Marc Frank Montoya spins. He spins records at jammed nightclubs. Spins his snowboard down Alaska’s snowiest peaks. The Denver-born ‘boarder has spun his name into lights, becoming one of the most recognizable, marketable and multitalented riders in the game.
The Denver Post caught up with Montoya as he set up his turntables for the party surrounding the Denver premiere of Absinthe Films’ “More,” the rowdiest flick to emerge from this year’s bumper crop of snow movies.
Denver Post: A DJ with only three records? What’s up with that? Where’re the crates of vinyl?
Marc Frank Montoya: Only need three, dog. The vinyl reads the digital in the laptop. The MP3s go through the vinyl. This technology – Scratch Lab – will take over for sure. Not a lot of people are on this yet, but they will be.
DP: How long have you been a DJ?
MFM: Ten years this month. I do most of my DJ’ing in the summer, when there’s nothing to ride. But I do some in winter, when it isn’t snowing. I can’t be out all partying when it snows. DJ’ing is good dollars. It’s hard work, busy. But a thousand a pop.
DP: You’re living in Sandy, Utah, right? How often you get back to Colorado?
MFM: Four, five times. My family’s here in Denver. I like it here early season. I like to go ride with the homies. Keystone. Night riding. We don’t get up there until everywhere else is closed. We’re lazy, I guess.
DP: You guys again, in “More,” set the bar for everyone on snow. You think snowboarders will forever own the big-mountain jib theme that runs through every ski and snowboard movie released this year?
MFM: It’s funny, it seems like skiers are always a year or two behind what we are doing. But really it’s two different sports. Whatever is new is what both snowboarders and skiers are doing. All we all do is ride everything we see. There’s not too much left to do but just get better and better at that. Whatever is there, you hit it. My favorite is the big lines like in AK and finding every little thing you can for 4,000 feet. Riding park on the big mountains, that’s the bomb for me.
DP: Your favorite ski hill?
MFM: We usually go backcountry with snowmobiles, but my favorite areas are Snowbird and Park City. Snowbird is the best place on the planet on a powder day. No question.
DP: So the Montoya brand is stamped on a snowboard, boots, bindings, shoes, headphones, backpack, jacket and pants. You even have your own hotel chain now. What’s next for the MFM empire?
MFM: I’m starting my own clothing company. You gotta wait for the name though.
DP: Your Block hotels (at Big Bear and Tahoe in California) are raging. A snowboarder hotel. Did you expect the response you’re getting?
MFM: First off, the places we set up were trying to hate us, but then they see we bring a lot of clientele to a resort. Once we are there, we put a resort and its park on the map. We dominate. People love the atmosphere of The Block. We aren’t greedy pieces of … who nickel and dime everybody to death. Once you’re in, we got free wireless, computers, drinks, games, loud music blaring, speakers in the rooms, boot dryers in each room, as many dudes as you want in each room. We have all the right companies, different sponsors like Spy and DVS, designing rooms. Every room at The Block is different. It’s a cool, laid-back atmosphere and everyone is treated like kings. Don’t matter how you’re dressed. Nothing like those sorry, greedy hotels who look at you like you gonna break something. The more respect you give someone, the less they gonna disrespect you and break your (stuff.) Here’s the message: All you stuffy resort hotels where everyone is so uptight, it’s time to shut up. The Block will crush you. You don’t deserve the money people pay you for sleeping in your beds.
DP: Nice. When do we get one here?
MFM: We’ve been trying two years to get this place in Colorado – Keystone – but the dude is asking too much money for his hotel. We don’t build new buildings. This guy is trying to sell, but he’s wanting way too much money. We are waiting for him to go broke because he doesn’t know how to run a hotel. Any opportunities that come up in Breck or Vail would be prime. We like Winter Park, too. I hear that park is off the hook.
DP: You feel any responsibility to get more urban kids – kids like you when you were growing up – up on the hill?
MFM: I love doing that. A lot of these city kids got a mental block like they can’t get up there. If you think you can’t get up there and lead a different life, then of course you can’t. The message I always give is that it’s easy if you make it easy. Work hard to get rides. Meet other snowboarders and get rides. Clip tickets. I still clip tickets all the time. I don’t support resorts asking for all that loot to get on their mountains. Yeah, I stole cars to get to the mountain, stole gas and food to trade for rides. I did whatever it took to get up there. You’ll end up in jail if you do that now, but all I’m saying is do what you gotta do. Take steps and work at your goal every minute.
DP: One more question. Olympic gold medalist Marc Frank Montoya – how’s that sound?
MFM: No way, man. I’m not trying to be the best. I didn’t start snowboarding to be the best. I started because it’s fun. That’s why I’m not burned out on it. I love it to death. I don’t take it as a jock Olympic sport. I don’t train. I don’t even stretch. I hate turning snowboarding into that kind of sport. I’m doing my part to keep it the other way. I liked it better when we were always dissed on the hill.
