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Awarded an Olympic gold medal after leading the infamous USA sweep of Salt Lake's halfpipe in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, it's easy to see why Ross Powers is called The Boss. Countless titles, a bronze in Nagano in '98, and now this. Face it, the soft-spoken Vermonter rules hard. So much so, MountainZone.com was just plain honored when his Polo RLX sponsors invited us to meet up with Mr. Powers for a chat on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

Actually the strip was our idea - we thought Ross might like to do some CD shopping at Tower - or procure something naughty at Hustler. But we settled for cruising the strip and stopping for a blended at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. The sun was shining, Ross was mellow and we had a lot of ground to cover before he headed out on the red eye back to Vermont.

MZ: What competitions have you entered since the Olympics?
I've done two; one in New Jersey, and in Sierra-at-Tahoe for the Vans Triple Crown. That was the first time I rode a pipe since the Olympics, and I did alright. But I definitely want to ride well at the Open. (Ross went on to take 8th in the Open halfpipe). It's in Burton's backyard, and in a normal year the Open would be what everyone focuses on, it's a big event. Plus it's in my hometown, so I'd like to do well because I haven't been home yet. Actually I was home for two days, but I just hung out with my brother and didn't tell anyone I was there.

MZ: How did winning the gold compare to your bronze in Nagano '98?
In Nagano I medalled and it was huge for sure, and when I came home it helped with my sponsors. But it didn't even compare to this. I mean winning in the U.S., especially with Danny and J.J. right there with me, the snowboarding was at such a higher level this time. Someone told me that tickets to snowboarding sold out before almost any other event. So a lot of people were psyched to watch it. And everything was perfect that day — the weather, the pipe... it was so fun.

MZ: Did you notice a difference in the way the snowboard team was treated, compared to Nagano?