A chance to thank those who helped along the way

[Bobby Buggs]

After 17 years of trying to be better at this sport I was thinking today about all the people that helped me, inspired me, kicked me in the ass, and just made me a better rider.

Not in any specific order but thanks to you all

PSR my first coach,  creator of information overload and the Ahh ha moment.

CMC smoking a butt and terrorizing Stratton on a 58

Alex and Steph saying no wimps and getting low in the 80s

Of course my sidekick The CarveFather and Tony Z-carver the OG Sensei

Bruce for building game changing boards

Joerg for bringing Europe to me without the 8 hour flight.

Vin Q for inspiring me  with arm pit drags on a tanker 200 in sofities

Mark (dingbat) Bennett for showing me the Beast and being a great friend. 

 

Feel free to add yer own list 

 

[Corey]

Great idea! 

 

Steve (Riceball) and Darcy from Calgary. They took me under their wings at my first SES and showed me how to ride. "Pin it!"

Sean Cassidy blew my mind in a few clinics. He laid a framework for me. 

Richard Knapp changes the way I think about riding every time we talk. 

Countless people offering fantastic advice on this forum. 

All the smiling faces I've met in the Aspen sessions.  

[lonbordin]

Here's to all that have helped me.

@fin for BOL
@Carve234 You were the first carver I met and inspired me.  Where ever you are, thank you!
@corey_dyck and @Jack Michaud All the stuff they've written and all the video education, thanks.
@Donek  Thanks for letting me take all the ECES boards from Donek to Bomber... it was like having my personal trenching convention at Keystone that weekend. Also thanks for building great boards.
@bigwavedave and @rwmaron for all the Spirit mountain love 
@Bruce Varsava for his sweet boards that have taken my ridding to another level.

Finally my spirit cousin cloaked in an enigma wrapped in carbon fiber coated with hydraulic fluid @Beckmann AG for all of his guidance and his words.

May your days be filled with steep powder covered slopes.

Mahalo!

Edited March 1, 2017 by lonbordin
If I missed anyone very sorry and a hearty thank you!

[SunSurfer]

THANKS!

To the nameless carver I saw from the chairlift at Mt Hutt all those years ago who flowed down the mountain like liquid mercury.

To Nigel C who critiqued my turns at Turoa and opened my mind to body angulation. 

To Fin Doyle for this community with its' collective wisdom, and for SES/ATC.

To Corey Dyck,  and Richard Knapp for the teaching sessions I've had and learned from.

To all those who've shot stills and video at the Sessions and given me glimpses of how I actually ride, in particular Johnasmo, Riceball, Trent, and OhD. 

To all of you who I've had the pleasure of riding with over the years.

 

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by SunSurfer
Typo

[CMC]

Awe thanks Bugs. This is such a big moment that I think we should have a steak dinner on your tab to celebrate! :)

[Corey]

10 hours ago, SunSurfer said:

To all those who've shot stills and video at the Sessions and given me glimpses of how I actually ride, in particular Johnasmo, Riceball, Trent, and OhD. 

OMG, yes!  It's amazing how so many people sacrifice their riding time to get pictures and video for us.  Adding to the above list: Sean from Donek, Johnasmo, and Ryan Knapton.  

[NateW]

Fin, for making bindings that DON'T EVER BREAK. Unless you let a screw back out on its own, because you suck at maintenance, but I'll own that mistake.

Angie and Jim for keeping the supply flowing.

Sean, for making boards that last me THREE WHOLE YEARS. Often longer! Seriously, this is an achievement. Also, the mild un-camber on my current board makes it handle beautifully when pointing straight down with the base flat on the snow. Which gave me the extra confidence I needed to hit bigger jumps. Which is why I'm so sore right now, and snowshoeing this weekend instead of snowboarding, but I'll own that mistake too.

Jack, for setting me straight in an argument about sidecut many years ago. Like 2001 or something.

Patrice (or maybe it was Jacques?) for answering "13m" what I asked what sidecut radius he used, after I got inspired by their videos years ago. (Probably 2002ish?) I tried it for my next board it felt just right. Have tried 11.5 and 15 since then, but I'm on my third 13m board now. It's the sweet spot for me, too.

The crew at Stevens Pass in WA for building nice jumps, and lots of them, and carveable groomers between them.

And everybody else here, even if I haven't been around much in the last several years. It's one of the most helpful communities I've been fortunate to be part of.

[BlueB]

To Bomber Industries and all people associated with running the site, for providing the "head quarters" of alpine snowboarding and wonderful online playground for us, the eternal kids :) 

To all BOL members, for being great online friends and creating an incredible data base of collective knowledge. Weather we argue or agree, the constructive things eventually come out of it! It's so funny, most of you I'll never get to know face-to-face, but I feel really close to, never the less! 

To all the people that I traded, bough or sold the gear to, over the years. We keep the gear-head stoke alive, together, on budget  ;) 

To our small, but dedicated, alpine gear manufacturers, thank you guys, you keep the sport alive and made the stuff so much better over the last few decades. Same goes to few big companies, who kept their alpine program running, in despite of unfavorable market trends! 

To Cypress Mountain, my "home" for 13 years already. We had some incredible seasons, like this one, but also some really crappy ones, when only the heroic efforts of the mountain management and staff made it possible to call it a season at all! 
I had ups and downs through my employment history there, but there were always people who supported me. Funny enough those are still there and nasty ones are gone! 

Last but not least, lots of love to all my riding buddies and students. I cant even separate you guys - some started as students and became great friends, some were inspiration to myself, some others, we just shred together and learn from each other... It's a very close knit group and very supportive environment. Lots of you became my friends even outside of the mountain, and we do many things together! Thanks Boyz (and girls)!  

[SunSurfer]

10 minutes ago, BlueB said:

To all BOL members, for being great online friends and creating an incredible data base of collective knowledge. Weather we argue or agree, the constructive things eventually come out of it! It's so funny, most of you I'll never get to know face-to-face, but I feel really close to, never the less! 

Amen, brother!

[Allee]

To all the carvers I've met tripping around the countryside. My first escapade was to Stratton in 2004, to ride with a group of girls there. My SO at the time told me that I'd end up axe murdered, running around the continent to meet people who I only knew from a few online messages. But from then to now, all I've met are awesome peeps who've been happy to share their knowledge to stop me landing on my head. Special shout out to the Whitefish crew and the WTF boys, creating mayhem and shooting tequila since 2008.

Darcy and Riceball for their endless patience on days at Nakiska. Meeting these dudes changed my life. "Pin it ya fairy", indeed.

TwoRavens for being a super cool chick and a good friend, as well as teaching me the ways of the heelside, and unlocking the keys to the universe.

And all the people on Bomber who share what they know for the good of humankind.