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022: Travis Rice/The Power of Not Knowing

Travis in London, October 2017. Photo: Owen Tozer

“From the start, I had a lot of desire to work harder and have more motivation than anyone else.”

Yep, I was lucky enough to invite another true legend onto the show for episode 022: none other than the great Travis Rice, a towering presence in snowboarding culture since he exploded onto the scene back in 2001.

Today Travis stands as one of the undisputed greatest of all time. With his riding, his approach to arenas such as AK, his films or pioneering contests such as Ultranatural, it is no exaggeration to say that he has set the snowboarding agenda for the best part of two decades, and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Travis in deep during filming for Depth Perception. Photo: Andrew Miller

So when he agreed to sit down with me in London in October 2017 to look back over his career, I was naturally pretty stoked. And Travis didn’t disappoint, getting right into the spirit of the podcast as we looked back over the key milestones of his career.

In Russia during the Fourth Phase shoot. Photo: Scott Serfas/Red Bull Content Pool

Among the highlights:

  • Travis on his new film Depth Perception.
  • Exactly what he thought of that infamous Whitelines Fourth Phase review
  • The importance of ‘unlearning’, and acknowledging what you don’t know.
  • How a ferocious work ethic has fuelled his entire career.

Yep, it’s a good one this, a peerless insight into the mind of one of the world’s most influential snowboarders and athletes. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

 

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Show Notes

  • European tour days
  • Depth Perception deadline-day finish
  • Departure in style from previous films
  • The DP crew – and how the project developed
  • “Our goal was to replicate all styles of riding. We wanted to make a fun project that would make you juiced to go ride“.
  • How the riding team came together.
  • The conceit and narrative device at the centre of Depth Perception.
  • The meaning of Depth Perception.
  • The important of looking outside the scene for ideas.
  • How Travis responds to criticism of the film style he’s developed.
  • The Whitelines Fourth Phase review.
  • The character set-ups and how they came about
  • “Knowing is not necessarily the path to happiness”.
  • The importance of unlearning.
  • Jackson Hole as a home base.
  • Introduction to snowboarding.
  • Growing up skiing in Jackson.
  • Hooked by the art of the turn.
  • The influence of Jackson’s locals on Travis’s riding.
  • The Snow King routine.
  • How TV News classes led to Travis sponsor-me tapes.
  • The importance of developing relationships.
  • Superpark 2001 – MVP.
  • The importance of the work ethic – and of investing in yourself.
  • “I’ve always been really motivated. I’ve always had a lot of energy.”
  • The next project.
  • The legacy – and future – of Supernatural.
  • Travis on the future of competitive snowboarding.
  • ‘That pure interaction with the mountain is missing.’
  • Travis’s approach to riding Alaska.
  • “You can’t think about finding flow”.
  • What the future holds – and what inspires Travis right now.
  • Last sailing trip – Tahiti to Hawaii.
  • R&D process.
  • Travis’s last day snowboarding – AK.
  • Travis’s last trick – switch method.

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