Loui Purucker
First name: Loui
Last name: Purucker
Home: Wanaka, New Zealand
Home away from home: Suitcase and sleeping bag
Height: Big enough
Weight: 65 kg
Favourite board: Squad
Stance: Regular, +18/-9
Sponsors:
- Völkl Snowboards
- Billabong
- Dragon
- Vestal
- Flux
- Snowparknz
- Quest snowboard store Wanaka
- 1st place, Billabong Slopestyle 2007 (U-20)
- 6th place, Slope Japan 2008
- & at the gym
click here for ACTUAL TTR RANKING!
You probably have a nickname - please tell us the story behind it.
None that I know of.
Do you remember your first day on a snowboard?
I don’t think I will ever forget it. I used to ski and on one particular fam ski trip I gave snowboarding a go. After nearly putting several people who were in the learners lift line, into hospital, I couldn’t handle being laughed at any longer and got back on my skis. Then next day I tried again and haven’t skied since. That was nine years ago.
How did you learn new tricks back in the days?
I would try them until I knew I was going to land them, and sometimes even then I would keep trying. I did this for so long. I rode round with all my mates who were trying all these tricks, and I would just never try them. Now, I almost feel I can safely try just about any trick and have a good chance of landing and learning it without getting hurt. I’m so thankful that I held my self back for so long. One day my comfort rose and that came just from riding round.
Why have you never stopped snowboarding since then?
I did never stop riding since then because it’s fun, and a good way of being totally by yourself and still out with your friends.
You probably have visited a bunch of different ski resorts already. What’s your favourite place, what was the most exotic and where would you like to live and ride in the future?
I’m so lucky that I can say this, but my most favorite place in the world is where I live and where my most favourite place to ride is, Wanaka, NZ. The most exotic place I’ve ridden would be any of the club fields that line the center of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. You drive up a pass onto a plateau with tussock grass landscape with snowy peaks, then suddenly you enter rain-forest-style beach trees, and you drive up to a small hut just about the tree line and you have alpine basins with fluted ridges and cliff drops. In Europe, I was pretty impressed with Grindelwald in Switzerland and Sonnenkopf in Austria.
You also must have seen tons of snowboard videos in the past. What’s your favourite video part and why do you remember it?
I don’t watch too many snowboard video these days, unless it’s just before a day riding. But “Notice to Appear” is my all-time favourite. If it were to be released today it would blow minds but these guys made in 2001!
Let us know about your favorite trick! Do you have any specials in your trick bag?
My favourite trick changes every day depending what mood I’m in. But FS 3s are pretty much one of the coolest feelings on the planet. The same happens with BS 1s and 7s. All the tricks are great, snowboarding is so much fun. BS7 double stiffy ;)
What do you like most about Völkl Snowboards?
Even though Völkl is originally a ski brand, the snowboard department still consists of people dedicating their time to making the best snowboards ever. What I like best about Völkl Snowboards is that they’re a good ride!
What about entertainment? Let us know about your gigabytes of MP3s and videos!
I’m all about music, music is my main passion, but I have many years of that ahead of me. My video stock is pretty empty but I got a few gigs of tunes on Serato, plus a small collection of vinyl at home.
How do you make your stomach happy? You must have some favourite drinks and food?
Okonomiaki, sushi, sashimi, pizza, pasta, mum’s grilled stuffed peppers with a home-made minced meat filling. Yum.
What was your best experience in life so far?
My life is the experience - every bit of it - the good with the bad.
And finally, what is your biggest dream?
Warm snow!
Don’t worry about it.
