Laced. Fifth Release.

Wowso much colour. Do you like it? I like it.

I was sort of scared to work with colour before (it’s also much cheaper to print magazines in black and white). Even when I was shooting and de veloping film, I was super hesitant to use colour. You can hide a lot more mistakes when using monochrome. And developing photos in colour is just a whole dif ferent ball game. But overtime I realised that if Laced had stayed monochrome, we would have been putting ourselves in a small, grayscale box. Well you know what they say, onwards & upwards. Forwards ever, back wards never. Plus colour is actually super rad to work with. There are some photos from previous releases that I wished the world had been able to experience to their full flamboyant potential. Maybe we’ll have to do a pho to book of the favourites for the coffee table. Fk that would probably make some money actually.

Just a heads up, there is a ski interview in this one. Or a ‘Buckled’ section, if you will. Thought it’s proberly best you hear it from me first. You might turn a page and poop ya pants from shock, seeing some ski-boarding in Laced, Australia’s most influentual and core snow boarding magazine (coughs).

It’s the off season in Aus at the moment. What a strange summer. The Olympics was something else. Go Tess! Flooding has been a horrible start to the year. Hopefully everyone you know in those areas is doing okay xx. Anyway, you know how it goes, the next winter is just around the corner. But the question is, what will the 2022 winter bring along with it this time? Constant covid lockdowns? Will Sydney and Mel bourne be backing up your local lift lines? Will lady La Nina bring us some of the biggest winterstorms Austra lia has ever seen? Heck knows.

Whatever ‘22 brings, make it a good one. Get that trick, go hike that peak, go snowboarding with friends, have a snowball fight, eat tacos, drink a beer, drink heaps of beers, do something fun, do something dumb, work less, ride more, do more, do less, do you and do it good!

Jake.

Thanks to everyone one of you that made this one happen. BIG LOVE! And a special thanks to Matthew Willet for the design work on Joeys Gear Guide and Keelan Mogler for the artwork on Busetti’s resort regulars.

Editor; Jake Carthew Email; jake.lacedmag@gmail.com Insta; @laced.mag Merch; lacedmag.bigcartel.com

Cover shot; Tom Dewar Taken by Ryan Pappas

This photo hits! Not only is it a beautiful shot with clear skys in the background and a full pull method. But the hand built booter somewhere in the aussie alpine, along with the landing marks from the Mommas boys jump day, sums up what majority of Jindabyne was doing during last season lockdowns. Resorts shut, jobs made redundent. So finding anywhere to hike, build and have a good time in the midst of a pandemic was all we had to do.

Left Ryan Cafferky

Right Chris Busetti

By Ryan Pappas

Ryan Pappas Camera

On the 15th of August 2021 Covid got off the mid day greyhound bus from Canberra and arrived in Jindabyne. The pubs went quiet, the lifts became sta tionery and a veil of doubt and worry descended on our alpine world. The fire burnt bright in the hearts of those who stayed. Hand built parks popped up every where as the necessity to shred became the number one priority. Proudly supported by Reece plumbing and terrain park supplies.

Six weeks went by, some friends came round for a pancake breakfast as we readied ourselves to go up the mountain. At 11am the announcement came. We were out of lockdown. Rumours swirled around Jindabyne faster than a communal goony at kick ons. Were the resorts going to reopen and when? Would the terrain parks make a comeback? Putting the rumours to rest we went for a shred. Someone received a text and screamed that Perisher would open the V8 at 2:30. The veil had lifted and had been replaced by an unearthly sense of elation. We jumped in the car and screamed to the car park. Massive props to the lift maintenance dept. and the groomers who got front valley groomed and the V8 running in a matter of hours.

Screams of stoke bellowed from the lungs of all those in attendance. Young, old, jerry and pro united in cel ebration for the return of something that for so long seemed so far away.

On a ride up the chair the good news rolled in again. The Banj was opening. When the day was done we packed into the car and arrived at the Pub. Only to spend an hour and a half in line. When our entry was granted the doors of the pub transported us to a time where covid never even graced our lips. Everyone had an express post parcel slip to do as much damage to themselves as possible. Leaving inhibitions at the door with no worries of work or responsibility you could triple park yourself with schooners till your heart’s content.

That day will live in my memory till the day I die. It defined the world we live in, As boarders, ski bums and the kids your parents warned you about. On this day our dedication to the cause of youth and fun paid off ten times over. For weeks we made do with what we could. Cheap shovels and expensive PVC pipe inched us along while our world stood painfully still. When the embers of youth sparked and the fire raged again

Words by Ryan Backhouse Photo courtesy of Ryan Backhouse

Tommy Quinlan

By Sam Purdie

Jake ~ Let’s start off with the name Waku Waku. It rough ly translates to exciting, thrilling or pleasing. What does it mean to the crew?

Kenzo ~ There are many feelings (meanings) in the word “Waku Waku”. It’s kind of mixed feeling of exciting, thrill ing and fear but it’s also hope at the same time. When your spirit is vibrating in high frequency toward experiences to the unknown.  Waku Waku is the compass for us. Being honest to your Waku Waku which comes up from your pure heart. Conversely, if you don’t feel Waku Waku to it, change perspectives. Just follow the Waku Waku feelings, choose the way and see what happens when it does.

Jake ~ People travel from all around the world to ride Japanese powder, why does the majority of crew choose to ride street?

Kenzo ~I love powder, cliff jumping, tree run, mushroom pillows. I have been filming on both mountain and streets last season.

Kenji ~ There are many crews in Japan. Some crew just film on big mountain. It depends on which field you want to express yourself. Simply street snowboarding is cool to me.

Yuki ~ Japanese powder or street spots are much different from locations outside the country. I think when we visit other countrys, we always see the world with fresh eyes and new inspiration comes into our minds. I suppose that way, I can see the new spots/ lines.

Jake ~ What is a regular day like filming with the Waku Waku crew in the streets?

Kenzo ~ Waking up, stretching, arrive at the spot, eat ing BF, building the spot politely, and start shooting! We spend the most of the time checking and adjust to reduce the risk as much as possible. After the shooting, we always go to Onsen (it’s a must) and Kanpai Beers!!

Jake ~ Is the public hard on you guys, do people call the police or kick you out of spots?

Kenzo ~ It happens but if we talk comparatively, people will understand and let us be. We avoid the spots where it looks like we’d be getting kicked out. Street snowboarding in Japan comes across a bit severe, so sometimes we try early mornings or at night.

Jake ~ I would assume you and the crew aren’t snow boarding to make money. Are you guys struggling to get by/ make it as a snowboarder in Japan?

Kenzo ~ Of course we are not snowboarding to make money. Simply expressing ourselves with snowboarding is what we love to do. However, we always think about “running money” to continue our things in the future.  if we shred and film just for ourselves, we won’t be able to run it that long. We would love to connect with new people through our actions. We hope to be supported from someone who’s able to share Waku Waku. That’s one of our goals. We are also looking forward to throw some events, a party style competition. Whatever people can enjoy. Money will be be running naturally if it’s for sometyhing, I guess.

Jake ~ What convenience store snack is always going in the bag? Personally, I’m going with that tuna mayo oni giri.

Kenzo ~ Beer and coffee.

Kenji ~ Sweets

Yuki ~ Coffee. Mentai-mayo rice ball is one of my favor ites!

Jake ~ Becoming a pro rider in Japan is usually sought out through a series of competitions and based on winning a certain amount. It seems like you guys are not interested in this route?

Kenzo ~ I think the “pro rider” is the people who have both professionalism and capability. In that sense, we also on that path. Competition gives new experience and dif ferent spices to your snowboarding, that’s for sure. I don’t think I’m gonna be “Mr. competitor” but I feel it’s good to join in it to better myself.

Kenji ~ What I want is not in competition anymore. I’m passionate to film video parts and capture the moment with photos. That’s what I love, that’s my field to work on.

Yuki ~ I used to join the competition and aimed for be coming pro. On this process, I slowly lost motivation and the enjoyment. So I decided to go to Whistler, Canada. This experience was a turning point for my snowboard ing life. It gave me new perspective and I felt I could ride more freely. Since then, I pursue to film video.

Jake ~ Is there a lot of pressure on young Japanese people to not be a ‘snow bum’ and get into the workforce? Instead of following dreams or living a little more freely?

Kenzo ~ There might be the young people in that situa tion. That’s exactly what we want to tell them, to follow your Waku Waku. It’s very simple and clear.

Kenji ~ I feel that pressure sometimes. I had been told a lot but I think if you have confidence and love what you do, you don’t care anymore. I know the place where I can feel freedom and simpler, so I choose that way. That is my Waku Waku life style.

Yuki ~ Yes and no. I have a different perception since I spent time in Canada. I have been focusing on what I love, now I am in a comfortable position. If I go up the mountain, I’ve got many friends who I can share the mo ment with. I want to pass this life style to the next gener ations with homies!

Jake ~ Last year Waku Waku released its second full length movie ‘Ascension Mix’. Majority of the movie was filmed in Hokkaido. What was the idea behind going north and what were the challenges?

Kenzo ~ For our first movie, we went for a trip to Hokkai do and spent about a month there. For the second mov ie, we spent time in Tohoku area mostly. Simply, there is more snow on north side and more spots which haven’t been seen yet. People in Tohoku are very kind and warm, and there are many good old foods. Snowboarding is not just our life, we love to experience local culture. Fresh view and different flow of time. Little things give us dif ferent flavour to our lives. We just love to trip around!

Kenji

Kenji

Jake ~ Any special memories from that trip?

Kenzo ~ From the trip to Hokkaido. We stayed in a cheep hotel for ¥2000 ($20). There were three beds and a space which was about the same size of one bed. Five of us gath ered in this mini space while cooking hot pots. The room was filled with the smell of garlic and filled up with steam (laughs). I remember we couldn’t even stretch our legs out but we Kanpai (cheers) beers as usual in the unusual.

Kenji ~ Last season’s BC experience in Fukushima. It was first time we went to backcountry as Waku Waku crew. We had no idea which lines we could go and what would happen. I still remember when we arrived at the drop points and three of us were laughing about difference be tween the view from bottom to top. We just had to drop with young gun spirit! Also, Waku Waku Karaoke drunk en night was memorable (laughs).

Yuki ~ From the first movie, it was the flat rail out to jump over the rail spot with a bungee. We were shooting through the night and slept a couple hours, moved to the flat rail spot and started shooting in the morning. Ken zo tried about 100 times, that was mental. We all were pretty much run out of energy but a passerby brought us some Sake, wished us good luck and moved on. Kenzo kept trying for a while but could not make it. We hugged with bitter tears.

Jake ~ What’s next install for Waku Waku? Does the crew plan on making more movies?

Kenzo ~ We were filming last winter season for our next movies. Waku Waku has impression of street snowboard ers but we have felt to expand the field and show our -

various snowboarding. There are many free riding spots around Japan. We want to study more about mountain and free riding culture. As each of us grows, movies will change too. We are looking forward to see how it goes!

Jake ~ Japan has always had high quality snowboarders but now more than ever, it seems that Japan is taking over the rest of the world with talent! What are your thoughts on the Olympics and X-games?

Kenzo ~ There are both side in snowboarding, technolog ical evolution and changeless style. I love to see both of them. Passion is the essence, so anything is fine.

Kenji ~ It’s a good thing that snowboarding is reported in the media and it becomes opportunity for more people to get to know it. In fact I was impressed with Ayumu’s riding in the Olympics. Although I feel it’s hard to give points and judge the winner to this art.

Yuki ~ I’m always enjoying to watch them. What tricks they do? Which line they take? I become a fan of mem orable riders!

Jake ~ Is there anything you would like to say or share with the land down under dogs?

WakuWaku ~ We would love to explore different coun trys and inspire each other. If you come to Japan and look for a crew to shoot with, we are here. Let’s make the world Waku Waku! Let’s light up the joint together!

Yuki

Photos courtesy of Photography Itsuki & Mantaro

Yuya Kenzo

Yuya

After spending more than my fair share of time at Australian ski resorts, I have begun to notice a fair few of the same characters year after year. Some of these are rarer than others, so see if you can spot them all on your next trip to the slopes, and if one of

with their ‘freestyle/ freeride’ directional snowboard, this weekend warrior loves to flex the waterproof rating of his new jacket despite the fact you never asked, and despite the fact it’s a bluebird day in September. It’s not uncommon for this guy to spend the chairlift gazing out into the nearby hills, daydreaming of his next epic split.

above them because it always looks like they are going so fast and out of control you find yourself questioning if they are ever going to stop. Thankfully most kids clutch up and manage to french fry themselves to safety at the last possible second…. Most of them.

Tough Tit Chicks: These chicks are crazy; they make any other boarder look soft by the number of big slams they take and their ability to get up and keep riding every time is un matched. Their ability to go hard all day is perhaps why they’re all getting so good. Tough Tit chicks are easy to spot because they usually come in a big squad and you can hear them yelling from a mile away, trust me.

Skier Dad: I’m sure have come across this point in time. Mostly behaviour, usually directed at their precious children even if their kid happens to be in the land ing of the jump or rail you just hit. One thing I have never under stood about the skier dad is why they chose to come back year after year despite the fact they always seemed pissed off for their entire visit. Maybe time for a holiday to the Gold Coast next year mate.

One and Done: Perhaps the rarest to see on the hill, this mythical creature is only seen riding on the sunniest days of the season, or whenever it

Local Royalty: If you’ve ever done a season, you’ve probably met this person. Probably in their 2nd or 3rd season, they seem to know absolutely everyone in town. From the towies to every instructor to the diesel mechanics to the park crew to the team that does maintenance work in the summer. It doesn’t stop on the mountain either, they know every bartender, chef, dishy, cleaner absolutely fuck ing everyone in town. They spend more time talking to people they know on the run down than they do riding, and they’re likely to never make it out of the parking lot with the amount of

Instagram algorithm. To all the clout kids out there, keep

Medium Boys: Lazy, uncool, lame group of boarders who should be avoided at all costs. Straight up these guy’s stink. Go ride some street and leave the rest of us alone!

Apres Enthusiast: Another rare one to actually see riding, but you can almost guarantee to see them at one of the pubs at the bottom of the hill. This person has an insatiable appetite for any kind of alcohol, and never learnt how to say no to locals’ night. An easy way to identify this kind of rider (if you can call them that) is the signature pair of Pit Vipers proudly

Broke Chef: Okay so this guy you won’t see on the mountain, but if you’re lucky you’ll see him at the local dive bar late a night. This guy moved to town 10 years ago and decided to get a job as a dishy so he could work at night and snowboard during the day.

Unfortunately, the universe had different plans for this guy as soon after he began his career in the kitchen he met his true love, co caine. If you combined the amount of money he has spent on rack each season, this guy could’ve gone snowboarding overseas every year in the summer, but instead he continues to grind in town working such long hours he hasn’t even been up

Time Capsules: probably did a season between 2005-2012 and never bothered to buy new gear. They also never changed their lingo, and their favourite rider is probably Lucas Magoon or Scotty Lago. Luck ily for the time capsule, fashion always come full circle, so it’s only a matter of time before their bright red Special blend pants and yellow DC jacket are back in style.

Mosman Ski Moms: Named after the moms from one of Sydney’s more affluent areas, Mosman ski moms are typically seen in either tight all black (or white) premium ski gear and always with fur on the hood. They are also the biggest fans of Bryan Bowlers pro mod el Gucci x Modest goggles. Thank you, Mosman moms, for being such loyal supporters of an iconic Aussie snow

GROWING UP HARRY HATES

Winter is a season of firsts. That first fresh morning that sends you back inside for a hoodie, that first night you smell woodsmoke in the air... The first time you go digging in the boot of your car for a scraper or the back of your cupboard for your uggs. Winter comes inch by inch, flake by flake. For most people, these little manifestations are harbingers of toil and discomfort. They remind them that soon, they’ll begin their day in the dark and get home long after sunset. They’ll have to re member to bring jumpers and trench coats, umbrellas, and scarves just to stand at the bus stop. Their weekends will be spent in four walls looking out, fretting over melatonin and vitamin D counts.

Not, however, if you’re a snowboarder. For us, every sign of the impending winter hits a corresponding neural switch. Dormant pathways in our brains flare into life, sensory memories flood the nervous system and the sensation of rid ing hangs in front of us as clearly as our breath in the air. Boards hit the bench, wax hits the floor and the stokemeter hits the fuckin redline as the long sweltering summer of patience evaporates before us, year after year after year. But not me. Not this year.

Because I’ve done about the dumbest thing you can do I’ve decided to do a bit of growing up.

As I’m writing this, I’m looking out of a window at a mountain wearing its first wispy coat of snow. But the mountain isn’t Feathertop, or Carruthers, or even Kosciuszko. And the window isn’t at Hotham, Guthega, or Eagles nest. The Mountain is Kunanyi, and the Window is at the UTAS Library, Hobart. And let me tell you dear reader, I have never felt this stupid.

For the first time in 8 years, come the June long weekend, daybreak will not find me rallying up the hill for opening day. It will not find me lacing up, buckling in and tripping out. It will not find me with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face and a smile in my heart. The only chair it will find me on will be of the cheap office variety and the only froth I’m likely to find will be on top of a lukewarm oat latte, and let me tell you dear reader, it is doing my fucking head in. It’s been well over ten years since I last studied or had anything resembling a normal routine. For ten years I have believed firmly that growing up is a trap, one I’ve ducked at every turn. I’ve outwitted it in the Snowy Monaro, side stepped it via the south pacific, dipped under it to Japan, vaulted over it to Canada, and had the time of my life doing it... So as the days shorten and the nights cool and my riding jacket is demoted to commuter duty, a single obtrusive question hammers relentlessly at the front of my skull: “What are you doing here? What are you doing HERE? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!?”

The short answer is I’m not sure, but I think it might be important. It’s clearer and clearer to me every morning I wake up that none of the shot-callers have our interests at heart. You may have noticed that every year the price of a lift ticket goes up, housing becomes less available and more unaffordable, the ratio of hours worked to days ridden starts to look shittier and shittier, and on top of all of that, the climate we depend on so desperately is being irrevocably fucked by a shady cabal of shitheads who will be long dead before they ever think about paying their tab.

My plan is not a good one, or a clear one, or much of a plan at all, really. It’s more of a first step in the direction of the haphazard notion that the only way to right the ship is for more of us; more snowboarders, skiers, climbers, surfers, mountain bikers, dirtbags of every discipline, shape, and variety... more working people who give a shit, to take a seat at the table.

But that’s all big picture stuff. Right now, the process seems entirely pointless and suspiciously self-aggrandizing; a hamster-wheel of information consumption and regurgitation with yours truly parked squarely on it. I’d like to make the world a better, nicer, safer place for everyone in it, but I really don’t understand how a compulsory elective in underwater basket weaving at $2700 a semester is going to help me do that. On top of that, each time my gaze drifts away from my notes to my phone, I see snowboarding. Bored of stats? Here’s Hiroto’s 2160. Can’t watch another lecture slide? Watch this Austin Smith pow turn instead.

The summer social media drip-feed felt like Chinese water torture, but the pre-winter torrent feels like I’m getting water boarded. In the face of this algorithmically curated assault, it’s all I can do not to yeet my laptop out the window, load my ‘09 Forester to the gunnels, light the afterburners, and try to set the shitbox land speed record back to Jindy, Bright, or any other snow town that would have me. Honestly I’d take Selwyn at this point.

But the reality is, I’ve got a course load, I’ve got a job, I’ve got a lease, and down the track maybe even a point to it all. So, in the meantime, I’ll piss, and I’ll moan, I’ll stand at the bus stop and I’ll scroll my phone and read this mag. I’ll plan holiday strike missions and hustle up to the rope tows at Mt Mawson when it snows and confront my pathetic existence as a weekend warrior.

I hope winter ‘22 is a banger. I hope everyone reading this buckles in for a hundred days. A hundred days in the park, a hundred days on the skintrack, a hundred days mobbing groomers with the crew, a hundred of the best days of your life. And when it’s all said and done and I can’t look at my HECS anymore, I’ll be back, because there is nothing better, and I hate every day I miss out.

It’s not Sayonara, it’s Mata ne.

Perspective expansion.

Laced - Hey man what’s been going on?

Laced- Hey guy, just been trying to finish the last of the new release. Other than that surfing, skating, selling all of my possessions before I move to NZ for winter.

Laced - Oh nice, why New Zealand?

Laced - Something different.

Laced - So the new issue is in colour. Why so bright?

Laced - Colour is super fun! As weird as it sounds, it’s really enjoyable to play around with colour palettes and create a good looking page. And some photos are meant to be shown in full colour to the world. Plus BnW was putting us in a box. Forward ever, backwards never.

Laced - Yeah, colour is a good look on you.

Laced - Thanks :)

Laced - What made you start a magazine?

Laced - To be honest, it wasn’t my goal to begin with. Back in 2019 I was working at Thredbo resort and the Snowboy crew was coming to do the first Holy Bowly Down under. I thought it would cool to take get a bunch of disposable camera and hand them our to people involved. I had some people like Crush, Andy James and Pete Long take some shots as well as myself. And I was going to put it into a zine, maybe do an exhibition thing at a gallery in Jindy. Anyway as I started to piece it together, it just grew.

More and more ideas flowed, so it turned into a magazine of sorts, on it’s own. The first one was so shit though haha.

Laced - Yeah it was pretty bad.

Laced - I know, lucky there isn’t many out in the public to be seen..

Laced - Were you always into graphic design/ journalism?

Laced - Man not really hey. I’m a dumbass. I hated english at school. I’m no good at spelling either (thank god for spell check) haha. I had never done anything like this before. Never even really written a paragraph besides an email or two.

Laced - How did you learn the programs?

Laced - I taught myself. I used a free one called publisher plus. Then I think it was the third release that I decided to start using Indesign. It’s what the big dogs use. Still learning!

Laced - Do you make much money off of laced?

Laced - Lol nope. I pretty much lose money every release. It’s not about the money anyway, it’s about creating something within the snow culture. It’s.. art..?

Laced - Don’t you get money from brands though?

Laced - Yeah, they always cover the cost of printing. The brands have been rad. But I send out all the magazines to shops, brands, contributors, etc, cost free. International is so expensive man! It would be cool to get paid for the amount of hours that goes into these pages too but it’s a labour of love.

Laced - Why don’t you sell the mags and try make a profit then?

Laced - Nah, I always wanted it to be a free mag. Growing up, I always thought the best mags were free. Free print for the people!

Laced - Why are you sending international?

Laced - Laced takeover baby!

Laced - Are you going to make any good merch?

Laced - One day i’ll get someone who knows what they’re doing to design something cool.

Laced - Favourite magazine?

Laced - Sprawlers is sick. Curator books are sick too!

Laced - What’s next for laced?

Laced - Go snowboarding, take more photos and keep doing laced until it’s not fun anymore.

Laced - Shout outs?

Laced - Fam, friends, coffee, snowboarding brands that support laced and literally every person who has taken the time to pick these up and have a read!

Laced - Well this has been interesting, bye. Laced - Bye.

Liam Glass By Chris Zinon

Ryan Cafferky

By Ryan Pappas

Jake - Hey man, how are you? The summer was a wild one huh.

Josh - Hey Jake! Good, thank you man. Hope all is well on your side, too. Not sure about wild for me haha. 40 years old, 2 kids, 2 businesses and a sore back. Weather wise, I kinda liked the change. Didn’t feel like summer, we copped a bunch of unseasonable swells and it was kind of a nice change to have some rain cause the veggie patch boomed.

Jake - Living up in Nelson Bay, do you get much time down in the alps these days?

Josh - Yeah, same as it’s always been. I grew up in Shoal Bay, and have always based myself here. I like the balance of spending time in the mountains, but going home to the coast. We will usually try and spend 3-4 months in each location so you can immerse yourself and chase good con ditions. Get in tune with both the people and the environ ment. In the past I would try and spend as much time as I could, at whatever cost. We even packed up and moved to NZ when my boy Sonny was 5 months old, and lived in an old farmhouse close to the mountains. Packed the house with 8 friends to cut cost of rent, so we could ride as much as possible. I guess once a snow bum, always a snow bum. I have found the older the kids get, the more commitments they have. Be it school, sports, friends etc. So you get more picky with trips. Luckily they both love surfing and snowboarding, and are always asking me when are we going away next.

Jake - Obviously COVID has made it difficult to do any thing these days but what’s it like trying to run a snowboard company from the other side of the world?

Josh - I guess like all things there’s pros and cons. Howev er, it was always a choice of my business partner Richie’s and I that we operate remotely anyway. As I said earlier,

we both love the mountains and the coast so for us, hav ing the best of both worlds was always a priority from the start. As much as we both love Japan and home, getting to split our time between both, keeps it fresh and stops you from burning out. Originally, we tried to split the time so that one of us was always there but we decided it would be a good business move to teach someone our craft to help with the growing business and ensure we had someone on the ground always. This turned out to be a good move as when COVID hit, we could keep operating. Sure, it can be a nightmare having to run a business via the internet some times but if we didn’t have modern technology Offshore wouldn’t be here today.

Jake - When we spoke earlier you said that Offshore is ba sically a passion project. I love that idea. But it must be a tough art project to keep up at times?

Josh - Like any small business, things can be difficult. There are a lot of variables and the snowboard industry is defi nitely difficult at the best of times. But, in terms of keeping it going if you truly love something it never feels like work which 99% of the time is a crock of shit. But, if you’re a snowboarder, we can all relate to the difficulties of trying to go snowboarding. We never think negatively of sleeping on couches, working shit jobs, wearing wet boots, dealing with ski resort politics or even just the general cost to buy a snowboard. Like addicts, we deal with a lot of shit to get our fix. None of this ever makes us question our love for snowboarding. A good example of this is, I also work as a graphic designer. I love art, I love creating, but working as a commercial designer I never wake up thinking I can’t wait to design this logo for this company. Whereas it doesn’t matter how hard running Offshore gets, I never lose the drive or passion to create snowboards. I always tell every one who’s worked at the factory that what we are making is special. That we all met because of snowboarding and that’s why we’re here now, and what we are making could change someones life.

An Interview with Josh Monin

Jake - So you do all the artwork and media content yourself, while also having a full time job outside of Offshore?

Josh - Yes. I have another business working as a freelance graphic designer. At the start I was a one man band, I lit erally do everything from the board shape, the graphics, to making the boards, building the website, editing the vid eos, running the social media, making the sales to putting the boards in the boxes. I was lucky to bring in one of my best friends Richie as a partner early on and also a friend I grew up with from my local beach, Keats, who shoots all of Offshore’s photos. Anyone who has been to Offshore knows it’s been an all in approach with team riders and friends who have stayed at the factory or team house, they’ve all been given some kind of tool and been told to pull their weight.

Jake - And a family man, doing it all! Are your kids and partner into snowboarding too?

Josh - My partner had never seen snow before she met me, so as much as I wouldn’t say she’s some hardcore snow boarder, she loves being up there with the kids and really loves the natural elements she exposed to being a part of a snowboarding family. I’d say onsen’s are her forte. The kids on the other hand are total grommets. I’ve always said I’m not sure whether their love for board sports is due to my passion or the fact that its just the funnest thing in the world so of course they’re going to be into it. When they were little they never liked snowboarding because it was cool, it was purely just because it feels insane to slide across snow instead of walking, we can all relate to that.

Jake - When did you start making boards? And what was the idea of going full time Japanese production?

Josh - I started making boards in 2011, when I was working in my Japanese friends tuning workshop. It was super prim

itive and was solely made to fulfil a desire to ride a board I shaped myself. I’d always thought about making a business involving snowboarding which would help keep me snow boarding for the rest of my life. When my daughter Dee Dee was born, I knew I had to make it more permanent. Something to keep me tied to the mountains forever. I’d gone through a million ideas in my head but none of them felt right. I didn’t want to create another product that was unnecessary in an already oversaturated industry, it had to be something that I truly believed in because I never want ed to bring a negative to something that meant so much to me. All the accessories, tour companies and clothing are all filler, but it’s the actual snowboard itself that makes it snowboarding. Moving production full time to Japan was a no brainer. I’d been travelling to Japan for over 20 years and it feels like a second home. Being able to produce boards at the base of Moiwa in some of the worlds best snow, makes it the perfect environment to craft, test and feel inspired. There is also the benefits of being closer to supply chains, a huge domestic market and cheap ciggies. It’s all about the smoko when it comes to work.

Jake - I remember the first Offshore I rode was the old snurfs up, big rocker on it and had the stringer running down the top sheet. A full surf inspired setup. Would you say you gain a lot of inspiration from surfing?

Josh - I think surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding are all entwined but at the same time are all definitive in their own way. When it comes to construction and shapes, sometimes you can bring in elements from the others that work but sometimes it’s the complete opposite. The same thing can be said when it comes to style and the way you ride. It’s like the whole Japanese snow surf revolution that is popular right now with Western media claiming it’s a new thing when in reality, the pioneers of Australian snow boarding were definitely hitting wind lips imagining they were waves in the 80’s. None of this is new, surfing always

came first, it’s more to do with your background or those who inspired you. Dudes like Mick Mackie are a perfect example of how inspiration can flow both ways with him utilising sidecuts in his surfboards.

Jake - Are you actually homies with Cardiel? I’ve honestly been dying to know how you guys linked up?

Josh - We’ve been really lucky at Offshore to be able to con nect with people who were idols of mine growing up. These connections were never made through the standard chan nels of us offering money or sponsorship, but these people reached out to us because they wanted a board. Russell Winfield originally got in touch with me because he want ed to get a custom board made, I tripped when he asked me how much it was going to cost and I said I would flow him a board. It was the least I could do to repay an icon of snow boarding who had paved the way for so many. This began our connection and friendship which would lead to us col laborating on a board shape together. Russell and Cardiel were friends from back in the day when Cardiel was both a pro skateboarder and snowboarder. Russ told me Cardiel had hit him up about getting a custom Offshore to ride, so Russ put us in touch. Since John’s recovery from his acci dent, he found it difficult to ride regular snowboards, he likes short, slightly wider boards that have the inserts set way back but didn’t want something tailored for powder. I made him some modified Offshore boards and he was su per stoked on them. I ended up doing a trip to California to ride and film with him, and work on his shape togeth er. After going and riding with him, we made some subtle changes and have been making John custom boards since. It made me so stoked when he sent me a message saying he did his first backside air since hurting himself because the board enabled him to ride how he wanted to. They say nev er to meet your heroes but meeting John throws that idea in the bin. He is easily one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, full of love, good vibes and endless stoke.

Jake - I’d say you’re almost and anti establishment kinda guy and would probably hate the idea of being put in a box (laughs). Do you feel like the Offshore brand has been put into a ‘boutique powder board’ brand?

Josh - I don’t like being labelled anything. And I particular ly don’t like Offshore being labelled anything. I can under stand why it has fallen into that bracket, but if you knew me and you knew Offshore and how the boards ride you would know it’s the complete opposite to this. I’m sure the price tag and the location of the factory lend it to being seen as a boutique powder brand but in reality they are high per formance snowboards made to be ridden in all conditions constructed the way snowboards should be.

Jake - Offshore’s ‘iD’ series is a cool concept for people wanting a personalised board. Can you tell us about that?

Josh - The iD series is an evolution formed from our ability to custom make snowboards. As each snowboard is made to order, we don’t have to offer a set series of graphics. The iD series allows you to pick the style and colour of your top sheet graphic with your name printed on the design. As most snowboard companies are mass produced, this gives our customers the ability to utilise the benefits of our small scale production and ultimately enables them the freedom to create their own unique board. Similar to ordering a custom surfboard from your local shaper, the stoke you get from having a board made for you and seeing your name on the stringer never gets old.

Jake - Have you got any future plans you can share with us?

Josh - Not much we can share right now but we have a lot of new ideas in the works. COVID definitely put a halt on progression, but at the same time definitely forced us to think differently. What I can share is that we have a bunch of new shapes and graphics we will be releasing this year,

and hopefully when the borders open to Japan we can share all the new developments when they visit the factory.

Jake - You gave me a little bit of advice a while ago about running a small company and keeping it at a stage I can handle and be still happy with the outcome of it. Do you have any words for the folks out there thinking of starting a brand or something else within the snow industry?

Josh - If you want to make money, I’d probably steer clear of the snowboard industry, invest in property instead. But, if you absolutely love snowboarding and want to feel con nected to it for life, then that’s the right reason to start a business. It sounds corny, but I feel like your intentions have to be right because it truly is a labour of love.

Jake - Signs offs?

Josh - Thanks to everyone whose ever supported us and taken the time to read this and learn more about Offshore. It makes me feel happy to know that there is still people in Australian snowboarding who are trying to make and cre ate things that are super cool like this magazine. At the end of the day snowboarding just feels good to do, so to know there are people out there who care and love enough about it to capture it and put it on paper, and on the flip side, to pick this magazine up and immerse themselves in it. I grew up with snowboarding in the pre internet days, and maga zines were my major source of inspiration. I credit them for my love of snowboarding and my love of art/design. So as much as I say the board itself is the most important piece in snowboarding, without people like you Jake, and things like Laced mag, how would kids like me ever learn more about it. So thanks for all the work you are doing!

Jake - Alright Tino, will the Cossacks ever be cool?

Martin - (laughs) the old school one with the poles in between the legs? It’s kinda cool. There’s some people that do them dub 10, which is crazy! Yeah, I reckon it’s cool. I like some of those retro tricks.

Jake - I gotta ask, why do you prefer to ski over snowboarding when you grew up skat ing and rip?!

Martin - I just grew up skiing, so I was al ready pretty solid on skis. When I first saw freestyle ski movies coming out, it wasn’t at the level that snowboarding was but I could see that skiing was catching up in it’s own way. Like the movies, twins tips, it was all evolving and kinda fresh. I actually used to be super into snowboarding but then I saw those movies and just completely stopped. I bought another board about a year ago but I still haven’t been on it, I just want to ski all the time.

Jake - How do you feel about being the first

ski interview in laced?

Martin - Yeah, I reckon it’s really cool. I’m a huge fan of the magazine. Skiing has some sort of magazines out there but it’s more just like backcountry and that.

Jake - I would say you’re more snowboard er than most snowboarders, If that makes sense.. (laughs) The raw passion and love for getting clips and tricks down. I’d com pare it to a skater, trying to make it out in the streets.

Martin - - (laughs) Cheers man. Yeah well I love skating but skating is so hard. So fun but so hard.

Jake - First time I saw you, it was a highlight reel from super unknown 2020. How was that event? Looks wild!

Martin - Super unknown was so sick. One of the best events in skiing. It’s a video com petition of the up and coming skiers. They go through like a hundred edits or so and they only choose nine to be in the finals. Then there are sixteen semi finalists, they go

to a public vote. I was a semi finalist but I didn’t get the public vote. But I got real lucky where someone got injured and the director of the event contacted me a few days before the event and asked me to come out and ride it. They didn’t need to replace the rider they just wanted me to come out. I was in Italy at the time and pretty much stayed up all night and flew out straight away just to get there. It was the sickest week ever. It’s kinda like Christmas, because each day you wake like “oh man, what did they build?!”.

Jake - You had some knee surgeries before then too?

Martin- Nah that was after. But my knee was kinda bad at the time. I think it was the Aus season before hand, I dislocated my patella skating. Well actually the first time I dislo cated it was doing a stupid ski ballet trick (laughs).

Jake - And most recently, you just skied the Steel City Showdown, an XGames event. Tell me more..

Martin - Oh yeah that was so sick too. That was Tom Wallisch’s event. He had it as an open event this year and when I heard that I just wanted to be there and ski it so bad. I missed out on the practice day. I got like an hour of practice before the qualifiers.

Jake - Top three music choices to listen to while skiing?

Martin - I dunno, I don’t actually listen to music while I’m skiing.

Jake - You live and breathe skiing, every where you go you are thinking about how that spot could work and what trick would work on it. What keeps you entertained out side of skiing and skating?

Martin - Umm, what do I do? Video games (laughs). I’ve been playing a lot of doom eternal. I watch a lot of ski and skate videos too.

Jake - Sponsors?

Martin- Dragon Aus, K2 Aus and my mates brand Patriot Footbeds.

Jake - Ski movies that snowboarders should watch?

Martin - One of my favourites is The Eighty Six. Maybe Mutiny. Or Refresh, that’s a War ren Miller voice over one. His voice is like the David Attenborough of ski movies.

Jake - It’s hard for anybody to get recogni tion in the snow world outside of competi tion, let alone coming from Aus where there is very limited street available. Is it almost a pipe dream for an Australian skier to make it pro these days?

Martin - Not necessarily. Like I realised years ago I wasn’t going to be a pro skier, so I just do it for fun and want to get as good as I can. If you’ve really got the talent you can make it happen. You also need a lot of op purtunity around you. But the level of skiing right now it just insane. Russ Henshaw was a mega pro skier, he’s from Jindy.

Jake - What are your aspirations for skiing?

Martin - Just get as good as I can and do it as long as I can.

Jake - You’ve been working real hard this past year and I’m keen to see the footage that comes out of it. Any inside scoop on that for us?

Martin - Not really, we are slowly putting it to gether. We have most of the footage there and yeah it’s basically a lockdown street movie. We’ll release it at the start of the next Aussie season. But because of the lock downs, it really encouraged us to ski all these spots we weren’t ever able to, so it was cool.

Jake - Shout outs?

Martin - Everyone.

What do you do?

I am an oil painter by trade, but just a gen eral maker of things. I have had my finger in a few pies when it comes down to art making but landscape oil painting is my biggest love. I use thick oil paint on canvas and then frame it in recycled timber.

Why do you do it?

I can’t stop, haha. My mum, grandpa and great grandpa were all landscape artists, so I guess it is a part of me that connects me to my heritage but also satisfies something I can’t really ex plain. I just love vast landscapes and wil derness. I feel lucky that we have so much of it here in Aus, and such a variety on our doorstep. I also love how harsh it is. Aus tralian bushland is a bit badass like that, everything is so spikey and raw.

Where do you get inspo from?

I paint landscapes all around NSW, and beyond. My main subjects are around the South coast and the snowies. Most of the winter we hang around the mountains and stay in the van. I try to carry a sketch book with me,  and we will just park up and have a sketch wherever we are. I am so excited to do some more alpine landscapes this season from the back country too. I’m usually left behind on hikes pretty quickly with my insistent stopping to take pics.

Where can people see more?

I am a regular artist at Van Renburg Gal leries in Milton, NSW. I post any upcom ing events or projects on my instagram so give me a follow to see what I’m working on. @tazwitkamp.artist

GEAR GUIDE

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Burton Ion

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Sims Nub

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Union Atlas

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Flux DS

Burton Malavita

SNOWBOARDERS GO TO HEAVEN

Corner of Snowy River Ave & Gippsland St, Jindabyne

Evan Tajiri

By James Herring

SPENCER SCHUBERT