Growing up inside the snowboard industry has given me a great appreciation for individuals and companies that are able to continuously reinvent themselves. Sometime feel like I've seen it all. Whether it's the resurgence of camo, plaid, jibbing, baggy, tight, bright or saggy, it's already been in style and it's back for another round. But what never goes out of style, though, is age.

Time and time again, I hear stories about how ‘this guy's too old,' or ‘that guy's too old to be sponsored.' "He's been in the game for years, and yeah, he's killing it, but the younger guy is better because he's younger." Huh? Maybe what people are really trying to suggest is that there's an expiration date on snowboarders. If someone is consistently getting coverage and still progressing as a rider, I say that we as an industry should support those that dedicated their bodies to the wrath of Mother Nature every winter.

For clarification, I'm not talking about supporting the 29 year old bro that's competing in the same old local contests or the 35 year old dad taking his kids out for a run, but more so the mid-thirties Devun Walsh and the early thirties DCP. Both of these individuals show no signs of stopping even though they are considered ‘old' when compared to the new kids on TV.

Enter Rube Goldberg, one of Canada's "older" snowboarders. When I sat down with Rube to go through a few of my ageism theories, I found out that out that age really isn't a big deal if you're just out there on the hill having fun. Phew...that's good to know since I'm turning 31 in a few months.

How old are you?
34.

Who do you ride for?
Billabong, Nitro, Drop, Dragon.

Do your sponsors really know how old you are?
Definitely. They make fun of me all the time.

Have you ever lied to a sponsor about your age?
I don't think so. There was this one time in Switzerland at Nitro camp when I heard someone say I was 18 when I was really 26. I didn't correct him.

Why do you think that age is such a sensitive issue in today's snowboard industry?
I think age has always been somewhat of a factor. Companies don't want to invest time and money into somebody who's just going to wash away in a year or two.

Without sounding harsh, how the hell did you last so long? 
Not sure. I just keep lingering around. I get the odd cover, random shots in movies... nothing really too exciting though. Just enough action to keep people talking shit. Plus they always said I was too cheap to fire.

Does your body still work as well as it used to when you were younger?
My knees hurt a lot. I get these weird zaps all the time. I've got something going on in my back and I can't really bend over. I think the real problem is in the brain. When you're young and hungry you don't think, and when your balls get old you think too much. It gets confusing. You just have to keep at it so you don't lose it.

What would you say was your key to success, making it so far in the shred game?
I wouldn't say I'm successful. I wish I did a few things different along the way but ultimately I'm happy. And if you can be happy then I think you're doing all right. If you're not doing something you want to do then how the hell are you going to succeed?

(keep reading for what Rube does to stay sharp, and what his plans are for the future)