Sammy Luebke
Luebke, a Squaw Valley local by way of Alaska, is a star of the Freeride World Tour and an all-terrain ripper known for his singular focus and for going B-I-G. Next mission? Raising two young daughters in the shred game from his home in Truckee, California, where they’ll have no shortage of second-generation snowboard royalty to pal around on the slopes with.
Tell us about your family.
My wife Kelly and I have a three-and-a-half year-old named Alexa, and an almost-five-month-old newborn named Amelia. They’re awesome. Shout out to Kelly and all the moms out there, even though it’s Father’s Day: she’s a big part of being able to make a snowboarding career happen for me. It definitely helps to have that foundation and to have somebody to run the show and take care of the kids when I’m gone. I couldn’t do it without her. It would be insane.
How has fatherhood changed your life?
Oh, man. It’s helped me be more responsible, and given me a different perspective on everything. You realize you’re not living for yourself anymore. You’re living for your children, and that’s a big step. I really want to not take for granted the time we have together, because they grow up so quick. There’s been a shift: I know I’ve missed some key days the last couple winters that might have been crucial, but on some level I know I’m not missing out on anything: this is where I’m supposed to be. You get out when you can, and try not to sweat it when you can’t.
How has snowboarding influenced the way you raise your kids?
I’ve always been a little laid back as a parent, which definitely comes from snowboarding. In snowboarding you learn to work hard when you have to and take care of business, but you also learn not to be too hard on yourself. I want to try to instill that in my kids: work hard, play hard, don’t take life too seriously. I want them to have fun while they’re young and not grow up too fast. That’s important to me.
Will you teach your daughters to snowboard?
My three-year-old is already into snowboarding. I was being real careful not to push it on her, but then she made me get her a snowboard! We haven’t gotten out to the mountain yet, but she’ll strap it on in her room and hop around, and I got her a little board so I can tow her around on the flats. I want her to take her time and get into it at her own pace, because I didn’t need anybody pushing me. Snowboarding isn’t about all that. But I’m definitely looking forward to taking her to the mountain to take some laps when she’s ready. I’ll probably end up teaching her myself: I’ve taught people to snowboard before and know I have the patience for it. She listens to me and trusts me, and it seems like a great opportunity as her dad. Who knows, though? Maybe she’ll want to ski instead! We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
What kinds of choices have you had to make between being a father & having a career in snowboarding?
It’s been tough! First of all, making money in snowboarding is a hard thing to do no matter what. You’ve got to be gone a lot and it’s hard. As a parent it has meant sacrificing some of those pinnacles, missing out on some of the growing up, missing birthdays and first teeth and whatnot. It was a real bummer to miss the birth of my second child because I had to do a contest in Europe, and then the contest ended up getting canceled. I watched the birth on Skype wondering, “What am I doing here?”
[videocaption]How gnarly is this?[/videocaption]
Do you have some words of wisdom that you can pass on to families looking to raise their kids in the mountains?
Do it. Raise them in the mountains, keep them active, keep them away from playing too many video games, and enjoy as much time with them as you can. It’s crazy here in Truckee because it seems like everybody is starting to have kids. I see some of them on the mountain already, all these young kids just ripping, and it’s amazing to see how good they get, and how fast. A lot of people I know didn’t even start snowboarding until they were 18, and now these kids are starting at like three and five, when they can learn so much so quick. It’s a great community we have here, a super active ski and snowboard community, which makes it a good place to raise kids and get them outdoors having fun. I love it here.
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Page 2: Seth Huot
Page 3: Fredi Kalbermatten
Page 5: Todd Richards
