ON DECK: DAN BRISSE

In the age of mini-shred, one kid from Minnesota is bringing BIG back!

Dan Brisse is uncomfortable in a restaurant setting. Fidgeting in his chair, he stirs the ice in his Coke nervously. The place is nice and he is freshly showered and dressed to kill; he’s a professional, even off the hill.

A transplant from the farm fields of southern Minnesota to the peaks of SLC, this up-and-comer is quiet, but his riding is undeniably loud. His personality is Minnesota polite: one arm on the table, knife and fork held correctly, “Yes, please” and “Thank you.” But watch just one run of Dan’s, and you’ll see that the only refinement he really cares about is in style and amplitude.

D.O.B.: 12/11/83
Home Mountain: Powder Ridge, Minnesota, or Brighton and Park City in Utah
Stance: Regular
Width: 23 to 24 inches
Front Angle: 15°
Rear Angle: -15°
Years Riding: 9
Years Sponsored: 5
Favorite Board: Capita MHT for pow
Boot: Deeluxe Rough Diamond
Binding: Union Force
Goggle: Von Zipper Feenom
Outerwear: Volcom Nimbus
Gloves: Celtek Pipetek
Other Sponsors: The Youth Shelter Supply and Milosport

When you were a young kid in Minnesota, what did you grab on to to keep you amped?
I watched Decade all the time. My buddy Emmet Clocker and I watched it over and over. My favorite part was Bjorn’s [Leines]. So sick.

What’s it like going from watching the video parts of your heroes to riding with them on a daily basis?
It is such a trip. I ride with guys that I have always put on a whole different level, and it’s weird. Totally weird.

With one win at the Aspen Open, you went from just another kid on the hill to the next big thing.
That win at the Aspen Open got things going. It was just me and a bunch of friends filming, and I decided to enter. It was $100 to get in, and after I won, Blue Montgomery [the owner of Capita Snowboards] came up to me, and it was on. No more working that nine-to-five or working the night shift.

Did you go to college?
Yeah, I went for one semester and just knew it wasn’t for me. I knew I wanted to stick with snowboarding and take it from there.

Your style of riding is reminiscent of one Travis Rice: huge airs, sick style, and big balls. What do you think about that?
Travis is so good. I don’t know if I can compare myself to him at all, but I do look up to him. I love watching the progression of the sport. Watching someone stomp something totally new and crazy is awesome. Travis does that. It gets me hyped to try something new myself.