Dec 8, 2010
Author: G.G. Photos G.G.
I’m sitting in a mini van on the way to Horseshoe Resort with Devun Walsh. Devun-fucking-Walsh. I’d emailed him a few times bugging him for quotes about this and that in the magazine, but this is the first time I’ve really talked to him face-to-face. He’s telling me about his new daughter, Emilia, and about how tiring being a new dad is. It’s almost like we’re old friends, just catching up, except that I know a lot about him, and he knows nothing about me. In the next breath he’s sharing stories about some of the many beverages he’s downed during his life as a pro. Then he passes out for a nap. It’s 9 a.m., but the poor guy is all tuckered out from partying the night before at an invite-only club in Toronto.
Devun.
Beside me is one of the newest additions to the DC team, Cory Gallon. He’s understandably hyped on life, and sharing some of the spots he found around Southern Ontario with Aaron Bittner, who’s in the front seat. Behind the wheel Quebec and Ontario DC rep Audrey, is tailgating the shit out of the van in front of us. Fortunately, that vehicle is filled with friendlies including Lauri Heskari, Andrew Geeeves, Jody Wachniak, Raewyn Reid, DC Canada Marketing Manager Mikey Scott, DC Canada Team Manager Nick Moore, and DC filmer Nate Laverty.
Snow from the first snowfall of the year gusts across sections of the road, at once a blessing and a curse. Driving in the first snow on a busy highway is always a bitch, but on the other hand it’s dope that winter has officially started. I have to wonder if DC didn’t bribe Ullr. After all, if anyone has the means to sway the god of snow, it’s them.
But perhaps Ullr didn’t find his private tour of the Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory satisfactory, because only eight centimetres from the storm landed on Horseshoe. The coverage is just enough to make the green runs a patchwork white, yet far from rideable. As a contingency Horseshoe blew snow to build a mini-pipe with a spine in the middle to pump for speed. The setup is less than ideal, but with a crowd of 60 plus kids, the crew drops in and makes the best of the situation. (Horseshoe has since got a fresh snow and is now open. Check the opening day photos here http://www.snowboardcanada.com/news_article?news_id=1551&uniqid=1721.)
The mini setup.
Line for the mini.
Could this crew be getting an early start on their video parts somewhere else in the world, or simply some rest before they start stacking their frequent flyer miles? Likely, but even if they did want to be somewhere else, you’d never be able to tell. It’s part of the reason why Devun, Lauri, and Bittner have been on top of the game for so long. They make everyone around them, from the keenest grom to the seasoned shred journalist, feel like part of the crew. In between runs in the mini, Devun, Lauri, Bittner, and Geeves pause for photos with kids, while Gallon and Wachniak repeatedly drop in like they’ve got something to prove (which they do). The night before the vibe was much the same as they signed autographs at Sanction’s Toronto location.
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| Lauri handplants. |
Followed by a loc. |
Hold the HTML. Devun jibbing? You saw it here first folks.
Nothing like getting a hand from a fellow teammate. Wachniak Blunts, Gallon grabs.
After the session cools down Bittner, Geeves and Raewyn head over to build a small gap jump for some of the kids. Could you be anymore hyped than having these three shout words of encouragement, while they personally groom your jump after each hit?
When the demo wraps up around three, we make a mad dash to Toronto to catch a Porter flight to Montreal. Once there we check into the Westin in Old Town, and get ready for another night out. Yeah, life on the road with DC ain’t so bad.
Scramble.
The next morning red eyes abound, and we make several false starts before heading towards Mont Saint Sauveur. When we eventually get to the hill, the majority of the runs and a small rail park park are open, despite the early season conditions. There we meet the Quebecois additions to the stacked team: Jeremy Cloutier, Antonin Chamberland, and Didier Godbout. With no centralized area to hold a demo the crew spins some hit runs and laps through the park.
Straight owning the Westin lobby.
A few runs later, Geeves makes a new friend at the DC demo tent and swaps his board for a pair skis. He brings a certain je n’sais quoi to everything he does and skiing is no exception. Even though it’s his first time on two planks he busts out some mean Spread Eagles on his first run.
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| One plank Geeves. |
Two plank Geeves. |
So wrong, yet so right.
Antonin Chamberland Method steezes.
After mobbing some more laps we call it a day and head to Axis for another autograph signing. Walsh and Laverty have flights to catch back home, while I’m on the last train to Toronto, so Walsh pre-signs some posters before we break out. We leave the rest of crew to deal with the fanfare and finish stoking the locals on a new season of shredding. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.
Click the shenanigans below to view the full photo gallery from the weekend.
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