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MZ: Why Mammoth?
It seems like all the guys are living out there these days, and Mammoth has a good pipe early season, and it's where the first qualifier was going to be. Plus I'm used to the area.

MZ: What's up with Mammoth getting popular lately?
Pretty much everyone has moved there or spends a lot of time there; Mammoth's been blowing up in the last few years. It's got a great park, good snow and so many other riders are out there. You just go up there, and within one run you see so many other riders and they push each other. It's a good place to be to motivate yourself.

MZ: Do you have a training schedule?
I think weights are a lot more to prevent injury. I went to Stratton Mountain school and they taught us all the training. To tell the truth, this fall I trained a lot, with the team and on my own. But since then I've been so busy I only make it once in a while. Sometimes I'll get in there and ride the bike or just do some basic strength. During the winter it's hard because you're so busy every day.

MZ: So you started the process of qualifying. How did it go?
Well Danny won the first qualifier, then I won the second one. Tommy won the third and JJ the fourth. So all of us had won a big event at the qualifiers, and JJ had just won the X Games. I knew we had a great team, and that at least one of us would get on the podium. I just didn't think we'd do as well as we did.

MZ: Were you guys surprised that you wound up sweeping the Olympic podium?
We were definitely surprised. There are so many good European and Scandinavian riders, usually they are on the podium. So we were definitely surprised by the sweep.

MZ: What were some of the factors for the success of the U.S. team?
The quality of pipe was awesome - we were used to riding the pipes this year by the guy who cut it. I mean that pipe was like no other pipe we've ridden. And it helps out having it in our own country. The crowd, even before we'd drop in, were so behind us. I don't know, it's a weird thing... just that one day. You never know what's going to happen. And it was a great day for us.

MZ: How much of your success is physical, versus mental? Do you visualize your runs?
A lot of it is a mental game. At the Olympics I didn't really visualize my run, but maybe once in a while I do before I go to bed the night before, or right before I do my run, but I don't do that too much.

Mentally, I knew I was there that day at the Olympics. I didn't know how I was going to do in that event, but pretty much told myself 'I'm going to at least do the biggest air of the day.' And that's what I tried to focus on. After I messed up my first run I thought 'I don't even know if I'm going to make the finals, so that's one thing I want to do is the biggest air of the day.' And it worked out I guess.

MZ: What about your tricks? How do you choose your run?
There were a lot of tricks I've done a few times in the past that I wanted to get back this year for the Olympics. I've done the frontside 1080 and the switch McTwist 900, which maybe only one other person's done. I actually tried the switch McTwist 9 right before the Olympics and over-rotated, and hurt my shoulder pretty good. I actually didn't know if I was going to be able to ride during the Olympics or not. I was definitely in pain during training, but I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to ride.

MZ: Were you working on anything else huge for the Games?
This year we've been so busy just going from contest to contest that I don't remember having training time, except at the Olympics. But I don't think it's just about how many times you can spin or huck yourself around. I'd rather see big, smooth straight airs or backside 3's; I like big and stylie and smooth. Those moves are more fun.

MZ: Do you think that the judges like the same tricks as you?
See, that's the thing with my run at the Olympics. I could have had harder tricks in there. I just did the 7 McTwist, switch McTwist, but I knew if I was going to do that, I had to do it big. I was psyched that the pipe at the Olympics was long, so you could do a bunch of different tricks. To be able to do the backside 3 in an Olympic run, tricks like that aren't the hardest, but are respected in snowboarding, so that was fun for sure.

MZ: What are your priorities in competing? The ranking, the money?
This season I just wanted to make the Olympics, so that was my main focus. I knew once I got there I just had to go for it; whatever happens, happens. How I schedule my year, usually I just try to mix it up so that I get to ride with everyone. I don't focus on the points anymore.

There are so many events and it's hard to do one tour. It's too hard to get everyone together on one tour. Plus, I've done that. I've been FIS overall, and ISF overall, champion, so now I try to go to [Vans] Triple Crowns, the Grand Prix. It seems like lately a lot of the good events are in the states, like the X Games and the Open.

MZ: Have your priorities changed lately?
Yeah, for sure. I want to keep competing at the big events, but I'd like to get out there more. I grew up riding, doing everything: slopestyle, pipe, big air, even racing. I'd like to do more of that and get back to being an all-around rider. Lately I've been so busy with the halfpipe; I want to get out and have fun. I'll still do contests; I like seeing my friends. I just want to mix it up more.

MZ: You have two camps these days, the competitors and the video guys.
That's the cool thing about snowboarding. There are guys who are good at competing on the spot when they need to. And there are guys who go out to film. It may seem like they're having fun, but they're definitely working. That's something I'd like to do more of, now that I've kind of proven myself on the contest side - go out and hit the park. Everyone can do well at it if they put in the time.

MZ: How long do you see yourself competing?
I don't know, hopefully at least another few good years.

MZ: Can you take time off, then come back for the Olympics?
You can, and you see that a lot. Like BJ Leines. Back in the day he used to do contests all the time, and now he's one of the best all-around and video riders. This year he tried to come back and had the talent, it just didn't work out for him on the right days, but he had the skills for sure.

MZ: How old were you when you found out snowboarding was going to be an Olympic sport?
Two or three years before Nagano they talked about snowboarding being there. I was on the U.S. Team, so I'd hear things about it, but there were so many good riders, I didn't know if I'd make it or not. I think I was 18 then.

MZ: It must have been cool having the Olympics "come to you."
Exactly, that's the thing. We got into snowboarding for something to do, and to go out with your friends. The fact was, we started out with no money and contests were pretty much nothing, just friends getting together. And now, it gets crazier every year. The sport's grown and I've grown with it. It's crazy how much has happened in the past 10 years.

MZ: You've started a foundation to help the sport progress, and help young riders financially. How long has the Ross Powers Foundation been in existence?
A little over a year now. We had talked about it before, but finally started it up after the X Games just over a year ago. It's been mellow and I haven't had too much time to dedicate to it this year, but now after the Olympics we've got a few things going on, like fundraising. We should be able to help out some more kids now.

MZ: Who are some young riders we should we be watching?
There are a lot of kids, like two in my foundation, Nate Farrell and Kyler Emmett from Vermont. Both of them are riding well and can make the finals. Then you've got guys like Eric and John Jackson from Mammoth.

MZ: Shaun White?
Shaun's already proven that , young kid or not, he's one of the best for sure. He's proven it on the halfpipe, winning contests over there and then did slopestyle where people might have doubted him. He's been getting first and second in that... and blowing everyone's mind.

MZ: And this was Kelly Clark's year...
Yeah, the last few years I saw how Kelly came on pretty strong, but this year she took it up a notch. I knew she was going to win the Olympics as long as she stayed up on her feet, and she rode awesome. It's crazy how someone can come on, then the next year be one of the most known girls in snowboarding. So I'm psyched for her. She's riding strong, put it out on the line and deserved [the gold medal].

MZ: How do you think the women are progressing overall?
I think lately they've been riding pretty hard. You went to a contest a few years ago, and one of the girls would kind of flip and they'd do 540s and maybe a 720. But nowadays there are a lot of girls flipping and doing a McTwist and getting around and doing 720s. And definitely the amplitude had gotten a lot higher, so they've really progressed lately.

MZ: What about you? Are you really the mellow, nice guy you seem to be?
Yeah, I've always just been mellow and low-key, and definitely let my riding speak for itself. I don't go out there and don't like to brag or anything, but I do like to go out with the guys and have a good time and celebrate a lot. But I also go out there and ride, and put the time in and hang out with my friends.

People think that snowboarders mess around all the time, and we do have a good time and mess around and get along. But there's also times when you've got to ride a lot and put in the time.

MZ: You're also not a young derelict anymore...
(laughing) I am getting older, I actually turned 23 the day before my Olympic event. That's the best birthday present I've ever had.

MZ: What other sports do you like?
I like anything where I can just get out there and have fun and stay in shape. Last summer I went on some surf trips, that's a sport I definitely want to pick up. I played a bit of summer soccer when I was home, skateboarded a little, mountain biked, and I've been riding moto-cross a bit over the last few years. I'm actually building at track in my back yard.

MZ: Excuse me?
Yeah, it's almost done. So this summer I'll get to play on that.

MZ: Just how big is your back yard?
It's pretty big. Somehow a few years ago I wound up getting this old beat up house, which I'm working on right now. And there's like 125 acres of land, right up by Stratton. I don't know how I came across it. Some of my buddies had dug a pond, and used the dirt to build a track on it. So it's coming along.

MZ: I'm thinking maybe you don't have a girlfriend right now...
Not really, no.

MZ: Good looking women in Salt Lake though.
They definitely had good looking women there, although I didn't seem to meet any of them! But there seem to be a lot of naturally good looking girls there.

MZ: Until then, you've got your buddies.
For sure. Back in Vermont there aren't too many girls, so it's a lot of buddies hanging out, doing sports and having fun...