Snowboarding around the world started happening after a decade ski touring in the Cascades. I was really interested in checking out new places and utilizing the skills I had learned over time. I had just pulled off the American Alps Traverse and was looking for a new zone to sharpen my skills.

My first trip to New Zealand was in 2004 but I knew little about Splitboarding at the time. I was able to use it a little bit around Cardrona ski resort but everything was still new to everything. I returned to the country in 2013 to see how my perception had changed as well as get to know the country better. Through 5 separate trips to the country I started getting deeper and deeper into the backcountry and had an appreciation for the scenic beauty the country offered. It was my first taste of snowboarding around the world.

18 day traverse in Mount Cook National Park Taking a scenic break during ourin Mount Cook National Park

While doing a slideshow at Rogers Pass Splitfest I was invited on a trip out to the Lofoten Islands for a potential ski traverse. Once arriving in Northern Norway the weather was horrible and we were only able to get in a handful of trips within a month.

Splitboard Kayaking in the Lofoten Islands

At the tail end of the trip I made a brief stint in the Lyngen Alps and fell in love with the place. Year after year I would keep returning and getting to know the area better. In 2019 I was invited to be the Hut warden in the Tamok Valley for a month and a half. As of now these are some of the closest mountains to my doorstep.

As with everyone I had heard that Japan had the best powder snowboarding in the world. I knew a person who lived there and another person who was interested in going so we made our way out there. I quickly fell in love with the easy access lift powder access and got to know some of the resorts in Nagano really well. Day after day I became more familiar with the area and spent 5 years riding bell to bell going from the first gondola to the last. Be it the onsens, the culture, the food or the powder skiing there are a lot of amazing things about the land of the rising sun.

I found myself living in Northern Finland where the mountains are more like hills. I would stare at Google Earth looking for great place to snowboard and I stumbled upon the Khibiny Mountains. Within two hours I would be driving across the border and in five hours I was at the core of the Kola Peninsula in a small mining town called Kirovsk. There is no place like it and the dramatic change between countries cultures made the place that much more appealing. Over the years I have been out there four times and have gotten to know the area reasonably well through ski touring as well as resort riding.

Where there are mountains there are great people within them. Each place has a different style of ski touring as well as culture. It is not what you bring to the area that is important more what you learn from it. Through travel I have a deeper respect for different cultures and these travels have changed who I am. I’ve been very fortunate to travel at a time when it was easy to do so.