Manuel Pietropoli
November 16th, 2010 by admin received Comments Off TweetPhotos: courtesy of ©Nick Damiano from New York City. Have a look at his site and at his Flickr page.
Another big name here on Candiesmagazine.com, this time we’re talking about snowboard and at the take-off there’s one of the most important names into the shredding Italian scene. He’s only 20 but people have been talking about him for at least 10 years. He rules in the pipe, you saw him in Vancouver, here’s the man!! MANUEL PIETROPOLI!!
Hello Manuel, thank you a lot for the time you granted us. Some easy questions: how old are you and where do you come from?
Hi, I’m 20 and I’m from Lonato del Garda, near Brescia.
What are your sponsors?
Burton,redbull,nike6.0,san carlo,brux.
Which board are you using in this season? Have you got some preferences regarding the decks you choose?
Well, I’ve been using the CustomX 152 for two years, I prefer it among the others becasue it’s more reactive and it allows you to have perfect transitions in the pipe.
How long have you been snowboarding? What was that brought you into this sport, and how did you fall in love with it?
I’ve been snowboarding for 13 years. My father taught me this awesome sport and everyone in my family is deeply in love with mountain. I immediately fell in love with this sport that now is part of my life.
You are really young, but from the standpoint of riding you have a massive and respectable curriculum. How does the Manuel of today feel in front of the one of ten years ago?
Well, except from the riding, that has changed really a lot, I’ve to say that I feel really well, mostly now. After the lasts and really good results in contests I’m pumped and I’m sure I’ll do great things this season.
Progression is important – and you are a living example . Do you think that the Italian scene is growing at your speed? Or it’s always behind of European and international riders?
Yes, in this sport progression is a really important thing. The level of riding is never the same but it’s in great development. I’ve to say that in Italy we’re not bad in what concerns jumps, and also as riding level we’re not the last. Unfortunately there is a big gap into the world of pipe, I hope that some kid will emerge because as for now we’re in a bad condition.
Who are the “pros You’re lookin at” in this moment? Both as ispiration for you style and as emerging talents, if you have noticed someone!
Well, Louri Podladtchikov is surely a point of reference for me. In my opinion he’s the best and he inspires me. As emerging athlete there’s Patrick Burgerer, he’s making giant leaps and we’ll soon hear talking about him.
What’s your home spot? And your favourite spot, where you’d like to be everyday?
Unfortunately I haven’t any home spot, being always around the world for contests and trainings I can’t be often in the same place. Surely the best spot where I’d like to ride everyday is Park City
How do you feel with the others Italian pro riders? Do you have a particular feeling with some crew?
I feel really well because in our world we are all friends
We have dozens of new videos every year. What do you think will be the must-have of 2010-2011?
It’s difficult to say because I still haven’t seen them, however the Burton video will surely be among the best ones.
The experience of Vancouver 2010 surely brought you a lot of popularity. What do you remember today about this experience?
Vancouver has surely been an unforgettable experience, as well as Turin. The thing that I remember the most is that I really felt under pressure. Being the unique Italian at the Olympics and having whole Italy counting on you it’s not a little thing. Now I understand how Giacomo felt in Turin. The good thing is that the pre Olympic training has deeply changed my riding style and I’m seeing greet results now.
We certainly prefer to look ahead – what are your projects for the future? Are you working on something in particular?
I’ve opened a snowboard shop with my sister Lisa in my town (the site will be soon on-line at this address www.lm-snowboardstore.com ), so that people can receive the best advices for what concerning the equipment, and also to transmit my passion for snowboard to everyone. About riding, my goal for this year is surely to be in the top 15 of the final ttr ranking list and to achieve good results at the contests. And hoping in an invite to the European Xgames.
We always see you around the world shredding at various contests. How do you approach these events? Can you have fun while riding or do you feel sometimes under pressure?
The unique contest in which I feel under pressure are the Olympic Games. I feel very calm at the others, and the possibility to compare myself with the best riders in the world – and sometimes to leave some of them behind me – give me the strenght to progress and do things in the best way.
You have recently been in NZ. What do you think about that?
Yes, NZ is a landmark for me. If you want to train during summer, NZ is the only place where you can do it seriously, of course because you have a winter snow. This winter has been really good both as results in contests and training.
Only few people know that behind a snowboarder there’s a solid athlete. In what does your training consist? And how do you keep fit when you’re not on your board?
During pause moments (they’re really a few) I keep fit going into gym and running, sometimes I also ride a cross bike, it may seem a stupid thing, but making laps it’s a really good training for the breath and for stamina.
Your ideal park. What would you put inside it?
I would surely start with a pipe, then a line with 3 or 4 jumps with some rails or some jibbing between them and finally, to complete my dream park, I would put a spine to be taken at 1000 km/h where you shoot huge bs airs.
Your 1080 double cork is really great. Are you already working on some new trick? Have you got a private pipe with foam pit you too (eheh) ?
I learned the 1080 double cork just before the Olympics. Now I’ve to make it mine, so that I can’t make it wrong into contests. The next step is to learn sw double back side rodeo in jump and also cab 1080 double in pipe.
The technical progression is nowadays shocking. Tricks are outclassed from season to season, and what was unattainable a year before, is seen in all ways in videos next winter. What do you think should be as acquired in the baggage of an international pro rider today?
Yes, I think the rapid growth is also more evident in the riding level at the Olympics. In 4 Olympics, each time there was an abyss in the tricks as well as in the pipe size. Right now you must have at least some double to be able to take part at international races otherwise is better to stay in Italy to train.
We want you to be philanthropist 
give an advice to all the young riders that in this moment are trying to emerge
The best advice I can give them is to deeply believe in it, it isn’t easy seen the actual level, but if you like it and if you want snowboard to be your life style, you have to believe in it till the end and not to abandon in front of the first obstacles because unfortunately there’ll be a lot.
Snowboarding is now a mainstream sport. A few crews are still riding with the punk approach of the beginnings. Do you think this is good for the progress of this activity, or it upsets you, that everyone is snowboarding today?
See, I hope so much that people in the future will only ride snowboards, so that on Sunday on television, instead of watching this f****** football we could watch a nice snowboard contests that surely is far more spectacular. So, the more we are, the better is.
How do you push yourself before a contest or an important session? Do you have some particular mantra?
The way in which I pump myself the most is looking at the others when they close some heavy and well done tricks, so I convince myself that I can do it better, in order to push me the most.
Being a pro rider also means having to deal constantly with filmer and photographer. What is your relationship with them? Do you have any names with whom you particularly love to work?
This is a very beautiful part of snowboarding, going around shooting and filming is very relaxing because you just don’t have the pressure of races and even if you miss a trick you can try it again until you close it without any problems. Certainly my favorite filmer is Franky, I worked with him for a year before the Olympics and we have been through a lot together, photographers I say Dennis Piccolo, Taz, Margutti, Fizza, are the ones with whom I worked more.
You have the last word. Comments, notes, thanks, whatever.
I want to thank all my sponsor for all the support they give to me and I want to invite you all into my snowboard shop LM snowboardstore where I’ll be really glad to give all the advices you need into your equipment choice. And I hope to meet you all jumping around.
Thank you a lot Manuel for this nice interview, keep rockin mate!!!
Photos: courtesy of ©Nick Damiano from New York City. Have a look at his site and at his Flickr page.
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Posted under: INTERVIEWS, SNOWBOARD
