114 THRA
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NATE COLE
SQUAN
Valley
CEOwn Yo
cold snap
nata
Hailing from the land of the cheeseheads, then spending a
couple of years in the Summit County, Colorado jib arena, Nate
Cole finally landed like a cat on the North Shore of Tahoe some
four years ago. Nate takes all his past and blends it into the
present with one of the smoothest all-around styles in the
business. It's a refreshing pleasure to ride with and know such
a humble and unassuming nice guy. -Jeff Pettit
How do you feel that skateboarding
relates to snowboarding?
Being a skateboarder, even if you have
never ridden a snowboard a day in your
life, you have a huge advantage over
someone who only snowboards. On the
hill, everything will look familiar to
you: hips, quarterpipes, halfpipes, curb
cuts, etc. Although almost anyone can
grasp the basics of edge control in the
span of a week, a lot of people are in
the dark after that. The fact that they
have no knowledge of skating and its
influence on snowboarding keeps
them from seeing things that are obvi-
ous to skaters.
You have been riding for Type A snow-
boards since its beginning. How did that
come about and what has it been like?
Type A was formed five years ago by
Ken Block, Mike Ternasky, and Damon
and Danny Way. Coming from the
skateboard industry, being snowboard-
ers themselves, they had a fresh per-
spective on things. In '94 we lost Mike
Ternasky. I had only known him the
short span of a year, but in that time I
gained and lost a good friend. However,
the seeds had been planted and Type A
could do nothing but grow. Because of
these people and their idea that the
team needs to have input in every part
of the company, I could not imagine rid-
ing for anyone else.
You grew up in Wisconsin, so obvious-
ly you skated The Turf. Best cement
you ever touched?
Most definitely yes. I have yet to skate
anything that compares to the capsule
and the clover bowls. Blessed is the
only way to describe it. Lately, though,
with all the new parks pouring in
California, the future looks bright.
Clockwise from left: "Look Ma, no hands!"
Grabbing is optional at the Squaw pipe. Nate deliv-
ers the goods down this steep Alaskan snowscape
via airmail. (Inset) Backside tailslide on the vert at
the old Sacto Park. All photos: Sedway.
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