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Red Gerard - Episode 126 Red Gerard leapt onto the world stage - by winning the Slopestyle Gold Medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. After he became a sensation in the media, quickly becoming known for his easy going attitude on shows like Jimmy Kimmel. But there is life after gold for the nineteen year old professional snowboarder. He has gone on to film the shred flick Joy with fellow Olympian Ben Fergusson and Olympic Gold Medalist Sage Kotsenberg - discovering the backcountry and sledding, as well as the resolve to be safe when accessing the avalanche prone conditions out of ski area boundaries. We also go deep on his family - and the support they provide him in achieving his dreams. It is fairly safe to say, this is Red's most in depth interview to date. Enjoy. Shout out to the sponsors of this episode Cardiff Snowcraft and Yes Snowboards. We ask that you support the brands that support disruptive snowboard media. Find out more about these guys at their websites. http://cardiffsnow.com http://yesnowboard.com Please consider supporting us at http://www.patreon.com/thesnowboardproject You can follow us on Instagram @thesnowboardproject THE SNOWBOARD PROJECT Red Gerard Episode 126 Hosted by Mark Sullivan Produced by Mark Sullivan Associate producer Dustin James Art by Aaron Draplin and Sarat Interview Transcription: [00:00:00] Man like Mark Sullivan, the warrior. So stay tuned for the cheating episode. [00:00:04] Well, quite a lot of uncooperative. [00:00:17] Just flip this off. You to get lost. Mind your own business. So dangerous. [00:00:21] Most of them have no brakes on them when you get skiers and snowboarders together on a rainy day looking for trouble. We just like to say that we don't want them at all. [00:00:32] This is The Snowboard Project season to the story. I'm Stowe Stowe. So. [00:00:46] Today's episode is brought to you by Cardiff Snowcraft. So today I want to tell you a little bit about one board in particular, because while it's caught my eye. So, you know, all the Cardiff boards are beautiful. But in particular, I want to tell you about the goat. It's like the freeriding board. [00:01:03] It's available in sizes from 150 to 166 to different builds in the Enduro build or the pro Carbin build and solid and split board models. But really, the board that I personally want to ride is the 162 solid Enduro Cardiff goat. It looks like it's a beautiful board. First of all, that's the first thing that I noticed. But then I started talking to Bjorn Linus. He's like, Man, the goat is the best board that I have ever ridden. [00:01:31] That's right. The Cardiff go and I'm psyched. Why? Why is this board so good? Well, here's why. So this board went through 10 different iterations, 10 different prototypes over a five year period. This thing has been tested in every different kind of condition. And no wonder it has the reputation of being one of the best boards on the mountain. So go to Cardiff snow dot com. Check out the goat. It's an amazing looking board, but really what will amaze you is the way it rides. [00:02:02] So go to Cardiff snow dot com to learn more. [00:02:08] Welcome back to the Snowboard Project. I'm Mark Sullivan. And so we're going to start out the show today a little bit. Definitely going to start out with a moment of silence for Jake Burton Carpenter. And I know that well, anyone is listening to this is probably a snowboarder. And so they have been affected directly by Jake Burton Carpenter's influence in the sport. Mark Sullivan: [00:02:42] Ok, so on today's show, we have an Olympic gold medalist, a guy who is still a teenager, getting into the back country making snowboarding movies. You know, the world is his oyster as far as snowboarding is concerned. I'm talking about Red Jerod and Red Jerod. We get pretty deep in this interview. We talk about making joy. We talk about kind of the the interview crush post-Olympics. We talk about his family and about riding and about all sorts of things. So this is a pretty in-depth interview with Fred Gerada. Hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you. [00:03:41] Today's episode is brought to you by. Yes, Snowboards. [00:03:47] Introducing the all new 20-20. Truth be told, we've been itching to redesign the 2020. Soon after the dust settled from its release three years ago and this newest generation checks off an impressive list of high performance boxes, updates to the bottom contours that maintain the magical float that set this board apart from everything else in the snow while improving the pop and landings of natural and man made features. The eye catching Corless tech has made these more complex shapes possible by removing critical swing weight from the board. And finally, MIT has found its most effective home on twins. So applying an aggressive version of this has brought out the kind of park and resort performance we always knew the 20/20 was capable of. [00:04:27] So go to yes now boarding dot com to find the perfect yes snowboard for you. Mark Sullivan: [00:04:36] Ok. So you just had your your movie premiere, Red. Joy, tell me a little bit about the premiere. How did you decide on Hollywood versus like doing it in Tahoe or Salt Lake or in a ski town, let's say? Yeah. Red Gerard: [00:04:50] I don't really know. I think so. Red Gerard: [00:04:53] Aaron Black and Ryan Honkey are the producers of Joy. And I think we we just kind of left it up to them and they wanted to do it in like a pretty main city. Red Gerard: [00:05:02] Yeah. For like the first one. But on November 2nd, it's going to be in Salt Lake. And actually I think I'd like the thirty first of this month. It's in Bend, Oregon. And then I'm going to do one in Cleveland, Ohio on November 16th or the 18th or something. Right. So our idea was just to do the opening one in in a bigger city. Mark Sullivan: [00:05:28] Were there like a lot of snowboarders who showed up, who flew in for it or traveled specifically to Hollywood for the premiere? Red Gerard: [00:05:35] I don't know. I didn't. I mean, there's definitely some people there. Apparently, they sold out on tickets. I've heard it. But a. I think a lot of it was just people that lived in L.A. like Ex-wrestler Zion, Ray and Alex Smith. Red Gerard: [00:05:47] They're like pro skaters. That area, which we're pretty is pretty sick to see us. Mark Sullivan: [00:05:52] Yeah. Now, this is like your your first movie that you were like more involved than just like being an athlete filming in the movie. re-look more involved with that. Were you pretty much still a guy who was just going out and filming to try to get a good part? Red Gerard: [00:06:07] Not I think I definitely, like all three of us, felt pretty way more involved, you know, I did the two transferal movies, but that had like eight to 10 writers and actors or something. Yeah. Red Gerard: [00:06:20] But yeah, no, I think we I was is pretty cool because I was filming with my brother like all season, which was really nice. So I got to see little leaks of the movie and all that where it was a trans world. And with trans well, you know, I just saw my part and then saw the movie when it premiered. Mark Sullivan: [00:06:39] Yeah. So what was like the concept behind Joy? Like what was like the idea that you guys kind of sat down and put together that would make this different than just like a trick part movie? Red Gerard: [00:06:51] I know I would say, oh, like when we originally sat down, we our idea was to not just like look at just storms and where where all the storms are heading, but let's spend, you know, a month at a time in one location, like when we go to Jackson Hole and say, just go in there for a week. Let's go through let's go there for a month and sit out through the bad weather days. Red Gerard: [00:07:15] And, you know, when it heats up, because eventually I feel like every location at times can get good and sucks. When you go to go somewhere, you're like, oh, man, shitty. He's like, let's go somewhere else. Then you go somewhere else. And all the sudden Jackson Hole is firing again. Red Gerard: [00:07:31] You missed out on that. So I think that was our original idea. And other than that, I mean, just having it based on like the main three like me, Ben and Sage, and then having some other people come along and bring in different people on each trip was kind of our idea. Mark Sullivan: [00:07:50] Would you and Sage wear your gold medals everywhere you went with Ben just to kind of rub salt in the wound? Red Gerard: [00:07:56] Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that was that was definitely a nice piece of jewelry. Yeah. That's the only accessory that he couldn't get. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. No but he he had the Olympic ring too. Red Gerard: [00:08:09] So we were just throwing around a little picked out. Mark Sullivan: [00:08:19] It seems like a pretty cool crew and you guys are like known for competition, right, for a stage and you both at the Olympics were Ben the Olympics and other events. Mark Sullivan: [00:08:28] But they're really from my understanding, anyway, I haven't seen the movie yet, but there isn't really a focus on competition in there. In fact, it's mostly powder. Red Gerard: [00:08:37] Yeah, definitely. That was the main focus for they would definitely go. Mark Sullivan: [00:08:41] Is that related to the named Joy? Like you find Joy outside a competition? Red Gerard: [00:08:46] I don't know. I don't even know. I think Ben's age came up with the name Tyler Orton and there in summer movie. I don't know where they came up with joy, but I was in for it. Mark Sullivan: [00:08:58] And where did you guys film like it was? Where were the trips that you guys went on together? Red Gerard: [00:09:04] Yeah. So we start off the year in Jackson Hole and that was me then, Sage. Red Gerard: [00:09:13] Nick Payton was there for a little bit. And then Brock Crouch as well. Mm hmm. And we were there for a while. And then from there we went to X Games and we did a little piece on that. Red Gerard: [00:09:25] But then from there, me and Brock went to Japan and then we went back to the U.S. Open and then to Tahoe for a while and to Canada to hand it off. Red Gerard: [00:09:40] But Ben and Sage kind of we we split up after X Games and Ben and Sage went back to Jackson Hole for a sec. Red Gerard: [00:09:47] And then I think they went on up into Canada and then to Montana for a sec and then Madison Tallyho. And then they went back to Canada with us. Mark Sullivan: [00:09:58] Ok. It sounds like you did a variety of different trips, went to a variety of different locations. What was your favorite trip? Red Gerard: [00:10:06] My favorite trip was going to. I never I mean, I've always I kind of grew up there a tiny bit just because my brother Brendan always lived there and I always went out there, visit him, but go on there to film. Red Gerard: [00:10:19] I never knew, like, how much a place actually had to offer when it came to backcountry snowboarding. It was just like pretty eye-opening to me, amany like how many good days we had there and the different varieties snowboarding. You know, you could read lines or you could build a jump or, you know, there's just some good like actually some little pillow lines and stuff. And I never thought Tato would have that. Red Gerard: [00:10:43] And me and Brock almost spent like a month there, just really pretty hyped on the whole situation. Red Gerard: [00:10:49] Yeah, that was a pretty crazy season as far as snowfall went last year. And Tom. Yeah. Red Gerard: [00:10:54] Yeah, it was nuts. And you know, you always hear people saying about how they get that cycle where it's like snows for four days, they get sunny for three days and snows birds for days. And like I never knew that was actually a real thing in this year that it definitely and we definitely get to experience it. Mark Sullivan: [00:11:12] Right. Mark Sullivan: [00:11:13] Right. So was there like like one shot in particular, one jump that you built or one line that you did something they like sticks out the that made it into the movie that people can like look at and be like that was the the most fun thing that you did last year. Mark Sullivan: [00:11:28] The the thing that you really kind of hang your hat on as far as like that was like my best run or trick or whatever of the season. Red Gerard: [00:11:36] Yeah. Hundred percent the one this one jump that we hit in tow. Here's me and Brock and we both like it was like kind of like our first show that we built without Ben's age there. And it was me, Brad Crouch, my brother Malachi, that built it, just us three. And I don't know, I I've always had a hard time building, just like seeing the exact picture of how I wanted to turn out. And I always end up building them just with a ton of lip by that. But we built this shop and we kind of did build it with a ton of live, but ended up working out really good. And both me and Brock like landed. I think I had three tricks on it in the movie and Brock, too, in the movie. In that jump, really, it's like the best day of our year. I think it was just such a fun session and it was Amy 'tween that cycle where it snowed for days and it was like sunny for three. So it was like third day. I was actually really warm outdoors, like snow is heating up, but it was really, really sick. It was like fun. There's a lot of people there like watching the session and says is kind of cool. Right on, right on. Mark Sullivan: [00:12:45] So when do you go out and you break off from Sage and Ben? Guys, we're a little bit older than you, maybe a little bit more experienced in the back country. Who's like the stand and trail boss, the guy who's like kind of leading the charge and like deciding like this is the jump spot. Mark Sullivan: [00:12:59] This is where we're going to stop and we're going to start yelling, who does? Red Gerard: [00:13:03] Yeah, I don't know. So is it between me and Brock for Sheriff Brooks sometimes as a little bit a different idea than I have? Ηe likes you tend to like the lines, I think. I think he's like a he's an AK guy. Red Gerard: [00:13:17] I actually closet AK a guy. A closet. A exactly closet. AK guy. Red Gerard: [00:13:22] But I don't know. I think we try to come together as both, but we also had some other people looking over us. Aaron Black, which has done a lot of all that, definitely helped us out a little bit there. And he was with us every day, so. Yeah. Mark Sullivan: [00:13:39] Ok. Now, do you already have like. You obviously have a schedule for a tour to do all these premieres around the country, including back in Ohio. Do you have you already made plans for this season or are you going to film this season? Like, do you have a project already lined out? Red Gerard: [00:13:54] Yeah, actually, I do. I don't really. I actually don't really know if I can totally say yet. But yeah, I do. Mark Sullivan: [00:14:02] Martin OK. So I wish I knew more. Red Gerard: [00:14:04] I wish I knew because I think I can, but not where are you going to be working with, like a similar crew of writers or a different a new crew of writers? I mean, can we can we dig a little bit here? Red Gerard: [00:14:14] Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Kind of similar crew a definitely a few more. I think this movie will have more of like the movie base where all these section writers and not so much more like Joy was location based. Red Gerard: [00:14:29] Like it started off the movie and Jackson then moved on to Todd and all that. Right. So that's how Joy was. I think this one will be more rider influence just part by far. By far. Okay. And they'll have some pr…
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