Chris Colbourn is Big Time

We caught up with Chris “Cookie” Colbourn as Mountain Dew swung by the Andy A-Dog Williams skate park in Burlington in August 2017.

CHRIS “COOKIE” COLBOURN

Age: 26  Hometown: Williston, Vt.

Lives In: Los Angeles, Calif.

Sponsored By: New Balance Numeric, Element, Might Healthy, Brooklyn Projects, Talent Skatepark, Satori Wheels, Bones Swiss, Mountain Dew.

Favorite Skate Spots: Talent Skatepark, UVM, Champlain College, Battery and College Streets, A-Dog Williams Memorial Skatepark

As a kid, Chris “Cookie” Colbourn earned his nickname at South Burlington’s Talent Skatepark because he always ate cookies at the snack counter. Though he’s still considered an amateur skater, Colbourn skates for both the Mountain Dew and Element Teams. Colbourn’s skating earned a spotlight in 2014 when he was invited to China with cinematographer and director Ty Evans to skate in We Are Blood. In 2016, he won the hearts of skaters (and sponsors) when he appeared in Mountain Dew’s 22-minute edit, SuperSnake. There, along with Jordan Maxham and other pros, he skated an elevated downhill setup complete with rails, jumps and gaps while pro snowboarders dodged and jumped a snowy course that intercepted the skaters’ path.

Where are some of the places you’ve visited to skate for films?

I’m going back to Barcelona to keep filming for Element, so I’m really excited about that. For this project, I’ve been to Barcelona twice, I’ve been to Japan, Cuba, and just around the U.S. a lot.

Do you consider skating to be a ‘sport’?

It’s definitely an athletic activity. From picking yourself up when you’re falling, putting your hands down a lot, and there’s even a variety of tricks that involve your hands as well. I’ve been working on more grab tricks like that, just to spread out the strength of my body. It’s a very core-driven activity, which is great. Skating just teaches you balance, discipline, friendship, patience—there are so many life lessons I’ve learned from skating. Patience is a huge one, and confidence. If you believe you can do anything, it’s just a matter of time before you learn it.

What was the skate scene like, growing up in Vermont?

I skated curbs with friends around my middle school, Williston Central. Then, when I was like 10 years old, Talent Skatepark opened. I was hooked immediately. It made Burlington more of a Mecca of skateboarding, because people had a place to go in the middle of winter.

Who were your role models?

Seeing older generations coming in to Talent, groups of guys who were passionate and already filming videos—that was great to see. My friend Travis Card filmed a lot of videos around Burlington that I was inspired by as a kid. Peace of Time was one of them.