Welcome to the team, CJ!
Midwest native CJ Culligan has firmly established himself in the Mt. Hood scene since moving from Des Moines, Iowa three years ago in search of long winters and year-round boarding. Now living at the base of Mt. Hood, he enjoys Skee-Ball rope towing in between street trips during the winter and Govy DIY in the summer. We spoke to CJ about his current projects and how the infamous Corolla Sessions came to fruition.
Hey CJ! How are you doing?
Hey Jordan! Glad you asked! Things have been going great lately. I've been in the Minneapolis area for the past few weeks filming a feature-length video project called "Uppercut" that will be released in the fall. We've been lucky with the weather, and we've had a lot of snow in the city.
That's amazing. What's the story behind "Uppercut" and who are you filming with this winter?
Yeah, it's a great start to the year. "Uppercut" is a video put together by my friend and Tactics team member Demetri Bayles and filmer Kyle Murray. The concept of the video is to bring together some of the top emerging snowboarders and friends who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to make something together. It's been a blast filming with Benny Milam, Jed Skye, Drayden Gardner, Demetri Bayles, and emerging snowboarder Mikkey Tuck.
It's a great project and great people, and I'm excited to see what comes out of it over the winter. Do you have any big trips planned at the moment, or are you just going with the snow conditions?
Yeah, I'm basically chasing good snow. I'm heading to Montreal and Quebec in March. I've always wanted to snowboard in those cities, so I'm really looking forward to that trip. So far, I've been chasing early season storms and filming in Spokane, Washington, and around Minneapolis.
You've already been shooting in various locations and are well underway. Hopefully the trip up north goes well. Switching gears, let's talk about that car edit. Who's that car? And where did the inspiration come from? Perhaps an homage to the OG Smith limousine?
The car is mine. I had this old Corona for ages and it was just taking up space, so I thought I'd weld some rails onto the roof. The inspiration really came from the OG Smith limo. They came out around the time I started snowboarding and I always thought it was cool. So I wanted to pay homage to it and make something that no one else had done before.
That's amazing. They've paid homage to the iconic limo while creating something unique. The real question is, where is the Corona now? And for that matter, where is the Smith limo?
Thank you! Corona is still very much alive. I might make another appearance with this Uppercut project. I still have one or two things I want to do with the Jib Car. The question is where is the Smith Limo and when will it come back? Snowboarding needs it.
It's probably in a junkyard somewhere and not jibed. It might need some research to bring it back to life. I think it should end up at Ski Bowl.
That's right. The Smith limo would fit right in at the Skibowl rope next to the DC Mountain Lab Missile.
Justin Norman X Smith Limo. Archive
Speaking of which, what's the best thing about Ski Bowl's rope tow?
There are many answers to that question. Rope towing is the best way to snowboard. It's the closest you'll get to being at a skate park with your friends. It only takes about two minutes to skate to the bottom and back down, then the rope will get you right back up to the top. So you can do lap after lap without a break and practice any trick you could ever dream of. Plus, you can see everything your friends are doing from the rope, creating a feeling of invincibility. Every resort needs a rope.
I don't think anyone would argue that an entire resort would benefit greatly from offering a park with rope tow access. I'm sure that influenced the direction of your riding. Did you learn to ride on a rope? Where did you learn to ride?
It definitely had a big influence, but I grew up mostly on the lifts. I studied in Seven Oaks, a little hill in Iowa. I've only been in Oregon for the last three years. I lived three hours south of rope tow country in Minnesota. I made countless weekend trips to places like Troldhaugen, Elm Creek, and Buck Hill. Unless it's powder, I spend 90% of the winter skiing on the rope tows at Ski Bowl. In the spring, I enjoy lift laps at Timberline.
Whether it's a lift or a rope, it's the same thing. You just go up and slide down. I'm excited to hear about your roots and where you started snowboarding. What brought you to Oregon?
Yes, I just enjoy snowboarding. I moved to Oregon to experience the summer snowboarding scene at Mount Hood and have stayed ever since.
That's great! I'm glad you're with us at Tactics, and I can't wait to see what you do over the winter. Anything else you'd like to say? Is there anyone you'd like to thank?
Absolutely. I'm honored to join the Tactics team. I'm proud to ride for a shop that serves the skate and snowboard community. Finally, I'd like to thank Leif Draznin-French for shooting the car video and for always being so supportive. Jordan, thanks for the chat.
