 | Nationality: Canadian Date of birth: 29/12/1979 2004 1st US Open Rail Jam 1st Vans Triple Crown Jib Jam, Breckenridge 1st Ripzone Jib zone, Whistler 1st McDonalds Rail Jam, Whistler 7th Session Vail Slopestyle 1st Bonfire Pipe to Pipe, Windells, Mt Hood 2003 1st Masters of Metal, Lake Louise Jib Jam 1st NZ Snow Park Invitational rail jam, Wanaka 1st Redbull Street Jam, New Zealand 1st RCR Big Air, Lake Louise AB 1st Ripzone Jib zone, Whistler 2002 1st Mountain Dew Pro Nationals Rail Jam Sponsors K2, Bonfire, Dragon, Lifetime, GMC, 32, etnies, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, mgtsnowboardcamp.com | |||
| How and when did you start snowboarding? I started snowboarding when I was 16 with my brother. My parents bought us a plastic snowboard to share and we went to the hill behind our school. Have you got any goals for the season - new tricks/ contests you'd like to do well in? I am going to focus on getting a video part in the new Misschief film. It's going to be the sickest video next year. We've got a really strong crew of girls, and at the same time, I have been working on my jumping skills a lot this summer so I hope to do well in some of the slopestyle contests. How do you feel about your Transworld Snowboarding Rookie of the Year win?
It felt pretty good being nominated by your friends, that means a lot more to me than anything, winnning a contest or whatever. I think that Laura Hadar and Sylvia Mittermuler are some of the best snowboarders, so that was also nice to be recognized with talent like that. I was surprised when I had won, because I went to the awards being content with just the nomination. It was a great start to my snowboard career though. When did the MGT Snowboard camps start and how are they going? MGT started two seasons ago, and we are now going into our 3rd season of operation. We have five 2-day winter camps throughout Western Canada, and one summer camp on the Blackcomb Glacier. They are going amazingly well, there are usually at least 30 campers at every camp. Most of the camps sell out. Companies like Velvet, Monix, Snowboard Canada, Thirtytwo, GMC, Lifetime, Snowboard.com and GMC have really helped us the past two seasons, which is great and we're really thankful for that. How do you find the time to compete and run the camps too? Oh trust me, it's really really hard. At the beginning of the season we try to book all the camps in between all the big contests, so that they don’t interfere with anything. Its really hard to get eight pro coaches to these camps when they've got things to do like autograph signings, contests, shoots, sponsor obligations. It's crazy. But somehow we pull it off. This is why we don't offer too many camps in February or March. Those are the busiest months for contests. What's the best piece of snowboarding advice you've been given? To get my run stomped in practice before I go huck some random contest run...I tend to do that a lot, and I've finally learned that you have to do the tricks you know otherwise you're just going to end up on your ass. Do you every get the fear? If so what do you do to combat it? Yes, but that's why snowboarding is such a challenge to me. I freak myself out all the time, but its such a high when you can put your thoughts aside and actually just go do it. I try to visualize tricks in my head..I think that if I can do them perfectly in my head then I can do them on the hill. What do you think is the most valuable tip you give snowboarders in There probably isn't any one tip that is THE TIP at camp, because every tip is different for each rider. I think that the most important thing about coming to camp is that the campers gain the confidence to try new tricks on their boards. Which of your contest results are you most proud of so far?
1st US Open Rail Jam 2004 1st McDonald's Rail Jam 2004 1st Ripzone Rail Jam 2004 1st Vans Triple Crown Rail Jam 2003 1st Pipe to Pipe Rail Jam 2004 7th Session Vail Slopestyle 2004 Tell us about your best ever day on a snowboard. There are so many! I can remember so many days on a powder day with Pepperdine, Dalbs, Amanda, Sarah, Joanna and I just shredding from the top to the bottom 'peak to creek' in Whistler. We go non-stop from 8 or 9 am till our legs fall off at around 2pmish. Those are the best days, when you're just riding with your friends, doing mogul runs and drops and pillows, and cat tracks. Is there anywhere you want to go snowboarding but haven't been yet? I really want to go to Japan. How do you feel about Whistler/Vancouver getting the 2010 Olympics? Do you think it's a good thing? I think its great for Canada to get the Olympics. I was in Calgary at the time when we got the 88 Olympics, and it created a legacy for Canadian athletes. How do you find life travelling to all the pro comps - what are the best and worst things about it? I love seeing everyone at the contests, the girls have pretty much become family. The downside to that is that I don’t see all my friends from back home much anymore, and its hard to keep in contact with all of them when you're on the road so much. But I really appreciate the opportunity I've been given to be able to do this right now. I love it and I wouldn't change anything. What do you think of the way that women's snowboarding - the riding itself, the equipment etc - is developing? Its developing at such a fast pace right now. I think that this is the area in snowboarding that is growing really fast. It was mens snowboarding a few years ago, and now it's finally the girls. We've lagged in the sport up until now. It's also cool to see women's specific products around because our bodies are anatomically different, and we need customized boards, boots, outerwear, etc. to fit our bodies. What set-up are you riding this season and what do you like about it? K2 Skyla 151 with k2 bindings, 32 Lashed boots, Bonfire Optic Jacket, Balance Pant and pink Dragon goggles. My board is really nice and poppy for jumping and jibbing. I really like it because its soft and forgiving. In your opinion, who are the best up and coming riders? There are a lot. Amanda Mourant, Cheryl Maas, Laura hadar, Jacqui Berg, Sylvia Mittermuller. There are more girls that I see killing it randomly on the mountain too, which is sick. | ||||
Leanne Pelosi
published on 2004-09-17
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