Age: 24
Sponsors: Salomon, Sessions, Oakley, and NC Clothing
Born: Hermitage, Pennsylvania
Resides: Tahoe City, California
First Job in Tahoe: Parking lot at Squaw Valley
Bro’s On a Pow Day: Garrett Mason and Jason Borgstede
Early Influence: Steve Caballero,
Matt Hensley, Shackle Me Not and Hocus Pocus
Daily Inspiration: Dave Hatchett and Kevin Jones
Like’s: Honesty
Dislike’s: Jealousy
First Board: K2 Gyrator bought by Mom
Mike
Telega has been a fixture at Squaw Valley for the last few years.
Day or night he can be seen ripping the pipe with huge style.
More recently he has expanded into the freeriding and big mountain
realms and has been quite successful. His passion for the sport
and quiet demeanor have resulted in consistent improvement and
more play in the mag’s. If past performances are an indication
of where Mike’s riding is headed, we can all look forward
to seeing his prowess on display even more in print and on film.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, how did you get started skateboarding?
It was just something to do as a kid when my parents got divorced.
I was probably 10 or 11. I grew up riding BMX and it seemed
to be a natural transition to skateboarding. Being out of the
house all the time kept my mind off of what was going on at
home.
What kind of terrain did you guys skate back there?
Lot’s of gravel! There were a couple backyard miniramps,
but mostly just street, a couple handrails and stuff. I used
to get a lot of tickets. When we first started skating we were
kind of the pioneers in our area and nobody used to hassle us.
As things progressed they started giving us fines. There was
also a cool indoor mall we’d skate a lot.
How
did you decide to make the move from Pennsylvania to Lake Tahoe?
I knew I definitely didn’t want to stay in Pennsylvania.
Everybody I grew up with was older and was just stuck there
and that wasn’t something I was really interested in. I
really wanted to see what was out there. Just from reading the
magazines, Tahoe was mainly it. I wasn’t really sure until
a year before I made the move, then I ended up waiting for my
friend Todd Stottlemyer to get out of school. We went to Colorado
to see what it was like and it was cool but from the magazines
I just kept hearing more and more about Tahoe. It was the final
destination on our trip and we just ended up staying.
What’s your favorite feeling in snowboarding?
Effortless, regardless of what it is- just making it to where
you’re not even really trying, where it’s just flowing.
I remember when I first saw you out there riding the pipe
grabbing huge backside airs. How did you make the transition
to doing the inverted tricks your pulling now?
Every morning I’d get in my car and drive down the road
and I figured that was probably the most dangerous thing I could
possibly do, so why should I be scared to do tricks on my snowboard?!
What
were you thinking about when you did your first invert?
Nothing. I’d gone over it in my mind several times watching
videos and stuff. When it came down to the actual trick I didn’t
think about anything, I just made it happen. It was a straight
backflip up at Alpine. From there it progressed into a backside
rodeo. Once you get comfortable being upside down in the air
it all kind of just comes naturally.
With snowboarding progressing so fast, how do you keep pace
and keep up the stoke?
Snowboarding is what I’ve wanted to do and I’ve known
that for a while. As much as I want to do something with snowboarding
I don’t let all the hype get to me. I know why I’m
doing it and I keep reassuring myself of that. It’s pretty
gratifying too, I love the feeling, it’s almost spiritual
to me a lot of times just being out there. Above all I just
do it for myself.
Where is your focus going to be in the next couple seasons?
Filming is a big thing for me. I love the connection of working
with someone to get an end result-that means a lot to me. It
sounds like I’m gonna get some opportunities. Not that
it’s only Kodak courage, it’s just really cool when
new things happen and the camera is out. People can call me
a photo slut all they want! I’ll probably end up doing
some contests too. It makes you a better rider because it puts
you in a state of mind where you have to perform.
If you could be good at any other sport what would it be?
Right now I’d really like to be better at mountain biking.
It’s been a huge part of my life and I think it transfers
well over to snowboarding. Setting the mental goals is very
similar. Skateboarding too. I think skateboarding’s the
hardest sport there is!
Sounds like you haven’t tried surfing.
Yeah, I’ve tried it. I took some beatings. I never got
up.
Can you think of anything else you want to say? Any shout
outs?
I want to thank my friend Rachel. And I definitely
want to thank my mom and my step-dad for everything they’ve
done, they’ve been really generous. I remember riding the
backhills of PA and my friend had screwed together these old
skateboard decks with bungee cords to hold our feet on, but
I really wanted my own board. For Christmas one year I ended
up getting a snowboard, a brand new K2 Gyrator. My mom probably
couldn’t pay her bills for six months!!! I really appreciate
all the support!!
Mike
Telega has been a fixture at Squaw Valley for the last few years.
Day or night he can be seen ripping the pipe with huge style.
More recently he has expanded into the freeriding and big mountain
realms and has been quite successful. His passion for the sport
and quiet demeanor have resulted in consistent improvement and
more play in the mag’s. If past performances are an indication
of where Mike’s riding is headed, we can all look forward
to seeing his prowess on display even more in print and on film.
How
did you decide to make the move from Pennsylvania to Lake Tahoe?
What
were you thinking about when you did your first invert?
If you could be good at any other sport what would it be?