Grenier in Anchorage, AK, circa 2011—frontside boardslide with his already-refined eye for unique spots fully on display. Photo: Oli Gagnon What was your first big moment with a sponsor? I got my first contract from Dragon, then I got a two-page spread in Future Snowboarding from a park shoot and got my first check—a photo incentive check for $200. That was huge for me. Then I won a couple of contests—I did well at the East Coast Invitational, and I won an am contest at Copper Mountain [CO]. I was on Academy Snowboards at the time. Java [Fernandez], the marketing manager, put on this contest and I won three grand, which was the most amount of money I had seen. Java then got a job at Salomon Snowboards and put me on there. He was the first person to really believe in me. He gave me the opportunity to film for Tran-sWorld ’s Get Real . That was my first part in a major video, but Chad Otterstrom and Lane Knaack had taken me under their wing and taught me to shoot the year before. That meant so much as a young kid. I’ll always look up to those guys for being good snowboarders and even better human beings. Back then, videos were how you got your break. With Get Real , I was like, “This is my shot.” I put everything I had into that part. Every night I was obsessing over it, writing every trick down, writing ideas down. I quit drinking for the winter. I had a minute-and-a-half of footage by November. By Christmas, I had 40 shots. Once Get Real came out, sponsors were down. You were wearing a pair of pants that looked like LRG pants and then LRG hooked you up. I was into the LRG rasta back pocket—I bought some knockoffs at a westside store and snowboarded in some XXXL LRG jeans in that part. I couldn’t believe it when they started their snow program and I got on with them. We got to travel around with musicians. Meeting Gucci Mane was the highlight. Salomon gave you a pro model? Everything happened quick. Jed [Anderson] and I designed a rail board called the “Salomonder” and we both got pro models. The board did well, and we were able to continue the series for seven or eight years. When a company wants to put your name on a product, it’s important to take that opportunity and do as good a job as you can. I’m beyond thankful to have my name on a snowboard, boots and outerwear over the years. I owe so much to snowboarding and am forever in debt—not only for the products, but for the people I’ve met over the years and the experiences I’ve been able to have, the places it’s taken me. Through ups and downs, I’m beyond grateful for everything snowboarding has given me. As far as the downs, partying became an issue for you? In snowboarding and skateboarding, partying is common ground. I love partying. From when I was 15-21, it was nonstop partying. Pat Moore didn’t drink from when he was 18-21. He filmed for [Forum Snow-boards’] Video Gangs , the Grenade video—he was the same age as me and a super pro. We were just trying to figure it out. I admired the fact he didn’t drink. I was like, “How do you do that—I struggle with it.” After Get Real , my routine became quit for a few months in the winter, then party like a maniac all summer. I did that for eight years straight. Every year I would lose more control. I started doing more drugs, hard drugs, drinking heavily to the point where I didn’t like who I was looking at in the mirror. So, I gave up drinking at the end of 2016, got completely sober, and I feel better than I ever have in my entire life. My dad was a train wreck until he quit drinking, then he turned his life around. I knew I was going to need to do it sometime. I was scared, I didn’t know what to do. I bet Alex Andrews $300 that I could quit drinking for a year. The bet was a great excuse. The bet was an easier way to explain quitting than the real reason I stopped: that I was an alcoholic, a drug addict, and I was miserable. I made it a year, I still wasn’t super happy, and I started going to AA—that helped me figure out why I was so unhappy. It helped to be around people I could relate to. I felt isolated and alone before that. At the end of the day, a lot of people struggle with drugs and alcohol. You can go sober if you need to. A lot of people can go out and drink and have a good time and it’s not problematic, but if you struggle with drugs or alcohol abuse, you’re not alone. Don’t be afraid to reach out to me on Instagram, or other folks who go through the same thing. It’s hard socially to stop drinking, and it’s not something I’d push on anyone, but it’s what works for me. Don’t feel alone if you’re struggling. There are a lot of other people out there that can help. You’ve filmed a lot of video parts, but it seems like you’ve found a way to do your own thing too. I gravitate toward what is feeling right at the time. I did the video part thing for years, did the X Games Real Snow—which is a major highlight—and then we came up with the cabin. That was a passion project. People seemed inspired by it, so we gravitated to that this past winter. 076 THE SNOWBOARDER’S JOURNAL
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