Last winter had both highs and lows for Canada's Priscilla Levac. After a serious injury two winters ago, when she broke her leg at the X-Games, she pulled a Hollywood-worthy comeback by scoring both the cover and an interview in the fall issue of Snowboard Canada (a rare victory for a female rider), plus a spot in the elite Standard Films video crew (another rare victory). She entered the season with arguably more momentum and recognition than ever before, and seemed poised for an even bigger follow-up season. Fate had other plans, however, and by December she found herself without the support of her long-term sponsor Ride Snowboards when her contract wasn't renewed.

While other riders might have called it on the spot, Priscilla kept riding and quietly maintained focus on her other passions: running Cilla, her first-layer company, and exploring a new interest in the Raw Food movement. With last winter now passed and a new one closing in, Priscilla's had plenty of time to assess her situation and move forward. She opened up to Push.ca about the turbulence she endured, and why living in the moment is better than worrying about the future.

First off, how's summer been going? I've heard you've gotten into mountain biking this year?
I did! And I'm totally hooked on it. I live in Squamish now and it's a total paradise here for mountain biking... It's crazy how far out we go and how beautiful and peaceful it is. There are so many great cross-country trails and lots of sick downhill, too. I feel like a kid again.

Did you snowboard at all this summer, or did you just take a break from it?
I used to ride every summer, but two years ago I decided to take summers off and give my body and mind a break. This way I'm so much more excited when winter comes.

Did the forest fires on Blackcomb and around Pemberton make you nervous at all?
Not really. One thing I was sure about was they were going to send an army of firefighters if it came down to it, since this is where the Olympics are going to be held. I didn't see the people's reaction in Whistler since I live in Squamish, but I heard that Crystal Ridge burned and I know there are some good pillow lines there. There's a chance that the fire opened up some new terrain, which could be exciting.

What about Cilla? I assume you must work on that quite a bit through the off-season...
You're right... I do spend a lot of energy and time into it, but I love it. To me it's about the journey and not the destination. This year's collection offers mainly a bigger selection of color ways and bands. We wanted to make sure girls don't end up with all the same bands sticking out of their jacket on the hill. I really care about making a unique product, and that girls feel special wearing it.

Right about now, a lot of people start thinking about winter... Has it hit you yet?
I'm definitely enjoying summer right now and I'm in the best shape ever. But once the weather turns I'll be really excited to strap on my snowboard again.

When your first day of riding comes, what do you normally like to do? Do you have any rituals?
I love early season riding... the first days are all about spending time with my friends and sharing the excitement of snowboarding like it's all new again. It's also the part of the season when there's barely any tourists on the hill, so we have the mountain to ourselves. It's all about warming up and having fun, tricks start to come naturally, like all progression.

You went through a lot of changes last year with your sponsors, and then also had a lot of good things happen, like your SBC cover and interview and filming with Standard for the first time. What did you learn from everything you experienced over the past year, between the ups and downs?
Last year was definitely full of adventures and emotions. I did go through a lot of joy and pain. The SBC cover was something I had always wanted, and filming for Standard was a huge opportunity. I was pretty proud of myself for getting back in that mindset and commitment after coming back from a big injury. When the Ride thing happened, it really took me by surprise. I was devastated. I cried a lot and felt lost. Ride allowed me to realize all the dreams I had with snowboarding and I will always be grateful to that. I invested a lot into them too, and really felt like we had a relationship. But when it ended, it happened overnight, and suddenly I was out, without closure or a goodbye... and that was hard. I really grew from that experience though, and when I came out of that dark cloud, it's like I had been reborn. I pushed my bruised ego to the side and allowed myself to forgive and love. Then I realized that none of it was important on the spiritual level.

You'd been with Ride, for a long time. How have you been moving forward? Were you anxious to find new sponsors, or is it better to take your time with a situation like this?
At first I wasn't interested in finding a new sponsor right away... I put my soul first and focused on my overall health. I really got into Raw Food, read many books, educated myself on stuff that really matters, spent lots of time with my dogs and went snowboarding for pure fun. I did contact a few companies at first, but not very many because there's only a few which I respect and wanted to represent. And secondly, it was the worst possible time to find a new sponsor with this crazy economy hit! So I'm gonna continue to support the sponsors I have and see where it leads.

You've filmed with a lot of different video crews over the years, and there's always a lot of debate around all-girls videos versus regular videos that have segments with girls in them. What's your perspective on this?
I've always liked filming with boys for two reasons: I get along better with boys, and I do better under pressure. So I've always preferred filming for regular videos, and of course when I got a segment in one, it felt like a really big accomplishment. But I think that all-girls movies are awesome and absolutely needed in our industry today. I strongly encourage them.

Have you made any filming plans for winter yet, or is it still too early?
Not yet, it's still too early! I'm working on living in the moment.

You're known as a super healthy person... Tell me about Raw Food and what it's all about.
It's very simple: as long as we eat what Mother Nature creates for us, in its most natural form, we are part of nature's flow. And that's what Raw Food is all about; it's the ultimate way of eating and living. I'm currently working on my own book about Raw Food. I want to inspire and motivate people to transform their lives and become more aware of not only their soul, but the planet as a whole. So here's my best advice for now: eat raw and organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Enzymes are precious! Support your local farmers and fair trade organizations. Make your own food at home and bring your lunch with you so you can eliminate packaging as much as you can. Not only does it feels amazing to live a healthy lifestyle, but it also feels really good to do your part in caring for our planet, because in the end, the planet is us, and we are the planet.

That's good advice... OK, last question: what's the last song you listened to, the last movie you watched, and the last book or magazine you read?
The last song was "This mess Again" by Widower... it's so romantic. The last movie was a documentary called Zeitgeist Addendum; everybody should see it! And my last book was A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.

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