"You know what? I saw an amazing thing last night," Chris Dufficy says matter of factly, while referring to the Vancouver premier of Alterna Action's Knockout. "Two guys and two girls had to chug a beer to see who would win my Signal snowboard. The thing was, no one could use their hands. So this one girl stuck her lips into the pint glass and suction-cupped the glass against her cheeks and mouth, tilted her head back and continued to drain the entire glass without spilling a drop. Now, she wasn't the fastest, but obviously style counts in all aspects of life, so clearly she won the snowboard..."

Chris is no stranger to style, or girls with extensive suction-cup prowess, so I stole a few minutes of his time to get the low-down on shooting with Alterna, his new sponsor, Signal Snowboards, and cross training in the 21st century. Now, to steal a phrase from a sweet ‘thug-pop' anthem, this is why he's hot...

Last season you traveled the world shooting with Carlos Wein's shred film company, Alterna Action, for his 10th Anniversary release Knock Out. How was it getting involved with a new crew at this stage in your career?

It was different for sure, you know? You have got to get used to different crews and how they all work and everything. So it took a while for me to get used to it all, but at the same time it was a learning experience and I got to meet a lot of really, really, really awesome people and it has really broadened my horizons for different types and aspects of snowboarding, so it's wicked.

Now that the project is out, and you have obviously seen the finished project, how do you feel about the whole situation?

I am super stoked to be able to work with Carlo! He went out of his way to hook me up for this film and it worked to our advantages. To tell you the truth, it was a great thing and Carlos is a great guy, and I was super happy to work with him last year for sure.

Is that partnership going to continue into this next season?

I hope so, yeah. I am going to have to talk to the big boys at some of my sponsors to see what their deal is but, yeah, I definitely want to shot with Carlo. It's a great Canadian company, you know, and the videos that he produces are really well edited and everything is just really professional in that sense. It's a new outlook in which he perceives to make movies, and it's what the industry needs right now. He is definitely headed in the direction that I think it all needs to be going as well... there is a very, very high possibility that I will be working with Alterna again this year.

There is no question that Alterna's production value has gone through the roof and the perceived value is top shelf...But speaking of sponsors though, you are now with Signal Snowboards, Dave Lee's new company. Why don't you break down that situation?

Well, basically I get to talk to one of my idols just about every day now. [laughing] Dave Lee once said to me, "I hope you don't mind me calling you all the time," and I was like, "Dude, I get so stoked every time I see your name come up on my phone!" [laughs] He has always wanted me to ride for him, and he gave me the opportunity to take my time and has never pressured me, and after things went sour with my last board sponsor, not mentioning any names here, he was right there. They are so supportive. A snowboard-directed company that is run by snowboarders for snowboarders... I don't know... it's just the unconditional love for snowboarding that Dave still has, and he continues to show me every time we talk, is just something I needed. It just brings back the fun and that's what snowboarding is all about, so it was just the perfect move for me.

You're known for your cross-training and preparation for snowboarding in the off season. What types of activities have you had in your work out schedule for this year?

My good friend Dave Boyce and I -- well Dave actually started Jujitsu before me, and he asked me to start doing it with him -- so I have been doing that for the last two months. I also just started doing Bikram's hot yoga, and yeah, I still weight train three times a week and ride my stationary bike every day. But the new stuff just adds something to my repertoire to make it more exciting and to find new techniques to try and heal, to try and be stronger in a different, more fun, way than just the basic plyometrics and weight-lifting that people normally do at the gym...and to keep it new school, you know what I'm saying? [laughs]

What are some of the benefits of Jujitsu and yoga that will translate well into snowboarding once the season rolls around?

They are both huge core work-outs, which is huge for snowboarding. But also the breathing techniques I've been learning and certain stretching that's a bit different has really been helping my knee. I've had multiple surgeries, which you know, and I have tried everything and you know what? Why not try something different? I have been getting more flexible for sure, and it's been helping me with all aspects of my body, especially my knee, so it is a definite benefit in that sense. But the Jujitsu, it hurts... I go, and it hurts that night, man! [laughing] But it's the funnest thing... You can take out aggression while learning more about yourself, like your pain thresholds, and it just brings you together mind, body and soul without getting to hippie-ish or anything like that. But the big thing is just getting in synch with yourself, in both Jujitsu and yoga.

You mentioned ‘hot' Bikram's Yoga...isn't any yoga that Chris Dufficy attends, by definition, immediately labeled ‘hot'?

[laughs] Ok, now I'm blushing...

Trailer for Alterna Films' Knockout: