“One year in the fall, I popped down to Craig’s house in Seaside, Oregon for a visit. He we super excited about a van that he just bought from California. He spent three days with the previous owner, just hanging out to see if it was a good fit for him. Craig gave me a little tour of it on this rainy day telling me about ‘The Plan.’ ‘I want to drive from Alaska to South America hitting all the surf spots the whole way down,’ he said. There was a pause. He followed that with, ‘I just need to find somebody to do it with.’
A few years later, a guide friend name John Buffery introduced him to a friend in Nelson. Her name was Savina. It was the beginning of the journey. Craig put the pieces together, he always had a plan for most things in his life. Some he shared with others, some he kept to himself. This van was a symbol for him. To let go of his work ethic, to not be Craig Kelly, Pro Snowboarder for awhile and just be. It was something that he wanted to do for a long time, and he made it happen.” — Mark Gallup
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Few can honor the title of a snowboard historian. Individuals like Pat Bridges, Michael Chantry, and Todd Kohlman certainly can, but Mark Gallup is in a league of his own. Not only was Mark present in the cradle of snowboarding’s infancy, but his camera was as well. Pioneers like Craig Kelly, Victoria Jealouse, Tina Basich and Jason Ford are just several of the names written on boxes of negatives in Mark’s archive, which he regularly shares on his Instagram account, bringing the past to life. It is more important than ever to reflect on these people that helped bring snowboarding to where it is today, and remind us of a time before the digital age, when patience and anticipation battled each other while people waited to see the next development in our lifestyle’s incredible story. Thank you for sharing Mark, these memories are cherished.
Those Days is a weekly series from Snowboard Mag that gives photographers a platform to share some of the most memorable moments from their careers. Each month, we give a different photographer the platform to share photos that spur feelings of nostalgia, triumph, pain, happiness; anything with a story they want to tell. Our culture’s history is vast and full of these special, fleeting instants in time. Those Days is here to bring them to you.
