I’m not at the caliber of a snowboarder where I’m like ‘I think if you change this, you will really notice a difference.’ They could probably put me on a door and send me down the mountain full of pow and I’d still have fun. At the very most, I’ll just give him some positive feedback. Have you made your own snowboard shapes with Chris? You have to have everything detailed and a full understanding of the conditions and what the dangers are. It’s really similar to what we do to prepare for big waves. I love learning all the nuances of the safety and preparation. I love the hiking aspect of going to get new snow. Yeah, I do a ton of that with Travis and crew. I’m an onsite decision maker.ĭo you venture into the side-country and backcountry often? I’m not going to make any promises, but if the snow is good and I feel good, then yeah. Think you’ll hit it again, now that you’ve got one under your belt? I definitely didn’t send that thing, but it was a cool experience to get in there. I kind of just sideslipped my way into it. It’s pretty burley when it’s bulletproof and low snow in there…. It was not that steep of a landing and super hard. It was scary! I definitely wasn’t doing a backflip or a front flip, or anything crazy into that thing. I actually went through it for the first time last year with Forrest Shearer, Andrew Miller and Alex Yoder. You can ride from bell to bell, and if you’re with Travis or Carter or Jimmy Chin, you’re going to get the goods. They find really good snow all the time, all day. I find that when I ride with some of the guys that are from there, it helps. My ideal day is trying to be on that first tram or an early-up and hot lap the tram and work my way around the mountain. What’s your perfect day riding at Jackson Hole? I would go back every single year, and it turned into this thing that I was consumed by. Jeremy Jones was trying to show us around on the mountain.
I remember my first time was super tiring, draining, stressful and exhausting trying to keep up. This was in 2005 or so, and it was a huge snow year. Full kook with nose guards on our rental boards. We were all really, really novice snowboarders. Yeah, a bunch of surfers went and it was my first time in Jackson and my first time snowboarding. He threw it out there to have a change of scenery and head into the mountains. I lived with Andy Irons when I was really young, and he had just won a world title and wanted to get away from Hawaii for a little bit. I was entirely consumed by surfing, so snowboarding came by chance. How did you get into snowboarding? Can you tell us about your first time? Throughout our chat, we weaved through the snowboard-side of Walsh, exploring what propels his passion for strapping-in and how Jackson Hole continues to lure him back, season after season. “Ian’s an athlete first and foremost, and it was very apparent that he loves the challenges and progression our mountain offer him,” said Anna of Ian’s skill. Considering his impressive feats in the ocean, his modesty was refreshing, even if it was a bit of farce- he snowboards with more technical prowess than most. Walsh was honest and engaging about his love for snowboarding, and endearingly humble about his skill level. We explored everything from his first time, to the inherent similarities between surfing and snowboarding, and how Ian’s connection to Jackson Hole, Wyoming mirrors that of being in his home of Maui, Hawaii. In-between chasing maverick-sized waves, Walsh was recently on hold for a last minute trip to Portugal when we had the chance to catch up with him about his frozen water pursuits.
“He brings new energy, knowledge and talents to our team, not to mention camaraderie,” she continued. “Ian is one of the world’s best surfers, and he has quickly become a savvy, confident and stylish snowboarder,” said Anna Cole of JHMR. With a few Jackson Hole seasons under his belt, Walsh has been riding with heavyweights such as Travis Rice, Mark Carter and Bryan Iguchi, and JHMR felt adding him to the team was a natural step.
BIG MOUNTAIN SNOWBOARDING PHOTOS PRO
Walsh, 35, was recently added to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s (JHMR) Ambassador Team, making him the first pro surfer to earn this type of snow sponsorship. For Ian Walsh, one of the most notable big wave surfers of our time, his reset button comes from a healthy dose of face shots and deep pow. When you’re at the pinnacle of performance, there’s often a need diversify to recalibrate skills and passion. The drive to continually push oneself is a sign of positive growth and evolution. Jackson Hole’s newest ambassador, Ian Walsh, tells us all about being a surfer that loves snowboarding
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