You know when you were a kid and you accidentally started saying ‘ambulance’ over and over until it just sounded real weird? Just had the same thing with Keegan’s name – I blame the gin. That aside, the guy largely responsible for Gnarly and Givin has just become the latest addition to the swelling ranks of the hippest handwear brand this side of Dalston, and they made an edit showing off his considerable street smarts. Check it out.

Keegan Valaika is a rareity amongst snowboarding. He doesn’t fit the mold of a “snowboarder” and stands behind his snowboarding and style like others only wish they could. Welcome to HOWL Keegan.

HOWL

JED ANDERSON | JOE SEXTON | JAKE O.E. | KEEGAN VALAIKA | LAURENT-NICOLAS PAQUIN | JONAS MICHILOT | GUS ENGLE | JAKE KUZYK | DARRELL MATHES | DANIMALS | NICK DIRKS | DANNY LARSEN

howlsupply.com

Howl Gloves have just snagged the considerable talents of Joe Sexton, so what better way to celebrate than showcasing a few bangers from the new boy on their block… Damn, he good.

Darrell Mathes. Photo: Matt Georges.

Ever wondered what riding gear multi-tasking, street-slaying, Portland native Darrell Mathes sends it on? Peep his RIG from issue 131 and you’ll be all the wiser…

Hailing from Portland, Darrell blew up in the early 2000s with definitive, street-heavy parts in KidsKnow’s Love/Hate and Blank Paper’s 91 Words for Snow. As a founding member of Videograss he helped usher in a new direction in shred movies, and you can be sure to check his skills in their latest movie, The Darkside. Here’s what helps him get it done.

Your chosen steed is the Ride Machete GT; a fine twin all mountain sword if there ever was one. What do you like about it?And what board do you ride for street?

I like the Machete because it is lightweight and it makes me feel that I have good board control while riding in pow. I ride the Kink 147 for urban because it is soft which helps me when I’m doing presses and the Slimewalls give it durability so it can handle the streets.

You rock the Ride Rodeo bindings? What makes these such good freestyle binders?

The bindings have good flexibility for hitting rails and the highbacks have really good side-to-side flexibility.

What’s the story with Howl gloves? And what model are you sporting there?

HOWL is a company I started with Nima Jalali. We started this company because we could never find gloves that fit our style and they just were never quite what we wanted. Now that we have the opportunity to have our own glove company, we put together an amazing team and are able to design gloves that we think are what people want. I’m sporting the Jeepster mitten, which has the right amount of thickness and it’s the most comfortable glove I’ve ever worn.

Being a good Portland lad Holden was the obvious outerwear of choice. What makes Holden outerwear the shit?

Holden hits it because they make the best outerwear that I’ve seen. They really have the best fit, which makes me feel really comfortable when I’m riding. Holden is always pushing the limits with their materials and the fit of all of their products. The company also takes in all the details plus it is owned by snowboarders so they are dialled in on what snowboarders actually want to wear.

Vans is a pretty rad boot company to ride for. Which model do you choose? What is it that you look for in a boot?

I ride the Hi Standard boot. It is lightweight and has just the right amount of stiffness which gives me the control that I need. It’s the best boot for everything – I ride it in the backcountry and on the streets.

And you have a hookup with Spy too. What’s your model of choice? And are you a “take a couple of lenses up the hill” type or a “screw it I’ll ride what I got” guy?

I ride the pro model Darrell Mathes Zed model. Stoked to be able to design my own goggle and the Zed has the best fit for my face, my pro model really has the best frame. I’m not too picky when it comes to lenses and usually just ride what I have for the day.

What have you got stashed in the pack?

Usually I ride a Herschel backpack and it’s filled with the main necessities: water, sunscreen, an extra pair of HOWL gloves… and if I’m in the backcountry I carry my avalanche gear. Sour Patch Kids are usually in their somewhere, too.

What do you not leave for the hill without?

I never leave without my camera, the FujiFilm X100. It’s an all-round great camera because it’s small and it takes great photos – especially in low light.