The last time we spoke on the record, “Atlas 2” hadn't come out yet, and now that it has, and now that some time has passed, how do you feel looking back on that project, the process of it, and the clips themselves? I know we're all usually our own harshest critics, so I was just wondering if you maybe see that project in a different light than the rest of us.

I feel like working with the crew that we had was so special, and everybody is so talented, you know, we support each other really well. But yeah, I love how it turned out and stoked on everybody's footage.

Do you have a favorite clip of yourself from that video or maybe a clip you're most proud of?

The ender kind of feels like a special one. Just because it was like such a crazy process and I wasn't really sure if it was gonna be able to even happen, and then it just kind of did. It felt like something that—just the quickness and the intensity of it, and how Colton filmed it, it just felt like something that was just an intense, awesome clip.

Do you have a favorite clip of someone else from the video?

Cooper's fifty through that narrow passageway—that was probably one of the gnarliest and scariest spots I watched someone snowboard on that winter. And then Tommy's boardslide, drop to the rail, hop back to the ledge board slide, that was a really intense session. I just love being at the spot with the homies and waking up early and getting it done, you know?  I miss it.  And after a winter of watching a hundred spots go down, things tend to blur together. But I feel like that Cooper fifty and that Tommy clip were both just moments that stood out to me.

Where did “Good Apple” come from? I feel like “Atlas 2” probably took a lot of time and energy, or most of your time and energy, so how were you able to get another part done?

With “Good Apple,” I always wanted to do something legit for GNU, and they basically gave me the opportunity to film a little video part on the side during the process of making “Atlas 2.” It was basically just one three-week trip to Helsinki. And with “Atlas 2,” Colton is doing his thing; it's obviously very clean. But with “Good Apple,” it was more of a good trip mixed with some creativity and trying to do some new animations, which I like to play with in snowboard videos from time to time. It was just more of a fun, quick project to put out. And it's pretty rare, I feel like, that people put out two video parts in a year these days, so it felt like a cool thing to do.

What have you been up to this winter? I feel like after a year like you had last year, you can either use that momentum, or you can take a much needed rest.

Most people don't really know, but I had knee surgery right at the end of last winter, right at the end of “Atlas 2.” I tore my ACL again. So, I've just had a year of rest and healing, trying to get strong again and get back to skating and snowboarding. So, honestly, winning Rider of the Year amongst all that felt even extra special. But I’m feeling really good. I'm already like 11 months out of surgery and about to be able to start skating and snowboarding again in the next few weeks. So, at the end of the process. But it just makes me more motivated than ever, like it's just incredible.

I feel like we forget because we're just surrounded by people who work so hard every single winter, year after year, and I've been a pro snowboarder for more than half my life at this point. And so to win this award after just working so hard for the last, you know, 20 years, at 34 years old, I'm so grateful. It feels incredible.

I kind of feel that I sit on the outside of snowboarding at times. It feels good to get a little bit of recognition, I guess, but it really could have been anyone. Everybody's footage is so good every year.

Why do you say you sit on the outside of snowboarding? Do you mean that physically, just being in a place like Portland, or do you mean that more like…?

I just feel like I'm maybe not in the mix. Like, I just focus on what I care about within it, put all my energy into that, and try to make that my main focus. I probably could show up to more industry stuff, but life is busy, and I just try and focus on what's important to me, which is like getting together with my friends who I love snowboarding with and doing it, you know?

Yeah, for sure. I honestly didn't even know you had surgery. I'm glad you're doing better. Hopefully it'll be refreshing to start skating again and get back on board. I feel like that's probably gonna be nice.

For sure. I can't fucking wait.