Colin Adair photo. Whistler, BC.

Chas Guldemond Extended Interview from Young Bucks in the November Issue - On Newsstands now!

Interview by Tawnya Schultz

March 22nd, 2009 was not just any old payday for Chas Guldemond. In fact, with around $145,000 in his back pocket by the end of the day’s US Open events, Chas walked away with the single largest one-day payout ever in snowboarding. Add that to his other "first" as the only rider to land a 1440 in competition, and you have a pretty compelling resume for any athlete, let alone an amateur. This born-and-bred East Coaster, a staple on the contest scene, continues to mark his territory in the sport simply for the love of it. Beyond the piles of prize money, Chas is also a Standard Films star and loves pushing his limits on the silver screen. As one of the most focused riders in the game, "Chuck G," as his friends call him, has kept his head on straight, never taking his success for granted. One thing is for certain, though: He won’t be an amateur for too much longer.

Where did you grow up and how did you get into snowboarding?

I grew up in Laconia, New Hampshire. I started skiing when I was about 4 years old. I skied until I was nine- ski racing at a school on the weekends. My friend who actually recently passed away brought snowboarding to my brother and my brother checked it out and we did it on a golf course. My brother got hooked and then my dad started doing it. Then one day I stole my brother’s snowboard while he was at school and took it out behind my house with a little jump and strapped into it with some little Sorel boots. The next thing you know I was doing little crotch rocket grabs on my brother’s little Burton board. I was hooked after that. Then about a half a year later I was skiing and snowboarding on the mountain. For about a year I did both skiing and snowboarding and then after that year I did my first contest and did pretty well. I beat my brother who had been doing it for three years longer than I had and then I quite skiing.

How old were you at that time?

I was around 9.

Nate Christenson photo. Falls Creek, Australia.

Did you end up finishing school in New Hampshire?

I started doing USASA contests and traveling around the East Coast for about four years. I was fortunate enough that my parents helped me out going to a snowboard academy- Waterville Valley Academy. I had a great coach there and I went there with Pat Moore. Pat and I grew up riding together all the time. It was a super good program and I really had a good time with it and they’d let me skip class to go snowboarding. I made the best of it with having younger teachers and people I could relate to. I took advantage of it in a way which isn’t necessarily a good thing but it worked out for me. I just didn’t really like school that much. My senior year I decided not to do the snowboard school and did nine classes at my high school. So I did that and graduated in December of ‘05 and two days after that I had to take the SAT’s because my Mom made me and I pretty much slept through them. The next day I shipped out to Tahoe to live for the winter. I lived in a house with (pro riders) Pat Moore and Mitch Reed. I had sponsors at the time but really wasn’t that hooked up so I was pretty much by myself all the time. Pat and Mitch would be traveling so I would be hitchhiking back and forth to the mountain everyday and hanging out at the house by myself all the time. All I did was pretty much shred by myself everyday at Northstar.

How did you end up getting involved with DC?

The next year I was on the same program. I rented out that same house with my friend Danny. I got third at the Vans Tahoe Cup and that’s when I got hooked up with the manager at DC.

Do you get to ride with the guys on the team very often?

Um, not really. No I just started getting hooked up from DC and the next year I started doing things with them. I got second at the US Open- there was a lot of controversy that year- and got a couple video parts in 2006. The next year opportunities really started coming my way. I started making a living on what I was doing so my dream had pretty much come true.

Portrait by Colin Adair

You won one of the biggest payout in the sport last year- $100,000 for the Burton Global Series.

I won $155,000 in one day! I came in to the Open with a good chance of winning the Burton Global tour because of my consistency last season. I pretty much just had to watch out for a couple other guys and pull some consistent results myself. In my qualifying run Charles Reid didn’t qualify for finals so in my qualifying run I pretty much knew that I had won $100,000. I went on to finals and put down a sick run and won the Open- that was another $20,000. I had been working on all the tours that year so I ended up placing second in TTR so that was another $25,000. It’s pretty crazy because I’ve been doing the US Open for eight years and finally won it. It was pretty insane. It took me a little while to come along and learn. Things were never just handed to me and you know everything happens for a reason and things seem to always happen the way I want them to. I put my work into the Open for nine years and finally won it so it means a lot instead of just coming in and getting lucky so that was really cool.

Nate Christenson photo. Tahoe backcountry.

Your generation of riders seems to be making investments and thinking about their future more than the previous. What’s your take on it?

I learned from Pat Moore. When I was 17 and we were living together, he bought his first place. My girlfriend of four years (snowboarder Drea Russell)- at the end of my ’07 season- she was like “You gotta do something with all this money.” And you know I’m not the smartest guy in the world so I’m like “What are we going to do?” Her and I bought a house in Tahoe and money wise as of right now it wasn’t the best call but being in that house the last few years my career has prospered quite a bit. I think people are starting to realize you have to make the best opportunities off what you’re given so that’s what I’m trying to do- just save for my future and my family. I don’t party too hard. I’m a pretty conservative guy. I don’t blow my money and live like a rockstar. I’m a simple man so it’s easy for me to save money and instead of giving is all to the government I might as well buy houses with it. So far I’ve got two houses and the investments are going good.

Nate Christenson photo. Tahoe backcounrty.

Who do you see as your biggest competitors?

There’s the guy’s that are good but party all the time and win when they get lucky. Then there’s the guy’s that are serious about what they do- don’t party, they’re at all the contests and their skills are on point and those are the guys I watch out for – like Charles Reid. Torstein [Horgmo] is always pretty focused. Shaun White obviously. Sebastien Toutant is young and strong and has a good head on his shoulders so I guess I’ll watch out for him too. Anybody can win on that particular day. What the course looks like and who it favors-it’s pretty crazy how it works out. It’s kind of nerve-wracking and with the expectations from the people who support you. There’s a lot on my shoulders for someone like myself. I work pretty well under pressure though.

Who do you have respect for on the scene and look to for inspiration?

There are a bunch of people that I look up to. Chad Otterstrom’s always been one of my favorites. He seems like he loves snowboarding and is always having a good time. He doesn’t take it too seriously but at the same time he’s serious about what he does. Travis Rice always gives a crazy perspective of what you can do. It’s always crazy to watch his season unfold in video parts. It’s kind of the opposite of what I do. He films and does whatever he wants and I’m kind of on a set schedule and I do all the contests. He’s set the standard to be at the point where he can do whatever the hell you want and it’s pretty crazy to see what he can come up with every year. And then the guys like Terje who’ve had a long amazing career. He has a family and is still a really cool guy and fucking kills it on a snowboard so it’s cool to ride with him. I’m only done it a couple times but it’s amazing every time. This generation I’m just trying to focus on myself but I appreciate the guys in the past that set the standard and marked the path that I’m following; Jamie Lynn, Terje, Otterstrom- all the killers.

Because of them you’re able to win the amount of money you are.

They kept the sport going for the love of it. There’s a lot of money and politics involved nowadays.

What advice can you give up-and-comers and kids that look up to you?

Just make sure you’re out there having a good time and you’re doing it for the right reasons. It’s not about the money or the sponsors. It’s not about who you are, which American society basis on how cool people are, who they are, and who they know. It’s kind of bull shit. But just make sure you love yourself and you’re there for the right reasons, you’re having a good time and you’re respectful of other people. It’s a cool sport that is here because people have fun doing it and it should stay that way. It shouldn’t be about if you’re famous or not if you have money or not. I think a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons. There are a lot of athletes that are just doing it for those reasons. They’re just doing it because they have to. If you’re not into it for the right reasons just leave the game and work construction. That’s what I would do if I wasn’t having fun with it. If I wasn’t having fun riding my snowboard, training and trying to learn new tricks I’d just make it a hobby and start working construction and do something different otherwise you’re just wasting other people’s time. Most importantly people just need to love themselves and love what they’re doing.

Good advice for sure. Who you reppin’?

DC, Rockstar, Electric, Porter’s Tahoe, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Kicker Audio.