Tyler Lepore
Would you please state your name?
Tyler Lepore.
How old are you?
I just turned twenty-two on April 11.
How long have you been snowboarding?
Aw, dude, since '91. Yeah, quite a while--over ten years.
Where do you live?
Vancouver, British Columbia.
Do you have a dual citizenship?
That is correct--Canadian vs. American.
Who is Canadian and who is American?
I'm Canadian and the parents are American (laughs).
How has your season (2001-02) been?
It's been going pretty good. I had a lot of fun, but I hurt my back around the end of the season. So, when the good weather hit, I kind of got shafted, but whatever. I had a great year, man, for sure.
What are your plans for the Summer?
My Summer consists of relaxing, basically--that's going to be the main goal. I just put my bike together. I just got a twenty-four-inch cruiser, so I've been riding my bike a lot. I'm skateboarding as much as possible--just the usual, man. I gotta move here in a bit. That's going to take up some of my Summer. I definitely want to travel. I'd like to go to Montreal, cuz I've never checked out Eastern Canada, and I'm kind of anxious to see what that's all about.
Where are you moving?
I'm moving somewhere in Vancouver--a different location. I'm also going to move to Whistler this year during the season. It's just too far from the city--it's kind of a trek.
What ThirtyTwo boots have you been riding?
I've been riding the Team One.
How do you like 'em?
They're good. They're nice and stiff, man--just the way I like 'em. They don't give out and they haven't even softened up on me. I'm hooked on 'em.
What's your involvement with Capita Snowboards?
I'm just a member of the team, snowboarding for them and I also help out with some art stuff. They've got an art department going, which just consists of some board graphics and getting help with the ads, and stuff like that. I just give imput and whatnot.
What do you do during the off-season?
I just try to stay in shape, man. The main thing I do when I get up every morning is exercise. I just can't stay still. I've been riding my bike twice a day, and I think I've been on my skateboard every single day for the last two weeks, almost. Just skateboarding, biking and basically getting outside, man. I can't really handle the great indoors in the Summer. It's too nice outside. I've gotta do anything, being outdoors and chillin'.
Who are your influences in snowboarding?
When I started snowboarding or now?
Uh, now.
There are a lot of kids that are really good nowadays--it blows minds. I've gotta say that when I was younger, I was really into Jamie Lynn and Blaise Rosenthal. I used to ride with Blaise and just, like, trip out. Dave Lee, Todd Foster. Nowadays, some people come and some people go, but I gotta say watching LeBlanc ride is pretty much off the hook. The Forum heads--Devin, for sure. I like watching John Carr ride snowboards, he's a good dude. TJ Schneider, who rides for Capita now. That guy does pretty crazy shit. Then just the usuals like Kevin, and Todd is pretty nuts. Dude, I don't know. I can't even answer that, it just varies from day-to-day. I'll see some dude and be like, "Fuck, that guy rides sick!"
Yeah, the progression is getting stronger and stronger.
That's the hardest question ever.
What motivates you to wake up in the morning and get out there to do your thing, besides the checks?
Aw, man. I don't know. You don't want to not snowboard in the Summer--it's not like I sleep in. I just love getting up early (laughs). You wake up in the morning, there's fresh snow and you've got the best job in the world, already. So, why not just get up and get to it? It's just snowboarding--you get up and snowboard and it's what you do. You never think about how you feel about getting up early, you just get up because there's fresh snow, or you gotta go shoot photos--it's fun. It's not like it's work or bothersome.
What advice do you have for kids that are trying to get sponsored and pursue snowboarding as a career?
Um, it's only going to really happen you if you love snowboarding, man. If you know you're good enough to do it, but you're going to be half-assed about it and your heart's not in it, you're not really going to get anywhere. If you're just down with snowboarding from day one and you've been chasing the dream, windows and opportunities are going to come your way that might not happen for other kids. Just be positive, man. Get out there and work hard. I sound like some baseball coach, or something. You just gotta love what you do. If you love what you do, it shows and then, obviously, people take notice of that and the ball is set in motion.