Words/Edit: Billy Bjork

Snowboarding and the internet grew up together.

The same year we got the World Wide Web, the very first terrain park opened. Emerging from their respective countercultures, snowboarding and the internet promised new dimensions of the human experience. Fast forward a couple decades to the YoBeat era, and everyone’s anonymous except the park rat getting torn a new one in the comments section.

It’s 2019, and YoBeat’s dead. So is Transworld. With magazines and movies on the way out, the internet feels like a cruel stepfather — commanding new rules over the household. Under the tyranny of YouTube and Instagram, our passion is reduced to likes, views, and followers. Sure, the old lures of sponsors and gold medals weren’t perfect either, but at least with those, it was (mostly) snowboarders in control. The platforms don’t give a shit whether you’re dropping impeccable pillow lines or giving makeup tutorials. If all we are is “content,” at least we’re con·tent while doing it.

As the internet marches forward, snowboarding romanticizes about a simpler time of VHS and DVDs. This was my attempt to inject some rhythm into the algorithm — from the Colorado wilderness, to Salt Lake City, to my home-sweet-anthill known as Hyland Hills. If you’ve read this far, congrats. It’s time to fire up a screen that doesn’t fit in your pocket, turn up the volume, and see if it’s still possible to focus on something for 8 minutes.

Riders:
Windham Miller, Grant Abrahamson, Corey Van Aken, Tate Cronk, Rob Roethler, Nick Belbas, Sam Stillman, AJ Ronning, Walker Murphy, Eli Lamm, Lukas Caye, Will Betts

Tunes:
Jack White – “Respect Commander”
Shannon and the Clams – “King of the Sea”
Santigold – “Can’t Get Enough of Myself”
Ty Segall – “Every1’s a Winner”