Main image: Brian Skorupski sends a backside 360 tailgrab through the smoke of the fireworks on Canada Day. Photo: Ben Shanks Kindlon.

With temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a merciless sun beating down upon British Columbia, the Blackcomb glacier seemed a welcome respite from the heat. Up high on Whistler Blackcomb‘s summer abode the riders at Camp of Champions have been firing on all cylinders. Everyone at Week A of Camp of Champions, from the brothers McMorris to Danyale Patterson and the Too Hard squad, was enjoying their shred-time in the sunshine.

And flying off jumps with long, rowdy hair and a Canadian flag worn around his neck as a cape, Yawgoon Brian Skorupski was hard to miss. While Brian’s riding style and approach in snowboarding may come off as a bit intense, his humble demeanor and positive attitude towards life are anything but. In between sweaty, slushy hot-laps through the park Brian sat down to share his thoughts on this past season, the Yawgoons (featured in issue 12.3 of frequency), camp and his plans for the future.

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How did this winter go for you and the Yawgoons?

This past winter was definitely a different one for me, and I think for everyone. We had such an abundance of snow in Rhode Island, and around the East Coast in general, it was crazy. There were so many crews coming out to Rhode Island and we had a lot of people rolling through Yawgoo [Valley] this year.

I think the [Yawgoons’] videos kind of started to put Yawgoo [Valley] on the map. People were hitting us up like, “How do I come hit Yawgoo? Where’s the chain rail?” It was a definitely busy winter, and a very productive one street-wise and filming-wise for the Yawgoons videos in general. There was more opportunity in the streets than ever because of the abundance of snow and crews on the East Coast. It made for an awesome season. Now I’m lucky enough to be out here for the Yawgoons week at Camp of Champions.

You used to be a camper here?

Yeah, when I was in seventh grade I first got the opportunity to come out here. I came back the following year and then again at the end of high school as a graduation present.

How does it feel to be invited back as a featured rider?

Marcus [Rand], Mary [Rand] and I are out here for Week A of Camp [of Champions] to ride with the campers, but we’re more just shredding with them than we are coaching.

It’s interesting to see the other side of the spectrum. I just want to get every kid hyped on this place, and on snowboarding in general. I also try to always be at the off-hill activities, kicking it with the kids and doing everything for them that my coaches did for me when I was a camper. I think that’s the most important thing: making sure that everyone is happy. I never want to see a camper not having a good time.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/127025690

Yawgoon: Brian Skorupski from rotten marcus on Vimeo.

How do the camper’s attitudes towards snowboarding affect yours?

I was riding up the lift this week with a kid from Miami, FL, and it was his ninth day ever snowboarding. I took a lap with him and we went to hit the small jump. He was so stoked on grabbing an Indy that, I don’t know, it just got me hyped.

Seeing these younger riders getting stoked on learning new tricks gets me stoked on learning new tricks of my own. It’s inspiring to see, and seeing it always makes me want to feel a part of it.

It’s such a mellow vibe. I think it’s one of my favorite vibes in terms of no one being pushy. If you want to just be mellow and lap all day, there’s nothing wrong with that and no one’s going to get mad at you. But if you want to go and send it and go-for-broke then everyone will surely encourage it. Here you’ve got the freedom to make it what you want.

How does riding here compare to riding Yawgoo Valley?

Nothing can really compare to Yawgoo. That’s always the big question: What’s it like riding there? And it’s tough to explain. The whole rope-tow aspect really adds to its greatness, with never having to unstrap it makes the place essentially feel like an endless lap. That’s what I like and how I really get going on the hill, hot-lapping and riding non-stop.

But coming out here is so sick. The park crew killed it, and really exceeded mostly everyone’s expectations considering the lack of snow they are working with. I’ve been getting to practice jumping a lot more, something I don’t usually get to do at Yawgoo. And these jumps — they’re insane. No rainbow boxes though, I don’t know what’s going on with that… How ya doin’?

What’s next for Brian Skorupski and the Yawgoons?

After we leave camp we’re going to meet up with Dylan [Gamache] and Brendan [“Dr. B” Gouin], then all of us are headed to Mt. Hood. After that I plan to return to Rhode Island and buckle down on some work.

As for next winter, I think I’m going to start to try to do more travelling. I would like to get out of Rhode Island and see other mountains and ride different terrain. I really want to keep doing videos with the Yawgoons and filming street, but I think some time out west would be sick. We’ll always be a crew, the Yawgoons. We’re going to keep making edits to keep the hype real, but more importantly to just keep having fun. That’s the most important thing, because if we’re not having fun, then what are we doing?

A big thank you to Ken Achenbach and Shelby Clark from Camp of Champions and Chris McLeod from Whistler Blackcomb for the hospitality. The Blackcomb Glacier is riding just fine — get up there soon to get your fix of summer snowboarding.