ZACH LEACH Interview

As Zach Leach sat across the table from me, I was almost unsure as to whether I was the one interviewing him or he was the one interviewing me. The starkly blank look on his face emitted no sign of friendliness, which scared me into believing that he might not even be human. Fortunately, after I beat him at a quick game of thumb war, he was at my mercy. From that moment on, Zach was actually quite chatty and I didn’t have to leech much information out of him. This multi-tasking man has pretty much seen and done it all. From team rider to team manager, Zach has the inside scoop on all angles of snowboarding, which he has so kindly given up to share with you.

Morgan Varon: Can you explain how you divide your time between being a team rider for GNU, team manager for Mervin, and team captain for Red Bull?
Zach Leach: Early mornings, late nights. I work in the morning and go snowboarding in the afternoon.

Is that strenuous?
Yea, it’s extremely strenuous actually. I’m constantly working, but I get a lot of stuff done. It builds up and breaks down so I’m not busy all the time. This part of the year is kinda nice because there is no snow so I can go surfing instead.

What is the biggest difference for you now that you are on the other side of the company/team rider relationship.
It’s way different. I see what it was like being a rider. Now I see this other side I’m not going to say I like so much, the business side, and what really has to happen to make it all work. It’s cool to see both, and it’s fun to learn all these new things about the business and about snowboarding. I have to work and I have all these deadlines that I need to get things done by. So it is really tough for me on that level, where I was never used to having any deadlines and did exactly what I felt like doing…just snowboarding.

What’s your take on Banana Technology and Magne-Traction?
I love banana. It’s great. I like them in smoothies. I like them on my snowboard. They cut through snow, man. They just ride really well. That slight bit of bend in the board is just enough to keep you floating above the snow instead of going down into it. I’ve been riding it so much, it’s all I want to ride anymore. The Rider’s Choice has banana technology in it next year.

Would you say you like Banana Tech better than Magne-Traction?
I like them both equally as much. They work great together. It’s a blend of technology.

Are there any coups in the works as far as team rider acquisitions?
I’ve been looking at a lot of kids, actually. There are a lot of rad kids that I think are progressive and can go places. Tyler Flanagan already rides for GNU, but he’s the man already, I love the little guy. Nate Ferrell is one of my Flow guys on GNU these days and Philip Damianakus out of Utah. They just crush it when they snowboard and they love snowboarding. Its nice to see people who are so excited to go out everyday and ride. I like that. I like seeing guys that are pumped to go shredding.

How do you feel about the new 12oz Red Bull cans?
When I’m really hung over they work really well. I really have no opinion on those. The 8oz ones are just enough for me.

Do you know if Oakley has re-released the original frogskins?
I believe they have. I do not have a pair in my possession yet, but I will have some soon, and I know they will be releasing them for sure.

Why did you move to Salt Lake City?
I moved to Salt Lake to help out with Mervin, to become the team manager for Gnu and Lib Tech, and to be closer to the Mountain Center, which is our headquarters for marketing. Plus, the mountains are sick. I like riding Brighton and Snowbird. They’re really fun. But I like riding Jackson Hole too. It’s only a four and a half hour drive. I like going up there and riding with my friends. Its nice to be close to Jackson because there’s no scene really, it’s just a mellow little zone.

Have you started shooting with Travis for Community Project’s Shedding Light?
The Travis Rice Rockumentary? I went out a couple days with him this year in Jackson, but it was a tough snow year there. I might go to New Zealand this summer with him.

How was filming with Mongo-Pro?
Mongo is awesome man. My favorite. Most of the time it was just JJ Thomas and myself. For a little while he’d film me and then I’d film him. We didn’t have any filmers because everyone was so busy and spread apart. Then our friend Jersey came up and filmed with us and he was great. We went up everyday for a few weeks when we had snow in Utah. It was a good session, easygoing, and everyone was always mellow. The only person that was always on point was Stan Evans. He was Sergeant Slaughter every morning and made us get out of the house. Without that guy I don’t know if we would have been able to hit all the jumps. We would have been beaten to all the jumps in Utah, that’s for sure.

What do you expect from their new film?
I think Sammy Luebke is going to have a killer part. Same with JJ Thomas. Those guys both had awesome years of snowboarding. I think that the whole video together will show snowboarding in a good light again and how fun it is to go out and shred. That’s about it.

Well that’s about it for me too.
Perfect.