Good, thanks. I
managed to catch
the last flight home
yesterday after a few days riding out
in France with a photographer. The
weather was pretty shocking though,
it was all wind and cloud, so we didn’t
get everything we wanted.
How often do you get out to the
snow?
I try and get out as often as possible
and contact photographers wherever
I go, just to capture a few clips. I
normally have a little chat with them
before arriving, talk through ideas,
then exchange some cash and
beers as a thank you and everyone’s
happy. Lately shooting for videos
and magazines has been my focus
as for the last two years as I’ve been
taking some time out from World Cup
events after my injury. That’s left me
free to go and shoot for magazines
like Whitelines and Reason, which has
been cool.
Do you prefer shooting to
competing?
No, I do love competing. The buzz you
get when, say, you fall on your first run
and it’s all on your second… then you
land it. Right now, snowboarding is
leaning a little more towards a sports
vibe because the Olympics and World
Cup circuit have been looming large.
There are more competitions around,
more publicity, and that’s great for
getting your name out there, but really
it’s about getting out there on your
board and enjoying yourself.
84 | FreestyleXtreme.com
How much does your style change
between when you’re competing
and when you’re shooting?
So much, it’s completely different.
When you’re riding to get photos, you
work on getting stylish tricks that look
good - like 540’s and 180’s - but when
you get to competition it’s all about
throwing down your biggest and best
tricks. Everything’s about hitting the
triple.
All of this is a far cry from where
you started out on the dry slopes of
Yorkshire…
Yeah I started snowboarding at 16,
riding dry slopes and indoor around
Halifax and Castleford. I’d finish school
and wait for my Mum to finish work,
then we’d drive two hours to the
centre. I’d snowboard for a few hours
and then we’d drive back at like one in
the morning. We’d literally do that five
days a week.
That’s some serious commitment at
that age…
To be honest I used to be a little
s**t when I was younger. Out
skateboarding on the street; drugs,
violence, not going to school. Then
one day I went to Castleford Xscape
indoor ski slope and got talking to
Wayne Taylor, who coached Olympic
snowboarder Jamie Nicholls at Halifax
Ski slope. After learning a bit there, I
went on a family holiday snowboarding
with Jamie and a few others who
happened to be there for team
selection, and within three months
was signed by the British junior
team. Snowboarding has completely
transformed my life and made me who
I am today. u
M
orning Sam,
how’s it going?