ARKADE MARCH 2012

E V E RY T H I N G H A S A P U R P O S E

CAMERON PIERCE THE WET PLATE PROJECT PHOTO AND VIDEO SERIES 4 OF 5 TO SEE THE FOURSQUARE TEAM MAKE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY GO TO FOURSQUAREOUTERWEAR.COM/WETPLATEPROJECT

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F E AT U R E D O U T E RW E A R T R A D E JAC K E T & WO R K PA N T P H OTO G RA P H S I A N R U H T E R

12.16.11 01.06.12 01.13.12 01.20.12 02.03.12 02.10.12 03.02.12 03.09.12 03.23.12

SNOWBASIN Park City BRIGHTON SNOWBASIN Park City BRIGHTON Park City BRIGHTON SNOWBASIN

03.30.12

Park City

PAUL BUNDY paul@arkadesnowboarding.com

CORY LLEWELYN cory@arkadesnowboarding.com

BRYCE PACKHAM bryce@arkadesnowboarding.com

Andy Wright, Bob Plumb, Rob Mathis, Tim Peare Steven Stone, E-Stone, Sean K. Sullivan, Adam Moran Aaron Dodds, Joel Fraser, Embry Rucker, Jordan Mendenhall, Daniel Cochrane, Jeremy Jones, Alex Andrews, Cale Zima, Aaron Biittner, Seth Huot

Daniel Cochrane, Lindsay Aceto, Avran LeFeber Bob Plumb, Jeremy Jones

cash for open class REGISTRATION COURSE INSPECTION ON COURSE RIDERS MEETING AMS OPEN AMS FINAL OPEN FINAL AWARDS

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

COVER: CALE ZIMA PHOTO: BOB PLUMB

SPACECRAFT // WINTER // 2012

When your family has history in ski resort hotel management and your parents meet and fall in love while working at a resort, it only seems natural that your life would continue to include the mountains. In Sam Taxwood’s case, the mountains aren’t just a part of his life-- they’re the center of this young man’s world. Starting around two years of age Sam’s daycare was actually ski and snowboard lessons at Snowbird.

He started competing as a member of Snowbird’s team and did so for a few years. As he progressed in freestyle riding, Sam’s family supported his decision to start getting his season passes at Park City Mountain Resort. To allow him time to focus on snowboarding, Sam has had a unique school schedule since middle school. Now, just a few months away from graduating high school, he admits it hasn’t always been easy to focus on school work and has struggled to keep up at times. Nevertheless, with the support of his family and friends, paired with his own personal drive and natural talent, Sam is already beginning to find the success through his passion for snowboarding.

Name: Sam Taxwood Age: 17 Hometown: Cottonwood Heights, UT Home Mountain: Snowbird and now PCMR Years Snowboarding: 10 Hookups: Milosport, Nitro, L1, Arnette, Celtek, Discrete, Nixon and Cobra Dogs Passions aside from snowboarding: Skateboarding and music

Heroes/Idols: John Spiris, Erik Leines, Johnny Brady, Tonino Copene, and Ben Bilodeau Favorite trick: Back flips Currently working on: Proper style, 1080s, switch backside spins, switch onto rails, riding backcountry lines Goals for the future: Film a full video part, meet new people, travel to Japan, Quebec and all over Europe.Just ride everything and everywhere I can.

Since graduating from high school last year, local Ben Bilodeau has pushed his snowboarding to a new level and is getting lots of welldeserved attention. After a summer of coaching at Windell’s, picking up a slew of new sponsors and being highlighted on several snowboarding websites, this Utah-grown rider is clearly going places. Filming with Finger On Da Trigger, Ben has been spending a lot of time with Cole Taylor and really looks up to him. Ben said “Seeing Cole do everything he does with the company really gets me hyped on what he does.” This is why Ben has decided to slowly continue his education by taking a few classes to learn about graphic design, film and business. As a motivated young up-and-comer, Ben hopes that his drive and skills will earn him the snowboarding career he dreams of.

Name: Ben Bilodeau Age: 18 Hometown: Sandy, UT Home Mountain: Brighton and now PCMR Years snowboarding: About 10 Hookups: Milosport, Technine, Arnette, Celtek, Landing, and Osiris Passions aside from snowboarding: Skateboarding and music

Heroes/Idols: Brandon Hammid because he is the happiest, nicest dude ever and so good at snowboarding…Grant Taylor, Cole Taylor, Spencer Schubert, Lucas Magoon, Bode Merrill and Sam Taxwood.

Favorite Trick: Nose presses and tweaked grabs Currently working on: Lots of switch stuff Goals for the future: Film a full video part and travel a lot, Alaska being at the top of the list.

nixon.com

Looking at the history of snowboarding through board museums or stacks of magazine archives are how many snowboarding enthusiasts learn about the history of the sport we love. We watch as many films and edits as we can and see how the sport has progressed. One local photographer has had the privilege of witnessing this progression, first hand, through his camera lens. From his early work that launched the careers of local legends Jeremy Jones and JP Walker, to early urban exploration with Forum, to the most recent issues of your favorite shred magazines, the photographs taken by Rob Mathis fully illustrate the progression of urban snowboarding.

How did you get into photography?

I got into photography through my grandpa. I started taking pictures maybe when I was eight. He always had a camera and a dark room. It was always something I was interested in. It’s a shame he passed away early because he would have really been proud of me being able to do photography for a living. So, I really think I got it from him.

So since photography was an early hobby, did you go to school for it or anything?

Yeah, I went to school for it. I went to the U. I was an art major. I wouldn’t recommend that for anyone else. If I could go back, I didn’t finish, but if I were to go back I would take business or marketing classes because there’s so much with photography that you just shoot get out and shoot and learn, you can’t really sit and be taught. But it’s the business end of it that you’ll need help with because that’s the area you’ll be lost on if you’re trying to be a professional.

Sounds like really good advice. Consistent with what a lot of other industry professionals have to say....Well, what cameras do you use?

I use Nikon right now. I used Cannon for a while but recently switched back to Nikon, which is what I started with.

I checked your website and it says you shoot action sports, motorcycles, and… poker?

I play a lot of poker and therefore know a lot of people who do poker projects. So I help them out. I don’t shoot much poker since it’s like watching paint dry. I just supplement my income by playing a lot of poker and do some photography and ad work for people I know. Snowboarding is the bulk of what I do.

Since you have a background in skateboarding, how did you transition into shooting on snow?

Growing up skateboarding I was able to take pictures all of my friends skating. Then snowboarding came around and we all started going in 84/85. So everyone who skateboarded started snowboarding and I was just taking pictures of my friends. Go to Brighton and take pictures of them. My friends turned into people who are now pro snowboarders. I was taking pictures of JP, Jeremy and all these guys before they took off.

All of our names kind of grew at the same time. I never planned to shoot snowboarding for a living, I just kind of fell into it.

And you love it?

I love it.

Tell me about your book Slide. All snowboarding right?

Yeah. 2008 I think it was released. How it happened was I was going on trips with different snowboard crews. I mean, I started my career shooting for Forum and did that for 5 or 6 years. So I was with the same crew for a long time. So I started shooting other people around 2005 and they were

always asking questions about Forum and what it was liking shooting during all those trips so it dawned on me maybe I should make a book to show people what it was like. Since those years I was with Forum were, for a lot of people, the years they started snowboarding. And all of those first videos people saw, I was lucky enough to witness that part of snowboarding first hand. So that’s how it started. I was actually stepping back from snowboard photography at the time so it was kind of a way to put together everything I’d seen over fifteen years and share it.

Who are some of the people in the industry who you’ve worked with that have been your favorites?

You know, I cut my teeth shooting Jeremy and JP and so those were the guys, that era in snowboarding. I would never change those years for anything! I’d also probably say Nate Bozung. Even though we have a rocky relationship. Of anyone I’ve ever shot, he’s got the best style and I get the best shots with Nate. I really like shooting urban stuff better than backcountry so that’s why working with those guys has been my favorite.

Those are the guys who have helped shape my career and hopefully I helped theirs.

Of all the places you’ve gotten to travel with your career, where has been your favorite?

Probably the most memorable was the first time we went to shoot urban we went to Chicago and Buffalo, New York for the True Life video. Up until that time, nobody had really traveled to shoot rails so we went to Chicago. We had now idea where we were going, what we were doing.

We just rented a van and started driving around. We would drive for days and not see anything. But there was so much snow and we wanted to try it. So then we went to Buffalo and then Canada and I got some of my favorite photos, iconic photos on that trip. It was great because we knew anything we found a rail, nobody had been to that rail, or that ledge. That whole blueprint of what’s happening now was just starting then.

That’s rad! So of all the places you’ve been, tricks you’ve seen, people you’ve worked with, what is the coolest thing or place or moment you’ve witnessed?

Just watching the birth of what is now present day snowboarding happen before my eyes. So it’s just been exciting! Being able to see the evolution has been the best part of it all.

Do you have any closing advice for aspiring photographers?

If you’re into photography, get out there and shoot. Not everyone is as lucky as I was that their friends turn into pro riders. But go to your local shops and find riders to shoot. There are so many photographers out there who are probably better than the top 10 snowboard photographers but they’re just not shooting the right people. So get out there and shoot anything. Learn to shoot and shoot a bunch. If you really love it, it will show. Follow your dreams and it’s a tough industry, but the highs are incredible and it’s definitely worth the time and work.

1

SNOWBOARD 2013 Fastplant by K2

BINDINGS 2013 Formula by K2

BOOTS 2013 Darko by K2

JACKET 2013 Ryder Parka by L1

PANTS 2013 Slim Chino by L1

BEANIE The Team by Coal

GOGGLES 2013 Kaleidoscope by Ashbury

How many boards do you go through a season?

Not many, maybe 3 at the most.

What’s your favorite board graphic from CAPITA this season?

The Fastplant. It looks like a skateboard.

When you go ride for fun, who is in your crew?

It's usually just Jon Kooley and myself. Sometimes Will Tuddenham will come along, but for the most part I go alone. Apparently I'm weird and have no friends.

Favorite place to go after a long day on the hill?

Home! It's my favorite place.

Give us the full list of your sponsors...

K2, L1, Wayward Company, Ashbury, Mica, Coal, and Milosport.

ADDRESS: PARK CITY MOUNTAIN RESORT & MT. HOOD

FOOD: HOT DOGS AND GOODIES

SERVICES: GREAT FOOD AND FUN

I'm sitting at Park City Mountain Resort watching Matty Mo film a line in the lower park. I just met Kazu Kokubo and now DC Pro Aaron Biittner, new VideoGrass filmer Pat Fenelon and legendary photographer Rob Mathis stopped by. Welcome to your average day at Cobra Dogs. What started in 2005

by Cory Grove and Airblaster co-founder Jesse Grandkoski as a summer time food spot in Government Camp at Mt. Hood has now developed into a year round business. Jessee bowed out as Airblaster took off and now it is Cory's full time gig (although Cory is quick to point out that Matty Mo will soon be a part owner). In only its second season at PCMR Cobra Dogs has become the central gathering point for all the kids on the mountain. Located at the base of Three Kings Lift customers can sit on the Cobra Dogs patio, enjoy a hot dog, and watch the show in the Park City half pipe, the jump line, or the jibs built right next to the patio. When asked if he thought that this is where he would be today or if this was how he would make his mark on the industry Cory Grove responds “Hah. I never expected (or wanted) to get famous in the snowboard industry. I am just doing my thing and what I love which is snowboarding and working. That's the bonus, its hard fucking work but I love it." Indeed it’s been a long strange trip through the snowboard industry for Cory Grove who actually started out as a photographer but now Cobra Dogs is his passion. "Before when I was a snowboard photographer and whatever it was I was bored. I blame most of that on ADD as you just have too much downtime with weather and all that. I'm always ready to go and high strung so this is much better for my brain." He's building an amazing team, an amazing business, and there's even talk of a video... Cory Grove and Cobra Dogs are on the move! I asked Cory how Cobra Dogs ended up in Park City and he responded”PC happened so naturally so that's why we chose to go there. Jeremy Cooper was not taking no for an answer and they trusted us and gave us the resources we needed. I can't imagine being a huge resort like that and letting a couple of scrubs with a hot dog stand come in and do what we do. That takes balls!" Of course none of this would be possible without a great product and if you've ever had the pleasure of sinking your teeth into a Cobra Dog you know for Cory and the crew it’s all starts with quality. Using high end local ingredients and never settling for budget products is what makes a Cobra Dog so amazingly delicious. I like the spicy veggie dog with jalapenos, cheese, onions, and the signature Cobra Sauce but feel free to get yours in any of the over half dozen varieties of dog with hundreds of possible topping combinations. There is only one downside to Cobra Dogs in Park City and it is that their summertime migration back to Mt. Hood makes my Utah summers that much more unbearable. Next time you're in Park City stop by the stand, you never know what you will see but you do know you will leave with a happy belly. Check them out on their website...Cobradogs.com and Facebook.com/Cobradogs.

STEVE N S • TU D D E N HA M • B L AC K • ZIM A • M E N D E N HALL • H U OT • AN D REWS

M IC A MOV E .C O M

SNOWBOARD ART

11/12 GNU STREET SERIES

You probably have never heard of Print Mafia but that doesn't mean you haven't seen their work. The duo of Jim Madison and Connie Collingsworth have worked together in their Bowling Green Kentucky shop for over fifteen years. You have probably seen their work and its distinctive style on countless music posters as well as in work for Supreme NYC, Third Man Records, and Theory Skateboards. One fan of their art is Gnu art director Tim "Pinski" Karpinski and he contacted Print Mafia about a possible collaboration between the two brands. Connie explains‌"Tim Karpinski had compiled a catalog of Print Mafia images that he liked and thought would be a great looks for the boards and that let us know that we were on the same page as far as the feel of the art and that the board could truly be Print Mafia style. Some clients contact us and then want us to do art that is not anything like what we are best at. Those projects usually lead to a lot of back and forth and frustration both sides. That would not be the case here with GNU. We felt comfortable that they wanted us "to do what we do". Dark and Weird imagery were certainly encouraged." When asked if they were nervous about doing art for the snowboarding world, which can be unaccepting of outsiders, Connie is quick to note that Jim has been involved with skateboarding and skate culture since the 80's, and it was this involvement that made them feel comfortable that Print Mafia could "do these snowboards justice by calling on that love of skate graphics and applying that". Karpinski and Gnu allowed Print Mafia full freedom which meant Jim and Connie were able to use their distinctive styling’s and methods to full effect " We had full freedom to come up with the concepts ourselves - we were only given guidelines based on certain aspects of our existing work. We do a variety of "looks" yet they are all in our Cut Paste Destroy style that we are known for based on our total non-use if computers in our designs. We use a photocopier, Xacto knives, hand cut paper type, found images and in some instances our own illustrations. All by Hand All the Time". The resulting product is the current Gnu Street Series for 2011/2012 which boldly displays the Print Mafia style and has been met with much praise from within the industry. So much praise in fact that Print Mafia is working with Gnu once again on a project for the 2013/2014 line. "Dark and Weird", a love of skateboarding, and a D.I.Y. hands on approach to their art. It seems Print Mafia has a pretty firm grip on how to be successful within the snowboarding world. Print Mafia would like to thank Tim Karpinski, Gnu, and Mervin Manufacturing for allowing them to show their art to a new audience. You can see their work at local Gnu retailers Salty Peaks and Milosport Orem.

Also be sure to check out their work at their new website printmafia.net.

You can also find Print Mafia on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter at twiiter.com/printmafia

12/13 HAIGHT PLEASURE

SLC has always been "The" place to be! The winter smog, religion and terrible drivers might drive a kid away from one of the few valley's of opportunity, however that in the end will be the kids own problem. One of the millions of amazing things SLC can offer is talented folk, the most talented in the world in fact (a little pride? maybe!). The group in mention is some of the Short Fuse posse, Brandon, Danny, Brook and Andy. Their talents individually will keep a fool on his hustle, as a group however they can be dangerous. Enter MotoMonday’s; this effort alone is building relationships professionally and emotionally in the Moto scene here in Utah. A respectful/sincerely thankful nod in their direction would go along for you if you ever cross paths with these gentlemen. My hats tipped brethren!

So these dudes are the ones who really popped of Moto Mondays and got the fire burning: Brandon Anderson: Icono reps Brook Lund: Owner Este Pizzeria Danny Payne: Drum tech (The Used), Something big at The Apple Store Andy (Pangea) Carter: Pangea Speed

(Brandon) The Moto Monday crew, on paper, is Brook Lund Pizza Czar of SLC, Danny Payne World Traveler, Andy "Pangea" Carter Metal Masher and myself, Brandon Anderson.......man's man and client liaison. But in all honesty, MM is much more than us four. It’s anyone that has brought their moto out and shot the shit.

(Brook) The basic concept of MotoMonday is to meet up and hang out & talk motorcycles.

You're allowed to talk about other stuff too. MotoMonday gives a venue to people who share the same love of motorcycles.

(Danny) The decision of where was probably the easiest. Brook is the proprietor of a pizza place called Este located pretty much in the center of SLC and what's more American than Harley's and Pizza?

(Andy) We were all bored and wanted to hang out with other people that liked motorcycles.

Everything else was trying to make things about specific brands of motorcycles but we tend to like a large array of bikes so we decided that any type of bike is welcome.

JOEL FRASER PHOTO

Words by Bob Plumb Photos by Joel Fraser and Bob Plumb

So with these Arkade interviews we usually try and have the person who does the interview write a little introduction … so you, the reader, can have some sort of idea as to the relationship of the two people talking and doing the interview, or least a little background on the person that is getting interviewed. That didn’t happen. Our good friend Bob Plumb, who suggested the Cale Zima interview, sits down with Cale via iChat… that’s all you get. Thanks Bob. Off the record I feel a lot of pressure with this interview.

Ha ha you puss why?

Because I want those little kids out there to think your cool and not a maurk.

That is gonna be hard!

Yeah and Gucci Mane with the ice cream cone face tat.

If you were to get a face tat, what would it be? calezima is now offline.

Why the fuck are you offline, you little shit?

Wow that sounds conceded, not going to be hard?

Its going to be hard..I’m a huge maurk!

8:48 PM calezima is now online.

Ok let’s do this. It’s Superbowl Sunday, did you watch the game?

Yeah I did, did you?

Your back.

Hey.

Yea who were you rooting for?

The Giants only cause if they won my pops got money and my friend had to get a tattoo of Eli Manning.

Yes me too. Who’s getting the tattoo and where on their body?

This kid named parker and he doesn’t know yet, I think he should get it on his face!

A Bozung/ Giant tribute tat.

Did you get my last question?

The bozung one?

No... If you were to get a face tat, what would it be?

I have no idea maybe an energy drink sponsor, so I could try and make some big bucks.

Get that scratch instead of the tear drop. Would that be one uping Rob Dydrek with his full back tattoo?

Hell yeah!! I would get it on my nose.

That would be amazing. You would always get photo incentive. Do you think Blue would be down if you got a capita logo on your face too?

That’s a great question. I have no idea, maybe a small one.

Shit you better get double photo incentive for that commitment. Speaking of your sponsors, last time I interviewed you, you had no idea if you were sponsored Yeah that was like 4 years ago right?

I think so. You kind of came from no where. You filming for Bozwreck 2 and poof your in Absinthe. How did that happen?

Yeah I have no idea how that happened, I pretty much owe it to Nate, Matty, Leblanc, Shane, LJ, and you.

Do you think it had anything to do with your low cut V neck Ts? I have no idea what you are talking about.

Remember you wore skin tight v necks, so you could show of one of your tattoos?

Nope.

I think it was a tattoo that said LIE. It wasn’t that one.. but I maybe remember these v neck tees you are talking about.

Those were the days, relentlessly teasing you about V necks.

My favorite part of that season was teasing you. What was the highlight of that year filming for you?

Yeah man you would never stop. I wanted to kill you. The highlight was probably going to Canada for the first time and meeting Mikey Leblanc, Matty Ryan and Nate Bozung. And watching you try and get there with Baby Spice.

BABY SPICE. She was such a 300+ pound babe. How about listening to Rihanna at the Ozone with foam shooting from the roof and Butters dancing funny?

That was also amazing, Butters really knows how to get loose on the dance floor.

JOEL FRASER PHOTOS

JOEL FRASER PHOTO

JOEL FRASER PHOTO

How would describe his moves?

Confused, drunk and excited.

And hands raised to the sky. You said getting to meet Matty, Nate and Mikey was a highlight. Are those some of your favorite snowboarders?

Yeah for sure! LeBlanc’s part in Destroy is one of my favorites and the part Matty and Nate shared in Love/Hate is the shit!

All those parts are sweet! Who else are some people you’ve looked up to coming up?

So many People… Jordan Mendenhall, Justin Bennee, Darrell Mathes, and everyone from the Forum 8. I think I misspelled all of those names.

This last season you filmed for the Captia movie, Defenders of Awesome. How was that experience?

It was so much fun! It was rad to get to ride with people I have never rode with before and Mark Dangler the filmer is so sick and the Capita photographer Joel Fraser is the shit.

Ya such a good crew. Did you have fun doing the team shootout up at Stevens pass? Did you feel the pressure?

Yeah that was really fun. I guess it was a little stressful but for the most part it was just fun. The best part was the night time powder riding when you were hitting all those poppers holmes.

So many poopers baby. It’s all about those little 5 foot poppers, fuck those Xgame death gaps.

Yeah for sure.

Who would you say had more awkward sex questions/ stories Brisse or Scott?

That’s easy…Brisse. Scott was just making it way more funny by making

Brisse think he was way gnarly.

69 guy on top just savagely humping her mouth….

So funny.

Maybe I should take that part out. I want your Mom and Dad to be able to read the interview.

Yeah good idea they would be weirded out and confused.

Speaking of your parents. They are amazing people and really supportive of your passion for snowboarding.

Yeah they are the best. It’s way easier to snowboard when your parents are down and are not sweating you about school or a job or something.

I heard your Dad had some good times growing up.

Yeah my dad is the coolest dude I know. He grew up in California and Hawaii and has been surfing since he was like 12 or something. He flies to Hawaii for like 3 days a week now so he can still surf with all his homies. He tried snowboarding but hates the cold. He also lived out of his van for a year in Mexico.

What was the story about your Mom shutting down the Brighton half pipe for you?

She posted up at the top of the pipe and told all of the older snowboarders that I wanted to go down it and that if they went when I was trying to go that she would kill them. I think I was like 7.

With a start like that you should be wearing Cheetah pants competing at the Xgames superpipe.

I tried it once and it just didn’t work out.

The cheetah pants or the superpipe?

Both.

If you were doing that, do you think Mikey would be down to give you pro model Holden Cheetah print pant and jacket?

I think I would be fired immediately… immediately.

Speaking of the Xgames, I heard you turned them down a couple years ago.

It was like three years ago and it was a prank call from Mikey LeBlanc.

But I thought it was real and it was super awkward so I just hung up.

I was there. Instant street cred. So funny. We’ll it looks like despite becoming an international heart throb you’ve remained pretty grounded You are so dumb…I try to be grounded cause I think people that are cocky are super lame and if I was ever like that I would want someone to kick my ass.

So you’re telling me, when you were on the Absinthe world tours, hooking up with women around the world you never thought.

“Dude I’m an international heart throb” No, I thought to myself that these girls are going to be so bummed.

BOB PLUMB PHOTO

JOEL FRASER PHOTO

JOEL FRASER PHOTO

Yes.. I know that feeling. Any shout outs?

Yeah I wanna say hi to all my sponsors, you, all my friends, all the young shredders coming up in Utah like Sam Taxwood, Erik Nielsen and Little Jeff, Milo and Arkade Mag. Cale…List your sponsors please.

Capita, Union, 32, Holden, Coal, Sabre, Celtek, Comune, Mica and Milo.

I don’t want to forget anyone.

You’re good. Is that all of them?

I think.

Would you like to say anything to Grenier and all those guys from Mass that claim the New England Patriots super hard?

Yeah but you should think of something clever.

I got nothing but you Massholes suck.

Is that a bad idea?

Na cause they just lost the Superbowl.

Better luck next year Massholes?

JOEL FRASER PHOTO

Chris Frost wants to know what was your first big break that led you to becoming a pro snowboarder? (E.g. first big sponsor, winning a comp, etc.)

I moved out to Utah the winter of 2006, and I knew I wanted to snowboard for a living, so I just tried to do a lot of contests and film a bunch around the resorts to try and get my name out. I remember I did pretty well at a contest at the rail gardens and spent a couple seasons filming with the Variety Pack crew, so I just sent my results and footage in to the guys at Forum and they were stoked. They started hooking me up I’ve been riding and filming for them ever since. I still trip when I think about being able to do what I love for a living.

Do you have any funny stories about when you worked on Park Crew at Brighton? You ever play pranks on co-workers or did they ever mess with you? Any other memorable moments wile working at Brighton? Do you miss your digging days?

Working on the crew was some of the most fun I have ever had. With a close knit crew like that your always gonna have pranks going around.

The regular stuff like, holes drilled in board, flip flopped bindings. Hiding peoples stuff. It got pretty creative. I do remember I could’ve been fired like my first week on the job for throwing a rake in front of some random that was trying to hit a box while I was fixing the lip. That always bugged me.

Your part in Vacation was pretty tight. What do you plan to do to outdo yourself this season?

I just want to put out a solid full part. Hit some big urban set-ups and throw in some jump shots. I always want to push myself to do bigger and more creative stuff every year so hopefully I can hit some unique features that people haven’t really seen. I was hyped on my song last year too, so I would like to keep the tradition going with some more dirty rap music haha.

Mouse wants to know how it feels being a pro just showing up to massive Forum setups and not having to do any shoveling? Do you feel like grabbing a rake and fixing lips or do you just hit whatever?

All the guys on the Forum crew are super motivated and passionate about what we do. And considering the level of building we have to do for some of the big stuff we like to hit, everyone helps out in getting everything set up. But since it’s been a few years since I have been on the park crew, I really like being able to put those finishing touches on a lip or landing.

Do you ever shred Brighton with Jake Welch?

Not as much as I would like. But you know he’s been really busy filming for a new show called “Olympic Husbands”. It’s like “Basketball Wives” only flip-flopped haha.

Big Mike wants to know… Has Niko ever tried to steal your sole... grind?

Not that I know of. But that kid can be pretty weasely sometimes so maybe when I wasn’t paying attention.

Tim wants to know how you came up with your signature dessert at Spedelli’s?

The homies over at Spedelli’s had a thing going with some of the other riders doing signature pizzas. I like to consider myself a regular over there, and since they basically had every type of pizza combination covered, I started joking with them about getting me a signature dessert. The result was a deep fried cinnamon sugar calzone filled with whipped cream and strawberry syrup, topped with deep fried ice cream and more strawberry syrup ha. It’s called the “Camboli.” Go try it!

Dave says I know this is a crappy snow year, but since you bought a new sled, are you going to try and film in the backcountry more??

Have you figured out how to ride the sled yet?

I would love to get out and stack some backcountry footage; I got a few shots last year but didn’t make it out quite as much as I wanted. So hopefully we will get some snow soon so I could put the new sled to work. Maybe chuck a few quintuple corks or something.. Ha Some of the kids on the crew say you look a lot like Orlando Bloom or TI. Is there ever been a time that you were mistaken for someone else?

Haha, sometimes I like to tell people I do the stunts in all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Parker Worthen wants to know what’s up with the Beergoons?

The Carolina Beergoons are a bunch of my boys from back in North Carolina. When I am back there visiting we all get together and produce some fun music. Its basically southern party rap. We put out a mixtape a couple months ago called Southern Fried. Check it out on datpiff.com Being from the south you must own lots of guns. What is your favorite gun you own?

That’s a hard decision. I like all of them but I would say it’s probably between my 12 gauge and my SKS. They both pack a pretty mean punch.

Do you get treated like a hero when you go back home to shred? Any other good kids come up from North Carolina or are you the first?

Definitely not a hero. It’s always rad to go back and see the homies I used to ride with on the regular still killing it. I really couldn’t name another pro that claims NC as their home. I guess that makes me a one of a kind.

What do you like to do when you’re not shredding? Do you like to Hunt, fish, Skateboard or surf?

When I am not riding I like to shoot my guns as much as possible, skate in the summer, play some video games, and chill with my girl. I also like to cook a lot so im usually experimenting in the kitchen when its dinner time What plans do you have for the upcoming summer?

This summer I’m sure I will be at Camp of Champions for a session. Also I

am doing a signature session at Windells with Austen Sweetin and Niko Cioffi that I am really looking forward to. Other than that I will probably shoot, skate, cliff jumping, going to the lake and hopefully do quite a bit of travelling.

What was your most memorable snowboarding trip?

It’s kinda hard to name just one as my most memorable because they all have been awesome. But anytime I spent over seas was stand out in my mind. It’s always crazy to spend time around another culture with a different language, different traditions and an entirely different take on daily life. Japan was such a change from living in the US it’s was almost too much to handle.

Is being a pro snowboarder what you imagined it to be?

There are some similarities and some differences from what I always imagined growing up. Besides the obvious aspects like filming, and riding all over the world, I never expected to work so hard. Having to stay healthy and in shape, staying out till 5 am filming a trick, doing expense sheets and invoices.

However I would never trade it for anything. Not very many people can say they get to do what they love for a living What would you tell the kids who look up to you.

Stay humble, don’t sacrifice what YOU want or believe in, and always have fun. Try not to be too serious.

What do you see yourself doing after snowboarding?

Probably shooting things back home in NC.

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So Derek I don’t know how much we discussed it with you but we kind of have an unofficial theme for this issue.

Ok. It’s kind of not really the best theme…its injuries.

(Laughing) Oh well that’s perfect man. You came to the right guy.

Well I don’t know if you heard but Cale (Zima) is out for the season, he tore his ACL. Oh fuck no I didn’t.

Yeah and he also has an interview in this issue. Then most of the Arkade crew is injured in some way but that’s how it is over the season.

Yeah man it’ll do it to you.

I know you’ve had your share of injuries the last couple of seasons, so we just kind of wanted to talk about that. How you have to frame your mindset to push through it and still get your video part out and that sort of stuff.

Yeah man, its rough dude. I don’t know if I’m the greatest example of keeping a positive mindset. Last year I had knee surgery in the fall and going into the season I think I just started on it a little too early and it was just kind of bothering me all year but basically like you said it just comes down to the fact that I have a job to do and no matter what, you have got to get out there and get something done.

Something to show for the season… you know?

Does it help you in your particular instance with Technine/ F.OD.T? Since they do so much in house and it’s not like some random person say Jed Anderson for instance who is filming with VG where you are always with your sponsors does that help your mindset?

Yeah for sure especially knowing Cole (Taylor) and Ethan (Fortier) for so long. They are definitely not only my bosses but they are some good friends. So it is good to have them be a part of it and realize what you’re going through. They are also there all the time so they see when you are hurt and they know what’s going on. So that definitely helps out a little bit as far as keeping the sponsors happy and just letting them know what is going on and why you’re not able to ride as much as you’d like to.

When you’re injured, especially with a nagging injury, how to you balance out the drive to perform and progress with the desire to not further injure yourself?

So when you have a season like that and you see your video part are you stoked you were able to get what you did or are you bummed that you couldn’t get more?

Hmmm I don’t know man. It’s tough I mean I think it really just comes down to just being stoked to go out and snowboard. You know it might hurt a little bit but you know you just pick something to go shoot that you’re really hyped to shoot. Something you can have fun on but it’s also going to turn out to be good for photos and video. I think that’s the bottom line just having fun out there and keeping a positive attitude and also knowing in the back of your mind it’s a responsibility, something you have to get done.

Oh you’re definitely bummed, no question. Obviously there’s a part of you that’s stoked you got something done but it’s just like, I think the bottom line is you know you could have done so much more and I think that is what is the hardest part about is knowing that you have the potential to do so much more but it didn’t work out you know.

The whole crew had the injury bug last year right?

Dude yeah it was a rough one. Marco blew out his knee, Magoon blew out his knee, Devine well everyone saw the shot from the video he broke his neck, broke a couple vertebrae in his neck, Dylan at the Team Shoot Out shattered his hip, and mine was relatively mellow compared to some of them, you know? I was just dealing with a nagging knee injury. It was a rough one for our crew last year for sure.

So what happened this year so far?

(Laughing) Oh, well ANOTHER knee surgery late fall. This time on my other knee due to a little accident I had. I fractured my femur and the top of my tibia and had to have surgery on that and healed up pretty quick from that. I was riding, missed pre-season, but then was just cruising Brighton two to three weeks from healing up from that and just had a stupid little fall and spiral fractured my upper arm, and just got that cast off from that a few days ago. So now I’m trying to rehab the hell out of that and hopefully you know get half of a season in and get some stuff done.

You need to drink some milk!

Dude you have no idea how much milk I’ve been drinking lately. It’s terrible too I don’t even like milk either. I’ve been drinking a ton of milk and taking calcium supplements and all kinds of shit dude trying to get healthy.

Well it’s been a pretty crappy year so did you even miss any film time?

Haha… dude you have no idea how many people have told me that and I fully agree you know but I’ve heard that from everyone “dude you’re not missing much it’s been terrible”. While that’s some consolation for the second time I’m just like, well you know I kind of told you at SIA; it’s been just the most depressing six weeks not being able to do anything. Especially coming off a hard year last year just kind of makes it that much worse.

What got you through it?

I don’t know... too much drinking? Hanging out with friends trying to do stuff to pass the time.

So are you hungry now?

Oh definitely. I’ve been doing physical therapy a few times a week and just trying to heal up. Yeah that’s a perfect way to put it, hungry. I just want to get out and ride you know and get after it, get some stuff done, and have a good video part compared to last years.

So how’s the crew doing this season? Is everyone holding up better?

Yeah I think so. From what I’ve heard things are going pretty good. Well aside from the snow situation that’s definitely been a hard thing. I know the guys spent some time up in Canada a few weeks ago and got some stuff done and they are out in Denver now, they just got dumped on, so they are trying to get some stuff done out there. So Yeah I think things are going pretty good.

So let us totally shift gears and talk about the Redbull Supernatural that went down recently. What do you think about that whole scene?

Dude I think it is sick. Obviously it takes a whole lot of time and effort and I’m sure money to make it happen but compared to 99% of other snowboard contests that go on that’s on a whole other level. I saw a bunch of photos being posted from the last few months showing the set up and what’s going on, I think that is sick, something that’s really cool for the “core” snowboard scene I guess you could say.

Do you think snowboarding needs that more than like the big mega-company contests that are pretty cookie cutter?

Yeah it’s cool. Just the fact that T Rice is such a god in the snowboard world, for lack of a better word, and to see him give so much back to it. He’s never been one, well at least to me it seems, he’s never been into the whole corporate side. He keeps things on the core side I think it’s awesome man, nothing but good as far as I’m concerned.

I remember the list of riders and it’s a pretty heavy list.

I thought it was cool that they had Terje and then they had Sage.

Yeah reaching all over and getting everybody. It’s sick for sure.

Well I’m a style guy myself. I mean I understand the need for progression but I don’t want to see it if it’s not clean.

I think a lot of times you can slow something down in a video and make it look good but in real time at a contest you see some of this stuff and it just looks bad.

Well I don’t want to be a hater that’s the last thing I want to do, but the more I see this stuff the more it reminds me of whatever that event is in Olympic Skiing where they are just chucking themselves off basically a quarter pipe doing five flips and landing in a mogul field. It’s like yeah you can do it but you know do you really want to? Is it really necessary? I don’t know…that’s just my opinion though.

Like I said I’m a style guy, if you’re gonna toss a triple it better at least look good. I guess over time that comes, but do you feel like snowboarding has kind of reached a cool place that you can do whatever you want? Like you can do triples but if you want to go out and film a video part with big backside 360’s like Nichols Muller that’s just as sick.

Yeah and I think when it’s all said and done THAT IS the essence of snowboarding. Just like skateboarding and surfing, where we basically came from, everyone can do their own thing. It’s not football or basketball. Everyone can do things their own way and if people are stoked on that and what you’re doing that’s the most important thing. No actually the most important thing is if YOU’RE stoked on what you’re doing. You’re still having fun, whatever keeps a smile on your face.

Which is not milk.

No haha no smile from milk Well sweet. So before you go who would you like to give some shout outs and thanks to?

First off, gotta say thanks to the family for the endless love and support. To all my good homies here in SLC and abroad.

If you’re reading this, you know who you are, thanks for everything. Cole & Ethan for really giving me the chance to live this life called snowboarding. Thanks to the Chambo’s and everyone at Nomis, Shaun & Cope at Neff, Kimball & Kay at Celsius, Nate at Smith, Scotty at Dakine and Kenny & all the homies at the now defunct Technique. Thanks to you man and everyone else at Arkade for holding it down here in UT!

SHOOTING

SAGE KOTSENBURG: PARK CITY, UT

GALLERY PHOTO: ROB MATHIS

Words by Daniel Cochrane Photos by Rob Mathis and E-Stone

This was an article I’ve wanted to write for a long time, but now that the time has come I’ve found it amazingly difficult to do so. I think for me it’s a combination of two things one being it’s a very personal piece, and “they” say that you really shouldn’t write personal articles you should stay objective.

The other reason being I’ve built this up in my head so large there’s no way I’m going to walk away from it happy. Oh well here it is the Brighton Resort write up in all its glory (by the way a few friends helped me out with this one.. hope you enjoy their input). Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon is one of the oldest resorts in the United States; in fact this season is its 75th year in operation. Most importantly for us as snowboarders it was also one of the very first to allow snowboarding in the U.S. And for this reason it helped establish Salt Lake as one of the meccas for snowboarding. What sets Utah apart from most of the other snowboarding hotspots is the proximity of the resorts to the “city”. Salt Lake City sits at about 4,300ft above sea level but in less than half an hour you can drive up either Little or Big Cottonwood canyon and reach resorts whose peaks hit the 10-1100 ft mark. Throw in the fact that we have multiple Universities here and you have the recipe for forming a large scene. The late 80’s and early 90’s were a fertile time for the Brighton scene as locals such as Brandon Ruff, Tonino Copene, and now legendary photographers Andy Wright and Rob Mathis developed the scene mostly under the radar. At its heart Brighton is and always will be a local’s mountain. Names like “Doggy Balls”, “Field Goal”, “Swimming Pool”, “Rock Garden” and “Iron Maiden” do not appear on trail maps but ask any local about them and you’ll see a knowing smirk come across their face. Of course in most snow towns “local” translates to “moved here last season”. Salt Lake is no exception to that and slowly the word started to get out about this amazing mountain in Utah. One of the most notable early transplants turned Brighton local is Mr. Blue Montgomery co-founder of Capita Snowboards.

I asked Blue about those early days at Brighton and he had this to say...

“Brighton wasn’t as well known to people outside of Utah back in the day, so I can’t say I was attracted to it. I didn’t even really know much about it. It was more like I just landed there. I wanted to move west. I wanted to go to college. The University of Utah accepted my application, so I went. I got my first season pass to Brighton in 1992 because it was close, cheap, and because Andy Wright told me to. That first winter changed everything for me. I got to ride an epic mountain every day. I got to ride Utah POW whenever it snowed, and that was a lot. The mountain itself is incredible, everyone knows that, but Brighton at that time period was a very special place. The energy, the people... it was just cool. Brandon Ruff ruled the mountain, Tonino Copene charging, Saydah with his long ass hair. Him and Enloe always chilling, Zach Watkins, Brad Scheuffele, Andy and Jared, Shrier, Niko, Danny Geary. Ben Bubba Dodds, Joe Stalzer, just too many good dudes to list them all.”

Brighton’s official motto is “The Tradition Continues” and to be honest there is no more perfect description for the resort. Over the years as I’ve been a pass holder I’ve seen various “scenes” come and go in snowboarding. I landed here in the mid-`nineties just as Blue’s scene was coming to an end but at Brighton something happens that you rarely see at other resorts. Brighton, true to its “the tradition continues” motto seems to constantly revive itself to stay relevant in snowboarding. Many mountains enjoy fads of popularity and many other mountains have to pigeon hole themselves into becoming a “park” mountain or even a “freeride” mountain but Brighton has always been able to be what ever you wanted it to be. As the early nineties moved towards the new decade names like Ruff, Montgomery, Copene, began to be replaced by new locals like Jones, Walker, Huot, Kooley, Mendenhall and Nelson. Each of the newer generation combing the hill and taking the progression of the sport to new areas of the mountain. Brighton lover Mikey Leblanc who bridged this change of the guard recounts perfectly how the mountain is able to offer you whatever you want from it ...

“I chose to ride Brighton because it’s mellow gnarly. (And because Brandon Ruff showed me the ropes there.) By mellow gnar I mean great terrain and a general lack of jocks racing you for it. There is a lot of great terrain in Utah and

I think you can get stoked anywhere you ride. For me Brighton fits my personal style, I can be my usual shy self and hide in the trees and shred some good little lines. I have also always claimed, and I believe it’s true, that I can take someone to Brighton and get them POW runs from December until April.”

JP Walker whose rock garden lines, cliff drops, and Milly blasters are well documented in Kingpin and Mack Dawg movies adds..

“A season pass at Brighton is what I always wanted when I first started riding.

There was always something magical about it but when I first started riding there I had no idea of how special a place it really was. There isn’t anywhere else like it and being able to ride there and the surrounding backcountry bowls helped make me and my friends into the snowboarders we are today. I’ve launched off every single nook and tranny for almost 20 years there and I still find hidden gems year after year.”

The millennium brought big changes to snowboarding and inevitably Brighton.

The resurgence of rail riding (whom many attribute to Brighton locals Jeremy Jones and JP Walker) saw the park features begin to spring up at Brighton.

First a few rails just off the top of Majestic beside the old half pipe. Then underneath Majestic lift itself. In time My-O-My and Candyland parks were built giving Brighton top to bottom park laps. The Milly Tubes were added just a few seasons ago underneath the Majestic lift giving Brighton some permanent pre and post season jib features. This shift in the riding culture didn’t phase Brighton in the least; in fact it only increased the mountains popularity as a whole new generation of riders migrated to Brighton for the perfect mix of park and POW. There are very few resorts where one can film legit park and pow edits off the same lift but Brighton is one of them. Don’t take my word for it though, two Massachusetts transplants and current Think Thank riders Scott Stevens and Ted ‘Bundy” Borland echo these exact sentiments when they talk about Brighton...

Ted says “basically Brighton is just the best there is, there’s not really many other resorts where one day you can have one of the best pow days of your

life and the next day you can go have the best park days of your life. They switch the park up every day, good vibes, good homies, pretty much the best of all worlds” Stevens agrees “Brighton is my style of riding, I love park but I like to free ride. Their park is a perfect way to merge both you can rip rails and free ride too, and no other mountain around here has a down to earth vibe where you can shred pow, hit some cliff, go off and build some jumps really the total package. “ As always a big part of progressing a mountains scene and eventually perpetuating its place in snowboarding is having an abundance of young up and comers and that is no different for Brighton. This season up and comers Jesse Gouveia and Connor Brown have been holding it down with multiple edits as they make their full length feature “This must be the place”. They are even making a name for themselves in the Nike Chosen contest as one of the top crews. Jesse talked to me about moving to SLC and why Brighton was on their “must” list...

“Brighton has always been one of those places we saw online in old Eddie Grams edits and what not and it’s always looked so awesome. When we moved here for snowboarding and school Brighton was the first place we knew we wanted to check out. It’s got that homegrown resort feel but they also get things done. We have fun lapping or hiking and filming or whatever here really because there are so many awesome friends always down to snowboard and because the mountain is ridiculously fun” However as proof positive of Brighton’s ability to cover all aspects of snowboarding Jesse’s crew isn’t the only one getting noticed at the moment.

Long time local riders Nathan, Grayson, and Bree Millard have starting documenting their love of Brighton as The Brigtown Chronicles. The Millards (and friends) focus on Brighton’s never ending free ride options and continuously publish amazing photos for Brighton Resort showing that it’s not all hand rails and boxes at Brighton nowadays. So there it is a brief history of snowboarding at Brighton resort showcasing not only a few of the amazing riders of its history but also the way in which the mountain has always been able to sustain itself within the current state of affairs of snowboarding. I don’t know if I was able to do it justice in such a small article but I hope it left you with a bit of pride if you ride there, jealousy if you don’t , and desire to visit if you live somewhere else. I’ll leave you with more words from JP Walker who I think nailed it perfectly when he says “snowboarders from around the world have flocked to this mountain forever to seek out a piece of the magic it has to offer and none are disappointed.”

After the great response to the last issue, we decided to keep this Instagram page going. This issue we decided to go with Utah locals. Born and raised in this great state of Utah. Make sure you follow these guys, because they have a lot more great photos posted on their Instagram page. Also don’t forget to follow us @arkadesnowboarding)

SETH HUOT @thesethspot 1.

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4.

Seth.

Epic day.

JP fins out.

On the Spot.

ALEX ANDREWS @alexandrews 1.

2.

3.

4.

Over Guardsmans with amigos.

Golden hour all day.

Going hard in the paint.

Good way to end a trip.

CALE ZIMA @calezima 1.

2.

3.

4.

My twin sister and me.

Bode drifting the rental.

Grandma Nix. Later Salt Lake.

AARON BIITTNER @ab801 1.

2.

3.

4.

Hard at work.

Good Talk.

-18.

The Bird

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