Scotty Lago has landed a trick that might be called the full circle by snowboarders.
As a tween, the Seabrook, N.H., native appeared in the freestyling Budweiser Aerial Assault produced by Jack Fleming, featuring top-notch riders and skiers doing serious tricks.
Between then and now, Lago, 29, has ridden to the top of the snowboarding world with four X Games medals and a 2010 Olympic bronze halfpipe medal from the Vancouver games. He’s ridden all over the world, started Lago Snowboards and is an owner in Frends headphones, among other interests.
Now Lago’s back in the aerial assault business following a phone call from Fleming who’s put together the big air and dazzling projection-pumped Sam Adams 3D Air & Apres Show Tour, featuring high-level skiers and snowboarders, rocking music and intense graphics cast on the snow under the lights.
In its debut season, it’s a three-stop tour that started at Camelback in Pennsylvania, landed at Cranmore in North Conway last Saturday and takes off for Montana’s Big Sky next. More stops are planned next season.
“This is kind of version 2.0 of what I did when I was 12,” Lago said at Cranmore’s Zip’s Pub before lunch. “There are so many factors in putting this together. We want for every show to get better, have tighter graphics and have cool elements.”
For someone who’s ridden at the highest level, the show brings new challenges, particularly the moving graphics.
“It’s sometime difficult to land with 3D production moving graphics,” he said through a pinch of smokeless tobacco. “On every trick, a rider is always locked on the landing. When it moves like a wave or snowball, there’s a whole other element of technicality to it, but I like the challenge.”
Lago’s risen to the challenges of the snowboarding world, starting out as a grom on an Amesbury, Mass., tubing hill before moving on to areas like Waterville Valley (home of legendary snowboard coach Bill Enos) and Loon Mountain. Ironically, it was his first time at Cranmore.
“It’s kind of funny: I grew up almost 2½ hours away and didn’t really know that North Conway holds so much. I was bouncing around to competitions, and most of the time my father drove me,” said with a laugh.
But’s he’s been to Tuckerman Ravine — once.
“I definitely want to go and utilize Tuckerman’s more often,” he said.
His snowboarding journey of late has taken him into filming and shooting photos for magazines. He’s in the backcountry; he’s in the pipe. Which is better?
“There’s nothing better than a freshly cut, perfect halfpipe with clean walls to blast airs,” he said. “But on a powder day, if it’s deep and steep, there’s nothing better.”
Lago’s seen world class snowboarding athletes having to specialize.
“Five years ago, riders could do slopestyle, halfpipe, big air and backcountry,” he said. “Now it’s so competitive. Not even Shawn White could do it all. He was the last. Now you have to find one and specialize.”
Lago also advises some soul searching for young riders who have eyes on a golden prize.
“I can’t tell you how many times kids ask me how to get sponsored,” he said. “The truth is a lot of them aren’t good enough. It will happen when it happens. You have to put in the time and be good. When you are good, you will stand out from the rest.”
Lago believes academies are excellent schools for up-and-coming riders because coaches “keep it real.”
Regardless, ride, ride, ride.
“Be involved in snowboarding as much as you can,” he said. “Watch videos. Enter contests. Get it into your head. The tricks come naturally once you understand it in your head.”
Lago’s also a lifelong hunter. He wears camo-colored pants and a bright orange jacket while riding. He recently combined both worlds in a video for a gun-suppressor company shooting pistols, rifles and shotguns at targets while snowboarding and snowmobiling in the backcountry.
Last year, he did a hunt in northern Maine, tracking deer through the snow.
“I’d never done that before,” he said. “It is the coolest form of hunting that’s out there, the hardest you can do. It’s physically demanding, and I love the elements, the suspense. You track a deer for miles. You don’t know what it looks like, and most times will never catch up. I was out there for 10 days and only saw one buck, but I loved every minute of it.”
Marty Basch can be reached at marty.basch@gmail.com.