1. Imagine the winter season 09 is full on. Describe a normal day in your snowboarding life.
It’s always an even better day when I wake-up at home since I’m usually traveling, so lets just say I’m at home. I wake up early and do a weather check on the computer (that I keep right by my bed so I can do this half-asleep) with the Webcams on Whistler/Blackcomb and check for the forecast. Your riding day is always based on the weather in Whistler since it changes every 5 minutes. So if it’s a powder day I’ll go up to Whistler Mountain early with friends and rip the “not-so-secret” special pow runs. If there is no new snow then I go ride park on Blackcomb or drive down to Vancouver to go ride the new Olympic Pipe for 2010 at Cypress Mountain that is usually pretty epic. Then I’ll come home and do emails and catch-up with my roommate and friends for dinner.
2. Who has influenced your riding (when you picked up snowboarding) the most and why?
When I started snowboarding, the first year back in Quebec, I was lucky to meet all the great French-Canadian guys that had either made it already or where just about to get noticed. I was really influenced by DCP, David Aubry, Gabriel Authier, Alex Auchu, JF Pelchat, Martin Gallant and of course my soon to be best friend Annie Boulanger. I tried to follow their steps, so I moved out West to Whistler to follow the snowboard dream. It’s their way and style of riding and their free spirit way of thinking and having fun with everything that they did that I still admire to this day.
3. Riding with headphones – love it or hate it? Why?
Hate it for a powder day cause it just gets in the way and I want to hear everything that’s going around me, specially for safety reasons. Love it during a pipe or park day. Just get’s you in the mood and sets you up for every trick.
4. What’s the next big thing after Double Cork 1080ies?
Double poked, double corked, tail grabbed 1260ies
Or a sweet stylish switch-backside 180 tweaked nose grab
5. What does creativity regarding snowboarding mean to you?
To me it means developing your own style of riding. I love when you watch someone ride and it looks effortless and so much fun no matter what they are riding. Creativity to me means riding everything in any situation and making it look good while being original. I want to watch somebody ride and say “ Hey, I never thought of hitting that like this, amazing!!!!”
6. What do you miss the most when being on the road for a while?
- I miss my organic peanut butter if I didn’t bring enough with me, I miss cooking my own food and I usually can’t wait to change my clothes and have all the choices of what to wear from my closet.
7. How to you relax and refuel yourself after a long day of riding?
I love coming home and making a smoothie with fruits, hemp milk and Whey-Protein. Hits the spot. Then I do yoga and whatever crashes I had that day disappears and it helps to clear my head of everything else going on around me.
8. Name your personal top three
a. Backcountry spots
- Whistler’s Backcountry (endless)
- Monashees (Interior BC)
- Somewhere in Japan
b. Snow parks
- Blackcomb Mountain
- Whistler Mountain
- Park City Utah
c. Snowboard contests
- X-Games
- Olympics
- Roxy Chicken Jam
9. Describe your “best” and “worst” day in your life.
Best day of my life: Wake-up somewhere tropical and there’s great un-crowded surf or an un-called for “50cm over night” day of fresh powder and nobody is in town yet. Shred it all day with friends.
Worst day: To get injured or a friend(s) get caught in an avalanche.
10. Season is off…what are you up to?