It seems like Ottawa-born shredder Matt Belzile graduated from grom to veteran in the blink of an eye. Wasn't it just yesterday when his first am interviews appeared? Reality check: It was in fact five years ago when he moved to Whistler and got hooked up by Westbeach (who he still rides for and also works for). One year later he added K2 to his sponsor list, and began filming with Alterna Films under the mentorship of then teammate and current boss Jon Cartwright.

While Belzile began, he no doubt looked up to top Canadian dogs like Cartwright, but he can now count himself among them. He splits his time between contests and a full-time filming schedule with ease (witness his totally bananas backside 1260s at this year's Shakedown), and somehow manages to be a contributing member of the Westbeach staff; not just a team rider who breezes in and out of product meetings and photo shoots. He's also stepped up to the top video ranks, earning a spot on the Standard Films rider roster this season.

"I've been trying to get into American videos for a while," he explains. "Last season I filmed for Variety Pack's Not Bad, based out of Utah. I had a decent part in it and my American K2 team manager worked some magic and got me on Standard. I was pretty hyped on that!"

The best part about Belzile is that he'll be the last person to tell you these things. Low-key and cool to a fault, he typically seems content to allow his accomplishments (and his avid supporters) speak on his behalf. I ran into him a few times this season, and even did a run or two with him: in the Blackcomb beginner park with Jesse Fox and Robjn Taylor. The fact that he was as stoked to hit some tiny jibs with friends as he was to take down the mighty Shakedown jump says it all.

OK, let's start off by talking about the Shakedown... it was a big event this year, easily one of the largest crowds you'll see at any snowboard event anywhere. Does it make you nervous riding in front of so many people?
No, not really... I don't really notice them until after I either land a trick and they cheer or after I fall and they scream, oooh! I do, however, remember just getting to the top of the run and taking a second to look at the crowd and just taking it in. But before I drop in for my run I seem to forget about it.

You were landing Backside 1260's and I heard a lot of good comments about how you did them: legit, with good style and a good grab. How hard is that trick to do, for real?
Well, it's a hard trick to keep flat when you're hucking that hard off a jump; it's easy to get into a weird cork and get lost or just not end up on your feet. So that's the hard part... The rest is just having the chance to try it on a good size jump.

With the double cork being so dominant now, can you even beat it with a flat spin trick? What's your opinion of it and how that trick impacts contest judging?
Well, I've heard a lot of people say that a double cork is cheating a 1080 and I somewhat agree with that... but maybe that's just because I haven't been doing them. [laughs] As for the impact on judging, I'm not sure... do they score a cork back 5 higher than a flat back 5? I guess I don't compete enough to know. Personally I think flat spins are harder. Although some double corks are really hard, like the backside double rodeo 1080 that Travis Rice showed us.

Well, I think corked spins can have more of a wow-factor if you know what I mean... I get the feeling you're on the fence with contests. Do you like them?
I'm not really on the fence; I really don't mind contests. I just spend most of my season on filming and shooting so I don't have time compete that much. But doing two or three contests a year is good for me. It keeps it fun and doesn't really get old.

Speaking of contests, did you stick around Vancouver and Whistler during the Olympics, or did you get out of town?
Yeah, I stayed in Whistler pretty much the whole time and I'm really glad I did. The mountain was so dead and we got a few good snow falls, yet the village was happening! We also got a good sunny stretch and got a lot of my filming in there.

Did you watch any of the snowboard events? What did you think of the whole situation?
I caught most of it on TV and I went to a medal ceremony in Whistler. But I was pretty busy with filming and making web videos for Westbeach to show what impact the Olympics had on our shred lives. In the end the Olympics ended up being pretty rad and I'm glad I stuck around to witness it.

I saw some pretty gross pictures of you on Facebook: "knee + face = the worst" was the caption, I believe... what happened there?
I was filming in the Whistler backcountry and we found a step-down with a really steep landing, which made it pretty speed sensitive. I came up short on my first hit, so on my second hit I carried a bit more speed into it. I ended up over-shooting... I tried to land it anyways and the result was a knee in the face. It really sucked when it happened, but as far as injuries go it's pretty mellow. Just gave me a good shiner and made me look badass. I think chicks dig it.

Tell me about the rest of your season: what did you do and what were some highlights?
I'm filming with Standard this year which was a big step for me. It's been really rad filming with them... I've been paired up with Ryan Tiene and we get along really good and want to ride the same things. We did a trip to Tahoe that was super fun. Got to ride with Torstein [Horgmo], which was also pretty sweet.

What's the ideal spring day for you? What would it include?
Riding the slushy park all day and getting off the mountain and still having a whole bunch of daylight left to go skate.

You're really involved with Westbeach, not just as a rider but you actually do real work for them... this is obviously unusual for a lot of pro snowboarders. What makes you interested to get more involved to the point where you have to put extra time into it when you could be chilling or just staying focussed on snowboarding?
I've been riding for Weatbeach for a long time and they're truly a rider-driven brand. So they've always asked me for feedback on design, marketing and even team. Over the years I just took the liberty to help out more and it sparked some interest and I think it helped me understand the industry a lot more.

Do you think this reflects the new state of pro snowboarding: that you need to be valuable to sponsors for more than just your riding?
Yeah, I think you're way more valuable to a company when you're involved and bring more to the table than just being a team rider.

Belzile in Variety Pack's not bad!

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Related:
Media Tips From The Top
Jon Cartwright and the Westbeach Revival
Video: Private Alterna Shoot at Grouse