ROMAIN DE MARCHI INTERVIEW

I>People have always been talking about Romain De Marchi. Up until this season as much of this chatter was centered on his off-hill antics as it was his shred abilities. Time and time again Romain took to the social scene much like he approached a session: all or nothing. Infamy intertwined with glory to create a larger-than-life persona.

That all changed this season. Whether it was hopping the halfpipe at Stratton or hitting the legendary Chad's gap switch, most of the rumors surrounding Romain in '04 were all about his riding. And unlike many of the rumors surrounding Romain's debaucheries and deviant personal life, the riding ones were all true!

Do you keep up on the snowboard magazines and movies?
Honestly, no. If you asked me if I knew any new young kids coming up, I'd be like, "No, I don't." I would love to have the time to do that but I just want to ride my snowboard instead.

So who do you ride with?
This season I rode a lot with Travis Rice and I really enjoyed it. That kid is so talented and he has the right spirit. He's always smiling. When I go with other riders I feel I give more to them than they give to me. With Travis, it is equal sh-t, man. He gives me so much inspiration and power to do stuff. It is like, "Yeah, just do it!" Sometimes with other riders they are like, "Oh, you have to guinea pig it." Travis is like f--k, just charging it.

Are there any other riders in the world who you think could also be like that?
There are other riders who inspire me as well but not as strong as Travis. Travis and I have the same state of mind: go big or explode. When I ride with Gigi [Rüf] or JP [Solberg], I am inspired by their style and creativity. A lot of people are like artists, like Nicolas Müller. With nothing he does something fun.

You haven't really filmed much with anyone besides Justin Hostynek, have you?
The first year was only with Justin. After, I worked with [David] Vladyka and I shot with Brusti [Patrick Armbruster] a little bit. Mostly, I like to go with Justin and vice versa. Absinthe gave me my first opportunity to have a video part and since then it has been Absinthe forever, man.

How is it going to be this year with Travis working on his own film?
I spoke with him when we were in Hawaii. I asked him if he was going to film with us and he was like, "No, I am just doing my own stuff. If you want to come, you come and we go traveling. If you don't, then whatever." That's Travis right there. He has a great project though. It is just hanging out. I think the concept is great. I might film with him a little bit.

What do you think of the riders who jump from one film crew to the next?
Most of it is sponsor choice, obviously because either they pay you or they pay the movie. I love Justin, I love Patrick, and I love all the filmers. I fit right in with Absinthe. Justin's films are more based on songs and music and the real spirit of snowboarding. If you compare it to Mack Dawg, which has really good quality filming and the tricks are there, but it is like a machine: boom, boom, boom. It is good too, you know. Kids like that because they want to see tricks, but Justin is more open-minded and has more flow going. I think it is good to have a balance of both because you have to please everybody.

Where did you spend most of last season?
I started filming back home in January with Nico Droz and all those guys around there. Then I moved to Utah for a month with Travis, Nicolas, and Trevor [Andrew]. We just hung out there for a little bit and then went to Alaska again. That was pretty much it. I didn't spend that much time in Europe.

What was your impression of Utah?
It is flat and then straight up. When you drive through the canyons to get to Snowbird, it reminds me a little bit of home. The powder is so light. Amazing.

Most people associate jibbing with Salt Lake City.

Yeah, kids are really into that. I was driving in town and I saw a kicker in front of a stair rail. I was like, "All right, that's funny." I have never really been into the jibbing stuff. I have a lot of admiration for what those kids do on the rails because it is f--king painful when you see those guys who are charging it slam. I am a pussy on rails.

What was scarier: doing the Chad's Gap in Utah or airing over the halfpipe at Stratton?
The pipe at Stratton. It was cold and icy and if I had hit the wall, I wouldn't be here talking to you. I had a lot of adrenaline going into that one. The takeoff was pretty sketchy, a 90-degree turn to go full speed into it. When I did it and made it, it was better than sex. All that adrenaline came up at once. Justin had really good angles from the parking lot. So amazing.

Is it going to be in your part?
No. We will do it next year, I think way better. We have been talking about it for three years. You need to find the right pipe and moment. This year we did it a little bit sketchy style. We didn't really plan it; we were just like, "All right, let's do it!" There wasn't much space to make the turn. Next year we will find a pipe with nothing around. Maybe do it at Sonora and build a pipe just for that particular shot.

Do you think big mountain freeriding is as appreciated as it should be, considering how scary and dangerous it is?
No, it is crazy. From my point of view, I thought it would be easy to do. It is just snow beside you going down in the avalanche, no big deal. But when you are on top of a peak, looking down, you are thinking about so much stuff. Chad's Gap would be the same thing for a freerider as big mountain is to me because I don't know that terrain. I am still learning.

Who are you learning from?
I rode a lot with Axel Pauporté and Yannick Amevet. I look up to Jeremy Jones, too.

You recently hurt your ACL in your left knee, didn't you?
I hope it will hold for next season. The doctor doesn't want to fix it yet. He says I have really good knees. I just need to build muscles up by doing specific workouts. I didn't snowboard since doing it. It was the end of the season when I was in Hemsedal [Norway] filming. It was a stupid fall; I landed in the flats sideways. It was weird because I fell and then I heard a pop, like when you open a champagne bottle. I was like, "Whoa." I knew right off the bat, just like, "Oh, f--k." Then I stood up and my knee didn't swell at all. I started walking and when I rode down my knee was just a little bit loose. I went straight to the doctor the next day and got an MRI.

Have you ever heard of anyone blowing their knee in the backcountry?
Nope, only the park!

Some people do blow their knees flying out of the pipe and landing on the deck though.
They should learn to ollie. It is so amazing how people are charging in the pipe these days. It used to be a little bit boring but then the superpipe came. In the U.S. Open there were amazing runs. People started doing different combos and variations. I look at Danny Kass's entry into the pipe and that is such a great idea: Cab three into the pipe to a Cab nine. I was like, "Wow." I get stoked when people are into it and they are pushing it, not going for the win. It is easy to win when you have your run dialed and you know what works, but I like when people get creative and go with a feeling. For example, with Keir Dillon, I can tell that guy has a run dialed. With Danny Kass, it was different all the time with every run-that blew me away.

Did you compete at all this year?
I didn't do many contests this year. I was at the European Open and was like, "F--k, look at the powder." We built a kicker with Gigi, so we sessioned that instead of doing the contest. Then I was at the U.S. Open, partying obviously, woke up in the morning and looked at it snowing and was like, "Oh, no. F--k that." Burton got mad a bit but I don't care. I told those guys I don't want to do those things. I don't think they are good contests. They need to be way better. I think the jumps are not right and the people aren't there, especially for the European Open. I don't feel the good vibe. It is just, like, to say they are doing it. It is not really like, "We want to make it good." They try but it's not there. I don't feel it.

Are there any contests up to that standard?
I like to go to Japan. You feel like people are really into it. You go there and are a f--king rock star. They will do anything. The Tokyo Dome is one of the best, you get so well taken care of. The crowd is there, the vibe is there and all the riders are happy.

What about the Arctic Challenge?
I haven't been there in three or four years. I need to ask Terje [Haakonsen] if he can invite me again. They don't invite me anymore. It is pretty chill up there. I like it. I heard The Battle is pretty cool, too. There are so many contests I want to do but I can't because I am traveling and have other plans. Maybe I should do a year without filming and just do contests for fun.

Who do you think is riding today that will be looked at as a legend alongside Terje or Jamie Lynn?
There can't be a "next Terje." He did it and that's why we are all here. He is why there is a TransWorld or SNOWBOARDER or Burton. He made snowboarding what it is right now. We owe 'em all; Jamie Lynn, [Shaun] Palmer and all those guys. Those guys from that time were the f--king essence of snowboarding right there-amazing. I don't know if I am like that for kids now. You should ask them.

Did people care more about their heroes back then?
Yes, because it was the beginning. That empathy was growing. Now everybody wants to be pro and it is more accessible than it was before.

Do you have any fans?
I hope so. When I go to Japan I have some. If you ask me am I recognized when I am home? No. Switzerland doesn't really play that. They are more interested in banking and money than sports. It is kind of good in a way, and bad. In Switzerland we have such great, young, talented pro snowboarders that it would be nice to have a little bit more recognition. But it is good because you don't attract people's eyes.

So you don't get recognized anywhere other than Japan?
Yeah, I got recognized on the way here. I was so stoked. When I was getting on the plane from Hawaii, these two kids turned around and were like, "Are you Romain?" I said, "Yeah," and they were like, "We saw you in the magazine and it is cool what you are doing." I think I was as pumped as they were. That was the second time I got recognized. The first was on the way to Alaska. Weird, Alaska and Hawaii, places where you wouldn't expect it. In Europe if I go to a snowboard resort, yeah, maybe I get recognized.