Yale Cousino
Snowboard Pro Forum

Name: Yale Cousino

Nickname: as interviewed by Lauren Traub Teton of SnowboardSecrets.com

Date of birth: 9/29/82

Started riding in what year? 1993

Sponsor/s? Gordini, Eastern Boarder, Banshee Bungee, Shakedown Clothing Boutique (that's the contest)

What snowboard related business activites are you involved in? Trying to organize a contest at Sugarbush for this season.(2009/2010)
Working with Banshee Bungee. The Banshee Bungee is sweet for hitting urban rails.

Where did you grow up? Lincoln, Vermont

Live now? Burlingto, VT

Fave places to ride? At Northstar,(Tahoe) Killington Stash, and Sugarbush, because that's where I grew up riding. And my backyard. We've got a park setup, a pretty big jump we plow up with a tractor each year, and a bunch of rails and some boxes in the back yard.

Do you warm up each day before you ride? If so, what do you do to warm up? Yes. I never used to, but after my knee surgery I have to stretch a bunch. I'm in the gym all the time.
There I work on my legs, squats, presses, curls, extensions, physical therapy stuff. Upper body every other day. I'm working out 5-6 times a week.
In the lodge or at my apt. before I get my knee brace on I stretch and go through the old soccer routine, butterfly stretch, quad stretch, calf, hamstring.

How keep in shape in season? How keep in shape for snowboarding out of season? Out of season: Skateboard a little bit, not as much as I used to. Try to keep injury-free. Biking, mountain bike, road bike, and I swim a bit as well

Fave riding buddies? The whole VT crew, the Backyard Gang,
And Tyler Ellison. Everyone, all my friends

Who do you admire in snowboarding or outside and why? Terje. I love how unique he is. Everything he does is not quite like everyone else. He is my biggest influence in snowboarding. Outside, everyone who enjoys life and has a good time. (Lauren says, "that would be...people like me!")

Do you ever get bummed out about your riding, and why? No. As long as I'm pushing myself and just trying new stuff all the time. When I get hurt it's a bummer.

Do you use visualization, and if so, how? Yes, very much. On the hill, when I'm standing at the top about to drop in, I'm thinking about what trick and what grab. Even sitting around at home I'll visualize a trick. I think you can even learn how to do a trick visualizing it off the hill.
Lauren says "wow, you can learn tricks sitting around at home?! Cool!"

What safety equipt. do you wear, use for snowboarding? My knee brace on my right knee for my ACL surgery. Helmet sometimes, should wear it more. Usually in contests.

If you're pro, when did you decide to “go pro” — and what happened to get you there? I started riding for Copley Consolidated, Chris gave me gear for a couple of years. Then (Dave)
Driscoll at Burton picked me up and put me on the regional team at Burton, then the next year I was on the regular Burton Pro Team.

What have you read, listened to seen that you liked lately? All the new snowboard flicks are insane. The Technine video. Absinthe Black Winter. Forum, John Jackson's part's pretty crazy.
Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3.

Where have you traveled to lately that you like? Just got back from Big Bear,CA, Hot Dawgs and Handrails. I did good. My first time riding since my 2nd knee surgery. I made finals, came in 6th or 7th out of 50. Wasn't sure what to expect with my knee, but it felt good.
Then I went to Hollywood to visit Amber(my sister) and Diego. We went to the beach, and some Hollywood hot spots, and the boulevard, and the Hollywood sign, all that tourist stuff

Have you done well in any contests lately that you want to tell us about? Lauren says:What's the most fun contest?

Yale: The Shakedown in Quebec. Everything is good about it. The setup is one of the best of the year. The atmosphere is amazing. It's like snowboarding at how the Open used to be in 1997. It's snowboarding how it used. The spectators are insanely into the contest and snowboarding. They're all just cheering and yelling and having a great time.
They're doing one this year in Snoqualmie in Washington state this year for the first time.

Lauren says: And the people LOOK so fashionable, and have such great posture! It was the first place I saw mix and match patterns in snowboard gear on anyone, and they pulled it off. Read the article I wrote about our trip up there in 2008 here: http://snowboardsecretsblog.blogspot.com/search?q=empire+shakedown

Anything that not many people know about you that you would like to share? Lots of people know my real name is Ryan. My dad wanted Yale, my mom wanted Ryan. They both won, they named me Ryan, and they called me Yale. No one has ever really called me Ryan.
Lauren says "good way to work it out!"

Encouraging words for beginners? Have fun, and stick with it. It's kind of tricky at first. It's one of the most fun things I've ever done in my life. Don't get frustrated. Enjoy winter, enjoy nature and being out there.

Advice you want to share? Enjoy life!