Under the vert ramp at the Maloof Money Cup after getting kicked off the deck. Where else do you think a snowrev interview would take place?
Danny Kass is one of the most stylish riders out there. His ability to take a ridiculously hard trick and make it look as good as a Jamie Lynn Method makes him a crowd favorite, whether he’s in first or last place and more often first. Danny is the guy who came from New Jersey and got 2 silver medals in the Olympics but you really wanted to get gold because when he does win something, you know the party will be off the hook and none of the dirt bags will be turned away at the door. The rumor was that at the 2006 Olympics he showed up, took one run in practice and then proceeded to get Silver, he always makes it look that easy. Sure, he may have some natural ability but he also puts in the hours; riding, working, stoking out his friends, living; he is one of those guys that always has something going and if nothing is going on, it will be soon.
See what he has to say about what he is up to, Grenade, making a run for the next Olympics, getting off your ass and more!
To the uneducated this looks like a stylin tailgrab to fakie but no, this is a heavy fucking metal cab 1080 nose grab
SR: So what are you up to?
DK: I am working on getting to the deck of the vert ramp at the Maloof Cup. I got about 6 wrist bands right now and I am about ½ way there
SR: So here you are in Orange County 2009 and you are hanging out watching the best skateboarders in the world. Were would you be right now if you never started snowboarding when you lived back in New Jersey?
DK: Uh, I don’t know, that is a really good question. Probably…hopefully skating, dropping into the mega ramp on a Sector 9 long board, I would be the biggest Sector 9 pro out there
SR: So you would be pro something and not just a regular guy, managing a Denny’s or something?
DK: I don’t know, I would probably have a few crazy operations going on, that’s for sure, I am a mover. What do you think I would be doing?
SR: Welder!
DK: Actually I do like working with my hands, banging nails, building stuff. When I get older I would like to be a woodcarver and make totem poles, that’s my goal in life I am not giving up
SR: What about the rest of the summer so far?
DK: This summer we’ve been up to big things, as usual. Been up in Portland, shredding up at Mt Hood for the past few weeks, down in LA running around, having some fun, skating a little bit, got to meet up with Joe Carter up at Mt Hood, that was pretty fun but mainly shredding
SR: For the rest of the summer?
DK: Going back to Mt Hood for the next few weeks then to New Zealand for the rest of the summer
SR: Work or fun in New Zealand?
DK: Shoot some stuff, always got some business stuff, ride some pipe, have fun, but mostly just riding
SR: For up coming winter?
DK: This winter – pretty much just shredding, do the Grand Prix’s, try out for the US Team again, which should be pretty cool and hard with all the good shredders out there. It’s going to be a good year to learn some stuff; people are going to be blown away at what’s going on in pipe riding
SR: Does the US Team mean a run at the Olympics, the O word?
DK: There is another Olympics coming up and I can still walk. I told myself if I can still walk that I would go for it
SR: Would love to see a 3rd Olympic Silver medal in a row from you
DK: Dude I would be psyched on Bronze or Gold, I am kind of over the Silver medal, three is…you know?
SR: Three Silvers would be pretty punk and you would be even more famous to the mainstream media, like that three silver medal guy
DK: Like three wrongs make a right (laughter)
SR: I will give you $100 if you get another Silver
DK: I am going to hold back just a little bit, that’s kind of my plan right now, to get one trick in my pocket, and then I will decide on that day if it is going to be Gold…
SR:…or worth $100 to get Silver?
DK: 100 bucks from snowrev
SR: Yea and we are not exactly rich
DK: Yea, that’s huge that would make me practically owner of the company (laughter)
SR: Speaking of companies, how is Grenade?
DK: Good man, we just finished the whole new spring line, getting ready to do the spring line trade shows and we have got all new winter stuff, camos, rice paddy; a lot of crazy Vietnam shit. Flashback Bitch!
SR: When do you sleep?
DK: I have actually had problems sleeping lately
SR: I mean maybe making a run for the Olympics, running Grenade, all sorts of crazy stuff going on…
DK:…and I got a hot amazing girlfriend and that’s another…
SR:…at least a couple of hours a day right there
DK: So I am invested all over! Plus, Grenade has a skate team now!
SR: Really?
DK: Yea we got a bunch of skaters, well Tom Ryen otherwise known as Tom Tom, so a one man skate team. No, we got a few flow guys and Tom
SR: What do you make for the skate kids or do they just wear one glove?
DK: No we make denim, shorts, shirts, board shorts and New Era; it’s really all about your New Era hat!
SR: I don’t pay too much attention and thought Grenade just made gloves and snowboard outerwear, is that street wear stuff new for Grenade?
DK: It’s all new, kind of our third run at it. The denim is pretty sick, I am pretty fired up on it and we are pretty excited; you’ve got to check out the website, we’re kind of launching a bunch of new photos we put up, build new things – it’s pretty fucking heavy metal, I am not going to lie! (Laughter)
SR: Are you going to release a rhinestone encrusted glove in honor of Michael Jackson?
DK: We just received word from Michael Jackson’s attorney that they want us to be the official glove maker! We are going to make a $26,000 rhinestone glove, only sold as one glove
SR: Of course, you can’t sell two. Has the current business climate been challenging for Grenade
DK: Yea, it’s challenging, a lot of people are struggling but we’re fucking pulling through dude! We are going to come out on top on this one
SR: I remember the first booth at ASR, how many years has it been?
DK: I think it has been 8 or 9 years of doing trade shows
SR: So you are here to stay
DK: Well, we have not gone anywhere! Other than all the new lines, a new cool project we are working on is a bunch of Grenade Army videos and kind of all the missions of the Grenade Army, like shave a Mohawk, go out there get a job for you’re lazy ass, kickflip a double set, backside 180 a double set, you know what, you need to check it out. Snowrev is probably going to be the first…I am going to send it to snowrev first and every other website will probably take it from there
SR: and everyone else gets it one day later?
DK: Actually…It’s Grenade, we may probably never send it to any other website as long as one website has it, we are satisfied!
SR: So with all the corporate money from the sell out sponsors you have from winning two silver medals you probably don’t need to work and can sit around the house and watch TV, what keeps you motivated to run a company, keep riding and so on?
DK: I would be bored; I got bored playing video games when Tony Hawk 2 came out. I would not be home playing Halo on the internet even though it’s a fun game. Yea, I don’t know, what’s motivation? The ultimate goal in life is to have fun doing what you are doing and I enjoy working hard and doing things like the Grenade Games, making videos, making television, hanging out with friends, shot gunning Monster. In summer I always work a lot but when it is time to buckle down and snowboard….announcer Dave Duncan drowns out his answer and the vert finals of the Maloof Money Cup start, yea typical snowrev interview; bootleg and under the bleachers where we belong!
SR: So uh, anyway thanks!
“We have not gone anywhere!” Grenade’s booth at the recent Agenda trade show in Huntington Beach, CA
Cab 7 stalefish at the 2008 Holy Oly, Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington
Right before winning the 2009 US Open photo by Centi
Don’t forget about the slope skills, he has gotten some slope podiums too – back 7
The equation is simple and you don’t need to finish college like Todd Richards to figure it out, big air + big spins + big style = big money + hot chicks
Twanggg photo by Andrew Miller
The Vans Cup was always fun, hope a contest like it comes back
Throwing down at the party he was throwin’ Grenade Games photo by Andrew Miller
Dew Tour, Breckenridge, CO 2008 photo by Andrew Miller
Alley oop front 7
Don’t forget to check out footy of outer wear, street wear Danny shredding and all else Grenade related, maybe gloves too!