Interview by Stephen Gendron

Well it was definitely a busy summer over at Liberty as we've been super busy gearing up for the snow to start falling, and we're super stoked to welcome Joe Schuster as the first of a couple of new athletes to join our pro team (stay tuned for more athlete news in the near future). I recently had the chance to have a chat with Joe about signing with Liberty, his recent trip to Chile and his plans for the upcoming season...enjoy! - Stephen Gendron

Photo: Jeff Schmuck

Joe! First off, welcome to Team Liberty!

Thanks Steve, I’m super stoked to be a part of the team.

You recently just got back from Chile, and I'm guessing that was your first chance to test your new skis out. What were your first impressions?

Yeah I just finished up a two-week trip there, which was super fun. I only got to try out the Morphics because the snow was more like a skating rink then pow, so I was wasn't able to test out any of the pow skis which is what I’m looking forward to the most. That being said the Morphics were sick! Fairly stiff, perfect length for me and they just felt sturdy and durable everywhere I went.

Photo: Mason Mashon

What set of sticks from Liberty are you most looking forward to riding this winter?

Right off the bat I’m going to be riding the LTE 178's for early season in the park and during the comp season. After that I’m going to try and get out into the backcountry and shred the Double Helix 182, and I’m super stoked to try those out because they look like so much fun!

You have one of your best segments ever in the latest Voleurz flick Look On The Bright Side, which we got a chance to see a few weeks back at IF3. What are your plans for filming and competing this season?

Thanks for the props. This winter is going to be pretty similar to the last. Start off in Colorado for early season shredding, then follow the comp season for a couple of months. After that grab my sled and go wherever the snow is good and shoot pow, hopefully in BC. And then in the spring I want to hit up as many park shoots as possible before the end of the season.

Dew Tour. Photo: Matt Stauble

What comps are you planning on doing this year?

Hopefully I will be at all three Dew Tour stops, along with Dumont Cup, European Open, WSI and anything else that comes up throughout the season.

European Open. Photo: John Vandervalk

What are you up to right now?

Well I just got back from Chile two days ago so I’m just getting all my shit together right now, and then I’ll be working for the next six weeks or so around Vernon until I head down to Colorado to start off the season there.

Where are you going to be calling home this winter?

I don’t think anywhere will be permanent but I will be around Colorado and BC a lot. Peter Olenick just bought a house in Summit County so I will be living with him most likely while I’m in and out of there throughout the season. And if I’m filming in BC it will either be hotels or at the new and improved pimp palace in Whistler with Chug, Riley Leboe and Sean Pettit.

Photo: Mason Mashon

Any last words?

Thanks to Liberty for welcoming me to the team, all of my other sponsors and all of my awesome/idiot friends that I get to shred with all season.