Catching Up With Devin Broyles

Corey: Alright —catching up with the one and only Devin Broyles the first team rider of LevelSeven skateboards and professional skateboarder. what’s up, man? How you been?

Devin: Just been hanging in there, man. Kicking it, taking it easy right now. Winter’s coming soon — I’m just looking forward to strapping into a board and heading down the mountain.

Corey: You’re snowboarding now — that right?

Devin: Oh yeah.

Corey: That’s awesome. How’d you get into snowboarding?

Devin: I moved out that way and got into the culture. I wanted to try it for a while — finally did, and I kept getting better every trip. Now I can maneuver around the mountain where I need to, so it’s hella fun.

Corey: I’ve never snowboard before— how different is it from skating?

Devin: There’s a lot of differences. A few similarities for sure, but the way it feels and the control is different. You gotta use your body and shoulders in different ways. Tricks are a different technique — you can’t just drop in and do a kickflip like on concrete. Snow feels totally different than concrete. It freaked me out at first, but I’m not as scared as I used to be.

Corey: Is the culture similar? Does snowboarding have the same vibe, culture like skateboarding?

Devin: In a lot of ways, yeah. It depends where you go — different mountain towns have different vibes — but snowboard and skate culture share that community and obsession. People chase winter out there, or they’re locals who live for it — it’s similar energy.

Corey: You mentioned mountains — where are you riding?

Devin: I’m up in Whitefish, Montana. I ride at what locals call Big Mountain — used to be the name before it became Whitefish Mountain Resort. I’ve worked at a few other mountains too. They’re all different: trail layouts, snow quality — some spots get wet, heavy snow (like parts of Oregon, Washington, Northern California), and we get some real light, fluffy snow out here — which is sick for deep landings.

Corey: How’s the altitude and air quality — hard to get used to?

Devin: Depends on the person. For me it didn’t take long. I’m sitting around 2,700 feet where I am, and the mountain peaks are closer to 4,000 feet.

Corey: Are you into big air when you ride?

Devin: Sometimes, yeah — not always though.

Corey: You talked about different snow types — how’s the impact? Is it like jumping down a stair set?

Devin: It depends. When you get a good snowpack after a storm it can be awesome — deep, soft landings. But wet, heavy snow feels mushy — like mashed potatoes — heavier on the body. If that wet snow freezes overnight it can turn into ice and make things sketchy, so you gotta be careful. Overall it’s still fun, but conditions change how you ride.

Corey: Is it snowing there now?

Devin: Funny — it’s been all day, but right now it’s cloudy. They’re saying this weekend could be better. We had some last weekend but then warm weather melted stuff.

Corey: When you’re not snowboarding, what are you up to? Still skating?

Devin: Yeah, I still skate when I can. I walk my dog a lot — sometimes she even pulls me on a board for fun. I take her to the dog park, skate for an hour. I’m still doing PT for my knee — some days I can manage an hour, some days I’m too sore.

Corey: Wait — you guide whitewater too, right?

Devin: Yeah, whitewater guiding. I got into it about eight years ago after I started snowboarding. I linked up with a dude out in Washington who was a guide and he got me started. I took my first trip and got hooked. I’ve been working certifications through the ACA — the American Canoe Association — getting whitewater instructor levels. I’ve got an L3 instructor cert so far; it goes up to L5.

Corey: How long to get to L5?

Devin: It depends on how much time, reps, and effort you put in. You can’t do it solo — you need a crew and real experience on the river.

Corey: Sounds dangerous. As an instructor you must’ve had to step in on rescues before?

Devin: Yeah, a few times. One stands out — we were on a commercial trip coming into the takeout under a bridge. A family on a cheap raft had tied a ten-foot rope to the back with an orange floaty tube — a kid was on the tube. The rope wrapped around a bridge pillar and the main raft flipped with the dad hanging on. The kid was basically surfing the side of the pillar. I pulled over, ran to the pillar, grabbed the rope, cut it with my knife on my life jacket, and got them out. Could’ve been way worse.

Corey: Damn. That’s heavy responsibility.

Devin: For sure. If you’re coordinating a crew you gotta keep everyone safe — and yourself first. If you’re not safe, you can’t help anyone else.

Corey: Do you carry rescue gear? Flares? Radios?

Devin: We bring medical kits for sure. In colder seasons we bring hypothermia kits — blankets and warming gear. We’ve got radios, and for multi-day trips we bring phones and other comms. For overnight river trips we set up camp — kitchen, sleeping area, a latrine spot — then break everything down and keep going.

Corey: Can you bring your dog on overnight trips?

Devin: Not on guided overnight trips — bears are a big deal. But I’ll take her on day runs on my own boat with a group sometimes.

Corey: How’s fishing up there? Comparable to Florida?

Devin: Different. Up here a lot of it’s fly fishing for trout and salmon. I was surprised to catch largemouth and smallmouth at a spot near Glacier National Park — didn’t expect that. For native trout it’s usually catch-and-release; invasive fish are handled differently depending on season and regs.

Corey: Wildlife out there must be wild.

Devin: Montana’s crazy for wildlife. Bears roam into town sometimes looking through trash. We get black bears more often; grizzlies wander down from higher elevations on occasion. I had a black bear come through camp twice this summer — walked it out of camp.

Corey: Wild. Switching gears — PT how’s rehab from your knee surgery?

Devin: PT was huge. I went to a place out here that really helped. Recovery timeline was weird — I’d say the main recovery was around 10–16 weeks for initial healing, but it was about 20 weeks before I could get back on a snowboard. I was running on a treadmill earlier, but it took longer to feel good on a board. I still strengthen my quads, do lunges, squats, bike a lot, and work on hips and posture.

Corey: Are you fully recovered now?

Devin: Pretty much, but I’m still working on strength — the quad needs more work. I’m getting there.

Corey: Any projects or side stuff you’re working on?

Devin: Yeah — music. I’ve been in a side project with a a few buddies of mine for about four and a half years or so called Honest Abe And The Jellopool—well, it’s kind of experimental psychedelic stuff. I play drums. Started out in metal back in the day, then shifted toward weird psychedelic/spaghetti-western doom music I guess is what they were calling it- but with this new project, we don't have a name we’re not too far into it but we got a couple songs. We're working on trying to get linked up together and it's been really fun.

Corey: How many members in the band?

Devin: Right now it’s three of us — two guitars and me. One of the guitarists is in another local band called The Gray Goo — they’re pretty known around here. if you want to check their stuff, look up The Gray Goo on streaming platforms.

Corey: Any gigs lined up?

Devin: Not at the moment. Our band’s on a long break, and this side project is still finding its feet. We get together every Sunday and try to lock in the songs.

Corey: Anything you want to tell everyone before we bounce?

Devin: I might not live a fancy life — I live in an RV and I’m fine with that. I’m not rich, but I enjoy what I do. Life’s got stress, so I try to stay positive and give myself options — learn new skills, keep busy. We all have ups and downs, but attitude carries you through.

Corey: That’s real. Sounds like you found what makes you happy — glad to hear it. For people who want to follow you, what’s your handle?

Devin: Find me on Instagram at @powmonk

Corey: Nice. I’ll drop a link ( @powmonk )Alright man, thanks for the time — we’ll do a part two soon, check the recovery and tricks, get a session in.

Devin: For sure — I look forward to it. Thanks, man.

Corey: Alright brother, take it easy. Bye.

Devin: Bye.

Catching up with Devin Broyles

— Interview by Corey Gonzalez