I'm almost positive that everyone is born with a little voice in their head that they listen to for advice every once in a while. You know; that little voice where you're unsure about something and the voice says go for it. Even though you may or may not take the advice, I bet you're still a little unsure about the decision until you get the results. The point I'm trying to make here is that everyone battles that "little voice" in their head once in a while. When I was thinking of what to write for this column, I talked to that voice and decided to take the advice it gave me. It told me to contact Burton snowboarder Mark Sollars and find out what goes through his head when he's filming for videos, competing in contests, and best of all, standing on top of a cliff he's never hit before. Enjoy.

What goes through your head when you're standing at the top of a jump you haven't hit before?
Usually two questions pop into my head: What's the speed and how's the kick? It's pretty mellow in the snowboard park ‘cause you can just hang out for a second and watch other people hit the jump. I watch for key things like where they drop from, how many speed checks -- if any - and what their knees do as they go up the lip. And then when they're in the air, to see if they're over-shooting or knuckling the landing. From that it's easy; you just match what they did and you're all good.

The backcountry is a whole other game though, because you don't have the luxury of watching other people. Basically you do the best you can do to gauge your speed and watch the jump on test in-runs so you know what the kick is going to feel like when you hit it. It's easy to build a jump wrong. Kick that doesn't match the speed is a disaster, so I always make sure I know what it's going to feel like going off the jump before I actually do.

What about when you're standing at the top of a rail you haven't hit before?
I like rails but they can be so sketchy. Usually a 50-50 is the first trick just to check speed, the jump, the rail and the exit. I always like to know what I'm going to do if I come off to the right or to the left, so nothing comes by surprise. Rails are usually pretty easy to wrap your head around as long as you start off with easy tricks. I start with something I'm really comfortable with, and then make the decision whether or not I want to step up into getting a shot.

And what about when you're waiting to drop in for a contest run?
Contests are the worst! Well, not literally, but they're such a head game. I always feel like I'm up against myself instead of other riders. My head plays with me as I stand up there waiting for my turn to drop. One by one the line in-front of you gets smaller and smaller... The pressure of knowing you only have two runs to get your line... Things flash into my head like; What if I don't land right? My sponsors are going to be bummed if I don't do good. What if I get hurt? Don't ruin filming for videos for a stupid contest! It builds until you're standing at the gate, looking over the course and the starter is watching you while he's listening to his head-set for the go-ahead. It's almost like my head builds so much to that point that when he looks at you and nods it's just too much. My head explodes, then there's just a calm mellowness as you ride into the first feature. From that point on, its fun. You land and start getting stoked. If you get your line you feel a huge relief and excitement at the same time, because you rose up against your head, which doubted you the whole time. When the crowd cheers it feels so good. That is what makes me go to contests: The few times where you get your shit dialed and the crowd cheers for you.

What scares you about snowboarding?
Everything. I am not even joking... I could probably find a way to make everything in life scary. I overanalyze everything, like weighing the difference between risk and reward and what's safe. I see it as a problem, but it in the end it makes snowboarding that much more exciting for me. Every time I hit a jump or rail, I'm probably shitting my pants, but it's so fun to overcome my fears. It's hard to stand at the edge of a cliff, but when I strap in and go off it, its pure enjoyment. "Do one thing every day that scares you" is something that has stuck with me for the past 10 years or so. That doesn't mean that you should go and be reckless and end up getting hurt. It means that you should step out of your comfort zone and experience something that you usually wouldn't have because of your fears.

Do you have any weird habits, rituals, or superstitions with snowboarding?
I have a couple of weird things, like I have to where the Buffer sock from Burton or one of the thicker ones. Thin socks or cotton socks just don't work for me. After, like, four days of shredding I take a break because my body and mind are so beat. So four days, then I will take a day off. I have one more ritual, but there's no way in hell I'm giving it out... [laughs]

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Jeff Patterson: His Favourite Shots (Mark Sollars)
Burton Canadian Open Slope Style Finals (Results)
Burton Canadian Open Slope Style Finals (Video)