Hagen Kearney has been on a tear. A 5-year veteran of the U.S. Snowboard Team, Hagen is fresh off a couple of top-ten World Cup finishes, as well as a win at the Nor-Am Cup at Ski Cooper in February of this year. Off the course, Hagen can be found ripping hot laps and lines on his Venture. With a stacked schedule of events, training and travel, this San Juans charger has been all over the map this summer. However, true to form, Hagen always makes time for his family and friends. We caught up with him for a little après shred Q&A to see what's on his mind.
E-Mo: Where in the world is Hagen right now? Shredding slush on the glacier? Rallying Harleys across the open road? Skating some huge transitions with friends?
Hagen: I am in Bariloche, Argentina! I've been here for about 3 days and it's been rad. We were greeted with a foot of pow. I also brought my skateboard so I'm gonna try to find something to thrash on while I'm here!
E-Mo: A foot of fresh in September... Sounds tough. What’s the occasion? Freeriding or is this trip all business?
Hagen: I am here with the US Snowboardcross team training for the upcoming contest season. The resort is pretty cool, they built us a wild track to train on. The first day we were here we got to ride some pow which was so fun. In a week or two we are going farther south to Ushuaia, which is the southernmost city in the world, just across the pond from Antarctica! They have a course there!
E-Mo: Can you at least get out to catch a show and a little culture? You have to check out Almafuerte. They're this rad Argentine heavy metal band that was huge in the 90's and early 2000's. We've been rocking them at the office as of late. I know you play guitar. Do you rock the tunes when you're training as well?
Hagen: I'd like to catch some kind of music for sure, we did chow on some authentic steak and wine last night which is a must down here. Our crew definitely keeps a good ratio of business and wildness wherever we go. I do rock tunes, I go across the board as far as tunes go, for example one song will be The Who and the next could be Motörhead. There is this band Rival Sons who I'm obsessed with right now you should check em out. I've been playing a bit of Rock N' Roll with these dudes in Salt Lake City. We played a show the week before I left for Argentina, it was pretty fun!
E-Mo: Looks like you've been putting in the miles on your Harley this summer. You've been everywhere from the Summer X-Games in Austin to Mount Hood and all over the west. How did you get hooked up with those guys?
Hagen: Yeah I always try to be on a Harley as much as possible when there's no snow. I got hooked up with them through X Games because they are a main sponsor for the event. They are such cool people. They definitely help fuel my Moto passion when I'm off the snow.
E-Mo: We figure everyone is always asking you about the upcoming World Cup season and the Winter Games at PyeongChang, so we're going to skip all that and get down to brass tacks. What we really want to know is... When is the world premiere of Haulin' Ass and why haven't we been invited yet? Ha! Seriously, this looks like a really creative and fun passion project. Tell us how it all came together. Any plans for more freeriding/film projects this coming season?
Hagen: Haha that is a project that was spearheaded by my brother, Harry. We have been filming with our brother in-law who is basically our best partner in crime, and kills it behind the lens. It's basically us driving around the country, chasing the snow, getting rowdy and really showcasing what the snowboarding lifestyle is all about. Not trying to follow all of the trendy tricks or necessarily do things that no one has ever done but just show people what our world of snowboarding is all about.
E-Mo: Well your training and travel schedule sounds fun, but pretty fast paced. Hope you get some down time this season to hang with the family, friends and ride your old stomping grounds. Thanks for making time to catch up Hagen. Any shout outs or last words before you go?
Hagen: Drinks are on me!! Peace out!!