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You read it, so technically it’s on you.
If for the entirety of 2022 you’ve been saying to yourself, “Man, I would really like to read some publicly vetted snowboard articles that are proven to be good via their popularity among my peers,” well, we’ve got you, dear reader. Behold, some of our most-read stories from the past twelve months that our editors put their time, sweat, and at times, tears into crafting for your reading enjoyment. If you’re looking for crowd-decreed favorites when it comes to gear and videos, we’ll probably add lists for that, too, because who doesn’t like a one-stop shop where you can get a lot of good things at once instead of having to hit the often buggy “more stories” button? No one has time for the latter, so here’s the former. Don’t say we never did anything for you.
Time on Board: The Red Gerard Interview
Who knew that a casual conversation between friends would be so exciting to read? Well, when it’s a conversation between Red Gerard and Mark Clavin and they riff on everything from the Olympics to golf to buying a house, it’s something we all want to lean in and listen to. Or read, in this case. Did we mention Red also snagged his first cover with the issue that Time on Board came out in?
What Does a Forest of Koa Trees in Hawai’i Have to Do with Snowboarding?
A look at the interconnectedness of everything by getting to the root of things with Arbor at the Hawaiian Legacy Forest, a reforestation initiative doing humble work and affecting the ecosystem on the Big Island (and beyond).
No surprise here, as NST has been one of the most exciting things in snowboarding since it made its debut in 2021, but this feature from print issue 19.2 hit a chord with readers who wanted a peek behind the curtain of how NST came to be. Our attention was grabbed from start to finish of last year’s tour, too. From breaking down the Tour standings, watching the broadcasts, checking out the Duels, and finally, talking turkey with Tour champions, Elena Hight and Travis Rice, all eyes were on Natty Select. Expect the same in 2023 as the window for event #1, NST Duels is underway through the first week of February.
Unedited and Random: The Austin Smith Interview That Wasn’t
In our first print volume back, we tried to do an interview with Austin Smith, but what the piece turned into was so much more meaningful: a collection of musings from the Bend, Oregon local on subjects that are important to him. Austin has always been a person to speak his mind thoughtfully–and with a sharp, dry, sense of humor–and his words resonated. In fact, while this “interview that wasn’t” came to be because Austin really doesn’t like print interviews, his writing is so great that we asked him to sit in the interviewer’s chair to talk to Curtis Ciszek for our most recent print issue. Lucky for us, he obliged.
Over the Border and Back to Banff
When you need to get the download on women’s-specific and genderless snowboards, there’s one place and one crew you want to talk to, so we headed to Banff for a board test with the Rude Girls. You can watch all the board review videos here.
Miles Fallon Makes His Surf Video Debut
Ever stand in negative degree weather shoveling snow off of a stairset and wonder at that moment what it would be like to sit on a boat in Indonesia? Yeah, us too. Miles Fallon didn’t exactly head to Indo with Quik (at least, not yet), but he got the closest most of us have come to dipping a toe into that pro surfer life.
Back of House: Maggie Leon, Burton Rider and Engineer
Maggie Leon has traditionally turned heads due to her dynamic riding style and contagious enthusiasm and kindness, but when she’s not strapping in above a handrail, she’s a mastermind behind the products we use to, well, strap in. As an engineer for Burton, Maggie figures out solutions to make our snowboard gear work even better, with a focus on collaborating with adaptive athletes to make snowboarding more accessible and more fun for everyone. The biggest question that we weren’t able to answer in this profile, though, is, how does she have the time to film full video parts while putting in time designing snowboard gear? This is a trade secret that just makes Maggie one of a kind.
The Chronicles of Catfish: The Tale of Chas Truslow
Meme lord, debonair thought leader regarding all things culturally significant, and venerable snowboard nerd that we are grateful to have working in the digital trenches of our industry, Chas Truslow is another one-of-a-kind individual whose love of boarding makes things better for us all. We talked to him about all things boardworld last summer.
How Does Snowmaking Actually Work?
I mean, who doesn’t want to know? Mike Basher went to Bear and Snow Summit to find out and shine a light on the ops teams that work ’round the clock, behind the scenes, overnight, and often in the gnarliest of weather conditions in order to make sure the corduroy coverage is consistent every day of winter.
Over the summer, when Jeremy Jones, Peter Line, and Mack Dawg started dropping photos from Mount Hood with some iconically branded boards, the internet was frothing over every post from @loadingnext.online. We all had questions, so we gathered the misty info we could find at the time and kept wondering, until, of course, Forum was officially announced last fall.
The Return of Red Bull Heavy Metal
This was an exciting one. After more than a decade on ice, Red Bull Heavy Metal returned in 2022, landing in the Lake effect climate of Duluth, Minnesota. This story we dropped the day before the contest with a look at what to expect, was one of your favorites of the year.
Contest Coverage: Breaking Down US Team Olympic Qualifying
2022 was an Olympic year and no matter how polarizing that can be, the riders are the reason we all want to follow along. During the season, our readers followed the qualifications for the US Team leading up to Beijing, especially interested in the qualies for men’s and women’s slopestyle, as the field has seen a lot of exciting, new talent emerge since the last Olympic cycle. Examples here, here, here, and here (and the uniform announcement, here).
Perennial East Coaster Ralph Kucharek on Staying Pro Close to Home
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the contest circuit, Vermonter Ralph Kucharek shows us how it’s done when you love riding on the East Coast and want to pursue your passion. The secret? A symbiotic relationship with the variable conditions of winter, a relentless love of snowboarding, and a Rome Uprise Split and pair of Verts.
Emily O’Connor Talks Raking and Rope Tows
A member of the Take the Rake crew, the 2022 park supervisor at Trollhaugen, and now on the road with boyfriend Sam Klein for the Cheddar Tour, Midwest local Emily O’Connor checked in with us about the balance of riding and raking.
Foyer Side Chat: Blake Moller Enjoys Wine Country
Blake Moller? Wine Country? Who wouldn’t want to click on this article with a title like that. Bmo has been on the rise steadily and we caught him in a rare moment of downtime in which we learned what kind of wine to pair with chicken.