This year was arguably the most exciting, fulfilling, and productive year of my life! I graduated from college, I bought a car, I traveled to Europe for the first time (x2), I moved to Salt Lake City, I learned a double backflip, I filmed for my first big time snowboard project, I received dramatically increased support from my sponsors including Sessions Outerwear, I won a couple contests, I shot with pro photographers, I got my first photo in a magazine, and most of all, I was able to spend time with great people!
My snowboard travels this year led me to Germany, The Netherlands, Vermont, California, Las Vegas, Baltimore, and of course Salt Lake City. As I said before, this year was my first time traveling to Europe and I LOVED it. My trip to The Netherlands was arguably the most fun and exciting trip I've ever been on. The culture, company, and contest (Rock a Rail) all surpassed my expectations and I even got to snowboard indoors! I highly recommend it, especially for those midwest park rats or anyone interested in quick laps on rails.
Graduating college was a huge accomplishment for me. It has always been a life goal of mine, but at times staying in school was tough. I had to find a balance between snowboard time and study time. Often I would wonder if I was making the right choices. However, I don't regret it for a second. Now I have my degree and I can snowboard full time. It's a win win :). If anyone out there is torn between school and snowboarding, just know that it is possible.
As everyone knows, spring shredding is the most fun. I was lucky enough to hit some amazing events as the season was winding down. The Loon Project, Holy Bowly, and Superpark were all phenomenal this year. For bowly and superpark I road tripped with my girlfriend Ashley-Dawn in our converted van! These three events are iconic of a new breed of snowboard events that seem to be surfacing more and more. It seemed as if every time I opened up my instagram this year, I saw another quarter pipe, snake run, or bowl event going on. The one thing all of these events have in common is the camaraderie and it's awesome.
