Published in Whitelines Magazine Issue 92, November 2010

Article by Nicolas Muller

Each month WL’s resident Yoda, Devun Walsh, answers your questions about snowboarding, the universe and everything.

Hi Devun,

I’m in a bit of a dilemma – I love snowboarding but I don’t know whether to keep going and try to makea career out of it or go to university. I figure if I take the studying option then I can probably forget my sponsorship dream?

Graham Jones

Graham, you’re in a tough spot. Live the dream or go to school? Well, is it possible for you to go all in at snowboarding for a year or two, and if you’re not moving in the direction of sponsorship pull the plug and do the school route? That’s what I would do – live the dream for a bit and if it doesn’t pan out go to university, work in the snow industry and still ride for a living.

Hey Dev,

I love your backside 180 no-grabs. What’s the secret?

Callum Davenport

Callum, thanks man – appreciate that. There’s no secret, I just really love skateboarding. Growing up, ollieing stairs and backside 180’ing big gaps was what I was so into, so I decided to bring that skate style to my snowboarding.

What’s up Devun,

I only ever see you ride the backcountry, which is what I like doing too. Do you practice your tricks in the park first or is it better to get straight out there?

Will Greeves

Yeah Will, I like to hone my skills on the mountain first – mostly free riding on the hill hitting natural jumps and drops. But I definitely hit park tables too for practice. It’s a great place to learn shit. Glad to hear you’re into the backcountry, I love it!

Hi Dev,

This might sound a bit cheeky but I guess you started in the days before iPods? Do you rock music these days? What sort?

Nick Shore

Hahahaha! When I was a kid I used to have a walkman tape deck! I rock a lot of music while driving and travelling; not so much riding though as I find it antisocial with friends. I love West Coast hip hop:The Game, Nipsey Hustle, Ya Boy. I am so into the old hip-hop too – Mobb Deep, Nas, Wu-Tang, Capone and Noreaga to name a few. I also listen to a lot of 70sand 80s shit – too many to name. I pretty much like anything except the new pop radio garbage. Yeah I said it!

Hi Devun,

Me and some mates are saving up for a once-in-a lifetime heli boarding trip. What’s the best place you’ve been and where do you think we should go? Bearing in mind we’re not quite as good as you!

Adam Whittaker

You guys are going to be soooo stoked. Good time that heli skiing! I’ve been in Chile, New Zealand, Alaska and near my house in British Columbia (Whistler, Revelstoke and Terrace). I think best bang for the buck is in BC, there’s way more places to choose from. I heard Russia is quite good to but it seems sketchy to me. One thing to keep in mind: when I went to Alaska, if it wasn’t sunny we did not fly and I spent 10 straight days in a pub in Valdez waiting for a break in the weather! If you go somewhere like Whistler you can usually fly on grey days (because there’s tree skiing) so visibility is not such an issue as Alaska – where you can’t see shit when it’s grey. Also, if you go to BC you can ride the hill on down days if there’s a resort close by. Good luck, have fun and be safe.

Devun Walsh is a genuine snowboarding legend. Hailing from the west coast of Canada, he first rose to fame in the 1990s as a founding member of the Forum team. With his uncanny ability to soak up heavy landings, Devun’s backcountry prowess is un paralleled, throwing down super smooth freestyle tricks in powder. These days he is still charging hard for DC snowboards, in between sharing two decades of accumulated riding wisdom with the Whitelines readers.