Interview by: Tawnya Schultz / Photos: Snowboard Mag
If you read this website often enough or have attended any big name snowboard comps in the past few years you may have noticed one guy’s name who is more often than not holding down the number one spot. No, surprisingly it’s not Shaun White but consider Yale Cousino the “Shaun White” of rail jams. Last year Yale slaughtered it from coast to coast and all the way to Italy stacking paper at several events including The Budweiser Budriders’ contest, Hot Dawgs and Handrails, Mount Snow’s Anti-Gravity Grail, and Tahoe’s Vans Cup, to name a few. After spending almost 24 years on the east coast repping the 802 Yale made the move to sunny Lake Tahoe last season with a crew of homies into a packed crib soon to be known as the “House of Dude.” Lucky for him he also traveled a lot. 
Yale’s handplant skills at Hot Dawgs and Handrails 06’. After a few hours stuck in a snow storm starving on a drive that normally takes 15 minutes, being kicked out of poaching hot tubs, shot gunning an occasional PBR, eating $1.99 casino breakfasts, watching him drop in to the half pipe at Vans Cup and spin a massive 900 after claiming he can’t ride pipe, and meeting his mom, Yale has quickly become one of my favorite people on this earth. Whether it be his talented snowboarding abilities or life in general in my book Yale always wins.Tawnya Schultz: How did you get in to snowboarding? Yale Cousino: My friend’s Dad had this hookup to get cheap boards when I was young so we started buying a couple boards. Me and my friend Dustin started messing around in my back yard. I just liked it and kept doing it every day. T.S.: How old were you when you first started competing and what was the first contest you ever won? Y.C.: I was probably 16 or 17 when I started competing. I did alright in some of the local events but the first big event was the U.S. Open Rail Jam. I won second in 05’. T.S.: You’re one of those snowboarders who is well known because you’ve made a name on the contest circuit but who doesn’t receive much mainstream exposure. Do you like it better that way or would you rather be internationally known and advertised? Y.C: I guess I like being known on the contest circuit because I love doing contests but I for sure wouldn’t object to being internationally known. I’m working on getting some other sponsors right now outside of snowboarding things; putting me out there a little more. T.S.: That’d be cool. Like what? Y.C.: I got sponsored by LRG. Nike 6.0 is in the works and some energy drink stuff. 
Mammoth bed party. T.S.: What are a few of your favorite contest highlights from last season? Y.C.: The Vans Cup at Tahoe. I won second at the rail jam contest. Beanies and Bikini’s was fun. The year before last I won but it’s fun to get to go surfing and stuff. And the Union Square New York City contest was one of the funnest. T.S.: What about the Italy contest? Y.C.: Yeah that one just popped into my head. That for sure was the best and I got to go to Europe so that was a lot of fun. I was thinking about only rail jams. T.S.: You won first in both events right? Y.C.: Yeah the slopestyle and big air. T.S.: What’s up with your knee injury. How did it happen and what does it mean for the season? Y.C.: I tore my MCL wakeboarding four months ago. It is one hundred percent healed right now. I didn’t need surgery and all that it meant was that I had to miss three or four rail jams. Early season ones. But I’m going to do Beanies and Bikini’s on the 24 so hopefully I’m ready to ride 100 percent. 
Yale, Lucas Magoon, and girl friend at Vans Cup 07’. T.S.: It was my first season in Tahoe last year as was yours. What were your impressions of it and was it what you expected? Y.C.: I loved it. The parks and all the mountains are way better than around the east. We didn’t get all that much snow so I didn’t really get to do any powder riding which kinda was what I was expecting; but it wasn’t very much of a bummer since I’d never done it before. Hopefully this year there’s more snow so I can get out in the back country a little bit. I love it though. It was super fun and super cool. T.S.: What was it like living so far away from Vermont for the first time? Y.C.: I love Vermont but it’s the same old thing over and over. It was really good to get out for awhile and get away from home and see some other stuff. I traveled a bunch but it was good to live somewhere else. I’m really excited to get back out there. T.S.: Especially with all the people you were living with. Y.C.: Yeah. House of Dude. It was pretty wild. Hopefully it won’t be like that this year. I’m gonna live with six maybe seven max instead of the 14 we had last year. T.S.: You’re the older brother figure to a crew of boys also from Vermont. Did you guys meet snowboarding or grow up together? Y.C.: We’re all pretty much from the same town so we met snowboarding. I actually went to school with Sky’s older sister and met Mike and Ben through him. We started going snowboarding together a lot and we all just moved in together. 
One of the many get togethers at the HOD. T.S.: What videos did you film for last season? Y.C.: I filmed for “Blurred;” The Huckfest Productions video. I filmed for the Burton video “Thanks in Advance.” And I filmed for “Trash Attack 2” but the hard drive got smashed so it looks like that’s not coming out. T.S.: What. Are you serious? How did that happen? Y.C.: It was on the table a week before it was going to be done. We were just finishing it. Someone took the wire of the hard drive and smashed it on the ground and all was lost. T.S.: That’s kinda sad. “Trash Attack” in the trash. Well what are your plans for this season? Y.C.: I’m competing a lot as usual and hopefully filming a lot more. I’ll be filming for Huckfest again and Burton. And hopefully Driscol, the Burton team manager, is trying to get me with some other film company. And just shred at Northstar everyday I guess. T.S.: What do you like doing when you’re in V.T. kicking it? Y.C.: I like to skateboard a lot and hang out with all my friends. Just chill. And I was going fishing a lot before I hurt my knee. T.S.: Who are some of your inspirations in snowboarding and in life in general? Y.C.: Terje for sure. He’s the sickest. He’s definitely my favorite rider. Mike Casanova, Danny Kass; I’ve always looked up to him. And just in life my family for sure helps me out so much; my sister Amber, my Mom, my Dad, and Diego. 
Yale and his mom Ali after the West Coast Invitational. T.S.: What investments have you made with all that contest money? Y.C.: Just my car. Well my crashed car now but I’m buying another one. I haven’t really made any investments as far as a house or land or anything. I put some of it into an IRA retirement fund but that’s pretty much it. I just put the rest in the bank. T.S.: Who are some am riders coming up who you think have the skills to make a name for themselves? Y.C.: Um, House of Dude; everyone at House of Dude. My friend’s Sky, Ben, and Mike. My friend Sawyer from Vermont. There’s a lot of really really good am’s out there that’s for sure. T.S.: What’s your favorite place you’ve ever traveled to? Y.C.: Italy. It was amazing over there. It’s beautiful and a lot different than it is here. Really good food, small cars. T.S.: What’s your favorite mountain to shred? Y.C.: It’s Northstar just because it’s a wicked long park run. It’s always just set up really good and it’s super fun. Lots of good rails. 
Getting blunted with Tyler and Mike. T.S.: What’s the best contest setup ever? Y.C.: The U.S. Open is always really good; the slopestyle. The rail jam was really good when they had it in 05’. The Vegas rail jam was a really good setup. And Italy was sick as well. T.S.: Do you picture yourself snowboarding for a long time? What goals do you have for your future? Y.C.: I hope I’ll be snowboarding for quite a bit longer. Just snowboard as long as I can and make a living at it. And invest my money while I’m doing it so I can have a good future. When I’m done just something in the industry, I’m not really sure what, but just stick with it. 
Yale at a night sesh at Homewood. T.S.: What’s something about you people don’t know? Y.C.: That my first name is actually Ryan. T.S.: I knew you were going to say that. When all this has come and gone what will you take away from your career as a pro snowboarder? Y.C.: I’ve traveled and seen the world and met a lot of really cool people and had a lot of fun doing it; so much fun. 
Winning at the Hard Rock High Roller Rail Jam in 06’. T.S.: Any parting words? Y.C.: Thanks to my family who’ve been there for me a lot and supported me the most. Also my sponsors and everyone I snowboard with who makes snowboarding fun.
