STEEZ MAGAZINE® – Snow, Skate, Culture

You just headed back West this week after a long stay at home in VT. How did the East treat you?
The East was a pleasure to the mind for sure. Ridin’ back on the home mountain; had all the blown snow up on the trees, groomed stuff down the sides. It was a good time out there for sure. Caught up with Jay and Rosie and the Killington Park Crew; got to hang with some of my friends. We had fun. Spent some time back on the East and it was good.

Do you still live near Breck?
No, not anymore; I’m up in Big Bear Lake, California. Big Bear’s Summit is right here. We’re stayin’ right on the main street, up the road at a house. Seth and Lenny are here. It’s got a skateboard ramp in the back. Right now they took off the big ol’ flat wall and there’s a curb now, set on top. It’s a fun little skate spot.

You suffered a head injury last year in a bad accident. Give us some background on that accident, if you don’t mind. What exactly happened?
Yeah, I was up in South Lake Tahoe. It was me and Dylan Lynch, went to visit Ryan Allaire and Matt Douglas. Matt just got a house up on top of this hill. They’re goin’ to school out there and they just moved into this house and me and Dylan were gonna just stop by, but we ended up stayin’ there a couple days. Just wake up and go right outside the house and there’s a snake run all the way through some housing developments, all the way through and take the road down to a light and then there’s a skateboard park about one block up on the right. So, there was skateboarding for a couple days. Then, there was talk about certain girls comin’ from overseas. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything to that, but there was talk of that like, “Oh yeah, there’s girls comin’ from overseas for school.” I guess that’s what all of them were talkin’ about. I guess that turned out to be the day I hit my head. I guess I went down and skateboarded, went to the college and everyone was like, “No, they’re meeting at the school,” I guess meeting those girls. We were heading up to their house and it was turning into one of those nights. I guess we were gonna go up and stay another night, spend another couple days up there. It turned out to be on the way up, we stopped at a stop sign and then I just got out, was lookin’ straight with a grin on my face. Jonny Lazz was drivin’ and Ryan Allaire was in the back, in the trunk. It was an old Land Cruiser and there were a couple of people sitting in the back seat, too. It turned out OK. We just went from there. I remember it was dark out, it was black, all the streets were black; you could kinda see some haze. I think I just remember manualing and I was like, “Oh yeah, you can manual for a long time doin’ this.” I remember that at first, during the beginning. There was this one street that dipped down and turned up, right where the road that we gotta meet up with is, to go down and bomb all the hills. It turned out that right before it cut to the actual road, I hit a crack and smashed my head. I woke up from there two and a half weeks later in Reno in ICU. I went under the car a little bit I guess, and like I was sayin’, Ryan was in the trunk and he said the car popped up and left the ground. I guess I skidded to the side of the road. They pulled my camera out of my pocket and took a picture of me. I just had a beet-red face with eyes wide open, my shoes behind my head. I guess they got out and were like, “Lucas,” and were tryin’ to ask me questions and trying to talk and I wasn’t sayin’ a thing. Then the paramedics got there and I guess I was like, “Naw don’t touch me, let me be, no.” Then they drugged me and flew me out in a helicopter. They had me down as being in a coma because I just wanted to move around, I just wanted to not be there and get up and leave. I kind of remember three flashbacks and there are all sorts of stories but the three things I remember…

I puked blood I guess three times. I just remember someone grabbed one of those gray buckets they have there. I put it in front of me and I just remember red, went “Cachaaa”, it was awful, just sheer red, kinda like a dark red.

I remember the morphine, done there. The third thing was seeing Lane. He helped me out a lot. I guess he came in every day just checking up, seein’ how I was doin’. Tellin’ people how I was, but it helped.

I guess I wanted to get up. I guess I got up like that movie “Jerk”. That’s what my mom was saying “You got up in your gown, hostile, wires were all ripped out. I got up and was like I’m taking this and this. I grabbed my bag and I guess I was like “OK I’m gonna get some new shoes, some new jeans, set up a new skateboard and then go back and go skateboard. Get the fuck out of here! They had to kick everyone out. Dakota, I guess one of my friends, tried to get me out of there because I really wanted to leave. I guess he tried to sneak me out but I had one of those electrical bands that beeped when we went to the exit. So he got kicked out for that.

Anyways, what I remember right before I woke up. I left the hospital room and went to the Tavern in the Nightmare Before Christmas, but there was more of a wave of more buildings on the left of the tavern. I remember walkin’ around seein’ crazy lookin’ dogs and people. I walked around the corner and I was walking towards what they call “The Light”. It was just a bright light, bright haze. I was walking towards it and these little creatures, little gremlins in a way, these little creatures were hoppin’ around with a big ol’ smile, you could see their teeth. They’re like “aww naww, you’re not leavin’ yet – nope”. I’m like “oh OK”. I turned around and walked back into the black. From the top of the hospital room, below me was me just sitting on the hospital bed in all my street clothes, no one in there. I turned to my right and looked behind me and there’s a window and the window was just bright light and nice cars cruising around and it went like a drape. It just went down and turned back to what it was. I turned around and I just woke up.

I went from there and I believe I spent a month there after I woke up walking around. Then they cut off my security wristband so I could leave the hospital and walk around. They said I was supposed to be paralyzed, they didn’t know how I was just up and walking around. I guess I lost some weight a little bit. I was kind of, not weak, but not how I was when I remember. Then they put me in class for a little bit, walking outside, runnin’ around, and then I’d do some other balancing things and whatnot. I spent the month there, then went back to Rutland, went to the Rutland Hospital and was taking a 3-course rehab experience. One class would be like ‘press the button if you hear this or that’, ‘press if the days are in the correct order which it is.’ Random questions like that for one class. I took like a ‘think’ class. I made a good fish and rice, like a really nice meal. It turned out to be that I only cooked once but I didn’t cook after that with that class. They had me do some other mind treatment, doin’ stuff with paper and whatnot. The other class was goin’ on a bike and they had me work out. Not work out, but just to boost muscles. I was there for a month they told me. Then they went into a meeting with all the supervisors and management that were in the classes and they were like ‘we really think you should stay, we really like having you around. We don’t like other people, but we like you.’ They said some words like that but I was like I really don’t know, I didn’t really feel for it, I didn’t really like it. I thought I could just go on. They had me on seizure medicine and some other pills, it was just taking 2 pills a day. One for the digestive system and the other was for keepin’ the mind at a simple pace. It wasn’t like high or fucked up, it didn’t feel high or fucked up. It just controlled the mind, not controlled, but I could think, not at a fast pace, not like ya-da-da-da. I could think. I stopped the pills after a month. I was like I don’t wanna take these pills just to take pills. I don’t know I just didn’t feel like having the pills be what makes me better and whatnot.

Made it an extra month then moved out, met Tanya, met my wife. That was a help too ‘cause I was startin’ to go real low and then I just came around. Something brought me to her and it turned out she does me just as good. Good feeling, good vibe, I believe she helped me out from actually goin’ to the bottom, from being not even at a good location at all to having her around. Then we moved in.

The first night story I can tell you, that’s funny. I ended up meetin’ her right and then in the morning I’m like don’t leave. From there, me and my wife carried on and then moved to Utah. We were there for a little bit and then once we came out here, we didn’t leave from here. We just wanted to stay out here. Got the lease all figured out and got everything here this summer, brought over a U-Haul. Got everything from the storage unit and all in one spot now. It’s pretty good.

Since the injury, would you say you’re fully recovered?
I would have to say, it was a crazy kinda thing. I think my mind will still continue to grow. I took a test when I was in Rutland, when I first got there, before the first month. I’m waiting for a couple more weeks after that until I choose not to go. They said my body was at 72%. I guess there are people my age that haven’t hit their head who are at 72%. I just thought that until it gets up to a certain number out of the 72 range that it’ll keep growin’. The mind is good, it feels good. It’s not a game at all, it’s a puzzle piece. It’s goin’ and I’m figuring out stuff every day. I think that it’ll just continue growing. I’m feelin’ good right now, snowboarding feels good, everything’s good. I’ve got a good mind and I’m just tryin’ to keep my mind up.

Along those lines, what are your plans for this upcoming season? Are you filming, doing contests or just planning on taking it easy?
Well, there is gonna be filming. You got Technine and I’ll be filmin’ for them. They were there since I hit my head, too. They sent me out an iPod and there’s a crazy story listenin’ to music off that; I can tell that story later. But, I’ll just be filming and maybe if there’s a cool event around that I’m feelin’ I’ll go cruise around for the setup part. Other than that, I don’t really think there are many contests in mind. Mostly just wanna film and keep filmin’.

Take us through a typical day in your life… if that exists.
(Laughter) Typical day… Well, it is about the choice of what the day’s gonna be. Wake up, get naughty in the morning. I got my wife here next to me (Laughter). Wake up, get up, get on the phone, all depends. Go get some coffee or something like that to get the morning started. Maybe get a sandwich or something, maybe eat or not eat. Then head to the mountain and just snowboard all throughout the day. Then after that, come back to the house. We got a skateboard ramp, so we can skateboard, do something; play chess. All depends on the day kinda, but the morning situation is the same every day (Laughter). Nothing bad about that! Good way to start the day. The bowl down the hill has been fun though. Goin’ skateboarding there. I have to say that’s the best thing about being back, cruising the skateboard pool because I’ve never really skateboarded pools and pool coping. Just slashing it. It’s great.

How important is money to you?
I guess there are a whole variety of choices on money for people. But myself, I have to say money is good. I gotta say that. Get stuff to get you through. Get your food. Spend it if ya got it! (Laughter). I’m gettin’ better at saving a little bit. It’s different from the beginning of getting money until now. I would just spend it like, “Yeah, we got money!” Ok, I went through that whole part of life. I would rather save money, that’d be good. I’d be happy without any money, just me and my wife, my dog. Of course I say that, but whatever happens, money is good. Doesn’t everyone think that?

You just celebrated your one-year wedding anniversary. Did you just decide to get married one day or was it planned out for a while?
I have to say, it felt like when I first met Tonya’s dad, Scott, I went in and was just like, “Hey, I really wanna marry your daughter.” I just came right up front, first day. He’s like, “Well thank you, that shows me what good type of person you are by just coming out with that and telling me. Yes, you have my permission to marry my daughter, but wait a year to see how the year plays out.” So, it was a little bit on that part. There wasn’t any thinking about what it was at the time when we went to Vegas. We did the whole wedding thing. We went a couple extra times. We flew back and forth from Utah to Reno to Tahoe, we stopped there. It was on the second trip down. It felt right at the time, it still does. Yeah, we got things figured out and got married in f**king Vegas! That night too, we went to buy something from this dude who freaked me out in a wheelchair. The deal was for me to walk with him when I gave him money so he wouldn’t take off. He’s like, “Walk this way,” and another homie comes in and is like, “Yeah, walk this way” and I’m like, “Yeah, ok guys, you go that way and I’m goin’ back.” They were tryin’ to like skeeve me out. Then we went down in the morning to get tickets for the next day to the next closing, and next day went up that crazy s**t, took that cart straight up the f**kin’ wall and did the spiral things they have there! Yeah, we got down in Vegas. Happy Hotel, the Holiday Hotel I believe it was at, with the clown on it, across from Stratosphere…

You’ve always credited your mom for pushing you as a rider during your younger years. Does she still have an influence these days?
Well, my mom I would definitely say as a kid when I first started I remember… I guess it could be different because I could say what I think about it and she would say it was kinda different, it wasn’t like that. But I remember I’d be like, “Ok,” and go to leave and she’d be like “Naw, naw, get back up there, skate that little portion Lucas.” I’d have to say she was willing to help out, she was always happy to have me doin’ something, ‘course that’s the way it would be. Yeah, she drove around, took me over to that “Beast of the East,” that skateboarding comp and did that a couple times in the summer. The whole USASA of course as a kid, she was always happy to drive around and whatnot. I would have to say with my mom, moms, you know, they try to… My mom always still thinks of me as a little kid. I think she’s just getting over the fact that I am growin’ up and that I am at an age now. I think she would have to, not influence… Well, when she’s happy, I’m happy. She wants me to do a lot of other stuff and I’m just tellin’ her, “You know I’m not like that, I wouldn’t do that kinda stuff.” She would try to prepare me. She’s doin’ her mom thing, but I’d tell her, “Hey, let me be myself, just don’t mind it.” Family is there to love and love decisions. You can’t get stressed out about stuff. She’s not stressed, but just tryin’ to find her balance. It’s good, I love my mom of course, and I have to love my mom. She definitely loves me so I think its good all around.

If you weren’t snowboarding for a living, what would you be doing?
Ah damn! I think I’ve said before, I don’t know what I’d be. I don’t know if I’d be working or some f**king addict. I can’t say anything, maybe I’d be a monster truck driver or some crazy s**t (Laughter). I don’t know what I’d be doin’ at this point. Some redneck back east drivin’ a truck or something (Laughter). I’m happy with how life turned out, man. I’m happy and grateful with where I am, man.

Any shout outs, words to the wise?
Word. Whoever’s goin’ out in the winter time, have a great winter. Keep a good mood, a good vibe. Of course, I bet everyone knows that. Just live! Have a good time, good winter. I could go on but have a good winter when you’re out ridin’!

I got one more story I could tell ya. E-stone sent out an iPod for me when I first went in and I guess Lane took it and put some music on it. This is when I believe I was still in a daze, still under the drugged coma a little bit. I had the music on and OK, this was my dream. – I went up a mountain on like a triple and I grabbed onto where the chairlift hooked onto the wire and went up to some lodge. Went in the lodge and everyone was running around all crazy, like food fights and crazy chaos. I walked straight across there and went up this stairwell that went up to a platform then back up around and turned. Then there was all these bars on it blocking it. I had my hand on one and it just snapped down and I got up and jumped across the gap from the stairwell over into the level upstairs. I walked right over to this door, opened up the door. It was like this circle ring blowing up. I jumped on it and like supermannned across and jumped to the next one. I forget what was in the second one. In the third ring was all these bodies all fucking mangled up and there was just a dog gnawing on something. He just looks at me and gives me a nod like “yeah”. Then I went outside the door just so happy, on top of some mountain, near some other chairlift. I looked behind me and I’m so happy and people were just pouring out of the building. Then I just woke up. That’s what I remember of that story, I thought it was cool.

They had you on some good shit, huh?
I guess so. (Laughter) There’s all these crazy stories. They had to strap me down too once. They had to strap me down because I was trying to get out. They had to keep me solid so I wouldn’t shake the brain up, but that’s another story for ya!

Interviewed By: AB
Photos: E-Stone and Sean Sullivan

The Twenty Three opening reception went down last night at Front Street Coffeehouse in Salem, MA. It was a huge success thanks to all the fans and friends who came out. We had beats, brew and plenty of free stuff to keep everyone happy while browsing through our favorite shots and quotes from the past 23 issues of Steez. The show was packed with new and familiar faces and after we turned out the lights, we took to the streets to finish off the night with a bang. Don’t remember much after that, and that’s about the most we could expect for our first art show. Thank you all again and we’ll see you all at the next one!
Photos: Calvin Leung

Almost 6 years and 23 issues later, it’s time to highlight some of our favorite works and put on our first art show. We’ll be featuring works from deep in the past to current issues as well as some behind the scenes, never before seen stories, photos and more. Come by Front Street Coffeehouse on May 10th from 7-10pm to check out the show. The first hundred people will receive limited edition signed and numbered photos from two of our favorite shots. Also, we’ll be giving out a limited number of the rest of the unpublished Lucas Magoon interview to attendees. Refreshments and shenanigans for sure.

afterhours at Squaw from afterhours on Vimeo.

The snowboard season of 2012 was one of the funnest seasons I have had in a long time. I got to see my friends kill some comps and even get a 3 page spread in the mag! Mother nature was a bitch but we made the best of it just like any true East Coasters. On this Saturday I was joined for a last ditch effort of a trip by some of 9wwp’s finest wolves; Alex Cole, Johnny Miller, Meghan Fields and our youngest wolf Johnny (Village Panda) Villalpando. Thank’s to salt, shovel’s and the great park crew at Carinthia, we were able to get some end of the season bangers. Also, thank’s to Alex Cole for the photography on this trip and to 9wwp/Steez/Compound Crew/Caked and all my homies for THE BEST SEASON EVER! See you next season!
-GrEy WoLf

Issue 6.3 is here! Simon Chamberlain drops by for a feature interview, Sweden Checked In, Sean Sullivan put work in The Gallery, Pat Abramson rode in for an interview, we took an urban trip to Berlin and The Ducky Boys made noise in Now Playing. Read it now online, Buy the hardcopy for $5 or Subscribe to the Union for the whole year.

2nd Annual Drop In For Emily from The Compound on Vimeo.

afterhours at Heavenly from afterhours on Vimeo.