Name- Carissa Comp
Age- 23
Born- June 25th 1985
Currently resides- Breckenridge Colorado
Home mountain- Breckenridge
Years riding- 8 years

SN: You were on the skis pretty much as soon as you could walk, what made you change to snowboarding?
CC: The switch to snowboarding was super difficult however I can give all the credit to my older brother who started snowboarding far before me and encouraged me all the way to make the switch.

SN: Some of your other hobbies include wake boarding and rock climbing, your a very outdoors person aren’t you?
CC: I have grown up being involved in all sorts of outdoor sports I don’t ever remember not being  active outside.

SN: How did spending your winters working at ski resorts help you develop your riding? Was it the exposure, the people or simply more time on the mountain?
CC: By working at the local ski resort i began to become friends with tons of guys that were much better riders than i was this always encouraged me to try and keep up with that said also being on the mountain everyday after school riding  my snowboard became so natural for me.

SN: At what point did you decide to ride comps and what was your motivation behind this?
CC: There was never one day when i got up out of bed and decided to compete. I was at Stevens pass with my brother and father when I competed in a boarder cross that wasn’t my thing so shortly after a started to be involved with slope style and rail jams.

SN: At that stage, was there many female divisions in pro comps? How does it compare to today?
CC: In the northwest there was very few contests for me to compete in because there was so much traveling involved in competing on the USASA circuit so I only rode in local rail jams which barley ever had a girls division.

SN: Tell me about the challenges of being a professional female rider when you first started to ride pro?
CC: Many companies tend to put there female athletes on the back burner it was always hard to stand up to the level of acknowledgment that the men were at.

SN: Do you still compete?
CC: I do still compete when it fits into my travel schedule, I have been super busy working with Roxy and filming this season.

SN: Tell me about your training regime?
CC: I spend every day on the hill riding the park and pipe or powder but also have been working with a strength trainer to keep my body strong.

SN: One of your goals in this sport is to inspire young girls to ride, tell me about this passion you have to build the industry for girls and increase the girls rep amongst all riders?
CC: Growing up I felt I never had a female athlete in the sport to look up to I was always surrounded by men. That always pushed me to be my best but never felt it was  a super positive way to be learning the sport. I have very recently been very involved with Roxy an all woman’s company that is now making skis and snowboards on top of winter apparel, this has given my the opportunity to be hands on with encouraging other women to get out there, be active all in a very friendly environment. Nothing beats having a girl that has been there to help you learn the sport and give you tips on and off the hill. I am working to make the snow sports industry inviting to all girls no matter there level/experience on the hill.

SN: Do you believe girls are getting more respect on the mountain today?
CC: Yes with out a doubt girls in the industry are making a huge impact and with lodes of all women’s gear available now it is more apparent than ever.

SN: Do you believe guys and girls should ride comps in the same division or do you believe is the separation?
CC: Separation in the divisions is a good thing in the comfort level for the girls as well as the fact that women’s body’s are built differently and do have very different capabilities at all levels.

SN: Torah Bright has really paved the way for young Aussie girls to take it to the world, do you come across many Aussies in your travels?
CC: Torah is our top athlete for Roxy and absolutely kills it, there are many others on the circuit that are amazing athletes as well Aussie women seem to be very involved in the industry.

SN: How do the Aussie girls stack up against the rest of the world?
CC: With Torah being one of the most visible women athletes in the world right now Aussie women are getting a ton of exposure. Just take a look at the X Game footage Torah won second place and had the most on air coverage over all of the other  female athletes.

SN: Lets talk about progression, snowboarder progression is at an all time high, how have you seen the girls stack up against the guys over the years?
CC: There used to be a major difference between women and men as far as ability level but i feel the gap is starting to close in. Hopefully soon there will be no gap what so ever.

SN: Your own personal progression has seen you move more into Superpipe over recent years, how is this coming along?
CC: I absolutely love riding the superpipe it is going better than ever and I have been able to see what a difference strength training has made. I would encourage all women to work on their strength it will only help us to go as big as the men are .

SN: What are your plans for the remaining months of this winter?
CC: I have a very full travel schedule and am looking forward to the chance to explore all of the mountains I visit, it has been a great snow year for us and I am taking full advantage by riding and filming in the back country.

SN: Going to come ride Australia in the southern winter? Have you ever ridden in Oz?
CC: I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to ride there yet but I would like to see how soon I will be changing that, in the past i have spent the summers here at Mt hood in Oregon. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

SN: Any last words?
CC: Thanks so much, and good luck to all of the girls out there getting into snowboarding.

Q / Your name is Laurent-Nicolas Paquin but most people know you as LNP. Some even call you Larry, what do you prefer to called? I prefer Laurent or Larry, I don’t like LNP.

Q / Rome SDS seems the perfect fit for your personality and you have been riding with them for over 5 years now, what’s it mean to be with a company like Rome versus a company like Burton? I’m backing Rome hard man, it’s a small company and I know everybody. From Georges who does all the gloves stuff to Cavan my TM. Brands like Burton have so many employees that you’ll never know who you’re talking to if ever you talk to them.

Q / Your outerwear sponsor is Holden, they make some pretty chilled gear – how involved do you get in the design process? This year I got my own signature fit, which are pretty tight jeans looking pants. I love Holden it’s the best, Mikey next year wants me to design a jacket and pants…it’s not 100% sure yet.

Q / This brings me onto your fashion sense, it’s unlike anyone else in snowboarding and you like it that way, right? Well it all depends how you look at it. We’re a lot wearing leather jackets and skinny pants, or riding with jeans. The thing is everybody is different and rides differently, so it makes everybody look different. TRJJ is not backing it for some reason…but whatever.

Q / Riding rails in tight pants, what is your secret? There is no secret really, It’s how I dress skateboarding or walking in the street. It’s comfortable and I’ve been wearing that for years now so I love it. I love how it looks too.

Q / Where you grew up has a lot of to do with your riding style today, are rails just more fun and more accessible than backcountry or is it the skateboarder in you? Well I was born in a little city that was covered in snow every winters and our resort are pretty small and icy. So when we first started filming the big thing was to not be at the resort so… we only had a city… so go to the city… and I’ve been doing that for ever now… so I love rail and think about hitting rails 24/7 that’s all.

Q / You’ve been regarded as one of the most innovative rail riders in snowboarding today, what drives your creativity to ride with such innovation? Just fun, whatever seems fun… it sounds super cheesy to say… but it’s the truth anyway. Sometimes scaring yourself a little helps… like doing gnarly shit.

Q / Where in the world is your favorite place to ride rails? Anywhere you don’t get bust and there is new spots. People would think Quebec, but I’ve been there forever so It gets hard to find new stuff… gotta say that Minnesota is rad… people and spots are A+.

Q / Street riding is a very unfamiliar concept in Australia – in fact its pretty much non-existent. What are the challenges in riding the streets? There is a lot of challenges, building the spots, shoveling the spot, getting busted. Also in the street, nothing is perfect shaped like in the park, there is always consequences.

Q / You were part of the Rome team shooting the Transworld Team Shoot-out, how did you enjoy that experience? It was really hard, it looked all cool but it sucked kinda. We had to snowboard from 6 pm to 3am for 7 days, that means waking up at 2pm. So we got pretty weird after a few days. It was like riding on concrete cause it was spring but at night it would freeze.

Q / How involved were all the riders in setting up the Team Shoot-out shoot? A little, we decided the setups, but all the lights and camera angle was all the media dudes. We rode – thats about it haha.

Q / Rome ended up winning and you got the cover shot, but it was only one of four for your season. How (if at all) does riding change with that level of exposure? None, I’m just hyped that mags are diging what I do. It feels cool to have a cover, my parents were hyped.

Q / Tell us more about your skateboarding, because it is actually still a bit part of your life, right? I’ve been skating for as long as I was snowboarding, so summer is skating and winter snowboarding.

Q / How (if at all) does skateboarding help you become a better snowboarder? A lot, I loved the whole freedom about skating, that you can just ride on everything in the street that you want. That’s what I try to do snowboarding, I guess some people aren’t backing it. I have a hard time understanding why, I love watching people shred pow… think it’s amazing. I also love to shred pow, filming it is harder that’s why you don’t see me a lot doing it.

Q / Being a rail rider there wouldn’t have been much lure to get to Australia to ride, any plans or hopes to in the near future? We still have some way fun hills! I like to jump off cliff and do some powder, shred the hills would be rad and I love to travel so I would love to go to Australia… skate maybe!?!

Q / What do you like most about filming with the Videograss crew? You guys seem to have a heap of fun. It’s a no stress crew, nothing is ”too small, too stupid, not snowboarding enough”. So it’s just shredding with friends having a good time, doing hammers!

Q / Have you had much chance to work with Aussie filmer Jan Snarksi with Videograss? Yeah, hands down the most amazing Australian dude. I’m backing my boy Jan 120%. He owes me a 6 pack though, he’s a heavy drinker and so am I.

Q / Plans for the rest of the 2010 season? I’m in SLC right now, it’s March and I’m on a clip rampage… trying to get some sort of part after 3 month of doing nothing with a broken back. Next winter, Rome is making a Vid so I’ll film for that… gonna try to do a little VG trip so I can have a little cameo in there. Trying to not hurt myself for sure.

Images courtesy of Rome Snowboards.

Apart from a trip to the Austrian Alps at the age of four, Pim was relatively unaware of snowboarding with an unavailability of any major resorts in Holland. “After I saw a snowboard half pipe contest in Fieberbrünn , Austria .  I really wanted to try that, so I did. One year later there was a indoor slope ten minutes from my house. As a kid I began to spend most of my spare time there” Pim said.

Growing up without resorts did not dampen or stifle Stigter’s commitment to succeeding in the sport he loved, “(The community) is like one big family because everybody knows each other, not the mention we only have 5 indoor slopes, and with only 5 places to snowboard in Holland your sure to know most of the guys who matter”

Pim says, having indoor resorts actually helped his development in the sport “The indoor centers helped to develop my skills on rails and kickers because the slope is open 365 days a year during the day and evening. You can do so many runs as  it’s a short run, and a fast lift so you are up in like one minute and down again in fifteen or twenty seconds. We always have a lot of rails and a twelve meter kicker during summer time. Holland is known by good rail riders and that’s because little kids ride rails all day long from a super young age.”

Like most passionate snowboarders Pim neglected his schooling a little with all the training required of a professional snowboarder, “I never liked school, like the most snowboarders, I was always skateboarding or snowboarding instead and not even thinking about going to school. Recently I have been attending Johan Cruyff College which has given me the reason and enthusiasm to go back to school again. It is designed for professional athletes, with all the lessons related to the sports industry. All the teachers are former professional athletes, so they understand the passion we have for the sport. It enables me to  fit the program around my snowboarding commitments.”

On his future, Pim says “I’m studying sport marketing & communication. I would love to stay in the snowboard scene when I’m to old to rock & roll. I like create and organize contests or something similar.”

Pim Stigter has been lucky to travel all around the world with his snowboarding. Living the never ending winter for years on end has been a dream. “Last season I was at the World Cup Big Air in Moscow in Russia, that was a really cool experience and this year I’ve been to the World Cup in Stockholm, Sweden and that was a little bit special because the coach of team Holland comes from Stockholm so he took us to all the cool places in town.”

Currently riding in the FIS World cup series, Pim has been riding the ups and downs of the snowboarders life with great enthusiasm, “This year is my second year in the FIS World Cup series and also the national team. I had a bad start this season because I had a broken leg so it took a while till I was riding at my former level again but I got 12th place in Sofia, Bulgaria and 21st in Graz, Austria so I’m very happy to be back on my snowboard.”

Snowboarders are renowned for their love of all sports extreme. Pim has grown up delving in a variety of sports from his childhood, we may be talking to the next Shaun White “Skateboarding and surfing are just hobby’s from me and I’m thinking about doing any contests at the moment, apart from snowboarding”

“I first started skateboarding at a very young age and I always liked everything with tricks. I just started surfing as well so for me it started all with skateboarding.”

The fun never ends for Pim, with an exhaustive season planned for 2009, we can certainly expect to see and hear a lot more from this rising star “I already had a super busy season, first I was to New Zealand than training for 5 weeks in Saas Fee, Switzerland and now I’m traveling for a and a half month through all of Europe.

After the Burton European Open and the Dutch Championships in Laax Switzerland, I’m in Italy for photo shoots. I also need to go to school for a few days,  than to Moscow in Russia for the World Cup, followed by some traveling and  filming for a Dutch snowboard movie.”

And the next few years for Pim? “No injuries, a lot of traveling, a lot of snowboarding and maybe even my school diploma.”

Whatever he does, his star is rising rapidly.

Pim wants to thank his sponsors O’neill, VANS, Elan snowboards, Skullcandy, Adidas eyewear, Giro, Veenman & Partners, Essae ICT, Snowworld and Dutchsnow.nl