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Parker Duke - Levitation Project

WHY DO YOU RIDE FOR THE LEVITATION PROJECT?

As far as I’m concerned, The Levitation Project is the most rider core company out there in the snowboarding industry. I’m stoked to be a part of this crew and to be boarding with absolutely everyone else on the team and anyone backing LP.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU RIDE FOR THE LEVITATION PROJECT AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN RIDING FOR OTHER COMPANIES?

The Levitation Project differs from most snowboard companies in a crazy amount of ways. First off being the team. Everyone on the team loves snowboarding with “mad passion.” The whole crew enjoys boarding day in and out. The dude Nico who’s running this show has been a part of the boarding scene for years now. He’s by all means not some tool who thinks of numbers and ways to make money when the word snowboarding is brought up. LP doesn’t half ass it when it comes to helping out anyone on the team, on or off the hill.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LEVITATION PROJECT PRODUCT?

The balaclavas. They’re super breathable and saved my face from skin cancer over the summer.

WHAT DOES SNOWBOARDING MEAN TO YOU?

It means everything. Snowboarding is what I love to do day in and out. It’s what keeps me sane. I can barely make it through the fall without checking the lp blog or the latest vids on snowboarder or twransworld multiple times a day.

WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU MADE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE?

I’ve had to sacrifice my health. My body hates me. I’ve had to put up with so many injuries because of snowboarding. Yet, I find myself going back to snowboarding ASAP, whether that means I have to wait out a couple of weeks to recover or if I go snowboarding the day after I get stitches above my eye and break my orbital bone. I always seem to run back to it no matter the injury. I’m probably just an idiot and can’t learn my lesson to take time off and heal.

WORST JOB YOU EVER HAD?

Catering at Wild Wild West styled wedding service. First job I ever had. It was so lame. We had all kinds of different kooks getting hitched with all sorts of weird cowboy themes.

WHAT ARE THE WORST INJURIES THAT YOU HAVE HAD TO DATE?

I tore my mcl this summer. Luckily it wasn’t too bad of a tear and I didn’t have to get surgery. It set my summer back a little bit but I still had fun and managed to be boarding again before session 6. I’ve been doing lots of physical therapy with it and biking. It seems to be healing just fine. Plus I just knocked on wood after I said that, so my knee should be good to go.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WINTER DAY LIKE?

 Depends on the snow…

powder- I wake up early, load up the sled(s), get out into whatever zone we’re going to for the day, build the jump(s), eat some lunch, start trying to get some shots, fall a lot, get mad, leave pissed off, try to hit a rail later at night, can’t make it to the end of the rail/tap too much/quit or get kicked out, go to bed, repeat the next day.

No pow- go ride brighton with friends.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL SUMMER DAY LIKE?

Still waking up early. I’ll get on the chairlift with the other diggers avoiding to sit next to some ski racers wearing some weird costume to help them go fast. Then rake out the lap park, head back to main park, eat some granola bars, maybe make a digger hole and go boarding for the rest of the day with a little bit of raking around noon. On our way out we have MANDATORY backflips. Or basically just any flip will work. Tamedogs, rodeos, wildcats, it’s all included. Once we get home I’m way to exhausted to do anything but watch a movie for the rest of the evening.

TOP 5 PEOPLE YOU RESPECT ALIVE OR DEAD?

PARENTS, Sid Vicious, Dave Mustaine, Jeff Anderson, and Aj Ogden.

BEST MOUNTAIN YOU HAVE EVER RIDDEN?

I have a lot of fun at Trinity Lakes in Idaho. As far as a resort, Brighton with a fun crew is always a party.

TOP 5 RIDING DAYS OF YOUR LIFE?

In no order…

  • Snowmobiling/snowboarding last pow day of the season in Idaho with my friend Ben Woodard at an abandoned snowboarding resort.
  • Skinny stance day at HCSC with nearly all my friends.
  • Riding chair 6 on a waist deep pow day with the locals; Tulloch, Dustin, Corey, Pidgeon, Logan, Jason, etc.
  • Riding Mammoth for the first time with the LP dudes.
  • Pillow line at Tamarack with my friends Ben and Jeff.
All 5 days came from this season. I had one hell of a time. Looking back at these top five days I realized that it’s the people that make snowboarding so much fun. That and powder. Hopefully next season is just as fun.

TOP 5 HEROES ON THE SNOW?

  1. Jeff Anderson
  2. Jamie Lynn
  3. Gigi Ruef
  4. Johnny Castro
  5. Kyle Clancy

GOALS IN LIFE ON SNOW AND OFF?

Stay true to myself. Keep boarding why I started boarding; for fun. Be sure to “turn my scale on.” I don’t know what that really means but if Jeezy says it, you know it’s legit.

TOP 5 BEST CHOICES YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR LIFE?

  1. Strapping in to a snowboard
  2. Taking off a year from school to just snowboard
  3. Purchasing a snowmobile (financially, definitely not)
  4. Not playing football in high school
  5. Not going back to working park staff at Bogus Basin where the upper management is just backwards.

WHERE WERE YOU A YEAR AGO?

Hanging out at my parent’s house trying to figure out what to do with my winter/life. Mostly trying to figure out what to do with my winter, though.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

Hanging out in Salt Lake waiting for the snow, constructing the bone zone, rehabbing my knee, going to school for the fall semester and watching snowboarding videos daily.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BE A YEAR FROM NOW?

Probably savoring the last few days left of my life before I die when my friends take me out to the bars on my 21st birthday. ESPECIALLY if Nico is there. I won’t stand a chance.