Snowboarding itself is aging. The kids who grew up with you snowboarding now have their own families. Do you think most snowboard companies are making a mistake in marketing primarily to younger riders through younger pros?
Yes I do. The feedback I personally get from social media and my own encounters suggest this for sure. The whole concept is the most simple thing ever for me, however when brought up it seems it’s crickets in the minds of the “leaders.” You should never forget about the younger pros, they are RULING and driving the direction in so many styles, tricks and trends, but the knot in the pocket of the 40-year-old attorney that walks into Milosport ready to outfit a family of four? Come on! I shouldn’t have to break that one down.

That said, street snowboarding has a younger demographic and following than backcountry riding. A lot of the kids watching the urban footage are 20 years younger than you. Don’t you think that’s tough for companies to reconcile?
No. Snowboarding has so many genres these days, there are even genres inside urban snowboarding… Passion and drive is what motivates people — that’s what they wanna see. When old dudes see me grinding in the streets it motivates them, when I’m in the streets with kids 20 years younger than me and hanging at their level and even working harder than them, they get pumped. They get pumped because they realize if they do it right they can grind for 20+ more years and that stokes them out — to see an old man take the same beatings they take and wake up the next day and do it again. Maybe the old viewer never touches a street rail, but they just got an idea and the drive to build a box or a little bar in the backyard and go outfit their kids with gear because they can actually convince the kids to walk out in the backyard rather than battle them to get them in the car drive an hour to a resort.

In the second episode of Pat Moore’s Blueprint you coach him to do his first wallride re-direct. With all the years of experience you have under your belt, do you see an element of mentoring/coaching in your future?
Only with those I get out with on a crew or homies that hit me up for advice. I am certainly not a coach and that is not something I would try to build up as some sort of business I guess. But to see kids like Zak Hale and Ethan Deiss take some of what I taught to help them learn, develop as pros, apply it to their scene and do what they want is really rewarding for me, that’s for sure! To talk with Pat on that redirect and then to see him straight up murder that thing? That’s the sickest thing ever! Pat is pro and he could have done that without me without a doubt, but to be involved was pretty rad!

Seth Huot is quoted as saying you never shut down, you keep going until you nail the shit out of that trick. What is it that drives you and keeps you firing with that level of motivation year after year?
I just have a lot of passion for snowboarding and filming. I absolutely LOVE it. When it comes to just pushing through a battle and not shutting down, I just think of all the effort that went into it, all the people that lifted a shovel, how dope the shot is gonna turn out, the feeling of the make! Man, the feeling of the make is something that I can’t put to words, it’s the very best feeling in the world. I just chase that, it’s a very real feeling and straight up, I am addicted to it.

Pat Moore: Blueprint, Season 2 Ep 2

We get the feeling that losing your main sponsor has just lit a more ferocious fire under you. Where do you see yourself going from here? Is there a master plan for the next few years?
I got a couple pretty big projects that need to get finished and I plan to bust those out over the next couple of years. On the day-to-day, my plan is the same: film and make cool crap, get involved with a dope brand, and see how we can change snowboarding together the same way I did with so many of the awesome people at Burton.

What’s the biggest lesson your snowboard career has taught you that you will pass onto your kids?
It has taught me that if you fight for your dreams they will come true. If you don’t let up, you will succeed. Unfortunately, it has also taught me too much about how money and fear can drive a human’s entire thought process and actions. It’s easy to spot, but it’s also very sad.

Final words?
Stay on the grind!

See also: Sticking to your guns: A Halldor Helgason interview