Photo: Robin Van Gyn
This is where we are right now. That’s it. There isn’t anything more to think or talk about. I am sick of hearing about how snowboarding is dying or already dead. We are very much alive and well and, frankly, getting a lot more turns than those naysayers. We still snowboard almost every day… and while some of us may be limited to weekends, and certain companies are choosing to cut and run, the “state” of snowboarding hasn’t changed. We just weeded out the masses who were snowboarding for nothing other than to look cool. This is what we do. This is what we have been doing. And the roots are stronger than ever keeping the parts of snowboarding that are still above ground — the parts that matter — unyeilding.
I am not sure how it happened, but it did. When Jeff Pensiero, founder of Baldface Lodge with the late Craig Kelly, asks “do you want to come to Baldface?” you say “yes,” and that is where it ends. It is one of those invitations that comes to a very lucky few. When he explained I would be on a Legends crew with Tex Davenport, Jamie Lynn, Wes Makepeace, and David Benedict, to name a few (with a full name drop admitted), I just laughed awkwardly and filled in the blanks as needed. These names are iconic and each uniquely shaped who we are as a sport and lifestyle today. The best part about these people is that they are still snowboarding, as I am, and as I plan to be… always. For sure, some of the clan at Baldface have moved into different roles, whether it was within the industry or not, but they were still shredding nonetheless and loving it as much as ever. That means something. Snowboarding might not be as “cool” as it appeared to be to the masses circa 1999, but get this straight: it was never theirs to judge. It was and is ours. And to us, it is the same as it ever was; it has merely changed for them, and to that I say, “Good riddance!”
The feeling of being a little mismatched with this legendary crew subsided quickly — after all, it’s always going to feel a bit surreal pounding out the snowboard equivalent of Bob Dylan on your way back in the cat from 1000 vert of face shots. Simply put, it was shredding with friends, albeit friends with halos. We built hits, sent each rag-dolling, whooped, and did the “remember that time at band camp?” skit all week. And I was incredibly grateful.
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
I was a fly on the wall, listening to legendary stories about how Tex got his name, or how Craig (Kelly) totaled multiple rentals in Europe. I wondered if I would be doing that 10 years from now in the same cat, with different generations, still at Baldface, pointing fingers at a member of my current snowboard tribe for taking a dump at the top of her line. I sure as hell hope so.
This trip was a reminder of what snowboard core is — not only was I getting to ride soul laps with these guys, but we were guided by Kevin Sansalone as well as a skier-turned-snowboarder two years ago… righteous! All this one plank hype for Baldface might give you the wrong idea: don’t let me mislead you, JP (Jeff Pensiero) has no bias against skiers and neither do I. When it comes down to it, we are all in it together, trying to get in the white room.
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
At the end of day, we all end up at the same bar, using the same shot ski, listening to Wes and Jamie jam. What’s the big difference? The big difference at Baldface is that snowboard roots run deep, and its hallowed history has been preserved like it was the Smithsonian. That is fucking cool.
Photo: Robin Van Gyn
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