Behind the Shot with Phil Trifiro

Team rider, Phil Trifiro recently got his first storefront window cover at Sport Radical in Québec City, the shop he rides for. Phil always puts in a lot of effort into his snowboarding and this time was no different... The story behind the photo was too interesting not to share. We reached out to Phil to have him explain to us how it all went down.

Hey Phil, congrats on the shop window photo, how do you feel?

It’s pretty unreal, the photo is bigger than me, I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve.

Can you tell us a little bit about Sport Radical? How long have you been riding for them?

I love the people there. Sam, Dave and Frank make me feel so welcomed and even though I’ve been less productive filming wise because of my head injury they still make me feel that way. I’m positive that this Winter is going to be a good one though and it’s going to be my third season with them.
 

You said that a lot of work went into this photo. When did you guys shoot the photo? Can you give us some context?

It was around April 20th, I knew there was enough snow for that spot until the beginning of May. Every year the pile of snow in that parking lot takes so long to melt and it’s not too far from the spot, maybe 50 meters away. When I got back from my Winter out riding and working at Red Mountain, BC, things were really messy in my love life and I felt like I needed to film some snowboarding, because it’s always been my safe place. At that moment nothing seemed like too much work, so I went there alone with my wheelbarrow and shoveled for a couple of hours with the help of a random stranger showing up then the media team Will and Emile showed up to give me a hand with the rest.

You mentioned that you got help from a random stranger, please tell me how that went down haha

His name was Frank. He looked kind of sketchy, but I've rarely met someone so genuine, brilliant and kind-hearted. We talked about a lot of things not related to snowboarding that day. This guy made a really short appearance in my life, but it was the perfect timing and a memorable day.
 

As someone who puts in a lot of time and thought into the clips and the photos you get, how do you feel about the current state of social media in snowboarding? Or even just social media in general.

Social media reflects our rhythm of life which is fast and unstoppable. I’m more about taking time to build something meaningful to me and the people involved in it. We do it for us first. I will never be a fan of park clips or anything that is made to be forgotten the next day. Even though all the people putting out that type of content are so so so talented.

What are your plans this Winter?

I'm planning a little something different this year. A series of 30 second reels of me filming and riding on my own, going to spots on my bicycle, because it’s my favorite way of enjoying snowboarding; mixing my two favorite things in life sports and creation, at my own pace in an eco conscious way. Plus I'd like to produce a traditional Project with our music like the Bicycle Project.

Sounds cool, looking forward to it! Thanks for your time Phil. Any special thanks?

Thanks to you Max , to FIX, to Radical boardshop, to Emile, Will and Oceane.