Before we get too far into this intro, let us admit that we fully and unequivocally understand the irony of the question we posed to 50+ pro snowboarders for this post. In an ever-increasingly digital age, one of snowboarding’s foremost roundtable discussions is the power of print vs. digital, most notably, social media. Rather than sit around and discuss the weight of each outlet’s importance is, we decided to put it in the hands of those whose talents are being showcased. The pro snowboarders themselves (and one snowboard engineer). We asked over 50 riders of all ages and disciplines the following question and here are their responses. Good for us, over 90% said they would much rather have a cover. – T. Bird

“One million views. The obvious answer, because one million people see it.”
—Nik Baden

“Printed cover. No comparison. Shouldn’t even have to articulate why that means more. if you get a million views you are probably doing some cheesy shit. A cover also gives you a stamp on snowboard history and culture. A million views is forgotten about within a week.”
—Reid Smith

“I would have to say cover 100%, maybe I’m just old school but I don’t really give a shit about social media or going viral. Shit’s corny.”
—Riley Nickerson

“A print cover and it’s not even close. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. People get a million views on social doing literally nothing.”
—Rob Roethler

“I would rather get a print cover. If you get a cover that means you probably created a moment with a photographer that everyone at the magazine values enough to put on the face of what they created. It’s cool, it’s art, it’s timeless. Getting a million views… you’re just at the will of algorithms and there’s no soul to it, just numbers.”
—Nils Mindnich

“Print cover 100% because fuck social media.”
—Lolo Derminio

“A cover. The most brainless videos usually are the ones that get millions of views. You can’t hang views on your wall. A cover is a symbol and acknowledgment of one’s exceptional talent, style, and love for our sport.”
—Jared Elston

“Print cover. Instagrams get forgotten but covers never die.”
—Austen Sweetin

“I think it is sort of a complicated question. For me, it would depend a lot on what social media platform we are talking about. But one thing is for sure, if you get a cover of a major magazine, that thing will go on your wall and live forever. If you get a viral clip that surfs the algorithm wave to the top on Instagram/TikTok with one million views, you might be stoked for a few days and then it is forgotten, on to the next. I am pretty sure most people would not screengrab that, print it out and put it on the wall, so in this case, the cover overrules the one million views easily. But if we compare that with a video part, I’d be really proud if that reached one million views on YouTube, that would be a pretty huge accomplishment. I think that would live on and you will go look back on that for the rest of your life. So in that case, I would say the cover and the one million views would be more even, if we would consider a video part on YouTube as ‘social media.’ But of all the social media I have done, and of all the covers I have been lucky to get, the covers are the only thing framed and that will live on my wall.”
—Stale Sandbech

“I’d rather get a print cover. Because I’m a very hands on person. I like things you can touch and feel and hang on your wall and put on a coffee table.”
—Kaleah Opal

“Cover. That’s the ultimate. That’s the shot you hang up in your room. People forget views in a day.”
—Blake Moller

“A cover is forever. Only a nitwit would say one million views.”
—Luke Lund

“Cover lasts forever. The internet is not real.”
—Chris Grenier 

“Cover, that shot lives forever. And that means the right people respect you.”
—Madison Blackley 

“This day and age, maybe a million views on the gram. Want the cover but in the grand scheme, it carries the same weight If you’re fortunate enough to have incentives. I imagine the views would go farther depending on what the clip is.”
—Sam Taxwood  

“Which platform? Instagram? Million views. We have to try and compete with Snowboard Jesus.”
—Bryan fox 

(Sends screenshot of his dog video with over one million views.) “Peep this. My dog is dumb. Print is forever baby. Ima go cover no doubt, but my dog thinks otherwise.”
—Erik Leon

“That’s a stupid question. They’re fuckin idiots. Cover. You have it forever. A million views is gone yesterday.”
—Scott Blum 

“Cover. Fuckin’ what? There is nothing to say about that.”
—Cody Warble 

“Cover! I’ll text later why!!”
—Iris Pham (never texted why)

“Me? A cover. What are views? Views are anything from someone being engaged and really watching to somebody swiping past without really caring. A cover you can hold. A cover is something you can frame. Something to cherish. A cat can get a million views, and cats can’t even hold a heelside edge.”
—Todd Richards

“Cover. A cover lasts forever, views last a day. Instagram views are bullshit.” 
—Bode Merrill

“Cover. Would be more of a personal accomplishment.”
—Melissa Riitano

“A cover. Isn’t that what everyone wants?”
—Miles Fallon

“Cover. Your views are already gone.”
—Mike Rav

“Cover over the views, I think one million views on Instagram is a far more common and obtainable “achievement” in our world. The Cover is a rare thing now and I think social media makes the cover of a magazine that much more special.”
—Denver Orr

“Cover. It’s a career maker. I’d rather have 100k subs on Youtube than one million views though.”
—Robby Meehan

“Cover.”
—Patrick McCarthy 

“Print cover, are you kidding me? But I love the question. I hope Instagram blows up and dies one day and I like tangible goods.”
—Jill Perkins

“Cov.”
—Blake Paul 

“Cover. That’s for life.”
—Mike Bogs 

A quick convo:
“One million views with an affiliate link? Now we are talking.” —Joe Sexton
“What about a cover? It’s tangible! You can hang it and look back at it for the rest of your life!” —Justin Clark
“You can look back at the view and maybe it’s five million.” —JS
“Still cov.” —JC

“Cover, social media doesn’t mean shit.”
—Benny Milam

“Cover. Obviously. Instagram is fucking stupid… but kinda fun.”
—Harrison Gordon

“Cover. The stupidest shit gets views on insta. It takes a lot to get a cover between the rider and the photog. That is hard work that is way more valuable.”
—Pat Fava

“That’s the dumbest question you have ever asked.”
—Red Gerard

“Cover, no question for me. Would rather have that forever than a clip go viral.”
—Luke Winkelmann

“Hmm, I would rather have a cover. I mean both are awesome for sure but I feel like for me the cover would mean more because you actually can look at it 10 years later and still be very stoked about it soo I think cover lasts longer. Same kind of thing with with video parts. They last longer than social media clips.”
—Rene Rinnekangas

“Cover.”
—Hailey Langland

“Cover, it lasts longer.”
—Sam Klein

“Print cover! It’s timeless and holds more value. It makes you appreciate the work and the art.”
—Emma Crosby

“Cover. One million views is easy. Shit goes viral sometimes. Maybe if it was one million followers… then I could get some sick deals and make some real dough.”
—Sean FitzSimons

“Cover! Any idiot can get a million views.”
—Gabe Ferguson

“Cover tbh. One mil on social media these days isn’t that crazy, which is crazy to say haha, having a cover means so much more to me growing up getting magazines, and it also means so much in the snowboard world… But that one million social media incentive would hittttt haha.”
—Jake Canter

“I guess a cover because I don’t have one… even though one million on Instagram might pay more nowadays 😂.” —Brandon Davis

“Print cover. Don’t ask stupid questions.”
—Pat Moore