It seems like every sentence published with the word “snowboarding” has included either “Shaun White”, “Olympics”, or “12 year does old triple” along with all the other crazy headline-esq media crazes that have consumed snowboarding this season (thanks Buzfeed, you ruined the internet).
To say the least, a huge chunk of the snowboard community has forgotten what snowboarding is all about. A majority of snowboarders, professional or amateur, will never make it to the Olympics. We didn’t get into snowboarding with the hopes of landing a Mountain Dew contract, or to land the biggest combination of flips and spins. I don’t even remember those things existing when I started.
When did it only become about what happens in the air? Even in slopestyle the rail section is about a routine as the straight-line between the “money booters”. Who blew it and totally forgot about style, or getting loose, or having fun?
Burton Snowboards is a sponsor of the best snowboarder in the world, ever. Oh, they also sponsor Shaun White. If you don’t know who Terje is, you’ve probably spent too much time worrying about matching your boots to your board or watching for who will land the next acrobatic snowboard trick that looks like an act from Cirque du Soleil.
Terje made it to the Mt. Baker Banked slalom as he does every year, and both him and Ben Ferguson, with Corey Koniniec behind the camera, put together the best piece of snowboarding media that graced the mainstream world(hopefully). The smooth shots were courtesy of Koniniec’s skills with the Movi Steadicam, and the amazing editing was done by Alex Adrian.
So if you’ve fallen into the whole of mainstream snowboarding, and need to get back on track, here’s how to do it:
- Forget about the huge spins and learn and perfect the following: a stylist method, riding pow, making smooth carves all over the hill.
- Learn to be more creative: if you’re not riding a slopestyle contest, nobody cares about your perfect line, make features your own and try to ride every rail or tree jib differently than anyone else on the hill.
- Quit being a dick. We’re all learning; get stoked on everything everyone does.
- Go have fun. It’s actually really easy!
- Read this book: P3: Pipes Parks and Powder
Nicely done Eric !