SLUG: No beating around the bush. How was Bear Mountain’s Hot Dawgs and Hand Rails competition a few months ago? What’s it like to snowboard in an ice rink?

Hobush: FAAAHHK [as he crashed his airplane on GTA 5] Hot Dawgs and Handrails was sweet. I’ve done three now, and this one for sure had the best set up. It was definitely ice-rinkey snow. Not being on your snowboard for a month or two and then stepping in your snowboard and onto pure ice … At least I was on my snowboard––it was a good time.

 

SLUG: How has HDHR changed over the years, and what was your favorite feature this year?

Hobush: Oh, Bear always kills that contest for sure, especially this year. First of all, they don’t do a scaffolding setup. So they spend a month going in with huge tractors, full-on digging out the mountain and building this stuff––they put in a whole bunch of work. The setup was insane—it had a lot more rails than two years ago. I guess my favorite thing was hitting a line. It was this flat rail over a closeout—you ride down for a bit and then you either hit a wall ride or a down rail.

 

SLUG: Which contest were you at before that?

Hobush: Colorado that weekend before. A couple of my friends and I did a rail jam in Denver for the Snowboard on the Block competition. It was their first year putting it on.

 

SLUG: What would be the ultimate place to do a contest?

Hobush: Unrealistically, if there was a contest held at the Temple in Salt Lake. There’s no possible way anyone will ever hit a rail there, but there’s some of the most insane rails there for sure. Nike did one at the Delta Center a few years back. That contest was fun how it was, but it would be so sick if they did it again.

 

SLUG: Philosophers have long argued that it’s either all about the size of the feature or its technique––thoughts?

Hobush: I like keeping my stuff to style and technical instead of hitting a flat rail for a few feet and then just dropping for 20 feet. I don’t really hit the biggest stuff, but I’d like to. The dudes like Bode [Merrill] and [Dan] Brisse––those guys are like animals on snowboards. I don’t even know how they still walk.

 

SLUG: You went from bussing tables at the Alpine Rose (cafeteria) at Brighton, to Brighton Park Crew, to taking Japan or Sweden trips when you feel like snowboarding in less than five years.

Hobush: It definitely started all from Brighton. Jared Winkler, Mouse and the Park Crew dudes helped me out so much. I started at Brighton when I was 18, working kitchen. I got to know everybody on Park Crew and got a job with those dudes the next year. Winkler introduced me to Brian Cook, the team manager for ThirtyTwo, and I ended up winning the first ThirtyTwo Day Contest in 2009––it just went from there.

 

SLUG: What’s it like seeing the world for the first time, with a travel budget no less? Where did you go, and what’s the funniest, weirdest or most fucked up story from your travels?

Hobush: Watching snowboard videos when I was a little kid, you see where they go all over the world and you’re like, “Someday I hope I get to go there” … So when it ended up happening, I was trippin’. I got a couple anxiety attacks in Japan walking home from the bar at four in the morning. Everywhere you look it’s just Asians––it’s awesome; they love snowboarding. Something sick that happened when we were in Finland: We were hitting this kinked rail and the cops rolled up. Our friend, Toni Karkela (he lives there), goes over and talks to them. He comes back with the cops and we’re like, “Great, now we have to break the lip down and peace out.” So Toni’s translating for us, and one of the cops ended up saying, “If I had my snowboard here, I’d be doing the same thing with you guys!” On that whole trip, out of the 12 or 15 spots we went to, we legitimately only got kicked out of one spot because the guy was cleaning snow off the stairs. Snowboarding over there … people freak out when they find out. They’re like, “What? You’re here to snowboard?” They look at you like you’re crazy and take pictures––it’s so funny.

 

SLUG: Are you really going to buy a trailer for the summertime? Where do you want to go?

Hobush: I want to go up to Mt. Hood, camp, do summer stuff and venture all over the U.S. I have a girlfriend and two dogs, so just go travel with them, have a good summer and hopefully a motorcycle.

 

SLUG: Who’s sponsoring Brandon Hobush?

Hobush: Nitro, ThirtyTwo, Etnies, Milosport, Anon Goggles, Monster, Bear Mountain, Crab Grab, Cobra Dogs, Celtek Gloves, Goddamn … that’s everything I think.

 

SLUG: Grand Theft Auto 5 or Fifa?

Hobush: Both. Soccer’s the sickest sport, and Grand Theft Auto’s sick as shit because you can do whatever the fuck you want.

 

SLUG: Can you talk about your pro-model coming out in 2014/15?

Hobush: Nitro hooked me up with my own snowboard. I got to design it with Dave Doman, so that was obviously what I’ve been going for my whole life. I don’t really know what to say. I guess when I get it, it’ll really set in, but until then …

 

SLUG: Your brother Christian joined you in the HDHR ’13 comp. How does having him around help you, and where do you think he’s headed?

Hobush: Having my brother around is the best thing ever. I wish he could travel with me because he’s insane at snowboarding. He’s definitely getting helped out by ThirtyTwo and Nitro, so now all he’s gotta do is go snowboard and have fun––hopefully it all works out for him.

 

SLUG: Who’s one of your favorite people to ride with?

Hobush: Me and Dylan Alito just put our money together and got us a winch, so we’re gonna be going real fast this winter––ready to send some big shit. That’s why I like riding with Dylan so much. Me and him just love hitting rails and we mesh well together. He hits the same stuff I do, but then at the same time, he goes crazy and hits big stuff––he knows how to build that stuff super proper and legit. I just trust Dylan a lot when I snowboard with him. It helps.

 

SLUG: Top 3 favorite snowboard movies.

Hobush: True Life, all Robot Food movies, Resistance.

 

SLUG: Shout outs.

Hobush: Mom, Dad and family, all my friends, Zee Spleef Crue, Lick The Cat, Fuck Yeah.

 

As we slip further into winter, Hobush tells SLUG that he just wants to get back onto snow and film his projects for the New Year. With Europe trips already in preparation, top secret plans for his new video part, and with Dylan Alito there to keep morale high, this season guarantees an interesting return from Hobush. Those too eager to wait for his Bear Mountain edits coming out of California in coming months can find his current hammers in Keep the Change’s Roll Call movie released this fall. Find it at your local snow video dealer, or get the realest scoop following the man on his Instagram @bush_party. Get at it!