TRUTH SMITH | SPOTLIGHT

Truth Smith is an up-and-comer making noise for all the right reasons. There's nothing controversial about this guy. He's a talented boarder, and a really good kid. At only seventeen years old, Truth is building his reputation on style, consistency, and character. Growing up in Whistler explains his skill on a board, but there's a little something extra contributing this young man's character. We caught up with Truth to find out a little more of his story.

Words and photos by Rob Lemay

Let's start off with basics. What's your name, how old are you, and where did you grow up?

My name is Truth Smith. I am 17 years old, and I grew up in Whistler, British Colombia.

What's the story behind your name? I've never of anyone named Truth before.

So my parent's names are pretty generic. We got a Julie Smith, and a Ben Smith. They weren't too keen on giving their kids generic names. My sisters' names are Irie & Journey, and my bother's name is Oak. My parents are kind of hippies and on a bit of a different vibe.

What's the story behind the donuts at Meadow Park?

The donuts! It was the first snow fall of the season, and me and a couple of the boys set up a rail at Myrtle Phillip, the little helicopter park. We got a little too ahead of ourselves and strapped some ropes to the back of my dad's truck that he let me borrow for the day and decided it would be fun to pull the boys behind the truck on the soccer field. Not really realizing what we had done until we got home and saw a post on the Whistler Facebook page. People were saying: "Who the heck did this?" "The police are going to find you" "Does anyone have any information?" I got scared shitless and felt so bad. I went into the police station the next day and turned myself in. I told the girl at reception what I did, and she was like: "What did you do?" They had no idea.

Did you get a fine or anything?

I didn't get a fine, but I'm going back in the spring to help out repair whatever damage was done. I don't know what we did yet. I hope it's not too bad. Sorry to all the soccer players! I feel very bad, but that's the story.

That's shows good character in my opinion. Your parents raised a good kid. So, what do you ride? Do you have any sponsors supporting you?

For my board, I've got Capita, the Outsiders, my favourite board. Bindings, I've got Union Forces. I got Vans as my boots. Repping the Arthur Longo, the Infuses, best boot in my opinion, just stiff enough. Stance socks. Volcom outerwear. The Circle. Big shout out to the Circle. Dragon goggles, Dome Peace, Timebomb, Drink Wize, Splitz Grill, Crab Grab, Whistler Old School. You guys are the best. I appreciate you all. Also, a huge shoutout to everyone at Whistler Valley for all they do for me. I definitely wouldn't be where I'm at in snowboarding without them!

Speaking of the Circle. Last question here, how does it feel to have your name on a skateboard?

Insane. Insane dude. So stoked. Thank you Steve and Jon. That was crazy.

Truth is a remarkable kid. He has something people naturally gravitate with. The day Truth and I met up, we linked up with a few others. Here are a few more shots from that day.