The Probe: Matty Richard by SBC Skier

Jorgenson Photo

The Probe

MATTY RICHARD: A GOOD SKIER IS AN OLD SKIER TEXT BEN WANNAMAKER Transcribing an hour-and-a-half conversation with New Brunswick-to-Whistler transplant, Matty Richard was next to impossible. Richard is a notorious talker, and rightfully so: he has an entire lifetime of skiing to talk about. He first got a taste for coastal geography as a grom riding the Horstman Glacier at Camp of Champions. Since moving to Whistler, he followed the Freeride World Tour around the globe from 2003-2008 (winning the Kirkwood stop in 2006 and finishing second overall that same year), helped design the most accessible ski on the market, and worked with Sherpas Cinema on both A Fine Line (the collective’s breakout avalanche awareness film) and last year’s blockbuster All.I.Can, the most highly decorated ski film in history. If you ask him about getting the next Switch Triple, expect little more than a chuckle. Richard is a mountaineer who sees his next learning phase as nailing knots and being more comfortable in highly uncomfortable situations. Given this, it’s understandable that not even the brazenly cold temperatures in the ski-tuning shed where the interview was conducted could slow him down. On skis, he acts the same way as off: a madman running on passion. And he integrates that same style of light-footed fire he speaks with into his skiing and an unquestionably pause-less lifestyle. Ask anyone who knows him: boom, boom, boom—that’s Matty Richard.

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"I’ve got totem poles in my house and the Blake Jorgenson Raven shot he gave me. I’m no shaman or anything, but find it really interesting.”

No smoke and mirrors when it comes to Matty Richard's skiing. Well, maybe some…. Bradley photo

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Jorgenson Photo

The Probe

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Where did you start skiing? there two years ago, there was this old guy at Cross-country in Fundy National the local shop and Kye and him got talking and Park, strapped to Dad’s back. I still the dude put it together that he’d actually met remember the coastline, cliffs, bluffs. Trevor back in the day. That was cool. It’s rugged out there—end of the Appalachians. I started alpine at Crab You and Kye worked on The Edge of Never Hey, Matty, how many days on the mountain is that now? Arf. Was it the best day ever—again? Arf. Jorgenson photo Mountain, an hour outside Moncton, together, skiing the Tantalus Range, a zone at three-and-a-half. For the first few Trevor pioneered. What’s your relationship? years, I just lapped the T-bar all day I don’t think Kye even remembers our first while my brother skied chairlifts. I was dialing my turns [laughs]. Later, run-in, but I was biking in the Whistler skatepark as a camper at Camp me and my brother used to go night skiing and huck frozen waterfalls of Champions, and Kye was super young and gave me shit for being in and break skis—so many pairs.... Dad was like, “What are you doing out the park on my bike. But once I moved out here, he started chasing me there?” I was under 10 when I ripped out my first binding. and Dommer around the mountain, and we’ve been on Tantalus together six times now. On Trevor Day [anniversary of Petersen’s death] this year, How important is family to you? Kye and I were the last two on Blackcomb, Peak and we did the scramble Super important. We’re Acadians, and it’s very Maritimes back home: together: just me and him, skiing Clever Couloir with the sun going down. simple life, big families, huge gatherings every week. My mom and dad both have eight siblings. I’m so used to having cousins and friends Not many know this, but you had a large role in refining the S7. around that Whistler would almost be impossible to do alone. It was What’s it like working with Rossignol? because of buddies that I stayed. If Dommer [Dominic Melanson], I love that it’s such a big company and I’m still really involved. There’s Slicer [Kris Corimer] and the boys had left, I don’t know if I would have this young industrial engineer, Franz, who I work with on designs. We can stayed. It’s expensive and different. But I got used to it. Where there’s basically get a ski out of the press and onto the mountain in three weeks. a will there’s a way. And they’re trying to go lighter, more green—recycling broken skis into a rubber compound used in kids’ playgrounds. That suits me because I’m How did you start competing? kind of a tree hugger. Before I came here, I actually used to ski park. My first contest was a Big Air in Wentworth, Nova Scotia. I won a submarine sandwich. Now, I’ve heard that.... I do big-mountain jibbing, but I don’t do tricks. I’d never do anything Yeah, I listen to David Suzuki and... well, I was just thinking about why switch—it’d be death—but I still like jibbing. There’s this big, natural skiers are more in tune with nature and environmental issues than step-up with a rock in the middle just off Glacier Chair. I hit it real the average person. There are many aspects, but basically, we don’t long and wait until I’m right above and then pole-plant the rock. I love take things for granted; the places we go, how we spend our days—it’s natural wallrides and stuff. never safe. We’re dealing with helicopters, weather that can come in at any time. So when you’re skiing a forest, you can’t help but take note Big-mountain contests were a huge part of how you got noticed, of your surroundings and have more environmental awareness. It’s no correct? wonder Mark Abma is doing his thing with 1Step and JP Auclair is doing My first year, I just watched. In 2002, I saw the Whistler Blackcomb stop Alpine Initiatives. of the world tour. Then, the second year I entered. It was held on The Bite at Blackcomb. And I fucking crashed... Lincoln Looped back to my Is “tree-hugging” why you don’t have a sled yet? skis and was so mad I skied the rest of the run super hard. Next day, I Not really. Eight years ago, around the time all my buddies got sleds, I got second-highest line score of the contest and ended up 10th. Robin was busy with comps. Plus, I never had a truck. And truthfully, I love ridCourcelles was like, “Hey, L’Acadian!” and offered to pay for me to go to ing chairlifts—doing hot laps, banging vert. And I love ski touring. Dan the next tour stop. But I refused the money. Rossignol had a meeting Treadway and his wife, Carla, give me shit about it. Every time I go over about expanding their team, and Courcelles was there, Hugo Harrisson, to their place, it’s “So… how many days do you have on the mountain Dan Treadway, PY Leblanc—all those Whistler dudes me and Dommer now, Matty?” Or, “What is it, your 100th day up there? Was it the best would chase around when we first got there. So they knew who we were day ever—again?” And I’m like, “Hey, it’s fucking good up there.” But and my name came up. I went on to do the world tour, but I would miss then, I’m the kind of guy who can do an hour-and-a-half hike for a tiny the steeps in Spanky’s [Ladder] while I was on the road. Sometimes you’d cloudy line and still be stoked. Just being outside and in the moment is leave really good weather at home to ski bad conditions on the road. enough for me. When I was chasing the tour I really just wanted to be at home shredding. Does your personality show in the way you ski? You were obviously influenced by Hugo, PY and the boys; anyone else? Sure, but in a weird way... you really have to know me to notice. I’m 31, With the new generation, it’s my boys James Heimer, Ian Macintosh and but I like to think I still ski how I did 10 years ago. You know, cautious but Dana Flahr. Then, there’s the previous generation: Kreitler, McConkey, energetic, always hopping around and laughing, just skiing everything. Micah Black. Before them were the guys who inspired me while I was You’ll never master [skiing], so as you get older you smarten up and level young back in Moncton. I remember a VHS called Radical Thrills and out. They say “A good skier is an old skier,” and you don’t have to conSpills that also had a 1994 big-mountain contest in Valdez with Eric stantly be hucking huge stuff to be a good skier. I progress in different Pehota, Trevor Petersen and Doug Coombs. Trevor was huge for me. ways now, like mountaineering and sending it when I ski-tour. Everything He pioneered Haines and Valdez, and when me and Kye [Petersen] went is a learning curve and always will be.

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MATTY RICHARD: A GOOD SKIER IS AN OLD SKIER

“I’m the kind of guy who can do an hour-and-a-half hike for a tiny cloudy line and still be stoked. Just being outside and in the moment is enough for me.”

Tiny cloudy lines might be cool, but this is real stoke. Bradley photo

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MATTY RICHARD: A GOOD SKIER IS AN OLD SKIER

“I was under 10 when I ripped out my first binding.”

Looks like the Ravens' vibe was good that day. Bradley photo

You’re sponsored by a burrito joint. How did that happen? I tune skis across the street from Dups Burritos and spent so much money there that the owner noticed. So, now whenever I want something, it’s free, but I don’t milk it. If I don’t have a lunch I walk over, and they’re like, “Hey, Matty! What do you want?” They always have veggie stuff, and they’ll even fry up my leftovers. One time I brought a stir-fry over and they put it on the grill for me and tossed it in a shell. I don’t do the microwave thing, so it works well. What about your connection to ravens? It has to do with being in tune with nature because the birds are super spiritual. I’m big into West Coast Native beliefs, as are a lot of mountain enthusiasts. I’ve got totem poles in my house and the Blake Jorgensen raven shot he gave me. I’m no shaman or anything but find it really interest-

ing. The other day, I was on the peak with my roommate, Charles. We were having beers, and I did my whistle and caw thing and the raven came up and sat there with us—it blew his mind. I have a series of three sounds I’ve developed and can switch up [a whistle, a caw and another guttural thing]. I do it out of instinct, I don’t even think about it. I use the birds when I’m skiing, too—literally every day. Really? Yeah, they’re a strong presence up there. When the snow is loaded and we have doubts, danger is always on your mind. Then raven comes by, and judging by his vibe we make the call on whether to ski it or not. And 99 per cent of the time—I’m not shitting you—if the raven comes, we go for it. If he isn’t around, I wonder, re-think. And I’m still here. A good skier is an old skier. y

Leysa Perotti off the top.

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