Sandy Boville and Kieran McVeigh are rising stars in the world of freeskiing. Both have some serious internet clout, with Boville known for his aggressive approach to urban skiing, and McVeigh for his creativity in the park, usually at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont. Burlington, Vermont based anon. Optics has just signed the duo to its amateur team, joining global pro team riders Eric Pollard, Michelle Parker, Karl Fostvedt and McRae Williams. After spending a few years away from skiing, anon. has made a recommitment to the sport, and these signings are just another example of anon.’s reinvestment to the ski community. We caught up with Boville and McVeigh to get their thoughts on anon., the Olympics, and skiing’s latest trends.

Q&A:

How did this partnership with anon. come about?

Sandy: I had heard anon. was looking to add some skiers to their team that would fit their brand. A few people pushed them my way and before I knew it we were locked and ready for the winter.

Kieran: At the beginning of last season I was looking for a goggle sponsor and the team manager of iNi (at the time) put me in touch with one his friends over at anon. The guys at anon. were stoked on my skiing, being from Vermont and growing up snowboarding, I’ve been stoked on anon. since day one. It all just went from there.

What do you expect from the partnership – in terms of collaboration, product, etc?

Sandy: I’m very excited about the partnership. anon.’s a great brand with great products. They’ll be giving me clear vision and great protection. We’re still working on outlining some projects but you’ll definitely see a lot more of anon. this winter.

Kieran: It seems like the partnership will have a lot of collaboration, anon. definitely wants the team’s input on many parts of the company, from products to new team riders, which is awesome. Very excited to be a part of a company that looks for feedback from their riders in such a broad way. Also anon. has already enabled me to do some things I probably wouldn’t have [been able to] this year. [anon.] is always down for me to call them, and just bounce ideas off of them in terms of ways I can make the most of each trip or event I’m doing. All in all I expect and I am experiencing good things.

Sandy Boville clearing a huge stair gap in Edmonton, Alberta. Photo by Gill Montgomery.

anon. was absent from the skiing community for a number of years, but now they’re back in a big way, showing lots of great support. How do you see yourself fitting into this re-emergence? What do you tell the skiers who continue to shun anon.’s retreat from skiing?

Sandy: Brands change and people switch jobs. anon. has a fresh new vision with skiing as a big part of it. I’m really glad to be part of this re-emergence and know anon. will be a big part of skiing for years to come.

Kieran: I’m excited to be a part of the re-emergence of anon. I just see myself as part of a varied team where no one is cookie cutter, and we all bring something a little different to the table, so I guess I’d like to think I help round that out. As far people shunning anon., I haven’t heard of anyone hating on anon. now that they’re back in skiing, but if anything I think them coming back is a testament to how much skiing has grown, and I mean everyone makes mistakes right?

Who are the skiers you look up to most right now?

Sandy: I’d have to give it to [Lucas Stål Madison ] and Will Wesson. Everything those two do is impressive. They’re pushing urban riding a different way that I really applaud.

Kieran: Candide [Thovex], B-Dog [Phil Casabon], The Bunch, Dais, and Jeff Holce.

What is your take on freeskiing’s inclusion in the Olympics?

Sandy: I think it’s great in some ways and not in others. Freeskiing has always been a very small sport and I think that’s about to change. With the Olympics a lot more people are going to know about our sport. I guess we’ll just have to see how that plays out.

Kieran: I don’t know, I guess I’m going to wait and see what happens.

Kieran McVeigh going for the tail press on a down rail at Sugarbush, Vermont. Photo courtesy of anon.

What do you have in the works for the upcoming season?

Sandy: I’m just going to be shooting a lot of urban and getting down to business. The end goal is a solid segment I can be really proud of at the end of the year. Other than that, a few contests including one I’ll be organizing in March at my home mountain, Mt. St. Louis Moonstone.

Kieran: I’m trying to film a part with The Bunch, definitely a few park edits along the way but most of all just trying to have fun and ski as much as possible.

How about the season after that?

Sandy: Let’s just take this one year at a time. But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere soon.

Kieran: Really haven’t thought that far ahead, probably just trying to film a part (hopefully with The Bunch) that I feel accurately portrays my approach to skiing; same goal as this season really.

What is the best trend in skiing right now?

Sandy: Having fun and not being so serious.

Kieran: The growing diversity of trends.

What is the worst trend in skiing right now?

Sandy: The hardcore haters against the Olympics. It’s all funny and what not, but skiers are working their asses off to get to the Olympics so maybe [we should] give them some respect for that?

Kieran: Hate, which I’m guilty of too, but it’s definitely the worst.

Vitals:

Name: Sandy Boville
Age: 22
Hometown: Barrie, Ontario
Current Residence: My mom’s basement
Home Mountain: Mt St Louis Moonstone
Sponsors: O’Neill, anon., Revision Skis, Coal Headwear, Full Tilt, Digit Snow
Social Media: Twitter – @KieranMcSlay

Name: Kieran McVeigh
Age: 20
Hometown: Middlesex, Vermont
Current Residence: Claremont, California
Home Mountain: Sugarbush Resort, Vermont
Sponsors: anon., Nordica, iNi Cooperative, Arsenic Apparel, Treefort Lifestyles, Dakine
Social Media: Twitter – @sandyboville, Instagram – @sandyboville