Pat Moore, Ambush Interview

By Evan Rissi // Photography Mike Azevedo

ALRIGHT, PAT. SO, I HEAR YOU LIKE SNOWBOARDING.

Nope.

AT ONE POINT, ARE YOU GOING TO RE-ENTER X GAMES PIPE?

I think this year is my big comeback year for pipe.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU PLACED LAST TIME?

Either dead last or really close to dead last. It had to have been 2006, for sure. Ten years ago. No. I remember we had been filming for That, and I had somehow got into X Games for halfpipe and basically gave it no attention at all because we were filming for a Forum video. It was the first halfpipe I had ridden all year. I suck, so...

SO, FILMING FOR THAT... WOULD YOU CALL THAT YOUR “BABY BLUE TALL TEE” PHASE? 

[Laughs] Yeaahhh. That was an interesting phase of clothing influence. Lots of rap music in those days.

I WASN’T MAD AT IT.

Yeah? I wasn’t the only one doing it, either.

BEING A FORUM YOUNGBLOOD, YOU NEED TO GIVE ME AT LEAST ONE OUTLANDISH JP STORY THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS HEARD.

I can’t think of anything too crazy. He’s not too crazy. That year, he had bought that crazy diamond Forum necklace, I guess. On trips, he wasn’t balling out or buying all types of shit, but he was always betting on things. When we were filming on trips, they’d always have tons of money and bet on tricks, make eating bets, and anything to pass the time.

SO, WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS THAT JP WALKER HAS A CRIPPLING GAMBLING ADDICTION.

Exactly [laughs]. It’s the dudes like him that are super into dice of Cee-Lo that always win and people like me that rarely play that always lose. I do have some funny Travis Kennedy stories, though. On the That premiere tour, he would wake up earlier than everyone else and leave for the day. He’d go to the nearest mall every day at every stop, and just, buy things. His collection was insane. He’d come back with glow-in-the-dark contact lenses for the clubs, custom-made flashing belt buckles, tattoos... All this crazy shit. Solo missions.

IS DAN BRISSE GONNA KILL HIMSELF FALLING OFF A BUILDING BEFORE YOU DO?

[Laughs] I hope not. He has kids. It’s funny... I’m in Salt Lake right now, driving around looking for street spots or whatever. I’d much rather look for backcountry spots than walls to winch at full speed.

WELL, WHEN HE LOOKS FOR STREET “SPOTS,” HE’S LOOKING FOR FULL CITY BLOCKS.

Yeah, he looks up. He’s like Spiderman up there. Up.

WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU SESSIONED A DOWN-RAIL?

Oh, I hate rails. I’m terrible at handrails. I dunno... Probably a long time.

BRING THAT BABY BLUE BACK, DOG!

I know! Just baby blue, downsize the board, widen the stance a bit, and get back at it.

OF ALL YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, IS YOUR MOM MOST PROUD OF ASS INDUSTRIES?

Ha! For sure. Yeah, she loves to brag about that. Tells all her friends that I own a company called “Ass Industries” and doesn’t tell them what it is.

DOES SHE KNOW WHAT IT IS OR DOES SHE ASSUME YOU’RE SOME INTERNET PORN LORD?

She knows what it is. The company has been a big East Coast thing for such a long time. Growing up at my home resort that she worked at, guys would have stickers, like “I love ass,” all over their boards and stuff.

WHAT KIND OF BALLER CAR DID YOU BUY HER WITH THAT RED BULL MONEY?

[Laughs] You did some research. Well, for her 60th birthday, I got her an A4. She needed a new car and just quit her job, and I just decided to hook her up. Gotta treat your mom like a queen, you know?

WELL, NOW YOU’RE ON SOME NEXT LEVEL HIP-HOP SHIT. ANYTIME A RAPPER OR AN NBA PLAYER GETS A DEAL, THEY IMMEDIATELY BUY THEIR MOM A CAR. ON THE REAL HERE, LET’S LOOK AT YOUR CAREER. WOULD YOU RATHER DO WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW OR WOULD YOU RATHER DO WHAT SHAUN WHITE DID? ALL THAT OLYMPICS SHIT, WHEATIES BOX, MILLIONAIRE, NEVER HAVE TO WORK AGAIN IN YOUR LIFE...

Oh, 100 percent do what Shaun did. Yeah. Who cares? He’s cashing cheques, laughing in his private jet, mansion in Malibu... That’s the life.

BANGIN’ MODELS AND SHIT, WRAPPING LAMBORGHINIS AROUND TREES... I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT DELIBERATE A LITTLE BIT OVER THAT ANSWER, BUT YOU WERE JUST IMMEDIATELY SOLD ON THAT LIFESTYLE.

[Laughs] I don’t know. I can’t even imagine what kind of decisions he’s had to make in his career. Just psycho money. He’s in a different universe. I’m pretty distant from all that.

SO, WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING THE ALPHA GINGER OF SNOWBOARDING NOW? I’D SAY YOU’RE ON TOP.

I think you need to stay up on your current events. He just won the Dew Tour last weekend. You didn’t see the Instagram of him on his private jet with the medal in the other seat?

YOU’RE KIDDING.

I could not make that up. Oh, yeah. I’m still just a peasant. Danimals is up there—best snowboarder on the planet. Harrison Gordon is a keeper, too.

BUT YOU USED TO HAVE LONG HAIR LIKE HIM. WHAT DID SEAN KEARNS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?

The first thing Kearns told me when he met me is that I had to cut my hair. The other thing he told me was that I had a “bad smile” and that I should go get veneers to have a better smile.

WHAT A NICE GUY.

Kearns was one of my more influential mentors growing up. Even though he would say some pretty fucked up stuff to us, he really meant well to point us in the right direction. All the stories people hear are of him making fun of us and that was probably 95 percent of the time.

DO YOU BRING THAT ATTITUDE TO THE NEXT GENERATION? TOUGH LOVE?

I don’t know. I’m not that big of a dick [laughs]. But, I try to. I try to make fun of them as much as I can.

WELL, HERE’S YOUR CHANCE. WHAT REALLY BUMS YOU OUT IN SNOWBOARDING RIGHT NOW? SHINE SOME LIGHT.

I don’t know. I guess the one thing I’m bummed at is that there’s so much good talent, but there doesn’t seem to be a place for kids to have video parts or to come up anymore. Obviously there’s online, but there’s so much shit out there that it doesn’t seem to matter anymore. I just hope the kids who are trying to make it filming get the same opportunities that I had back then.

SOMEONE TOLD ME YOU HAVE A DIE HARD TATTOO?

Ha! “Live free or die” is the New Hampshire slogan and I have that tattooed. Bruce Willis honoured our state by doing Live Free or Die Hard. I should get that edited on my tattoo—add that “Hard” at the end.

YEAH, OR JUST TATTOO HIS FACE ON YOUR BODY.

Totally. Whatever makes sense.