How old were you when you started snowboarding?
I was about 12
You're spending this season in Mammoth, why do you like it so much there?
It's close to everywhere - it's the best place I've ridden.
Do you think it makes a difference to your riding whether you ride with boys or girls?
To a certain extent it's good to ride with the boys cos you have to be pushed up to their level. And then you can catch up with girls that can do stuff that you can't do and they can learn stuff that you can do. So you can mix it up and learn from each other.
Does it bother you that the guys still get more coverage in the media and more prize money in some of the competitions?
But that's like with all the sports because the guys will always have more power, that's how it is. I think the guys should have more money - they do more, they risk more, they go bigger. There's nothing to discuss. We're working 10 hours they're working 20.
Do you think they really ride differently from the girls? | Photo: Jeff Curtes/Burton
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It's also about the consequences. If you're a girl you think more about what could happen. If you jump down that cliff you think "I'm gonna die!" but if you're a guy you think "Ah okay, I can do this." Generally it's like that. My dad always says: "It doesn't matter, you can do the same as the guys do. You should juts ride and don't worry about it."
Which riders do you like?
This little girl from Australia Torah Bright - she's really good. She is still like a kid. I used to think like "I can do everything" - she's still on that level because she can do it - she has the technique.She's so good, she's gonna be awesome if she continues.
<>You came fourth in in the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Do you think being in the Olympics has been a good thing for snowboarding?
Yeah, I think it's good for the sport.
How did you feel - just missing out on a medal?
I didn't really care because I never thought I would ever make it up there. First of all when I made it to the finals I was like "Wow!" and I was stoked. I didn't care. It wasn't as stressy as people thought it would be. It was really mellow - it was more mellow than the other competitions. There wasn't even that pressure to qualify - all you had to do was cheer for each other. You know people ask me about that a lot - "Why did you cheer for the other people?" It's crazy.
Is there one competition you've been in which stands out the most?
The competition I remember most was probably the Olympics - not because of the result but because of the people and the environment. There was also the Artic Challenge when I was there. It was an honour to get invited and to get the ride. Even though I wasn't super super good I got to be there and it was fun. I was stoked. Even though I won a world cup, that's not the thing that's most important to me. Maybe the one contest that's most important to me was when I won the Junior Worlds when I was a youth in 1999. I was a kid and I was like "Oh my god!" That was the biggest victory.
What's it like living out of a suitcase and travelling all over the world to compete?
It can be stressy some times but I haven't been doing it for that long - maybe three or four years. The worst thing is to go home and then leave again - to be there for a few weeks and then to have to pack and know that you're going to be away for three months. As soon as you've left it's okay but it's hard to say goodbye.
Where's your favourite place to ride?
I say everywhere there's snow and sunshine! Japan was fun this year. Not because of the conditions though and the jump was small and we had to take away the poles because it was closed. But Mammoth its great too.
Is there anything you want to stomp this season?
I have a goal. I want to stomp a 900 on a jump but I don't think it's gonna work. I'm gonna try. I managed to spin a little bit more than a 7 so I'm almost there. It's hard to land but I'm gonna try. That's my goal.
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