shit real quick I will be
Photo by Dane
Podium
Breaking world speed record news!!!
Three years ago in Tennessee, Brian Beauchene set the land speed record for snowskating at 37 miles per hour. This record stood unchallenged for years. Finally, starfish decided that it was time for a new record. Tyler Wagner was appointed the official starfish timekeeper. Next, Wagner and former Serpentine Massacre champion Dane Orvold teamed up and broke the old record by 4.4 miles per hour. The new snowskate
Alan Butters; not a real person!!! Logan Triplett’s story in the last issue featured three photos of Allan butters. Apparently Allan Butters is not a real person. there was some kind of miscommunication between the photographers and the publisher. The photos were sick and starfish is now accepting applications for a new Allan Butters.
t-baggers and jewish boy absent from serpentine chinese Downhill!!! speed record is 41.4 miles per hour. Although many skaters claim to have gone faster than the 41.4 MPH record these claims have not been verified. Unfortunately, for these skaters the official time is kept by the official time keeper, Tyler Wagner, in a safe at Starfish Headquarters North. Skaters are encouraged to break this record by contacting Tyler at Starfish headquarters and setting up and appointment through starfishsnoskate@ yahoo.com
his barmitsva. Welcome to manhood Adrian. The trophy is cooler than ever. Chris Beck’s glass serpent sculpture has been positioned on top of a piece of cherry wood. In the tradition of the Stanley Cup the new trophy will be engraved with the winner’s name and defended year after year. The big question on people’s minds: who will win the #3 spot?
Olympics: still on
A devastating landslide in the Olympic park has closed the road to the Olympic snowskating arena and almost ruined this years games. Snowskatings #1 Band, the T-bagging Fortunately, the Olympic committee bandits, has been has decided to fix booked to play the the road. This years South by Southwest Music festival in Aus- event is still on tin Texas on the same schedule. day as the race. This means that contendJapanese ers Pete Ireton, big Misrepresented john and last years #3 finisher Clarke Our first photo of snowskating in Japan Hurlbut #3 in the featured in the last isWorld will all be sue was taken by Tsutoabsent. The tension surrounding this years serpentine massacre continues to grow.
Last years youngest top ten finisher Adrian Rassmusen will also be missing the event because of
mu endo not Higai. Sorry Mr. Endo. Please send more photos.
SNOWSKATE RESORT GUIDE USA State AZ CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO ID ID ID IL IL IN IN ME MI MI MI MI NC NC NH NH nh NH NH NM OR OR PA PA
Resort Mt. Lemon Bear Mountain Boreal Mountain Dodge Ridge June Mountain Kirkwood Mammoth Mt. High Northstar at Tahoe Sierra at Tahoe Snow Summit Breckenridge beaver creek Buttermilk Copper Mountain Crested Butte Keystone Vail Telluride Schweitzer Silver Mtn Sun Valley Chestnut Mountain Raging Buffalo Paoli Peaks Perfect North Sunday River Bittersweet Caberfae Holiday Hills Marquette Mountain Appalachian Ski Mtn. Wolf Laurel Loon Mountain croched Mountain Cranmore Waterville Valley PAT’S PEAK Angel Fire Hoodoo Timberline OR Ski Liberty Ski Round Top
CANADA
PA TN UT UT VT VT VT VT WA WA
Whitetail Ober Gatlingburg Brighton Snowbird Smuggler's Notch Stowe Sugarbush jay peak Hurricane Ridge Mt Baker
WA WA WA WY
Mt Spokane Summit at Snoqualmie Steven's Pass Snow King
Province AB AB AB AB AB AB AB AB AB AB BC BC BC BC BC NS NS QC QC
Resort Castle Mountain Canada Olympic Park Hidden Valley Lake Louise Marmot Basin Nakiska Rabbit Hill Snow Valley Sunshine Tawatinaw Fernie Mt. Seymour Red Mtn Whistler BC Whitewater Martock Wentworth Mont-Comi Park Tremblant
Alan Gerlach “he would make sure to introduce me as this kid who just got the Gold at the X-Games.”
Interview by Jack Hitchcock What’s your name? Alan Gerlach, with one “L” not two like you usually spell it. Where are you from? Minneapolis Minnesota. When did you get into snowskating? Around 2000 or 2001. In middle school. So about 10 years. Yeah, about nine or ten years for sure. Were you a skateboarder or a hockey player or a snowboarder before you started snowskating. No, I never liked hockey even though I am from Minnesota. I started skateboarding when I was younger and then got into snowboarding and the snowboarding led into snowskating. I still do everything, but rarely do I snowboard anymore. When you started had you ever seen trucks before or a bi-deck design? I had seen them but at that time all of the
Photo by Nick Ahrens
marketing was for the Burton products. So I tried one of those and it worked O.K. but I wasn’t that hyped on them originally until about three years ago when I started setting up some customized bi-deck stuff and then Goblin gave me a Ralston while I was living in Breck a couple years ago. That was my first bi-deck setup that I could really rip the whole mountain with, the Ralston sub with a flatdeck mounted as the top deck. When you first started had you heard of Steve Frink? No, definitely not. Where do you stand now as far as board design? I ride everything. I love all types of snowskating. What do you think about this powder trend that is going on in snowskating right now? I think it is great. There is a lot of new designs out there and they all provide a whole different feel and a different way to ride the mountain. I really like the powder surfs right now. I am really hyped on that. But powder bi-decks
can get and fun. But yeah, Hurricane Ridge was the most fun for sure because I got to ride everything from banked slalom to powder, a hand-built park, and skateboard too. Who do you ride for?
Photo by Bjorn r-g
“I don’t know, You gave me a hard question on that one... shit.” are great as well because you can rip through pow and still cruise the groomers and chop, just ride the whole mountain. Would you rather stay home in Minnesota or travel to skate? Travel for sure, Minnesota is good, it is perfect for single decking but I would definitely rather travel and go see the world, and get to ride all types of terrain and meet all the amazing people I have met. How many states did you skate in last year?
Oh, last year let me think for a second... probably seven or eight states and two Canadian Provinces. How many contests? Three, I did the X-Games, the Yeti Jam and the Olympics at Hurricane Ridge. Which one was the best? Dude, I don’t know. The Olympic event was the most fun over all. Yeti was super sick too because I won that event and it was set up super good with lots of kids. Definitely for a single deck contest that is about as legit as you
I ride for Ambition Snowskates for single decking and I ride for Circuit for bi-deck and powder stuff. Also Banshee Bungee, JUX skate co, thesnowskateshop. com, and FS grip. How does Jordan feel about you riding for a flat deck company? He’s down with it for sure. He still gets on a flat deck now and again. He started on a flat deck as well. I think it’s just rad that both companies are cool with me riding everything. Single decking and bi-decking are still pretty much a separate deal. Now that you have traveled a bit would you say that riding flat decks at ski resorts is a reasonable idea? Yeah, for sure. It’s just different. I don’t know, you gave me a hard question on that one... shit. Yeah,
there.
Photo by Aidan L-K
I am just way more comfortable on rails on a flat deck. There are certain things at ski areas that I’d rather do on a flat deck. I can do way more rail tricks, plus sometimes the simplicity and hard to control nature of a flat deck on a hill is rad. It’s just different. Why do Flat Decks ollie so high? I don’t know? Because we play basketball too?
“Rarely do I snowboard anymore.” Flat Decks at ski resorts are good depending on the snow conditions. You can make turns and have decent control if it’s soft. I have always ridden ski areas on a flat deck and a lot of my favorite snowskate days have been at ski areas on flat decks, however it’s one of those things where if a little kid takes a flat deck to a ski resort, its not going to work very well, but if somebody who knows how to ride it takes it too a ski resort it’s going to be fun for sure. Also, Midwest ski areas are so small that
it is totally reasonable to single deck at them, even on Minnesota ice. My cousin and I used to take full lift laps on singles at this place called Spirit Mt. In Minnesota. They would let us on with our plastic skates and shoelaces taped on as leashes. Sometimes we would just hold the lace near the skate while in line so we wouldn’t actually have to leash up. They were open until 9pm so we had some of the best night woods runs and icy rail hits in the bitter Minnesota cold. Those were some great nights
What do you think about Noboarding? That hand binding thing
is cheating to me. I’m not down with that. Not legit. Would you say you are a Pro? A Pro? Yeah, a Pro? Uh, yeah. It is still weird to say but yes I am. The first board I got I had to rub my name off on the grip graphic. It was too weird riding a board and seeing my name on it. I’m used to it now though and it’s good. So if there are chicks around would your friends tell them you
Photo by Nick Wosika
“Snowskater 100 percent. No, hand bindings for me.” are a Pro? Oh, yeah for sure. Just last weekend after the X-Games, every girl Phil (Smage) would meet at this party he would make sure to introduce me as this kid who just got the Gold at the X-Games. Girls were real confused by it but whatever. But yeah, Phil tells people I am a pro, mostly just Phil though. He likes telling girls random things, some true, some made up.
Where is home during the winter months? Home is still Minneapolis. I will be back there in a week. But Montana is definitely my second home with Logan and Bjorn. Yeah, I don’t Know, Jordan’s is like a third home, and Colorado. I guess wherever this car takes me is home for the moment. I’ve seen you ride all sorts of bindingless boards in the powder
would you say you are a snowskater or a Noboarder? Snowskater 100%. No hand bindings for me. Are you going to the Olympics? Yeah, not the Vancouver ones though. The real ones at Hurricane Ridge.
Could he be in Bozeman? No, all three parts are in Whitefish right now, but you can often find one part of Butters there. Who is gonna win the Ralston Cup tomorrow? It’s tomorrow? Probably Goblin.
What happened to Allan Butters?
How did you do at the X-Games?
There are actually two Allan Butters in the house right now and we saw the third one today. We pretty much had the complete trifecta of Allan Butters today.
I won the flat deck jam. How much money did you win? Hah, nothing man. They
“I ride everything. I love all types of snowskating.”
Photo by Bjorn r-g
don’t throw money into it anymore. How does the X-Games promote snowskating? Oh, man, I don’t know what to tell you on this one. Realistically, I think it kinda makes snowskating look worse. This year was a lot of fun and I had a great time riding with Paul [Elkins], but X games always gives us the shaft on the park and doesn’t really help Paul set it up how he wants. It could be more legit with a better park, but honestly I don’t think X games is the best place for snowskating until snowskating matures a little more or ESPN is willing to support it. X Games does get some new people into snowskating, but to the general snowboard kid crowd there, I don’t think it gives the best impression. Going out and riding the mountain at X-Games everyday with Paul probably gave the best impression, people were hyped on that. Do you think if snowskating made it to the Olympics the format would be the same as the X-Games? I don’t think we’ll ever have to worry about
that, but yeah it would be a jam format for sure. Jam formats are best. And snowskating is already in the Olympics, Hurricane Ridge is way sicker than the Vancouver Olympics for sure.
“Oh, man, I don’t know what to tell you on this one.”
That’s about all I have dude. Who do you have to thank? Jordan Armstrong, Alex, Logan Triplett, Bjorn R-G, Starfish, all the filmers, photographers, and friends and everybody that is down for snowskating. Thanks to everyone who let me crash at their house and helped me live the travel life, I can’t imagine a better way of living. Thanks. And uh, where are all of the questions that Starfish is famous for? Which ones are those? The ones that create drama and controversy. I think we already covered that. Really did I say some bad shit?
Even if you don’t say anything bad it will create controversy none the less. Photo by Bjorn r-g
right back.