Shayne is definitely one of the guys taking snowboarding to the next level; mixing style and technical mastery. Growing up in New Jersey means he learned to snowboard in the often challenging condition the East Coast can dish out; living in Mammoth means he is living the dream and has a sick mountain, park and pipe to practice on between trips. We talked to him this past spring about being from Jersey, beating the world’s best in New York City and more!

Hometown: Manasquan, New Jersey
Born: May 1985
Lives: Mammoth Lakes, CA
Sponsors: Head, Billabong, Smith, Da Kine, Val Surf, Ted Shreds
Results: Highest Air, 2009 TAC (The Arctic Challenge), 1st Red Bull Snowscrapers, 2nd overall 2008 TAC, 1st 2008 King of Quarters, 1st Paul Mitchell Progression Session 2007, 2nd in snowboarding at 2009 Ultimate Boarder

SR: How was winter?
SP: It’s been an awesome winter, been traveling all over the place, doing a ton of contests, went to Japan for the first time ever, Arctic Challenge, Air and Style, won the New York city Snowscrapers, that was pretty cool. It’s been a good season

SR: So growing up in New Jersey did you see yourself traveling to Japan and stuff via snowboarding?
SP: Not really, I knew I always wanted to be a pro snowboarder. Grew up riding Vermont, competing all my life and going up there every weekend with my parents, loved it. I just always wanted to make it happen and now I can and have been all over the place, it’s been fun.

SR: Did you go to school in Vermont?
SP: Yep, went to Okemo Mountain School for my sophomore and junior year of high school and moved out to Mammoth for the senior year

- Shayne on top of the podium with Torstein and Lago - photo by Andrew Miller

SR: If somebody was looking to maybe be a pro snowboarder would you recommend the academy route?
SP: Yea, I think so. If you grew up on the east coast, that’s the route to go. The mountains aren’t the greatest on the east coast; it’s very icy and it’s pretty much just halfpipes, small jumps and crappy jibs. I know those guys up at Waterville have a good program going on. A lot of kids growing up in Mammoth have an advantage because it is such a sick mountain. Kids like Tyler Flanagan growing up there; you can see how good they can get

SR: You think being from New Jersey helps you at all. In the sense that you will ride anything, even if it’s crappy as opposed to a kid growing up in Utah who may be jaded?
SP: Yea, I think a lot of us that grew up in Vermont riding icy halfpipes, bad conditions in cold weather. Riding shitty conditions definitely helps when coming to the west coast and the snow is good

SR: Plus, when you go to contests on the east coast you are like whatever.
SP: Yea, it is not as bad

SR: What has been your favorite thing thus far this season?
SP: Probably just going on trips with my friends. The Air and Style was fun, got to go there with Jack Mitrani and Scotty Lago that was a good time; made the finals at that contest. The New York City thing was a blast, had all my friends and family there. I pretty much could not have asked for a better contest

SR: How was it to win the New York Snowscrapers event and beating all the heavy guys in basically your home town?
SP: Winning that contest was a dream come true. All my buddies were there. Didn’t really expect to win that event. I was hesitating a bunch on the jump and wasn’t really feeling it but when it came time to ride I did what I had to do and it just turned out well. I had some tricks I could lay down and a lot of the other guys weren’t really feeling it, it just came to me and worked out well

SR: Was the 10% rule in effect in that night NYC?
SP: The next few weeks it was (laughter)

SR: What was the craziest thing you have seen this winter, riding, a plane crash, whatever?
SP: Luke Mitrani going big at the US Open was sick. Went on a Montana trip that was pretty nuts, there were tons of avalanches and I had never really experienced that before. Had an avalanche almost break in front of me, which was pretty nutty. It was a Smith trip for Snowboarder Mag

front 7 at the 2009 US Open photo by Centi

SR: Who inspires your riding?
SP: There are tons of guys out there pushing it. I love watching Scotty Lago ride, Danny Davis, they got tricks that are just so smooth and stylish that it makes me wanna ride like that.

SR: Guys like that are taking “standard” tricks like 1080’s and taking it to the next level?
SP: Yea, putting good style in them, corking it out and holding the grabs all the way

SR: Yea that is sick, I don’t want to see get to much just spin to win so to speak. I like see the spin to win taken to another level as far as uniqueness and style and not just flailing spins. I mean where is going to go, 1080’s 1260’s 1440’s? Those guys, and you, are taking to a different level…
SP:…Trying to put style into it still, you know? I love doing 540’s and 7’s all the time, it’s not my favorite thing to do 10’s but you gotta do them nowadays to stay at that level in the contests

SR: and make em look good!
SP: Yea, that’s the hardest part but you gotta do what you gotta do

SR: Girls?
SP: I got a girlfriend

Another insane photo of Shayne in Snowboarder Magazine’s Superpark - photo by Andrew Miller

SR: Does the traveling make it a challenge to keep it going?
SP: Yea, it’s definitely hard, traveling without her sucks. She goes to school, it’s definitely not easy. She lives in Jersey so I see her at Christmas and I live there for the summer, travel out of there. See the family, friends, girl, when I get home

SR: Filming?
SP: Not much, just filming for the Mammoth movie as much as I can, little stuff for Snowboard Revolution. It’s hard when you are traveling; you get run down and injuries. I got a heel bruise at the Arctic Challenge in February, its April now and it’s still hurting. Hopefully I will heal up for the rest of the season, to ride Superpark and end the year good

SR: How do you balance travel, life friends and stuff?
SP: Yea, it makes it pretty hectic. I bruised my heel and wanted to take it easy but went to Montana the next day for camping in the backcountry for four days, straight from there to Japan for 10 days, pretty much shot out after that trip. Went straight from Japan to Jersey, hung out there for two days, then to the US Open for two weeks and back to Jersey

SR: Basically you get a bruised heel and it lasts all season. If you could let heal, it would last a week but you’re on it every day
SP: Yea

SR: Are you a loudmouth or let the riding do the talking?
SP: Mostly let the riding do the talking, I don’t like to talk too much smack, or care what anyone else is doing. I just do what I gotta do

SR: If you could ride anything, what would it be all money and contests aside?
SP: Honestly I love riding Mammoth on a powder day with my friends. I had some sick pow days there this year. My family came out with my brothers and we just took a bunch of laps up top, riding Dragons Tail. I had some of the best powder runs of my life

SR: What music gets you going?
SP: Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones. A lot of rap, like Gang star, Kanye, Ghetto Boys are the artists I have been listening to before dropping into the course, Makes me a little mellow before I drop in

SR: So more mellow, not listening to Slayer?
SP: Yea, just zone out everything and listen to music

SR: I don’t know if that is my style but I can see how that would work, maybe I should change
(laughter)

SR: So the rest of the year?
SP: Just chill in Mammoth a little bit. I thought about going to Idaho or Colorado but I really want to let my heel get better?

SR: There it is you are still dealing with the heel?
SP: Yea, I just got an MRI last week, not cool. I am going to take it easy after this contest (Ultimate Boarder) for a week or two and look forward to Superpark and Cinco de Mayo. Stay in Mammoth the rest of the time

SR: Any summer travels to a winter zone in the Southern Hemisphere?
SP: I think we are doing a Billabong trip down to Chile and go up to Camp of Champions up at Whistler. Scotty Lago, Jamie Anderson and I got a super session going on

SR: That all sounds sick! Would you recommend your lifestyle if people could achieve it versus sitting in an office 9-6
SP: Ah, I try to think about it like that and I am not really into sitting in an office right now. Nothing beats sitting out here in the sun, having good weather and good people around you

SR: Nice, end it on a positive note, have fun!
SP: Thanks

You can take a person out of the east but you can not take the east out of a person. Shayne Pospisil beats a HEAVY group of riders to take first place at the 2009 Red Bull Snowscrapers event in NYC, right near his hometown of Manasquan New Jersey - photo by Andrew Miller

Haaken flip at this years Superpark photo by Westenbarger

This is how Shayne warms up for the season, going huge in October at the Icer Air photo by Crosland

Melon grab in the frosty cold Aspen night at the King of Quarters before getting a frosty one in the Aspen nightlife - photo by Andrew Miller

Waiting to drop at the US Open photo by Centi

Getting sick in his current hometown park that is Unbound at Mammoth - photo by Andrew Miller

Mammoth pipe

Tyler Hefferman snapped this sick photo in Superpark 13

sick imagery by Andrew Miller, sick Superpark action by Shayne Pospisil