Meet: VegHead Productions

Our neighbors to the North have some pretty serious snowboarding to be done, and none of it is in Ontario. That hasn’t stopped VegHead Productions from making a movie this year (and why should it!?) But seriously, reformed pot heads, urban boarding, and universal healthcare is as good a recipe as any, and VegHead’s Gordon Bernie hit us up and was like, check out our video. So we decided to find out more!

Location: London, Ontario
Riders: Zach Moorcroft, Jordan Glenn, Sean Grabowski, Erik Rayment, Chris Fellner, Gordon Birnie, Bradley Hesson, Mark Goodall, Jeff Howlett, Mike Benko, Brady Swartz
Filmer/Editor: Andrew Wyton

What’s with the name? Are you guys a bunch of hippies or something?

Haha, well VegHead started with just 3 of us, Zach Moorcroft, Jordan Glenn & Myself… a few weeks after moving into an apartment together we realized we were going to get a lot of snowboarding done and we wanted some kind of catchy name/website that kind of summed us up, and VegHead Productions was it. If any kind of filming or editing was taking place, you can bet something was lighting up too… it was like, the source for the creative juices. Now the website’s long gone, my back is broken, and the reefer is medicinal. I guess the name just stuck, the crew has grown so much because without the ability to ride I spend as much as I can out with awesome young snowboarders who are still killing it and who can and will be able to make a name for themselves.

Gordon Bernie on a trek to Whistler

What is the Ontario snowboard scene like?

The Ontario Scene is hype… We may not have 7-month-long seasons or big mountain riding, but there are so many people in Ontario and that number constantly is growing meaning for new urban spots going up every year just waiting to be tamed. With all the people here in Ontario it means for a big number of sick snowboarders, but the VegHead guys are the selected few with the right attitudes, the right sense of humor, tons of talent and little fear, except for Erik haha.

How was your season this year? Any major highlights?

We had awesome weather, never too cold you didn’t want to go outside, but cold enough the snow stayed around. We knocked off a lot of the spots we had planned and plenty more along the way, and surprisingly we had no new major injuries at all this season, I would say that is a highlight of any snowboard crew’s winter.

Do you guys feel more confident trying tricks because you have universal healthcare?

Haha, that’s definitely a huge confidence booster here in Canada, we’re all pretty familiar with costless surgeries, x-rays and casts. Luckily we didn’t have to take advantage of it this season.

Is this your first full length movie? What other videos have you made?

No, 2 seasons ago we made “Fresh Veggies.” It was basically a team video for London Ontario’s “The Boardshop” that we were all riding for, along with a few dudes filmed by Trevor Harris given to me from for Dialogue Headware. It was 26 minutes and we sold 200 copies personally and out of The Boardshop. A few local reps supported us with some gear along with Launch Energy Drink Gum, who made our premiere party that much more fun. It was a sweet year, that’s for sure.

Midwest riders are really big this season in the US, is it the same in Canada? Are you guys all moving to Whistler soon?

It’s pretty similar in Canada, but who can complain about moving to the mountains, they’re unreal. A few of the guys are heading up for summer camp, and a few more come winter, but VegHead will be staying right here in Ontario and you can expect to see many more in the future.

What sort of riding can we expect from the video? Any super top secret Ontario backcountry, or mostly urban and park footage?

No, haha no super top secret back country, although a few attempts were made. You can expect a “Vitamins & Minerals” to be almost entirely filled with Urban footage, with the exception of a few bangers that were copped on a ski resort.

What do you think makes a snowboard video good?

A snowboard video is good when the riders have unique style and their own riding techniques. When fun is clearly being had, when music is rockin’ and limits are being pushed, and when the editing is done properly. I’m not really sure what I mean by properly, but a snowboard video isn’t about who’s in it and what it was filmed with, it’s about what’s in it and how it’s shown to you.

What’s your filming/editing set up?

Vitamins & Minerals was shot on my DVX, along with shots from Trevor Harris on his DVX and then David Golab with his HPX.
I’ve now sold my DVX and gotten an HVX, and so everything VegHead after “V&M” will be full HD.

When will the video be done and where can people see it?

The video will be done in August this summer, get hyped cause here is the best part.. Vitamins & Minerals will be completely free to watch Online on my Vimeo page and also on SnowboardCanada.com and TWSnow.com and wherever else we can get it up. VegHead’s crew is full of young dudes with a lot of confidence and a ton of talent, so make sure you check back in and watch Vitamins & Minerals.