Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Full episode info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comIt’s been two years in the making, but for episode 069 I finally bagged one of the big beasts of the snowboarding world: the great Jeremy Jones.Jeremy is a true icon. Firstly and most obviously, he’s one of the most legendary freeriders ever, helping to push the boundaries for over two decades now through one of snowboarding’s most influential riding careers.He’s been equally influential as a film-maker, through projects like the Deeper/Higher/Further trilogy, and idiosyncratic recent releases such as Life of Glide and this winter’s Ode to Muir.Then there’s his work in the environmental and political arena, which sees him use his platform to try and influence government policy and affect real change through organisations such as Protect Our Winters.In this wide-ranging conversation, we cover this ground and plenty more. We learn about the depth and scale of Jeremy’s environmental and political ambitions, and the passion that drives his work with POW and projects like Ode to Muir. We learn about how he squares the contradictions at the heart of his own travelling life, and about his own convictions are driven by an urgency borne of his own first-hand experience And yes, I did ask him about THAT Kayak ad...Above all, what comes across is Jeremy’s unquenchable passion for the sideways life. He’s also an absolute frother from first to last - and I say this as somebody who has been lucky enough to go riding with him. Cut this guy and he bleeds snowboarding, and it is this passion that continues to drive him today and which shines through during our conversation. Don’t miss this one.Thanks as usual to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my new editor Fina Charleson! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comEpisode 068 features me in conversation with one of the most quietly influential snowboarders of the last decade: Nicholas Wolken. Nicholas is one of the people behind Korua Shapes, the innovative European snowboard brand that has done so much in recent years to take the snow surfing movement, initially pioneered in Japan, to a global snowboard audience, helping to shift the focus of the entire industry in the process. They have done so by promoting a beautifully inclusive snowboarding aesthetic which prizes the simple joy of the turn above all else, making the entire thing as accessible as possible through a range of outrageously fun boards, and their addictive series of Yearning for Turning films. I got together with Nicholas in January 2019, spending a brilliant day splitboarding off the back of Kuhtai, before heading back down to Innsbruck to record this conversation. Of course, we covered the story of Korua, exploring how Nicholas and friends created such a massively influential brand, an unlikely phenomenon he puts down to ‘the right idea at the right time’. But I also learned how the entire Korua story is a personal one for Nicholas, representing a vision of snowboarding’s possibilities arrived at only after many years of experience and thoughtful consideration. Above all, the Korua story is about how a group of thoughtful, creative visionaries overcame their budgetary restrictions to craft a new relatable image of snowboarding, and set the snowboarding agenda in the process. Thanks as usual to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comI’m back after a short new year hiatus, and am starting 2019 in style by finally snagging one of my most requested guests: the great Mickey Smith. Mickey is an influential photographer, film-maker and all round creative force of nature who is equally acclaimed for his work as a musician, whether as part of Ben Howard’s band, or through his own A Blaze of Feather project. A Cornish waterman who spent his formative years chasing heavy waves around the world, Mickey first came to wider prominence with the release of Dark Side of the Lens, which documented his life as part of the tight knit scene that spent the best part of a decade pioneering the slabs and reefs of the west coast of Ireland; and which has a claim to be the most influential surf film of the last decade. The success of that film gave Mickey a huge platform and some great opportunities, but Mick being Mick he continued to follow his own path and, as he puts it so eloquently in our conversation, the creative threads that he’s followed since he was a kid and that continue to motivate him and catalyse his life of relentless creative exploration. At the same time, his background as a musician saw him hook up with Ben Howard as Ben’s own career began to explode, and the subsequent years have seen the boys chase their collective muse on one endless, creatively honest and brave trip around the world. Some big themes in this one, from a true artist at the height of his powers, and this is an episode dotted with beautiful images and ideas. For Mickey, life is about ‘following the threads of imagination and instinct’ and how doing so can lead to moments of true wonder. Thanks as usual to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comYep, it’s a full mince pie and secret Santa-themed two hour special with the great Tim Warwood and Adam Gendle, universally known as Tim and Gend. I’ve been meaning to get these two giants of the UK snowboarding scene on for months now, and my first ever festive special, recorded over mince pies and Twiglets at the start of December 2018, was the perfect opportunity.If you’re not familiar with the work of Tim and Gendle, then settle in for two hugely enjoyable hours as we take a leisurely look back over their unique careers in snowboarding and beyond.Although the boys first came to prominence as promising UK riders in the late 90s, they really made their name when they produced, directed and edited a series of era-defining UK snowboarding films. It was a peerless decade-long run that celebrated British snowboarding in all its unique glory, setting the tone and epitomising a spirit of UK snowboarding that still holds true today.Naturally, we looked back at this, and also talked about what the boys have been up to in the last few years; which has been pursing their post snowboarding careers as presenters, directors and producers; latterly focussing on their amazing quiz show concept Famous First Words.I love Tim and Gend. I’ve had some of the best times of my life with these boys, and I’ve watched on proudly as they’ve leapt from success to success.As with any good double act, you’re in safe hands with Tim and Gend, which is why I knew they’d be the perfect guests for my festive show. Grab a mulled wine, mince pie or shot of Jagermeister, and get ready for for two hours of tales from two of UK snowboardings’ finest. Big thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comEpisode 065 and it is the final part of my loose Kendal Mountain Festival omnibus this week as I chat to photographer Dan Milner about his career and life in travel.A truly fascinating story this, as Dan recounts the long, strange trip he has been on since the early 1990s. As a photographer and writer, Dan is equally at home documenting political unrest in South Africa, following Jeremy Jones throughout the making of the Higher/Deeper/Further trilogy, or undertaking pioneering bike trips to North Korea.He’s also an articulate, wry and sometimes spiky presence, alive to the experiences on offer throughout the world, but also aware of the inherent contradictions involved in living such a lifestyle.Naturally, our conversation covered all of this ground, and we also delved deep into Dan’s motivations for following this roving life for so long. This one is also an object lesson in how, if you're lucky, being single-minded, talented and dedicated to a life of experience can enable a career to unfold around you.I always enjoy Dan’s company, and we had a great time catching up and looking back over his career in this one.Big thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes: www.wearelookingsideways.comJust where do you start with the great Jenny Jones, surely the most influential British snowboarder of all time? Sure, these days she tends to be defined by THAT podium in Sochi back in 2014. But this was just one small part of an illustrious, legendary career that has now spanned almost two decades. The fact is that Jenny Jones raised the level of UK professional snowboarding at a critical time during our collective development, set the standard we now almost take for granted, and helped create an environment where feats like Billy Morgan winning bronze is now kinda normal.And yet, when it came to speaking to Jenny for the show, I didn’t want to make this yet another interview about Sochi, and make her cover the same old ground we’ve all heard countless times now. What I was really interested in doing was chatting to Jenny Jones the snowboarder. The woman who has built her life around the sport she loves and dedicated herself to it with utter determination and passion, and who is still the same absolute frother she was when I first met her twenty years ago. The resulting chat covers Jenny’s love of snowboarding, and the joyful life and times it has given her - the trips, the friendships,, the experiences, and above all, the life-altering perspective. This, I would suggest, it the stuff that we all recognise whether snowboarder, surfer, or skateboarder; Olympian or beginner. The power of these experiences, and how they shape you as a rider and a person. This is the Jenny I’ve been lucky enough to know for twenty years now, And that’s the Jenny I wanted to try and capture on the podcast. And happily that’s the conversation we were able to have.Thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes: www.wearelookingsideways.comNew favourite guest alert! I very much enjoyed this serendipitous conversation with climber, adventurer and explorer Leo Houlding, recorded at the Kendal Mountain Festival in November 2018. Leo was at the festival to promote his film Spectre, about the expedition of the same name that saw him and companions Mark Sedon and Jean Burgun kite ski across Antarctica before attempting to climb Spectre, a peak deep in the Transantarctic Range, before kiting back across the continent to get home. This hugely ambitious project is an example of what Leo calls ‘21st century exploration’, and as we chatted I realised that through such expeditions Houlding is quietly reinventing our notions of adventure by marrying the scale and ambition of traditional exploration with a modern action sports sensibility. It’s a completely innovative approach that raises some rather interesting ethical questions about the whole business of polar exploration and the very notion of adventure itself in the modern era, something we discussed at entertaining length during our chat.We also explored one of the great over-arching themes of the Looking Sideways podcast: the relativity of risk, and the ways in which athletes like Leo justify risk in the face of the danger they voluntarily place themselves in, amid the wider arc of encroaching maturity. Leo is a great conversationalist, transparent and honest, and as all great conversations do this one took on a life of its own as we explored his recent adventures, inner motivations and utterly unique viewpoint on the current state of adventure. Thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes: www.wearelookingsideways.com‘Please get more skateboarders onto the show’ is definitely one of the most common bits of feedback I get here at Looking Sideways Towers. Which is why it was such a pleasure to welcome Nottingham’s finest, Mr Alan Rushbrooke, onto the show for episode 062. Alan is one of the key figures of 90s/00s skateboarding, with a career that perfectly mirrored the wider trajectory of UK skating as the scene stepped out of the shadow of the Cali-centric US skate industry and proudly embraced its own unique identity.He was there during the heyday of Radlands, was a fixture in RAD and Sidewalks for years, was part of the seminal Unabomber team, and put something back into the scene by running Cide skate shop in Waterloo. Naturally, our conversation covered all this and more. As is always the case whenever I see Al, we also ended up geeking out on music and taking a proper old trip down memory lane as we discussed a much-loved period of UK skateboarding, If you enjoyed my conversations with Don Brown and Peter Hellicar, you’re going to love this one with one of the scene’s stalwarts and a proper flag waver for UK skate culture. Big up to Al for coming on the show. Enjoy! Thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes: www.wearelookingsideways.comLongest ever episode! Yep, settle down for two plus hours of chat between myself and the great Dave Mailman, my guest for episode 061. It’s a roving, freewheeling conversation with one of the great movers and shakers of the surf and snowboarding industry which splits neatly into two segments. In the first part, we cover Dave’s incredible three-decade long career during which he’s taken held every conceivable job in the industry - marketing guru, broadcaster, team manager, journalist, editor, distributor, webcaster - and on it goes. For listeners wondering how to get into the industry (and there are quite a few listening to this show), this one is an object lesson in kicking down every door you face. Then, in the second part, we discuss the biggest struggle of Dave’s life: his 2013 leukaemia diagnosis. It is unflinchingly honest stuff and probably one of the most important chats I’ve ever had on this show, as we discuss how he coped physically and mentally, the support he had from friends and family, and the new perspective he has on life as a cancer survivor. As you’ll hear, Dave has a huge heart, enough stories for ten episodes of this podcast, and a huge appetite for life that verily leaps from the headphones. I’m so glad he came onto the show to share his story, and I hope you enjoy this epic conversation as much as we both did. Salud Dave! Thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and Show Notes: www.wearelookingsideways.comNow this one has been a long time coming. I get a lot of requests to feature specific guests from listeners to the show, and one name has been coming up consistently since I started: Neil McNab. Why? Because among the European and global snowboarding community, Neil McNab is a legend, respected as a rider and above all somebody who has always trodden his own path. From the early days bashing gates as a racer, to the progressive decision to set up his freeride-focussed company McNab Snowboarding back in the mid 90s, Neil McNab has always been a visionary, shaping his lifestyle to enable him to concentrate on what has really been his life’s work - a dedicated quest in pursuit of the purity of the turn. And in a way there’s another theme at work on Neil’s story - how your relationship to action sports and the pursuits you love changes as you get older. And about how, if you’re lucky, that relationship will deepen and mature with each passing season. As you will hear, Neil seems to have it figured out. It is why he’s such an inspiration to so many people, and why he’s my guest for episode 060. Thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe