Remember Neal Lyons??

[Greco]

Rode for Canon.. Was last skiboarder to win X games gold, beating out Mike Nick and Nicky Adams back in 2001


http://www.wearethenorth.net/

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[jjue]

Nice work G, finding out what happened to one of the old skiboard heros. ... I remember Canon had a Neal Lyon Pro model skiboard..... Here is an interesting old interview of Neal from many years back from the Canon web site (which queerly is still up on the web .. .interesting how some old defunct web sites never die ) (the interview is interesting as it is after the skiboarding pro circuit died , and many of the pros left and Line started making skis ) ... wonder if Neal is still skiboarding ?? ps . here is a pic of the Neal Lyons Canon Pro model .. it was basically a Canon M7 that was stiffer with an extra layer of fiberglass .

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l88/jjue/big_nlpro.jpg


"An Interview with Neal Lyons, Canon Skiboards Pro Rider By Doc Roberts, President of Skiboards.com
Doc: Hi Neal. I've been looking forward to this interview. Glad we finally got together.

Neal: Hey Doc, thanks for the opportunity. Ask me whatever you'd like. I'm down to discuss anything.

Doc: Probably the most pressing question on many skiboarder's minds is the new Canon Pro model. What can you tell us about the new Neal Lyons Pro boards from Canon? (maybe how the idea came about, how you feel about having your own signature board, the product, etc.)

Neal: Obviously I'm very excited about my pro-board being released. Its actually been in the works for a couple of seasons now, but some things had to be settled so that we could be sure it was gonna be the best board on the market. After I won X-Games in 2000, Canon knew the pro-model was the next step for me. Something in their line to compete with the very popular Mike Nick boards, but our manufacturing just wasn't clicking at the time so we shelved it until the construction was dialed. Its been a long, but patient wait and seeing the final product has made it all worth while. When you buy my skis, you are getting the best board on the market, hands down.

Doc: Can you explain the graphic?

Neal: An idea born out of a photo that Ben Wannemaker took. I liked the whole "light at the end of the tunnel" concept. I could apply it to a lot of what was going on in my head at the time. I think it says a lot about our sport right now. On track and progressing towards a positive future.

Doc: You've been around skiboarding for a while now. What changes do you see happening now and in the future in the sport?

Neal: Skiboarding is where it should have been from the start. Away from the spotlight. Though I'm sure the companies would like to see it generating more profits, the sport is being tested the way skateboarding and snowboarding (etc.) all were. A sport must progress naturally. You can't just pump a lot of money into it a la Salomon and expect it to mature on its own. Its like the spoiled kid who has everything and grows up to be a big bitch in the end. The kids have to do the dirty work, not the parents (companies). If they fight through all the drama and growing pains, they help create a sport strong from its foundations up. One that can stand on its own, regardless of outside support . It essentially becomes self-sufficient. Most importatly though, it becomes something we can all be totally proud of. We'll have our souls intact. There will always be ups and downs, but you'll have the abitlity to adapt and get through any of them.

Personally, I think it was Salomon's goal to drown out skiboarding from the get-go and so they did it in the way all corporations do. By financially eliminating all its competition. They knew if the sport boomed too quickly, only they would have the funds neccessary to keep up. So they ignited the boom, then watched all the other companies fall by the wayside and returned to their frat-party, ski school, boredom. Line followed, as did many of the skiboarders (got to survive), but companies like Canon have remained to help carry on the dream they created over a decade ago in Breckenridge.

Doc: Line has been calling skiboards short skis lately and basically saying skiboards for getting good enough to ride twin tips. Any comments?

Neal: All I'll say is that they have to do whatever it takes to save face. They abandoned the sport for what they saw as greener pastures. A company has to do whats in their best interests to survive and Line believes they've done that. I believe that if you can dial skiboarding, you can ride anything on the mountain well. Line has to wage a war on two fronts now, so they would love nothing more than to blur the lines between both entities. Sounds like a great sales pitch to me. An excuse for both sides.

Doc: Since you travel a lot, any experiences with resorts that are skiboard friendly and some that are not. (We may start posting links to skiboard friendly websites and resorts to avoid). Where are your favorite resorts for skiboarding and why?

Neal: I've never come across an unfriendly resort. Maybe some unfriendly riders, but then again, everyone needs some entertainment on the hill. Ontario resorts always have great parks. They have to because the terrain isn't fun at all.

Doc: I understand you have a background in skating. Could you talk about that more and also the relationship of skating and skiboarding. In fact, maybe you would want to embellish a bit and tell about your background (snowboarding, etc.)

Neal: Well I started snowboarding when I was 13. I had a ghetto Wal-Mart board, but I rode it every day for that whole winter and pretty soon I could do 360s and rail slides. We would ride at this dinky little hill in our neighbourhood. All the older kids would freak out that I could throw down on this $30 board. It had no edges. Anyways, one of the kids I rode with, calls me one summer day and asks if I have a pair of rollerblades. I was like 15 ('92). We would just cruise around and jump things or do 360s over man-hole covers and shit. Well, the next summer Inline went big because of Chris Edwards and the whole Rollerblade Team. We watched the Team Rollerblade vid and immediately made our own launch ramp. Soon we were grinding and shooting little videos. I pretty much witnessed the rise to mainstream of inline and snowboarding. Inline for sure. As a snowboarder, I got hooked up through a couple of local reps and did fairly well in regional half-pipecomps. Nearly made the National Team in '98. With inline, I did some videos and nearly went pro. Skiboarding came along and stole my attention.

All three sports share certain characteristics. Its impossible not to see the comparison with inline. All except skiboarding's faster and the air is a fair bit greater. This was where snowboarding helped me because I never had to get used to the bigger air. Basically, from my perspective, I had more time to do inline tricks while not going as large as I did snowboarding. I think my background in inline and snowboarding certainly served me well, in my career. Hell, I even played hockey for ten years so that whole ski/skate feel was never foreign to me.

Doc: I believe that skiboarding does stand on its own as you had mentioned. In fact, I believe that it represents an evolution in snowriding, as it combines the best of snowboards, skis and skating and allows more innovation and possibilities than traditional snowriding equipment. Would you agree and what would you feel skiboarding offers to the sport of snowriding that snowboards or skis are lacking?

Neal: I think all of these sports have their positives and negatives. Skiboarding has the potential to be the most technical, but at this point we're far from it. Skiboarding definately has the easiest learning curve, so I think it can potentially reach a larger crowd. Whether this is good or bad, I can't say, but you could throw a fat, 4 year old on these and he can learn to ride them. I've almost broken up with several girlfriends, teaching them to snowboard and big skis on tiny legs usually ends up in legs going every which way. Plus, exiting the lift is money on skiboards.

Doc: You had mentioned that Skiboarding has the "potential to be the most technical". Can you elaborate on that as it sounds very interesting?

Neal: The potential is definitely there. We can get into every nook and cranny on any hill. But more specifically it relates to its potential in the urban landscape. There are so many beautiful rails, gaps, etc., just dying for some love and there is no way a long ski could get access to a lot of them. We need to get to these spots and truly revolutionize the way all people see skiing. Its all there, right in front of our eyes. We only need to seize it... Let me put it to you another way. Nine stair rail. Skier pulls a sweet frontside 270 out. You've seen it a million times on vids. Well the same trick is gonna look far better on skiboards because for one, the 270 on skis looks ridiculous, all figure skater and forced, while the skiboarder can do a 270 out with control and make it look so smooth. Theres just less ski to manage... Plus, the poles. WHY!!?? Just cause tradition says so? This is why skiing is so lame. Its truly a sport for fascist sympathizers, sheep and Republicans.

Doc: Since you were a hockey player, can you speak to hockey players as far as trying skiboards and what the transition would be like?

Neal: Easier than for most. A hockey player is used to being far less balanced while on the ice and also has many more forces working against him (ie. a 200lb defencemen trying to kill you at all times). There are times, while skating, that only a cm of blade is in contact with the ice. Skiboards have a running length, at least 80X that. Need I say more. If you've already learned to skate well, skiboarding will be a days work.

Doc: Since there are no real competitions currently, what would you have to say to aspiring skiboarding pro riders? Do they have a future?

Neal: If a pro rider is worried about his "professional" career, then he is in the wrong sport. If you are only in this to become pro, then you are in the wrong sport. This sport is about the love now. The grass isn't green in the winter. The pro skiboarder is out of date...

Doc: What would you say is the real market for potential skiboarders?

Neal: Japan!

Doc: Any thoughts on how we may start getting more women interested in the sport?

Neal: More posters with Benny and Lynam in them. Less of me.

Doc: When snowboarding came along, part of the contribution was to start a new snowriding lifestyle as well as a clothing look. Skiboarding really lacks that kind of definition. What would you see or like to see as far as giving more definition to the Skiboarding lifestyle and of course clothing as well?

Neal: You can't pose a lifestyle. These kinds of things, take care of themselves. Kids being stoked to say they're a skiboarder would be a great start! Peace... Neal "

[valmorel]

Had those pros. Didnt like em! :)

[Greco]

neal is on facebook so it's easy to keep up on what he's doing...no skiboarding though.

g

[Manlenium]

Brampton Ontario......boo yah:p

[nate]

any connection to nick lyons?
who has a pretty sick edit here
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[DennisEvans]

Nate, his riding was pretty awesome but the choice of "music" was extremely poor.

[Greco]

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[ElkCloner]

Man, if only...we could get him back into riding...ah well. We all need to step up our game. :)

[CrazyBoy-1]

It's interesting that Neal had such a different view of how the lack of big money comps would affect the sport. While others saw lost opportunity and a decline in sales, he saw transition to a culture based on real love for the sport. Both views turned out to be partially correct. Overall interest in the sport waned, but those who truly just loved skiboarding kept things alive for people like me to discover years later.

[jare_ball248]

is it me or did he try to avoid that gold medal question?