Louif Paradis, Ambush Interview

By Evan Rissi // Photos Oli Gagnon

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR GARAGE?

My girlfriend is starting this company with her friends. They’re creating and refurbishing old furniture and items into cool decorations. She’s filling up the garage with stuff. I’m kind of bummed, but at the same time, I’m happy she’s doing something she wants to do and be creative. I had to take my skate ramp out of the garage, but I’ll build it somewhere else.

WELL, THAT KINDA SUCKS. ARE YOU A FULL-TIME GARDENER NOW AND A PART-TIME SNOWBOARDER?

[Laughs] Nah... Just for a couple months in the summer.

REALLY? A LOT OF PEOPLE MENTIONED YOUR GARDEN, WHICH IS FUNNY, BECAUSE WHEN SOMEONE ASKS, “‘SUP WITH LOU?” THE GO-TO ANSWER IS SEEMINGLY, “HIS GARDEN.”

It’s not that big. I want to make it bigger. We’re squeezed into these wood frame things, but eventually we’ll have a giant one. You don’t have to do that much. In the springtime, you plant some seeds and bulbs, and then sit back and watch it grow. It’s fun. It’s cool. In Quebec, it doesn’t last very long, unfortunately.

SOME PEOPLE SAY: GARDEN, THEN DOG, THEN KIDS.

Maybe. This year, we planted a ton of stuff and left for a month on a road trip to Oregon, and then when we came back, everything was kind of out of control, which was fine, but with a dog it would be a lot more to deal with. I would put the dog in the same boat as the kids—a bit further away from the garden.

YEAH. BRAINS USUALLY CHANGE THE SITUATION. ARE KIDS ON YOUR MIND?

It is, but not within the next year. Everyone my age that I went to high school with, they’re all having kids. I’m thinking about it. I want kids and don’t want to wait too long, but I also want to keep snowboarding. I don’t want to have kids and be gone all the time. My lady is thinking that also—waiting a bit longer, but I’m sure when more kids pop up around our close friends, it’ll become more of a possibility.

IT’S DEFINITELY TRENDING. I HAVE LOTS OF FRIENDS WITH KIDS NOW, TOO. I’M LIKE THAT WEIRD UNCLE THAT HANGS AROUND, DRINKING BREEZERS.

[Laughs] I don’t think I’ll ever stop snowboarding, but it would be nice to get into something a bit more stable that doesn’t involve traveling around for the entire winter. Two or three key trips out of a home base would make sense to have a family, or create an event that I can focus on.

IS THAT THE PLAN? TAKE IT SEASON TO SEASON AND CREATE SOMETHING LIKE A BIGGER EVENT YOU’D PUT ON ANNUALLY? 

Right now, taking it season to season, but I’ve been thinking about that. Creating an event would be really awesome. I was just at the Dirksen Derby and it was cool to see Josh Dirksen do his thing and have a really fun event that people are excited about. Usually, I’m bummed on the majority of events that happen. I also realized I can’t just be bummed about these events, but I should instead do something about it. It’s hard to really plan, traveling around all season, but eventually that’s one of my goals.

YOU COULD DEFINITELY MAKE A COOL EVENT LIKE THAT. QUEBEC CITY?

That would be great. Most events are just whacky rail jams. We’ve been talking about it within the crew, coming up with something creative.

WELL, WE’D BE ONBOARD.

For sure!

WHY IS YOUR NEW TRUCK SO FUCKING BIG?

I didn’t want the baby Ford one. I just wanted to have room. If you want a mid-sized truck, it’s still going to be giant. I want to be able to sleep in the back of it, like a camper, and have room for bags. I still didn’t take the biggest one.

TRUE. YOU USED TO BE A WHISTLER LIFTY. SO... STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM... LITERALLY.

Yeah. I was a dishwasher, a room cleaner, a lifty... I would ask for all the glacier shifts and be the T-bar guy, so on my breaks, I would be able to eat my sandwich on the lift quick and go riding. It was heartbreaking to see all the boys up there riding and I was working. If some kids are wondering what they should do, that’s a good way to stay connected to the snow. They get a free pass and maybe get to ride on their breaks, too.

YOU’RE STILL RIDING AROUND, GETTIN’ IT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. ARE YOU SATISFIED? WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO?

I’ve never really felt satisfied, no. I’ve felt like I’ve accomplished some things, but I’ve never been like, “Sick. I’ve done it,” or, “It only goes downhill from here.” I can only get better and smarter each season. I was just in Baldface, taking an avalanche course, and learned so much new shit. There’s so much more to learn. It’s the same with video parts. I’d like to get more creative. There’s always room to accomplish more.

I KNOW IN SNOWBOARDING, YOU’RE A PERFECTIONIST, WHICH HAS CLEARLY HELPED YOU IN GETTING WHERE YOU’RE AT NOW. DOES THAT FIND ITS WAY INTO OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE? CRIPPLING OCD-TYPE SHIT?

Hmm... I do have high standards in keeping my house and cars clean, but I don’t think I have OCD too much or anything like that. I feel like I can let things go pretty easy if I need to. In snowboarding, it’s not like I need to watch the clip or something to do it again. I’ll usually know I fucked it up or something and need to redo it. If you’re stoked when you land and ride away, that’s when you know.

YOU’VE CALLED YOURSELF “DISTRACTED” BEFORE. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?

I guess I’m in my head quite a bit. Someone will talk to me and for whatever reason, I’ll start thinking about something else and miss everything. It can be anything—things I want to be doing, things I could be doing, etc. Maybe it’s a weird case of FOMO.

YEAH, OR ADD. YOU SNOWBOARD FOR A LIVING. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO DO?

Whenever this is over, I’d like to do something that I’m just as passionate about that gives me the same freedom. Hopefully be outside most of the time, too. It’s hard for me to know the next thing. Hopefully it will be a passion that will motivate me as much as snowboarding does. I’m still so into snowboarding, it’s hard to picture what will replace it, if ever.

WELL, THERE’S NO PRESSURE. DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT SHIT OFTEN?

Yeah, I think about it. It’s a bit of a mystery right now, but I don’t mind it at this point. In the summer, I stay busy doing all kinds of different shit that isn’t snowboarding, so I won’t be totally lost not doing it. An ideal scenario would be to make some smart investments that would benefit me later when I don’t have that income from snowboarding anymore.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I would take all my friends and family and make the same life, but on the West Coast. The environment, the mountains... There’s definitely some cool shit out there, but who knows? If I had grown up out there, things might be pretty different right now.

HOW MANY PAIRS OF THE YEEZY SHOES DO YOU HAVE?

Zero. I actually tried to get a pair for my friend, but I couldn’t get them.

WHAT THE FUCK, ADIDAS?!

I don’t even know what they look like, but it would’ve been tight to get them for free.