Changes: An Interview with Patrick Switzer

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Our man Patrick Switzer has made some changes in his sponsor lineup (including a move to Rayne Longboards!) and his living situation for the upcoming season, so we got in touch to get the real scoop.

Justus: Hey man, where are you?

Patrick: In the Philippines. It’s the start of Holy Week, so a shit ton of foreigners are coming into to town. The airport was bonkers.

J: When did you get there?

P: Last night, so I haven’t seen anything yet. I got a golf bag now for my gear now, it’s like a flatbed truck. I have to make wide turns, I ran over so many people’s toes at the airport! This one girl was cruising behind me with her big cart and she was bashing me. I was like, “What the hell?!”, because she didn’t realize how long the bag was. Then she said sorry. I’m definitely in the minority of tall white guys.

J: Let’s jump in. So what spurred the changes with sponsors this year?

P: Going back to when it first started, back in 2008, Fullbag and Rayne both offered me sponsorships and at the time I really wanted to help Mig build his company. They had a really strong foundation and I wanted to be the catalyst to help them get somewhere. So I went with Fullbag, the bros from the East. There was a lot of heat between Landyachtz and Rayne at the time, which is really in the past now. A lot of things have changed over the years. It used to be a crew of friends that rode for Rayne who were solid riders but now they have a team, which is fuckin’ awesome. I’m so stoked to be on the team.

Graham (Buksa) and I started talking about it in South America, and I already had a good relationship with Les (Robertson), so when I talked to him it was pretty easy, we both had an idea of what we wanted out of it.

J: And how about Triple 8?

P: I’ve been in contact with those guys since 2007 and they’ve sent me stuff in the past, but they were never at the point to take on longboarding seriously. When they started developing the helmet, they got in contact with me and said, “We’re ready, let’s do this.” And this helmet is accessible to the people. The Risch is like 600 euros, then you add paint and shipping, it’s an expensive helmet, it’s just not accessible. I think they can do a lot of development in the future for longboarding too, so I’m looking forward to helping with that. And the same with Rayne.

J: So will we see a Patrick Switzer pro model?

P: I won’t say anything yet!

J: What’s up with the paintjob?

P: It’s fucking baller. Once it’s in your hands: *aaahhhhh* I hate stickers on helmets. It’s not aero! Straight up, [the paint] brings a different level of professionalism.

J: What are your plans for this season, you just bought an RV, right?

P: I did, sick as fuck. I’m going to live like a bum down by the ocean. Skater status, no cellphone. I’m going to tour the North American events in the RV, the West Coast ones at least. I’m planning on hitting up lots of events. I’m stoked on the Southwest tour, Atomic Bomb, Slap, Catalina. Canadian events like Kelowna I haven’t been to yet. Mt Wash I haven’t been to, a few little freeride trips with friends which will be nice in the RV. I can just chill and set up camp at the spot. Now I actually have a home! I’ve got rid of my home for the last 4 summers and it sucks. I put the stuff in storage and don’t see it for 6-8 months, so now I can come home, wherever it might be, and have clean clothes, and peanut butter and jam in the fridge!

J: And cold beer!

P: Yeah, I’m really excited to have a home.

J: So are you doing the Euro thing again?

P: Yeah, Euro tour, Otang is hooking it up. We’re doing a short term lease on a car and a van, so we’re going to be rip-rallying around. *Skype noises* I just got a message from Ian Comishin: “Are you seriously on Rayne?” Haha. But yeah, Euro tour will be rad, and South America should be interesting. I’m also planning the next Greener Pastures!

J: Can you tell me where it will be?

P: Nope! No one will know until we’re filming.

Mig (photo: Steve Blouin)

J: Cool. Anything else you want to say?

P: Big thanks to Fullbag. Mig’s awesome, I really love him. I appreciate everything they’ve done and look forward to continued success for them. Thanks to Risch for making rad products and giving the industry the “next level”, he’s done a great job. Also thanks to Triple 8, Rayne, NOS, they’re a big one.

Now we’re going to skate some hills! I’m just waiting for the guys, they were supposed to be here an hour ago, so I guess they’re running on P-Swiss time. That’s cool!

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