Seth Huot
This “snowboarder’s snowboarder” and master of the art of the video part now says he’s just as stoked to be on other side of the camera, shooting footage of his son. We can’t help but love his parenting philosophy with regard to snowboarding: Start them young. No, younger.
Tell us about your family.
My wife and I have one son and we live in Cottonwood Heights, Utah at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
How has fatherhood changed your life?
It’s given me perspective on what is important to me. Now that I am raising a child I have to think of myself as the prime example/role model, so I do my best to live the life I want my son to have or at least use as a good foundation.
How has snowboarding influenced the way you raise your kids?
It has put a perspective on what I think is important for my kid to be exposed to. I grew up spending all of my time playing team sports, baseball, tennis, hockey, etcetera. I wasn’t exposed to any sort of acrobatic awareness or tumbling coordination. When I look at a bigger life picture I see that team sports have a lot of pluses but in the end pretty much stop after high school or when the accessible structured programs are no longer easily offered. Skating, snowboarding, bike riding, etcetera are lifelong activities that can be enjoyed with no or very little structured programs. So when putting my kid into programs I make sure there is a good mix of activities he is exposed to that will develop into more of a lifelong skill and mindset.
Have you taught your son to snowboard?
I have had my son on a snowboard since he was one and half years old, since he started walking. At first we would just go up and hang at the base of the lift at Brighton, messing around in the snow getting him exposed to his snowboard and boots. I would take him for runs between my legs, placing his board flat on my boots, holding him so he could feel the speed. Then slowly we would start taking a couple runs and he learned to side-slip down the run. I keep it really mellow: sometimes we only take one or two runs then get some hot chocolate and leave. We live 20 minutes from the bottom of the chairlift so its not a big production to take him snowboarding. When he’s ready to leave we just pack up and go home. The key is that we only go up on nice days: we stay away from the cold windy stormy days for now. I just try to make the experience a good one every time with the main objective of having fun, I read his mood before and when we take him so if he star,ts to get fussy we call it a day and hop in the car and peace out. He started to feel out his toe edge this year so that was pretty cool. I had him up to The Spot hitting little bumps and log rails, too. I set up some fun boxes in our front yard that he sessions for hours when we have snow on the ground at the house. I’m pretty hyped to say he was jibbing before linking turns!
[videocaption]This season Seth helped produce Pat Moore: Blueprint Season 2 from Red Bull.[/videocaption]
What kinds of choices have you had to make between being a father & having a career in snowboarding?
Once I had a kid I realized every second I was away from home had to count. There is no just hanging out and being unproductive anymore, I have to make the most out of every mission or objective. So going on trips I try to hammer as hard as possible for a week or however long, then get back home to reset before the next. It has turned into a formula that really works for me, productivity-wise.
Do you have some words of wisdom that you can pass on to families looking to raise their kids in the mountains?
Live to shred, shred to live!
Page 1: Bryan Iguchi
Page 3: Fredi Kalbermatten
Page 4: Sammy Luebke
Page 5: Todd Richards
