Singles Ski

photo: Tim Peare

Have you ever realized how names tend to define a persons character? Take “Dan” for example – chances are he’s either a workaholic or a drunk (usually both). Pam? Loyal and endearing. Brandon? Weird, borderline psychotic. Nick? Whatta dick. Patrick? Don’t even get me started on the fucking name Patrick. As for Eddie, that ones a little harder to gauge, as prior to this interview, I’d only known two of them, one of which broke his arm trying to impress my sister by dancing on a chair. This being the case I decided to use my interview with Mr. Wall as the deciding factor in determining the characteristic traits for all the Eddies of the world.

“SURVEY SAYS!” Fun loving. Humorous. Persistent. Driven. And of course, talented – except at dancing on chairs.

YoBeat: So how about that Bozung interview?

Eddie: Pretty crazy.  I’ve known Nate for a long time and he’s a good guy. I guess it’s a bummer that he’s getting really deep into the party scene.  On the other hand it’s easy to sit back and judge people and a lot of people do that to Nate so I don’t want to be one more person doing that.  I just hope he stays safe and maybe someday soon he’ll be over the whole serious party thing.

Were you more stoked on your first pro model glove, or your first pro-model board?

Board for sure!  My glove was rad because it was with Grenade and they were all my homies.  But my first board was a big deal for me…having a pro-model had always been a dream for me, so I was really stoked on that.

Is it cool having a dad that shreds or do you ever wish he’d just ski like a normal dad so you didn’t have to ride with all the time? How did he feel about having his own glove?

It’s awesome having a dad who rides.  Why the hell would I want him to ski, that’s ridiculous! We started riding together in 1993 and haven’t stopped since – he’s one of my favorite people to ride with!  He was so stoked on his glove! Pretty sure he’s the only snowboarder who can say that he got a pro model glove at age 56!

Speaking of which, is Grenade going to give you that glove back – kick pops off the team?

I don’t know, I should ask Danny about that. Definitely not kicking my pops off the team!  Grenade is sick; it’s just a bit different now from back in the day. All the good homies are gone but at least Danny is still there.

It’s a good thing you can’t see that base graphic… Photo: Tim Peare

You’ve had some obvious sponsor changes over the last year, so let’s talk about those starting with DC. I would think spinning a backside-five on an eight-pound snowboard alongside your boss, Ken, who is in a one-ton automobile would win you some lifer-points?

Yeah – it was just bad timing really.  Both my Forum and DC contracts were up at the same time.  Obviously I had to choose going ‘head to toe’ with one of the brands because with DC making boards and outerwear it was a major conflict riding for both companies.  I couldn’t really decide between the two.  At the same time the economy was struggling and the snow industry was cutting budgets everywhere.  Basically, Forum thought I was going to DC and DC thought I was going to Forum and neither had any more budgets – just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  But it ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Which brings us to Weekend…

Exactly! At the same time two of the main people at Forum weren’t happy with how things were going there and teamed up with a friend from Circa skateboarding and started Bond Outerwear and Weekend Snowboards.  I’m so hyped to be part of a smaller, more rider driven company that three of my good friends started.

How are shops taking to the brand? With the addition of Heikki you’ve got a pretty solid group.

I think shops and people in general are really stoked on Bond and Weekend.  Dan, Christian and Rob all have good reputations in the industry and I think everyone is just down to support what they are doing and want to help them succeed.  The company is just down for snowboarding with no bullshit.  It’s small and it works. I’m stoked to be on the same team as TJ and Heikki.

And trucker hats for only $10? And that’s with a patch, not just some lousy screen print.

Yeah and the best part is that they’re the good fitting hats -the ones that are deep and not goofy looking like the ones that stop an inch before your ears and have a tiny brim.

Was Peter bummed on your bon voyage?

Yeah, I think so.  Peter and I became really good friends right when we met and have been over the past ten years. We even fly to Seattle to celebrate Thanksgiving with him.  That’s what sucks about changing companies- it has nothing to do with the brand; it’s leaving the team. After 10 years, those guys are like family.  I see them a bit less now, but change is good and I’m stoked to be with Bond.

Explain videohypershred.

VHS is a video site.  The departure from Forum and DC forced me to come up with a new filming plan, so instead of going with a film company I teamed up with Pierre to start videohypershred.com (VHS).  We update it every day with video clips all related to snow, skate, surf, pros, partying, etc.  We figured that with the easy access of the Internet why bother filming all year for one DVD.  Instead, lets show people what we are doing every single day.  Then at the end of the year we’ll combine it all for a movie. We have some really big plans to expand it for this coming season.

Is it harder being a professional snowboarder or a blogger?

It’s harder being both at the same time.  Riding all-day and traveling is tough enough, but to have to be editing, posting and coming up with ideas everyday is pretty hard work. It’s nonstop now!

Have you had any good run-ins with Internet thuggery on VHS?

You mean someone hacking the site? No, fortunately not.  And we don’t have comment boards because everyone knows those are fucking useless.  People just talking shit who have no idea what they’re even saying – so classic.

Pierre chilled bit on posting and you had to pick up the slack. Are you guys getting burnt out yet?

Pierre headed back to Sweden and got a little burnt because he was working really, really hard at the end of the year. So, I think when he got home he just wanted to just chill.  It’s kind of a bummer because we were getting tons of views and then the site wasn’t updated for two months and I think a lot of people thought it was over. I thought it was over! But then I learned how to film, use final cut, edit, and post updates and have gotten our views back up since then.  Pierre is still involved, just relaxing until winter.  We have huge plans for VHS this season!

Traveling in style. Photo: Tim Peare

You’ve rung up some pretty expensive bar tabs in your day – do you ever get bummed when you stop and think that you could have fed a small village in a third world country or built them a school instead of blowing the money getting shit-faced?

I haven’t had that many crazy bar tabs. It’s not like I’m Paris Hilton. There have been a couple of times after I’ve won a contest that I’ve used some of the winnings to open up the bar for all the homies. But that’s just so everyone can have a good time.  I haven’t fed any villages but I did give 10K to the Mammoth skate park for the street section so the kids there can have a positive hobby and something good to do with their time.

What was your childhood like? Did mom and dad get along or did every payday result in a heated bitch fest?

No, my parents were awesome.  They actually were really against yelling so it was mellow.  Plus, I left home for boarding school when I was fourteen so I wasn’t really at home much after.  My parents are pretty much my best friends.

What sort of things do mean little school children say if they are looking to make fun of a kid named Eddie Wall?

I don’t know that I had any funny or mean nicknames. I’m a pretty non-confrontational guy so if someone were ever being mean to me I would either try to avoid them or become their friend (laughs). In second grade I peed my pants in the library because the teacher wouldn’t let me go to the bathroom. That was embarrassing but they gave me a pair of pants to change into and I don’t think anyone ever found out.

How old were you and where did you live when you started riding?

I was thirteen and lived in Rome, PA.  I had a little board from K Mart – not the one with bindings but the one with the little rope on the nose.  I would just go in my front yard until I eventually made it to a resort for the first time. It was a really tiny place that only had three lifts but back then I thought it was huge.

Slightly better than PA shredding. Photo: Peter Morning

What prompted the move to Mammoth – a pro career or just riding?

By the time I was 18 I knew you could be a pro but I didn’t know what it meant.  I didn’t know if they made a living off winning contests, photos or what. So, it was complicated when I was telling my friends and family that I was moving out west to try to be a pro snowboarder when I didn’t really know what the hell it was.  I just knew that they probably got to ride a lot and that was the only thing I cared about.  It’s funny to think back on because when I moved out here I could only do backside fives and frontside threes – those were the only two tricks I knew (laughs).

When exactly were you “discovered” – where did your rise to celebrity begin?

In Mt. Hood in 2000 – I washed dishes at Windells and rode all day, everyday. I think a few people noticed me then, maybe my determination over my riding (laughs).  All I wanted was to be a good snowboarder and to eat, breath and sleep it.  The winter of 2000/2001 K2 put me on their team and I got on DC about the same time. Soon after I met Kevin Jones while riding the Mammoth park and he put my on Jeenyus, which is really what kicked off my career.

Were you bummed when the powers that be pulled the plug on Jeenyus?

Yeah, it was a bummer because Jeenyus was awesome.  It was a close team and a fun company.  I had my first pro model for a year and we were working on my next one when the switch came.  I actually have it at home but I don’t think they were ever released. The only thing that made the whole situation okay is that we all just switched to Forum and by then I had become friends with those guys. I was stoked to be on the same team with Peter, Devun, Jeremy and everyone else.

Besides washing dishes you also used to be a janitor. Do you ever think about getting back into the custodial service industry? Maybe get yourself a nice retirement plan?

Yeah, I was a janitor at Kirkwood, CA and in Mammoth from 1999-2001 or something.  It was actually a pretty chill job.  I don’t know if I would ever go back to it, but I do like working outdoors. I could mow lawns or something and be stoked doing landscaping but for now I just want to keep snowboarding and chucking myself down stairs.

What was the grossest mess you’ve ever had to clean up?

Sometimes people poo in a paper towel and wipe it all over the stalls. We would always rock-paper-scissors to decide who would have to clean it up. For some reason I never had to, thank God! But yeah, poo and puke obviously both suck. The women’s bathrooms and their “sanitary napkin box” were always the worst – so dirty. Not fun. Not fun at all.

Prepping for another day at the office. Photo: Peter Morning

You ever feel the stress of having the young bucks hot on your tail, looking to take you out?

Of course – that definitely keeps a fire lit under any pro’s ass.  The new generations are always willing to kill themselves even more, which makes us more motivated to keep trying scary shit.  Obviously at some point the young bucks will take our spots for sure, but that’s what we did to the guys before us. You can’t be pro forever but for now I feel good and want to work really hard and keep chuck myself down stairs and off of shit for the next few years. Some seasons are great and some are a struggle but snowboarding and filming are what I love and I have no intentions of slowing down.

Given your old man, at least you know you have longevity on your side.

Exactly! Yeah, my dad is 60 and a few days ago in Mt Hood he 50-50′d a 25ft rail.  Insane.  He’s an inspiration. Age is a number, period. Look at Danny Way and Andrew Reynolds. Both had the best parts of their careers past age 32. You just have to live healthy and work hard.

Any thank yous or buzz offs?

Thanks to anyone who has ever supported my riding and dreams. And a big thanks to everyone who told me that I could never be pro – that gave me dedication. There’s this private snowboard school on the East coast that I applied to and they didn’t accept me because they said my snowboarding wasn’t good enough.  So, I would like to thank them for denying my application because although it crushed me, it gave me so much motivation to prove to those bastards that I could do it.