K2 Snowboards is proud to announce the signing of Melissa Riitano as the latest addition to their already impressive team. She marks a great new chapter for the brand and adds continued depth to what has remained one of the most well-rounded snowboard teams in the industry.
Born and raised in Helena, MT, Melissa grew up riding at Great Divide Resort, before moving to Summit County in Colorado where she honed her rail prowess at Keystone Resort. It was in Keystone’s Area-51 terrain park that Melissa first flourished and earned her well-deserved recognition as one of the few riders in the area to keep an eye on. This recognition was soon compounded after she released her first full-length urban part with the “Outta’ the Kitchen” crew in their 2015 self-titled film.
“When it comes down to it, snowboarding is the best thing in the world, and whether it’s being in the mountains, being in the streets, or piling into the van to get to the next destination – it’s important to also surround yourself with amazing people. Melissa is one of those people,” says K2 Marketing Manager, Thomas Johnson. “She radiates positivity, is always stoked, and those qualities are more than apparent in the way that she rides. She has a calm and collected style, an incredible trick selection, is such a pleasure to work with, and is more than an asset for a brand like K2 Snowboarding,” states Johnson.
This season Melissa made the move to snowboarding’s mecca, Salt Lake City, where she has continued to make a name as one of the hungriest rail riders to come onto the scene. Her overwhelmingly diverse selection of tricks and assertive approach to her riding are reflected by her already insane collection of clips from Brighton this season, and her seamless addition to the Too Hard squad. If one thing is for certain, it is that we will be seeing a lot from Melissa in years to come.
We reached out to a group of Salt Lake City and Summit County’s prominent riders for a few words on Melissa:
Gill Montgomery – Hi sorry I’m at work. But I would say that Melissa is an exceptionally fun loving individual hailing from Montana where she learned to kick ass and take names in snowboarding. She never has anything bad to say and is always someone who will keep the spirits high on a day of shredding and filming.
Paul Osbourne – Melissa is one of the raddest girls in the game. Anyone who’s gotten the chance to meet her will agree. I’m hyped to see she has a bright future ahead of her.
Jackie Lammert – She’s so bubbly and always has a smile on her face! She’s the good vibe maker, and she’s so fun to watch snowboard because she’s got such unique style.
Dustin Miller – Just finished an 8 day film trip with Melissa in her home state of Montana. She gave us a place to stay, cooked us breakfast, and was our tour guide. What more could you ask for?
Kelsey Boyer – She’s one of the most inspiring people you’ll ever meet, hands down. Snowboards for the love of snowboarding and I think her snowboarding speaks for itself. Don’t let her fool you though… she is one of the strangest and weirdest humans deep down.
Jill Perkins – Hmm but let me think of something. I wish she was edgy because I like witty quotes but she is just so sweet…
Danika Duffy – She has the SICKEST style!
Melissa also rides for Dragon Alliance, O’Neill Outerwear, and ThirtyTwo Boots. Make sure to follow her on Instagram here.
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About K2 Snowboards:
K2 was born in 1962 as America’s ski company on Vashon Island in Washington State’s Puget Sound. Renamed in 2003 as K2 Sports, the company today is an international portfolio of world renowned brands recognized as leaders in design, production, sales and marketing. Driven by innovation and a passion for the sports enthusiast looking for unique and authentic lifestyle experiences, we market snowboards, snowshoes, in-line skates, alpine, telemark and Nordic ski equipment, apparel and accessories. K2 Sports is what happens when fun meets science and technology.
