World Snowboard Day takes place this Sunday, December 18. The global event is a celebration for the 1 plankers; an ode to the 2-edgers of the world.
To prepare for the upcoming day I thought I would shreducate myself by asking some new and old snowboarding legends the question: “What does snowboarding mean to you?” Here’s what they had to say:
Finn Finestone, Whistler grom
Photo: Brian Finestone
“Snowboarding makes me feel calm, all week I look forward to riding so I can try new tricks and get better at my old ones. Riding in powder is fun, I like the way you float and it gets all quiet.”
Brian Finestone, Whistler Blackcomb Terrain Parks Manager (Finn’s Dad)
“Snowboarding has been a part of my life for 26 years. It used to be the personal progression that kept me going but now it’s the enjoyment of sharing it with my son. There are very few things in life that get me stoked like riding deep powder!”
Braden Dean, Voleurz athlete
“Snowboarding means a reason to wake up early in the morning, to continuously work on being in good physical condition, and to eat healthy so I can ride harder for longer.
Snowboarding gives meaning to the seasons and the weather. Changes in temperature, visibility or precipitation have an affect on where I go and what I do on any given day, week or month.
Snowboarding has introduced me to my best friends and given a purpose to my travels around the world.
Snowboarding has given me a reason to stay healthy, strong and in tune with my environment, and passion to share with my friends.”
Ken Achenbach, Camp of Champions Founder/snowboard legend
“Snowboarding means I get to be 15 for the rest of my life. It means being able to close your eyes and see the exact second your life changed. It means making friends that last a lifetime. It means traveling the world. It means being a local everywhere but at home.
It means having a secret handshake that opens doors to places you never imagined. It means days you never forget. It means days where you wish you could turn back time. It means days where time stops. It means changing your life without even realizing you are doing so.
It means surfing. It means living in the future you imagined and created. It means living in a bubble. It means experiencing your friends at their happiest moments. It means learning things about yourself that you never knew you needed to learn.
It means you know what luck is. It means sharing the worst of times. It means being alone in amazing places. It means traveling inside your head. It means seeing things that don’t get seen by normal people.
It means having the last laugh. It means waking up and always being happy. It means toothpaste from Tokyo, life and haircuts from Chamonix, socks from Verbier, appreciation from Ballarat, pit stick from London, pies from Auckland, music from Melbourne and friends and pictures from everywhere.
It means trees and the spaces in between. It means never growing up. It means the smell of pine. It means living somewhere where everyone gasps with envy when you tell them where you live.
It means you always buy “Powder Fresh Scent” even though you know that’s not the powder they are talking about. It means seeing mountains up close. It means you know the thousand of shades of blue.
It means you can smell winter. It means you know light. It means never being an adult. It means Fuji 50, 500, 5.6. It means you love helicopters, snowcats, powder, your friends and not in that order.
It means nothing and everything. It means fun.”
Dano Pendygrasse, legendary snowboard photographer
Photo: Dano Pendygrasse, James Kurylo 1996
“The easy answer is that Snowboarding is one of the parents of my career, that it is responsible for the direction I’ve taken in life and that I owe it a huge debt. The more complex answer is that my feelings about the idea of snowboarding have changed dramatically, that the parts of the sport that I like are harder to find, and that my desire to be a part of the current incarnation of the sport has waned. Considerably.
Still, strip away the industry, fashion, trends and resorts, put me on top of an untracked run with Morry, Warburton, Garry, Shin and Kearns, and there is literally no place in the world that I’d rather be. I’ve had my share of 100-day seasons and now it’s all about qualityover quantity. Even if that means going without if I can’t ride the way I want.”
Vera Janssen, pro rider
“Snowboarding makes me feel free and it let’s me be the person I want to be. It has given me an identity, yet it does not press me into a form.
Snowboarding is my way of self-expression; drawing lines into the mountains is my form of art – I am closest to myself when I am in the mountains, in nature, with the elements and my board – it purifies my soul.”
Graham Turner, Showcase Snowboard Shop boss man
“Snowboarding to me means sliding on snow and sliding on snow has been a part of my life for the past 40 or more years. The sliding on snow business has been my career since I was 14 years old. Snow can take a huge rugged mountain and turn it into a white magic carpet that you surf over incredible terrain that would normally be impassable. Snowboarding with my friends & family makes me smile a lot:) I am super stoked to pass this down to my little boy!”
Me, a BC girl who just loves to slide
“Snowboarding is freedom. It’s relaxation and exhilaration all in one moment. Snowboarding is the first time I learned how to link turns. It’s also my first cliff drop and those really stormy days when the alpine isn’t open and you can still get un-tracked lines every run. It’s hitting the pipe and high-5ing my boyfriend after an epic session. It’s listening to that little rattle on the chairlift as you upload and inhaling the scent of hot wax. Snowboarding is smelling like fresh alpine air and soaking up the muffled silence a big snow storm brings. Snowboarding completes me.”
It’s clear that the passion we all have for this sport can’t be boiled down into on simple answer. This Sunday, pay tribute to the sport that has brought you joy and go sliding. You’ll be glad you did.
What does snowboarding mean to you? We welcome you to answer in the comments below:
