Last November I was sitting outside at a restaurant in New York City with Mark Clavin when we heard a familiar voice. We looked over and Jacob Krugmire was walking down the Manhattan sidewalk carrying a bodega brown bag, likely on his way to a rooftop somewhere in the city. Running into Jacob in NYC wasn’t totally unexpected—he was spending the fall there before the snow fell and we were visiting for a premiere—but what was striking was how he had already basically achieved local status. This is purely because the Washington-born rider has the uncanny ability to meld seamlessly to any environment he finds himself in, from Chilean steeps to Helsinki streets, and in this case, the Lower East Side. You see it in his snowboarding. While it’s Krugs’ prowess in the streets that continues to increase his notoriety, he’s equally at home navigating deep snow and sending the Mt. Baker road gap. It’s the same when he’s in the wild sans snowboard; Jacob is at home anywhere he goes, the only carry-on he needs loaded with sarcasm and directions to the nearest convenience store. He’ll figure out the rest on the fly in the best way possible. It’s this combination of fluidity and “fuck it” mentality that makes Jacob one of our favorite people in snowboarding. To this end, we tapped Krugs to let us in on a few of his favorite locations where he’s spent time in this edition of Places I’ve Been, because you know if Krugs is down for something, it’s probably pretty sweet.  – Mary T. Walsh

Tokyo
My first experience with Tokyo was in 2017 and I went with a big group of friends for Halloween. It being Halloween made the experience that much better. It was one of the most overwhelming and fast-paced cities I’ve ever seen but I loved it. You can drink in the streets, smoke cigs at dinner, and everywhere you go there is incredible food. What more can you ask for? lol. It’s really cool to witness the Japanese culture firsthand and see how truly unique it is. 

Helsinki
It was my first time visiting Helsinki this year and I ended up staying for a whole month. Within the first week we backed into a post and shattered out the back window of our rental van and it remained that way for the remainder of the trip. And by “we,” I mean our filmer backed into the post. We stayed across the street from one of the most popular bars in Helsinki which I visited quite frequently. I got to celebrate my birthday there by receiving COVID for the first time, ha. And lastly, I split my kneecap open and had to go get stitches. It ended up getting infected, but shoutout to Finland’s healthcare—that hospital bill was insanely cheap. Finnish people are very friendly though, and it’s a beautiful place that I would like to go back to.

Paris
Paris was a place I’d wanted to visit for a long time and I was lucky enough to get to go for a week in between trips this winter while I was over in Europe. My first night there, I met up with my friend, Sancheeto, and he took me to the Givenchy fashion show and I ended up sitting front row. It was insane. Haha. Then we went to the afterparty which was another crazy experience. I was so out of my element, but it was really cool to see what that world looks like. After that, I was just on my own for the rest of the week. I would just go walk around all day, eat good food, and visit the classic tourist spots, but even that was cool to see. The architecture of the whole city is beautiful.

Baldface Valhalla
I got a phone call from a number I didn’t have saved and they instantly asked what I was doing later that week and I just responded still not knowing who I was talking to. I finally realized it was Dave Sypniewski from Fat Tire and he was inviting me on a Fat Tire trip to Baldface Valhalla. Of course I accepted and three days later I was in Nelson, BC about to experience some of the best pow runs of my life. It was almost too deep; there was so much snow. I haven’t ever really been on a trip like that, but getting to ride untouched pow runs and then get in a snowcat and get dropped off at a new spot each run was incredible. I hope I can do something like that every winter. Sorry I didn’t have your number saved Dave, I got a new phone. 

Sapporo
I dreamed about going to Japan since I was like ten years old and that dream finally came true in 2017 when I got hit up by Teddy Koo saying Kazu wanted to fly me out to Hokkaido to be a part of an event he was going to put on. I couldn’t believe that’s how my first trip to Japan was going to happen, but once I got there it was everything I could’ve hoped for and more. Everyone was so polite, the food was incredible, and we had some very good times partying, haha. After this first trip I was hooked and wanted to make my way back to Japan whenever I could. Major shout out to Lawson and 7-Eleven. I could survive solely off of food and beverages from either of those stores on a trip and be completely okay with it. 

New York City
Every time I leave NYC I miss it that much more and it mainly has to do with my friends that I have made out there. They’re the best and I miss them dearly. It’s also a city where there is always something to do and there is incredibly bomb food to be eaten. I am currently trying to make the move there this fall, so if anyone reading this knows of an apartment or open room bang my line. Hahaha.