About a year ago I visited the Pemberton, BC warehouse that Arena Snowparks (ASP) calls home to document the process of rail building and find out more about this rad company. Over the past decade, ASP has built itself into the number one builder of snowparks in the world, amongst other things they are in charge of the summer Camp of Champions park which is consistently being hailed as one of the best parks in the world. They were even tapped to build and maintain the pipe for the 2010 olympics in Vancouver as well as several other high profile international events over the past few years.
For reasons that need not be discussed, the video never quite made it out ... but all the better for you cause, well, shit, just shut up and watch the damn thing already and stop giving me a hard time. Things happen alright!
To make it seem like I blew it slightly less, I sent Steve Petrie, ASP founder and owner, a few questions to go along with the video cause, well, basically he has the best job in the world. The one every single kid dreams of, at least for a quick second. The dude makes snowboard jumps and rails for a living. How cool is that?!
Enjoy the video and check out what Steve had to say below!
33MAG: At what point did you realize you could make a real career out of building snow parks?
Steve: When I first started ASP in 2004 I wasn’t really sure if I could make a real career out of building snow parks. I was just looking for a new challenge so I figured I’d give it a shot. I ended up being so busy that first year that it kind of opened my eyes to the possibilities. With our contract with Camp of Champions and the work we do in the fabrication shop it eventually turned into a year round business.
It's been a year since we filmed this video. Have things been changing in the snow park game? Where do you see things going in the future?
We’re seeing a lot more demand for high-level training venues that are built and maintained to the same quality as if it were an event. We’re also getting more kids and parents contacting us about building rails and boxes for their back yard set-ups and ordering rakes so they can maintain it. The next generation of park builders I guess. In the future I’d like to work more with municipalities to help them set up community snowparks –similar to skateparks. Give the kids something to do after school or on the weekends if they can’t make it up to a resort.
What's the thing you're most proud of that you've accomplished with ASP?
I would say the work we did on the halfpipe at the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. It was more pressure than any event we had ever worked on but it was also the most fun. The show must go on no matter what and we had to deal with some seriously challenging snow and weather conditions. With the games you get all the resources you need to get the job done. I had a hand picked crew of 20 shapers and 100 volunteers working with me, good snowcats and helicopters to bring us snow. Not typical for a snowboard event.
You're basically living every snowboarder's fantasy as a full-time gig. What were the most important factors that helped you get where you are today?
It helps that I have job that I really love. It’s also important to keep an open mind and never stop learning. You have to recognize your strengths and weaknesses and don’t be afraid to get help in areas where you need it.
