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Taylor Gold's HOMEBREAK video drops on November 14th. We called Taylor to for a quick chat about the making of and more.
For my fall semester in college, I’ve been interning for Slush, and this is my first opportunity to interview a rider—fittingly, Taylor Gold. My first memory of seeing Taylor ride was at the double-pipe event in Aspen a few years back. There were many people to look up to on the U.S. team, but Taylor was a huge inspiration for me, particularly because of his creative trick choices and his approach to contests. - Jack Coyne
Jack: How did you get the idea for Homesick?
Taylor: I always kind of had the idea; it was just a matter of making it happen. Steamboat was down to build some stuff, so we just had to figure out what we could build. Steamboat isn’t known for its park, so the first year we started, we built the hips at the top. I remember, even just starting there, being impressed with what they were able to build. It all unfolded into something crazy. We thought it would just be a couple of hips and maybe a wall ride and a rail. It was cool seeing the way it happened because I just assumed it would be pretty chill.
J: Yeah, that looked epic, dude. Growing up in Steamboat and then having that whole shoot at your home mountain seems so dope. Was it awesome to see the zone you grew up riding in become that dream?
T: Oh yeah, for sure. When I was a kid, the pipe was where all the pros were—slopestyle wasn’t as big back then. The best riders in Steamboat were all ripping the pipe, which inspired me as a young kid to ride the pipe. I remember Joe Eddy, a Steamboat kid who did X Games. He and some other local rippers blew me away. So, it’s cool to come back home and build something like that. The park crew gets to actually challenge themselves and build something big, with a bunch of pros showing up. It’s definitely not something that usually happens in Steamboat.
J: So, is it official? No more contests for you? And as a follow-up question, would you get back into the contest scene if there were modified pipes like the one you built for that shoot?
T: I don’t know if I’d call it official, haha. Yeah, maybe if the time and place were right, I could be persuaded. You know what’s going on—it’s tough out there.
J: It’s insane.
T: Yeah, I don’t want to show up and just do something mid and not be able to hang. If I’m going to compete, I want to be podium-level, so I’m probably not going to compete. But if it was a modified pipe, I’d definitely be more interested, for sure.
J: Same. So, we’ve seen so many riders go from competing in halfpipe to building epic filming careers, like Arthur, Danny, Ben, Gabe. That seems like a sick path. Is that something you’re looking toward?
T: Yeah, I definitely want to film more, but maybe not in the traditional sense of video parts. I just want to make whatever feels right. I’ve been posting more on YouTube, where you can share edits, a movie, or whatever. I just like that platform because there’s more creative freedom. Having a part would be sick, but with the type of riding I like, I want to ride pow, not be building jumps all day.
J: How’s it been starting to work with Nidecker? Their team seems to be growing.
T: Nidecker has been awesome. Tom Pelley is running the program, and he’s such a homie—he really backs us all. They’re a fun brand to be a part of because they’re making a big push right now, trying to grow since they’ve been more localized to Japan and Europe. I’ve also never really been part of the product side of things, giving input on boards, boots, and bindings, so I’m super stoked. Mons has been working with them for a couple of years on boards and stuff, so everything’s pretty dialed.
J: Any plans for the upcoming winter? Any shout-outs?
T: I’m hoping to ride some soft snow and head back to Japan this year, which I’m really excited about. I’m planning to do the LBS and hopefully Home Break again. You should come ride.
J: I’m so down.
T: Shout-out to Nidecker, especially Tom Pelley, who’s been a huge help with everything, including Home Break. Also, Jeff Urban, my number one ride-or-die filmer homie, my mom and dad, and the Steamboat park crew and marketing team.
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