Hamish Duncan interview
INTERVIEW BY :: Andrew Winter, October 2004
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Hamish Duncan interview // page 1 // page 2 // page 3

I know you skate quite a bit, how do you like it compared to snowboarding?
Well in skateboarding I like the totally different feeling and the increase in difficulty. I find that in skateboarding it takes a lot longer to get warmed up and when you nail something you just feel amazing like in snowboarding. It's better for hot weather too. In snowboarding, the kickers are bigger and there's a whole mountain there to ride. You can style your tricks more because it's stuck to your feet and the lifestyle changes as well. When I skate I'm usually living at home. They built a new outdoor park in the next town from me this summer so it worked out perfectly.

Who was your first sponsor and how did you get hooked up in the beginning?
My first sponsor was Slam City Skates, I'd just been on a pipe riding week in Saas Fee with Johnny Barr. He had said something to them and they decided to sponsor me. I still ride for them now but I obviously concentrate a lot on my major sponsors.

Who are your current sponsors and how do they help you out?
Billabong is my main sponsor, they sort me out with clothes and a travel budget which helps me out when I want to go on special trips with magazines and stuff. Ride board, boots and bindings supply me that. Grenade gloves, Electric eyewear, Eastpak bags for travelling and DVS shoes for footwear because in the summer I go through shoes like there's no tomorrow.

You still have to work a separate job at the moment, does this make it difficult to commit to snowboarding 100%? Would you like to spend more time on snow or are you happy with the time you get?
I'm totally happy with the time that I get. I spend the whole season without really working then when I get back I usually work with friends in businesses they run or I do my design work.

...What is your 'summer job'?
Well it's creating virtual buildings for planning commitees. It's a photoshop elevation of a building, put into a digital photograph to make it look as if it's there. Plus I'm doing gig posters for Super U, I did the Xfm Union Awards advert and design plus lots of other bits of work have been coming in.

A lot of British riders get sponsored within the British scene but none of us seem to be able to make as much of a living out of snowboarding as the American and European riders do (we find it hard to make the next step into actually getting a salary for snowboarding).
Would you agree with this? Do you think this will change any time soon? (or will we be lame forever!?)
Yeah I think it's a lot about raising your profile which sounds shit but it's what the market wants. The British market is small compared to the rest of Europe and the US which is something we have to live with. If you want that extra money then you have to raise your profile within Europe and the US to get on to those teams. It is possible it just takes time and dedication. Plus being really good.

Hamish Duncan interview // page 1 // page 2 // page 3



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