We recently had a chance to catch up with Axs Elite Reporter Patrick Montgomery of Xylan Longboards, here's what he had to say.

Question: Let’s get this started with some basic facts: name, age, where do you live, favorite drink!

Xylan Team rider: My name is Patrick Montgomery, I'm 28 for a few more months if all go's well, I live in Burnaby B.C. Canada. My favorite beer is Cariboo Honey. Mixed drink would have to be Sailor Jerry's and ginger ale with lime.

Question: You are one of the main men behind the brand Xylan. How did you decide on this name; what the hell does it mean, and what is the story behind the origin of the company?

Patrick Montgomery: My business partner came up with the name. Pretty cool, eh? Xylan is a generic term used to describe a wide variety of highly complex polysaccharides that are found in plant cell walls and some algae. Xylans are polysaccharides made from units of xylose (a pentose sugar).

Question: Ah, in layman's terms, please?

Patrick Montgomery: It's the yellow material between fibers in wood; kind of the natural glue that holds wood together.

Question: Can you remember what inspired you to start longboarding?

Patrick Montgomery: When I was in grade 8, I was flipping through a skate mag I'd found and there was a picture of a guy carving up a sweet hill. I already knew how to snowboard, and I thought to myself, "No lift tickets? Right on!"

Question: Did you start out longboarding or did you ride other styles first?

Patrick Montgomery: I started out riding street. I hurt myself more than anything, but I could do some grinds gaps and drops. Nothing special though.

Question: How long have you been longboarding for?

Patrick Montgomery: Thirteen, almost fourteen years now, I guess. I started when I was 15 so, yeah, a long time.

Question: Was there much of a scene back then? Events

Patrick Montgomery: There wasn't much of a scene; a few guys Bricin Lyons was just getting Coast Longboarding off the ground. P.D. (Skull Skates) had the Cemetery Downhill, which was just a straight line through a cemetery up on Fraser St. Coincidentally, that's where I met Bricin. There were also some events in the Chan Center parkade in U.B.C. I'm sure there were more, but I wasn't really paying attention, I was just having fun on my board, drinking, smoking, enjoying the Kits Culture.

Question: Why do you longboard?

Patrick Montgomery: It's totally freeing! Its the only time my brain really lets me be. It's normally racing constantly, but when I get going fast it just shuts up and lets my body react. Plus I'm really impatient; the world is way more interesting at speed.

Question: Do any events this year?

Patrick Montgomery: Yea I entered my first IGSA sanctioned event this year, Attack of Danger Bay 10. I really wasn't prepared but i had a great time, met some awesome people and hope to do better next year. We also attended the AXS Concrete Wave Trade Expo and Film Festival, It wasn't really a good day for me, I was poisoned by a coffee shop that shall remain nameless. But it was great to see the community out checking out the boards in a really classy joint.

Question: Are there other sports you enjoy?

Patrick Montgomery: I enjoy bouldering, hiking, scrambling, biking, snowboarding and shooting...pretty much anything that gets me outside.

Question: Do you have other hobbies?

Patrick Montgomery: Building bikes; I love to restore old classics. I have a '74 Peugeot and a '76 Raleigh. I also like to camp. One of my favorite pastimes it to gather friends around a campfire with a few pellet guns, a few targets and a few beers.

Question: At what point did you realize skateboarding was your path, and choose to follow it?

Patrick Montgomery: I've been on wheels, in one form or other, since I was three and got my first trike. I motored around on that thing as fast as I could go. After graduating through several bikes, at eight years old I got my first set of inline roller skates. I loved the speed and the free movement...I could outrun just about anyone on those things! A skateboard soon followed, and immediately became a passion. And, from the day I stepped on my first longboard, I knew I wanted to ride one till the day I die!

Question: What role would you like Xylan to have in the longboard community?

Patrick Montgomery: I would really like Xylan to be able to offer opportunities to young longboarders, as well as to put out some killer product. Also our mission will always be to spread the stoke and grow our industry.

Question: Can you describe the process of building your boards, and where it all takes place?

Patrick Montgomery: Our boards are made in California with five AXS CNC machines and the best materials money can buy. Other than that, it's all pretty hush-hush.

Question: What innovation is Xylan bringing to longboarding?

Patrick Montgomery: As the line grows, we'll be producing boards out of some really high end materials, like carbon fiber and bamboo. As well, we're producing boards with some shapes and features that will definitely make people take notice.

Question: Anything you would like to add?

Patrick Montgomery: Eat, Sleep and Live Longboarding! Love your children. And thanks to everyone who's helped me out along the way, especially my family, friends, AXS, Concrete Wave Magazine, LAX and Atobe.…