http://http://www.redbullskiing.com/articles/2008/02/the-tanner-hall-interview-x-an.php
You won SuperPipe gold, again, for the third year in a row. Was
there anything different about the 2008 X Games than there was in
previous ones?
Basically, I had to work a lot harder to
win this one. I saw last season that everyone was boosting higher,
spinning to both sides, and just bringing a whole other level to the
SuperPipe. I began training and thinking about it back in
September in New Zealand and
then spending a bunch of time in the park and pipe in Breck back in
December. Basically, when I came to Aspen I had a good five months of
training under my belt. I went in there and on my very first day of
practice I was really laying down my runs and I didn’t really screw up
on any of them. So, it was a really good feeling to go in there
consistent and confident that when I drop in I’m going to lay my run
down no matter what. That’s a good feeling. Confidence will give you a
whole lot more than you ever thought you could have.
This
season marks the first where your only competition was the SuperPipe
event at Winter X. Is this your new deal, do X Games and then film the
rest of the year?
I don’t want to say that I’m done
with competitions or competitions other than X Games. I’m still really
young and I feel like I have a lot left to do with skiing. This year I
was really focused on the three-peat in SuperPipe and having the most
medals overall of anyone at Winter X, and I did that. Now I’m focused
on filming, but maybe that will change in future seasons.
The
crowd wasn’t exactly behind you this year at the bottom of the
SuperPipe. What was is like to hear the booing, how did you deal?
It
definitely affected me a little bit, it hurt a little bit, but you know
what? It’s all a part of it. The crowd likes to see drama. With the X
Games Superpipe, it’s been coming down to me and Simon the last couple
years and of course it came down to me and him again. I think, to the
crowd, it looked like Simon won; and to the judges it looked like I
won. I’m pretty happy with the way the judges took it, because I think
it was a great night for halfpipe skiing and I think it opened up a lot
of people’s eyes on how you can ski in a halfpipe. There’s so many
different options that the sky’s literally the limit. I’m really
interested to see what it’s gonna be like next year. But with the
booing, you just need to brush it off and be a bigger man and just move
on forward: turn negative vibes into positive vibes and keep your
mission rolling.
Your latest movie release, “Believe,”
has received tons of praise and won Movie of the Year at the 2008
POWDER Video Awards. Not to mention you walked away with the Best Line
award and Best Male Performance. Had you already been getting respect
before you walked into the PVAs?
Yeah, the great thing
about our industry is a lot of the movie-makers have always shown
respect and support for my career. From Matchstick Productions to
Poorboyz to Teton Gravity Research, those guys started my career and
it’s really cool to see how much support they’ve been showing through
the years. I think they feel us nipping at their toes now though
(laughs). We’re coming up with new cool ideas each and every day, and
it’s just super fun to have a guy like Constantine right by my side.
The guy’s the most on-point dude I’ve ever met in my life, and I think
with my skiing and his filmmaking it’s a lethal combination. But I just
got to say, respect to everybody out there on the film side of things.
We’ve been shown a lot of respect on the film side of things and it
just feels good.
How’d it feel to walk out of the Hotel Jerome with four awards in your arms?
It
was one of the best feelings ever. I really tried to switch gears with
my career and push it more in the backcountry. To still go the
competition side—and still kill it on that side—then to be able to go
and make a whole other movie outside of the competitions it was a
really rewarding feeling and that’s what we set out to do last year. It
was a dream come true to sit back and collect three of the biggest
POWDER Video Awards, but that’s not gonna stop us. That was just the
beginning. What we have in the works is based on killer ideas and with
companies like Red Bull and
Oakley supporting us, well, the sky is the limit. I keep saying that, but that’s my catch phrase for the week.
Your week in Aspen must have been really good for you. From winning SuperPipe, to your Red Bull party with Cali P performing, to winning the King of Quarters, to owning the POWDER Video Awards. How’d it go down in your book?
The
week as a whole was just the best week of my life. I spent it with the
most righteous people I know. I had good family and good friends all in
town, and to have Cali P there was something that I’ve always wanted:
to bring skiing and music together. I think the collaboration we’ve
done with Cali P and the skiing that I’ve done is a great combination.
This is just the beginning with me and him, as well. We’ve got a lot of
things in the works with movies and him doing soundtracks and putting
out a lot more music for us. It’s going to add a new little flavor and
flare to these films that wasn’t added in the past.
Going forward, what have you been up to since X?
I
went to Las Vegas for a couple days. That was really good. I got to
hang out with my brother, Tyson, and I got to hang out at the
Armada
booth and see a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a long time. I hadn’t
been down to the SIA show in five years, so it was good to go check it
out and let off some steam. I got some partying out of my system and
since I been back from Vegas we came out to Tahoe right away and we’ve
been shooting the last couple days and have been getting some amazing
stuff. We’ve been skinning up in Donner Pass getting some lines and
some really big drops and doing some good stuff. It’s kind of cool
getting on some skins and touring stuff, it’s a little different than
what we did last year. The snow is really good out here right now and
the weather went blue. We’ve got the perfect recipe to get the killer
shots and that’s exactly the mission we’ve been on and that’s the
mission we’re going to stay on.
How’s the new movie coming together?
Everything
is coming together, “The Massive” is shaping up to be one of the best
ski films ever made. Like I said, with the music from Cali P we’re
going to have mixed in, it’s going to be good stuff. We’ve got a bunch
of younger kids in the movie this year that are pushing the limits not
only in the park, but in the backcountry. It’s going to be a great mix
of everything in skiing. That’s what we’re focused on: all aspects of
the sport, instead of just one. We’re just going to mix everything
together and show how much fun we have at what we do. We lead the best
lives in the world and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
It’s called “The Massive”. That sounds really big. Will it, in fact, be bigger?
We’re
trying to do it real big, you know, between everything that we are
doing from going to X Games and getting a three-peat in pipe and being
tied with Shaun White for the record in medals. With all the filming
we’ve done there’s been some pretty crazy stuff. The word “massive” is
telling everybody we are stepping up our game on whole different level.
I think everybody is going to be super stoked on what we are going to
put out, it’s gonna be deadly!
How do you want “The Massive” to be different from “Believe”?
We’ve
been doing a lot of different filming, looking at lines differently,
just trying to be unique with the features that are put on the
mountain. I’m looking at the mountain in a different way and that’s
going to translate to the way I ski it, but everyone will just have to
wait and see.
You’ve been redefining the future of the sport lately. Where do you see yourself in 5 and 10 years?
Just
hopefully on my skis having fun. This is my one thing: the thing I love
to do most in my life, my passion. It’s what I know most in my life and
it’s my best friend. I just hope I’m healthy and happy and I’m still
skiing.
Any final words?
Thanks everybody
for listening to what I’ve got to say and one thing I’ve got to let
everybody out there know is to definitely be on the lookout for my new
ski film, “The Massive,” dropping next fall. Don’t even got a date yet
for you: that’s top secret. But we’ve been filming like nuts we’ve got
the best—and I’m not saying “some”—we’ve got the best footage we’ve
ever had in our life. Expect to hear big things from the music side of
it, too, and big things from a lot of new, younger up-and-coming
backcountry slayers. And with the support of companies like Red Bull, I
think there’s nothing stopping us from turning the ski-film world on
its head with “The Massive.”
