Learning to Fly: Willie McMillon

Willie is rad. He’s the type of guy you wish Matt Laurer would interview in between runs at the Olympics because chances are he would sock him in the gut anytime he asked a stupid question. Which would be hilarious because by the end of it Matthew’s pants would be completely soaked ‘cuz you know how that little squirt of pee comes out every time you knock the wind outta yourself? Anyways, for those of you that don’t know him he’s the man behind Bluebird Wax, a company he started after years of being an underrated pro snowboarder. The term “ambassador of the sport” gets tossed around way too much, and quite frankly kind of pussifies the persona it’s meant to represent. Well, Willie is not a puss so for sake’s sake we’ll just refer to him as another Awesome Dude in General.

Why wax?
It's just an excuse for me to have a team. I hear we make pretty good wax but never actually tried it.

How often does work (Bluebird) interfere with your riding?
Ya know at first, I had to make a lot of sacrifices. I was the one leaving a session to go mail out an order. But now I think I got it dialed. Got some good people helping me keep it in order. One wouldn't exist without the other. I am thankful everyday that I get to do what I do.

Have you ever thought, "Ah, this is a fucking mess, never shoulda done it"?
I have had that thought. But not for a long time.

You once said, "Larry Flynt killed snowboarding" - explain?
In the late 90's, Larry Flynt purchased Blunt Snowboard magazine. Shortly after, he put the mag out of business. To me, that was the last snowboard magazine that represented snowboarding's shitbag truth. With that one single sweep, he left snowboarding to die in the hands of creepy old men.

If you could cast three snowboard companies from the industry who would they be and why?
You mean which companies are beat? I think it's obvious who's for real and who's just making money. Without all the gay companies, we wouldn't stand out so easily. I would like to hang whoever does the ads for K2.

If you could bring three snowboard companies back from the dead who they be?
1. Solid (which we are)
2. The Movement.
3. Mambosock

How did you get such a badass squad of rippers to fly Bluebird?
I pay them with hookers.

How would your close friends describe you?
Hopefully they have the same respect for me as I do for them. I think the world of my friends. The real ones that is.

How about your medium friends?
I think the people who sorta know me hate me the most.

What does a dude like Shaun White represent to you?
Nothing personal towards Shaun, he is a fucking badass. It’s just the whole childhood actor, bred to shred, mountain dew, target shit that is beat. But I’m not gonna sweat somebody for getting paid. It’s just that I look at dudes like Rice and Kass who are making a considerable living without looking like a Nascar driver.

If you got a "ONE FREE STABBIN'" card, who would you wound?
Shaun White's mom.

Do you think the world is going to end soon?
Pack your bags biatch!

Any thank you or fuck yous?
Fuck you to everyone raping our lifestyle for money. Thank you to the entire team. I love you all. Thank you to Ray and Lisa Domecq and everyone at Wyomingwest. Thank you to everyone supporting our movie. Thank you to Travis Rice. We are very proud how this kid turned out. Not because of his obvious skills, but because of how he always takes care of his people.

Photos courtesy of Jesse Brown and Jeff Palmer