Words by Mary Walsh

photos by Will McManus

Who is Johnny Lazzareschi?

What facebook-saavy babe wouldn’t love this innocent face?

A friend of mine recently described Johnny Lazzareschi in three words: candy and Lil Wayne (ridiculous snowboarding talent was assumed). I had only met Lazz on the internet via facebook and reelcomp, so while I figured this would be a pretty accurate description, I had yet to experience his high energy, huge smile and infectious laughter first hand. This past week he took his first trip to the East Coast and I had the chance to sit down with him at the Rome office in Waterbury, Vermont. We sat across from each other, got on our computers and talked to each other in the only way that it makes sense in this day and age: via instant messenger.

At 17, he’s already more than a blip on snowboarding’s radar, with shots in Rome’s team films, Any Means and No Correct Way and strong finishes in rail contests all over the West Coast. He’s just been promoted onto the Rome AmArmy and he’ll be graduating high school this spring, so expect to see more of Lazz as he expands his geographic takeover beyond California. Groom your run ins, lock up your sisters, and keep the sugar away, Lazz has enough energy to conquer it all.

sb.com: So, I heard you described yesterday by these things: Lil Wayne and candy. Accurate depiction?

Lazz: Yeah, that’s on point, but Wayne is falling off, shows what drugs will do.

sb.com: I heard it's because he's getting into rock ‘n roll now. Disappointing for a fan?

Lazz: Yeah I hear he’s got a lil’ band. Eh, we will see. I hear it’s [called] the Bad Ass Grasshoppers.

sb.com: So, what are you doing here in Vermont? First time on the East Coast, huh?

Lazz: I’m here on an Onboard Magazine trip. They are doing a story on the East Coast. I traveled around with John Cavan, Espen [Lysted], Danny [Burrows], Max Legend and this kid, Nikki [Korpela] from Finland. [It’s been] pretty sa-weeet.

Today’s pro riders are multi talented. Here Lazz helps Rome designer Shawn Dumont design some...designy stuff.

sb.com: Where'd you guys go?

Lazz: We started in Burlington, to Waterville, Loon, Killington, Timber Ridge, then back to the office here at Rome, in Waterbury. We had the best day at Loon. I thought I was in California. The best snow--it was like spring time when I was there…wide lips for the jumps, so money. I never, ever thought I would be here on the east coast and being out here makes me think that it wasn’t as bad as I thought—like the weather and the snow conditions.

sb.com: How was your experience at Timber Ridge? That place is really unique.
Lazz: As soon as I rolled up, Chris [caretaker of Timber Ridge] was pounding a beer at ten in the morning and threw it on the ground while he was sitting on his sled. They welcomed us right away, it was awesome. Chris told us he would build us anything! So, that gave us an awesome opportunity to use our heads and build something cool. We were all stoked on that. Tim [Waker] and Chris are the best resort owners of all time!!!

sb.com: OK, back to the beginning: when did you start riding for Rome? I assume John Graham [the NorCal Rome Rep] had something to do with it?

Lazz: When I was about 12 or 13, John got on the lift with me and asked me if I liked free shit. I told him ‘hell yeah,’ and it was crazy ‘cause he lived right down the street from me. And then I started to spiral sideways. [laughs] Just kidding. Yeah, I just kept meeting more and more people from Rome, developed new relationships, stayed in touch, kept up on my work and it’s paying off, but I still gotta bust my ass. You only get back what you put in.

Sb.com: And then you took a trip to Waterbury, Vermont!

Lazz: [laughs] Kinda, it was Wednesday night and Cavan calls me asking me what I am doing on Friday, and I go, ‘oh probably scoping out babes,’ and he invites me to go on a trip. I said ‘yes, I would love to.’ And Friday night I fell asleep in California on the plane and woke up in New York. TGIF!

sb.com: So snowboarding work...contests? You win a lot of them, yes? It seems like a lot of work, but fun work, right?

Lazz: It’s never enough. I've won a couple, but I am excited to see if I can get into some more contests where the real competition is at. It’s always fun. I mean, I’m snowboarding all the time and meeting awesome people, having the best time everywhere, laughing till my back hurts every day. It’s SA-weeeet!

Snowboarding’s not always glamorous.

sb.com: You film a bunch, too. I saw your edit from last season on reelcomp. It was sick.

Lazz: Thanks, yeah Matt Roberge and Tanner Pendleton are making a movie. I’m [going to] try to scheme in on that. It’s called For the Hell of It. It’s going to be hammer city.

Sb.com: Who else is in it?

Lazz: Tanner, Sam [Hulbert], Brandon [Reis], mad east coast kids, some west coast kids…a group of kids that have known each other for a while and everyone’s been trying to get their foot in over the years, and now we’re kind of getting together and making a sick movie this year. I think my footage is going in that one and maybe the NC Productions movie. I don’t know what their movie’s going to be called this year. I filmed with them earlier in the year.

sb.com: How was filming with Rome the last couple seasons?

Lazz: Filming with Rome is sweet, [it’s] just a bunch of friends getting together having a blast doing WORK.

sb.com: You're the youngest on the team, right?

Lazz: Yeah I believe so, still da baby. That’s why I gotta fight for my right. They say I need an initiation for some reason. I don’t know, I think it’s bullshit.

It’s a busy time of year in the warranty department so Rome TM John Cavan suggested that Lazz pitch in.

sb.com: You probably are exposed to more crazy shit than the average 17 year old since you’re running with that crew…

Lazz: Oh yeah, all sorts of effed up shit going down. [There] was the time at Vegas where Rome had a wet t-shirt contest and I poured water all over this girl's t**s when I was like 16. It was wild.

sb.com: But, they haven't initiated you yet?

Lazz: No not yet, [I’m] still a young gun. I think I need to earn it, ‘cause I know I don’t have the hammers on film like Max and LNP do. I need to step my game up. Time to do some big boy tricks.

Ichatting on the couch in Waterbury.

sb.com: Speaking of rails, what do you think of all this rail combo, super switch up stuff that is going on right now?

Lazz: I think it’s all in perspective to the rider. I like some combos, but on the other hand, combos down DFD's are wack. Sack up and go down the rail face first doing a boardslide—that’s gnarly—right in the middle of your bindings. Chris Grenier has the best style in snowboarding I think, but that’s just me. I like it.

sb.com: Who else do you think has good style?

Lazz: Greg Bretz. He is going to be blowing up next year, watch out. Scotty Stevens—on fire, so on point. Any trick, he’s got it.

sb.com: So what do you do when you're home in Tahoe? Do you do that thing where you’re in high school but you don't actually have to go to school, like internet classes?

Lazz: Yeah, I am a senior in high school right now, homeschooling like once a week for like an hour or so. It’s rad, been scheming my way through high school.

sb.com: Where do you ride at home?

Lazz: Northstar all the time, but I don’t have a pass there right now, I have been away. I went to Bear, hopped on the Volcom bus, went to Vegas, baby! Then to mammoth, then back home for like, 3-4 days of riding Kingvale and Alpine and then came on this trip.

sb.com: That's not bad. What were you doing on the Volcom bus?

Lazz: We filmed Volcom’s next show, Blizzard Bizzare for Fuel TV. It should be sooo funny. Skylar Thorton wore this Volcom suit everyday for like two weeks--even snowboarded in it.

sb.com: Like a fancy suit? ha. It must have smelled awesome

Lazz: Yeah, like going to a cocktail party suit. I tried to stay away.

Cavan kicked Lazz out of his office after Lazz suggested there be more Lil Wayne in the next Rome movie.

sb.com: OK, almost done with the questions. After you’re done traveling, filming and competing this season, what are you going to do this summer?

Lazz: This summer I want to try to spend some time at Camp of Champs—place looks unreal. Also, I just want to kick it in Tahoe, hang out on this pier that I like to go to and jump off. I might get a part time job busing tables.

sb.com: Gas money! Or for candy...whichever.

Lazz: Yeah! Candy is a must, I can live without gas. [laughs] I just bought a 1990 Isuzu trooper.

sb.com: What year were you born?

Lazz: 1990. [laughs]

Johnny Lazz knows hard work pays off, whether it’s with down flat downs, toilet scrubbing or charming babes. (l to r) Erin, Cavan and Lazz.

sb.com: So, what do you want to do in the future? Giant cliffs? Traveling? You've already been to Vegas….

Lazz: I want to do something where I enjoy doing it every day—doesn’t really matter. Snowboarding is really fun to me right now and I really like it. That’s why sometimes things piss me off, like *** trendies and smith grinds and weak boardslides. To me, snowboarding is mine and no one else’s and to everybody else it’s theirs, and it’s what they make it to be… but I hate some things in this world and I love some things. I just don’t want to share this rad thing (snowboarding) with foozers that foooz.

sb.com: Like haters and stuff?

Lazz: Like haters and people who just want to be in something so that they are in another pool. You know, we are all fishes in the pool and we need to kick out all the idiots. I mean snowboarding in a way needs them because they buy the product and it’s a huge circle, but I want to get away from that and just be me. That’s why I love Rome, they keep snowboarding as what it is and what it’s supposed to be: snowboarding.

sb.com: So you can just shred, have fun and do the things that make it fun to you.

Lazz: Yeah. If I don’t want to hit a feature ‘cause I don’t like it, no problem, I won’t hit it…it doesn’t seem fun to me. I’m not gonna lie, I still get sucked into this materialistic stuff in snowboarding, when all I really desire is to take some turns and hit some rails and jumps with no worries about foozers and ski patrol.

sb.com: That's the best outlook I think there can be.

Lazz: I know I haven’t experienced nearly half the things I’m going to in my life and I look at some old people and they’ve experienced so many things, every emotion and they’re just like waiting to pass on. When I grow up and am that old, I want to have something huge to look back on, even if it’s not going to be some huge thing like Travis Rice did. I just want to be happy with whatever happens and successful in the same perspective. I mean, I don’t want to be broke as a joke—this is America, you got to make a living somehow.

Labels: Jonny Lazz, Snowboarder Magazine