Wednesday, December 12

Another round of Travis Parker Q&A (cont.)

Snowboarding-Online.com

Page 1 | Page 2

Q. Your best day on snow ever?—Cab5

A. My fith day riding with my best friends in Montana. It was my first sunny powder day.

Q. Yo T-dawg! I just wanna say that you rule, man. Not only are you a sweet-ass snowboarder but, you also know how to rip it up on finger blades. So what I want to know my bitchin’ blade brotha, is how long have you been kicking it with yo fly finger boots and when will the next Insane Blade video be released?—The Mangler

A. Thanks, The Mangler. I’ve been thinking of how to go about “Blade Wolf” (insaneblade2). I still have some things to consider though.

Parker with style.

Q. My name is Peter Gruppo. I’m 17. I just moved to Brazil from Vermont ‘cause of my dad’s job. It sort of sucks ‘cause of no snow. I’m going to Utah this winter and Vermont and then to Chile and Argentina this summer. Good surfing, though. But anyway, I was just wondering about the new DC boots. I got a pair of the Premiers and I like them a lot but are these new ones with the pump good? Like the Revolution 2 and the other ones? Are they worth buying ‘cause of this whole air system? And what mountain do you think is the best to ride at? The one that has the best backcountry, park, and freeride? Well thanks a lot for you time. Oh, do you have an e-mail that you check often? cause I was wondering if you could give it to me so I could ask you a couple of questions about some tricks I wanted learn. But if you don’t want to give it I understand. Thanks a lot, anyway. Peace.—Peter

A. Hello Peter. Sorry about the relocation. Things happen for a reason, though. Utah is a good place for snowboarding. You’ll be happy snowboarding there. The pump works. Advice … Don’t pump before you go up the tram.

Q. How the hell do you do your rodeos? They are the best ever.—Håkon Andrè

A. Thanks, Hakon. Approach the jump relaxed. Spin backside off your toes and tail. Not too much, though. Cork it. Good Luck.

Q. Have you ever said “it’s colder than cheese on a cheeseburger.”? I heard a Texan say that to me once on the chair lift and didn’t know what it meant.—Willy Wonka

A. Hahahahhahahhahahah. I know exactly what you’re talking about, Willy Wonka. That’s totally hilarious and funny. Great stuff, Willy.

Q. What are the Europe rumors, and are they true ?—A.

A. They are rumors, A. You decide.

Q. Hey Travis, is it true you grew up snowboarding in Montana with Andrew Crawford? What makes you Montana rippers so good and so stylish? Do you think Montana is underrated as far as the snow and terrain? I'm thinking about going and checking the place out, know any good places to lay down some turns and drink some good brew? Cheers.—Mr. Charcoal

A. Mr. Charcoal, it’s true. It’s also true that Montana kids are underrated. They raise ‘em good there. Good people, unseen talent. I recommend checking it out.

Q. I'm also a fellow Texan. My family moved out to Colorado in June of ‘97. I've been riding for 4 seasons going into number 5. I started at age 27 and a half. How did you get so good at Snowboarding while living in Texas? I don't remember seeing much snow in Austin or Houston growing up. It inspires me to know that you made it. Can you give me some tips on progressing really fast this season? Are there things I could work on to become a consistent aerialist and ripper. I have been working on 180s, 360s, moguls, trees, and freeriding everything. The frustration has mounted with pulling 270s into buttslides. Also I haven't tried grabbing on the 180s, yet. That is the Backside ones. The FS 180s are easy to pull. The pulling of tricks hasn't been as easy as expected. It inspires me to see guys like you doing things that I didn't think were possible. Is there any one thing you can tell me that will help me get in zen with shredding the jumps and not having fear? Do you compete much? If so will you be at Buttermilk this season for the X Games? I'll try to make it out. Thanks for your time.—Martin

A. Hey Martin, Good Texan. Not many people snowboard from Texas. You should be proud. I’ve been snowboarding 11 years. I moved to Montana when I was 14. It takes time to learn. I don’t know a fast way to progress that doesn’t have a consequence (injuries/wack steez). Plus over time you develop style, which is one of the most important things in snowboarding. Fear off jumps is another thing that comes with time. You’ll get over it. I do a handful of contests. I’ll be doing the X Games this year.

Q. You’re the best rider on the K2 team and they’re lucky to have you. My question to you is, how do you get over that initial fear when your going for something big, especially when you have seriously injured yourself before? Another thing, can you give me some tips on how to do backside rodeos? Thanks.—Danielle

A. Thanks, Danielle, I try to look at eh the grand scale of things. Slowly work my way up to getting back on the horse. I realize that the accident that hurt me was a mistake and I try not to repeat it. Keep it simple.

Q. Travis, you used to do a nosegrab with every trick. I do believe you single handedly played out the nose grab. But now? No nose grab to be seen. Since you killed it you might as well revive it again.—Elliot McKerr

A. I shall revive the nose grab, Elliot. Timing is everything.

Q. Aren’t you in the warriors click with JP Walker and Jeremy Jones? If so, where did you get that dildo? Hhhaaaaa classic shit right there... also .... is there good snow in Texas? W.T.F.? Utah sucks!—Jack Hyatt, Sandy Utah, beatch!

A. My roommate says you should rub one out because that pent up aggression will make you violent.

Q. Travis, what computer setup do you have and can we expect some new extreme videos produced by you in the upcoming future?—K.P.

A. I have one of those G4 laptops. I like to fool around with Imovie so I can anticipate more Xtreme action.

Q. When, but, when are we going to see you over here in Australia?—Shane

A. I know, I’ve never been, damn it. I need to organize something.

Q. How much money do you make a year to the nearest $10k? Where does the bulk of the paycheck come from, your team or your sponsors? It’s nice to see sick snowboarders gaining some wealth due to the high risk of injury during competition.—Anonymous

A. I’m not public yet so I can’t say, but I agree money is nice sometimes.

Q. How much time is spent developing/testing boards for the company? Do they listen to your inputs on improvements, or do they just make a bunch of different models that you guys ride and give thumbs up or down, and engineering modifies them from there?—Anonymous

A. It’s give and take. On some stuff more than others. I have a lot of say in stuff but sometimes it gets changed. I have a lot of control of my boards, though.

Q. How many days a year do you ride? How much riding is backcountry versus resorts?—Tom

A. I don’t know, maybe 200+, 70% backcountry … 30% resorts.

Q. What up, Travis? I think you rip shit up, and are funny as hell. I love all your movie parts. I was wondering how long you have been snowboarding and did you ever skate? When did you decide that snowboarding was what you wanted to do with your life? How do you like riding for K2? Is there any other company that you would like to ride for? And what is your favorite place to ride? Keep killing it, aight. Later.—Jeremiah

A. Thanks, Jeremiah. I’ve been snowboarding 11 years and I love skateboarding. I’ve been skating on and off since I was 10. I don’t know if I ever decided that snowboarding was gonna be my life. It is something I love, I would still be doing it if I wasn’t a pro, I’m sure. It’s cool riding for K2. They let me be myself. They don’t control my image like a lot of other companies seem to do. I think that would suck. Maybe that’s just my perspective, though. My favorite place to ride is Mt. Baker on a sunny powder day.

Q. Hey, Travis. Im living in Texas right now and I‘m planning on moving to the mountains next year. In your opinion, where is the best place/resort to move to get the most bang outa my buck?—Patrick

A. Salt Lake City.

Q. Hey Travis, do you have any fun story from your trip to Chile and Valle Nevado like two years ago?—Francisco Gormaz, Santiago, Chile

A. I didn’t snowboard there much that year. I had to leave early. Chile is a cool place though. It’s always a good time. Pisco Sours, beautiful landscapes, girls.

Q. Did you find K2, or did K2 find you?—Andy

A. My friend Josh Hemminger got me a Kevin Young pro model for me. He was a pro at the time for K2. I loved that board. That’s what my pro model shape is based on. Daniel Franck and Chris Engelsman were on the team then, too. I had a lot to look up to.

Q. Why does Travis don’t shave his ugly mustache?

A. I don’t have a mustache anymore. Sorry dogs. Palmer has one. I’ve seen Devun Walsh run the handlebar stash, too.

Q. Like any pro snowboarder, you’re awesome. Say, I'm kind of sketchy on those jumps with a flat part then the landing, I’m always thinking I might not get enough speed, land in the flat and f-up my knees, then I'm worried about over shooting. How do you "guess" how much speed you need to clear jumps like these? I'm not afraid, just that I don’t want to blow my entire season because I went to slow or too fast. Then again, I want to step it up a notch. Thanks a lot man.—Ryan Ahles

A. Hey, Ryan. Thanks for the compliment. I suggest you start small and work your way up. hat’s how I always did it. Like anything … the more you do something the more natural it seems. It takes time. Snowboarding is a lot of mental. Don’t let your fears control your actions. You could blow your season walking down the street and getting struck by lightning. Good Luck.

Page 1 | Page 2