Locals Only with Krush Kulesza

SDS Updates

Oct 23, 2009 - 03:57 PM EDT

The Northwest is a very unique place when it comes to snowboarding. They are very protective of their scene or lack there of and look after their own. Krush has been playing a role in this for well over a decade and lives by the rule that “If you not making snowboarding better today than it was yesterday, get out and let some new blood in the mix.” That is the thought process that has let him stay un-jaded, always put a pow day first and help generation after generation of shreds from the NW make there mark.

The Basics: Who are you, what your deal, and how long have you been living on top of that damn pass?
My name is Krush Kulesza…I am the Youth Marketing guy for The Summit at Snoqualmie and Head Honcho of Snowboy Productions…I’ve been holding it down through landslides and pow days for 8 years now…took 5 years to build our house but should be done in a couple weeks…but I’ve been saying that for 4 ½ years so…

What makes Snoqualmie Pass home? Did you ever call other NW resorts home?
Started in ’90 at Red Mountain in BC…cut my teeth at Mt Spokane for a few years then quit my job and lived in the parking lot in my van at Red Mountain for 3 years followed by a year at Whitewater…then started Snowboy Productions and was back in the Spokanistan zone up until 2000 when I got an opportunity at the Summit…been growing moss on myself up here since and shit’s been good.

NW shred scene is about as tight as it gets, what do you think is the key things that have happened or are still happening to keep it so tight?
I think it’s just that it’s not about a scene up here…I don’t think there are as many people who just want to be in the mix to be cool or shit like that…it’s just a bunch of people who are really passionate about snowboarding that end up hanging out without all the fluff that you might find in other zones.

Legends from the Pass? Who are they, pretty much name drop? What are the new kids coming up?
Peter, Jamie, Ranquet, Schlosser...it goes on for days…such a sick history of snowboarding…and the great thing is that so many of them still live and ride here…they traveled the world and saw a lot of shit but still come back home…I think that speaks a lot about the area.
As far as the new dudes…Austin Hironaka is blowing up, Austen Sweetin, Burtner’s still killing it…Jacob Krugmire is gonna explode this year…and a grip of kids just feeding off of the notoriety those dudes are getting…their like, damn, if that dude can make a spot for himself in this then I can too.

You have been part of a lot of film shoots, photos shoots, etc. Why have you been so supportive of this? Give me some of the best shit you seen go down?
I just dig doing special little projects like that…you go out and play in the snow…build some shit and jump off it…same stuff you thought was cool when you were 7 years old is still rad…plus it’s always a challenge to film in the NW so you’ve got to be good at pulling the trigger or coming up with a quick backup…it’s the crews that thrive on that creativity that I enjoy the most.

One shoot that really stands out is during the second year I was here Oakley and Absinthe did a big shoot during filming for POP…I was on top of the Oly can/watertower at Hyak with Rice when he did the bomb-drops off that which was sick…after he bagged it most of the crew all scattered to other spots…Terje comes up to me and asks what it looks like from up top so we climb back up and he drops it a few times with just a filmer, Zapalac and myself there…that day was really special…six months later the coverage started coming out and it’s been full bore ever since.

Alpental vs. Baker?
Two different spots that both mean a lot to me…Baker is a truly magical spot and I’m not trying to sound all hippy shit…it’s just fucking magical…I came to the Banked Slalom in ’96 I think and stayed in the upper lot in my van for a week…that week changed my life…I basically came back and started Snowboy Productions in attempt to create events that captured some of the soul of the LBS…I still go there every year but it feels a little different now…so many film crews are there and it feels a little blown out…but I might just be old sentimental guy.
Alpental is amazing too…and I only have to drive 2 minutes to be there…I try to stay away on the busy days and try to keep it mellow when I’m there…I’m in no rush to get that spot more hype…every crew wants to film there but I probably turn down 9 out of 10 requests…I tend to save those favors for the crews that have been filming at West or Central for years…you gotta earn that.

You have been around for a long time now. What do you think is the most important things to keep snowboarding strong and moving forward?
Just keep looking at it like you did when you first started…this is all a business and we have to make money and make all these different groups happy but you need to stop every once in awhile and make sure you’re making shit better…is what I’m doing today making snowboarding radder then it was yesterday? Hopefully so…otherwise get out and let some new blood get in the mix.

Is there any major secrets left up at the pass? Like hidden shit NOBODY knows about, or the best hang in town that is yet to be blow out?
Got a couple sweet spots at my house that I’ve been waiting to film…scare the neighbors a bit…there’s tons of shit that still hasn’t been tapped at the resort…we’ve got so much terrain that by the time you get back to a zone you filmed at before it’s been five years and it’s new to the kids who weren’t in the mix before.

Last words – Speak your mind.
Shit man I don’t know…just passed final inspection on my house today…did the Downtown Throwdown in Seattle last weekend…Johnny Lazz was killing it by the way and get me Laurent to judge next year…got the Back Yard Bang in Portland coming up…Summit pre-season events all over the place…been working insane hours for about 9 months straight…so I got an 18 pack of Rainier Beer…some samurai movies and a date with my pillow.