What is mountain surfing? I first have to ask myself that since I know that is probably what anyone else who stumbles onto my blog will ask. I don't really know for sure. It was just something I came up with when the blogger program asked me for a name of this rag. Not a very exciting answer, I know, but the truth nonetheless. I suppose if I were pressed and put on the hot plate to explain I could further explain. But only under duress! Ok, I give in... this blog is an attempt to share two sports that are related but take place in (usually) distant places.
The first sport that will be written about here is surfing which takes place in the oceans of the world and most everyone knows of and many have tried. I will be writing about trips and soul-sessions as well as equipment, history, innovation and more. I started surfing at a young age while growing up in San Diego, California. I was really into it and basically lived surfing up through my college years. But then after opening my bike business in Sandpoint, Idaho I became a pretty serious mountain biker in the summer and telemark skier in the winter and just kind of strayed away from the surf thing. That lasted for about 15 years! Thne last year I bought a new 6'10" Quad, spent a month and a half in Mexico with my family and have been pretty pre-occupied with increasing the size of my quiver and scoring good waves since. I am now hwhat is known as an inland surfer since I live in the mountains of Northern Idaho. So when I am at home in the mountains between trips chasing the swell up and down and all around the Pacific coast from B.C, Canada to B.C., Mexico I am staying fit and having fun doing what I call mountain surfing. It is also know by many other names as some call it snow-skating, pow-skating and some around here even call it chillerdecking. There is a company who have coined the term "no-boarding" and many simply just call it riding strapless. At any rate the other sport that will be on display here is kind of new, but not exactly, and pretty damn exciting.
I used to write quite a bit and always enjoyed it and now when I am at home in the mountains I suppose I should try to write more again about things I really love to do and that are always on my mind like surfing is... so mountain surfing just kinda makes sense... at least for the moment.
At times I find myself trying to explain to a new surfer friend met on a Mexican beach the thrill of riding a strapless board down a snowy mountain and vice versa trying to breakdown the essence of surfing to a friend who expertly handles any alpine snowboard terrain. Oftentimes, they just kind of give me a blank stare. This is probably most true when trying to give fellow surfers the feel for ridinga strapless sno-board. I think most non-riders probably look at the strapless boards as a novelty, I know that I did at first. But once I tried it my first impression was WOW! I thought this alot like dropping into a wave. Much more than snowboarding is. On the strapless board you are committed to picking a line and do not have bindings to fall back on. Surfing is so similiar. Either you make it or you fall. I only started riding strapless in the mountains last year after much encouragement from Chiller Decks founder, owner and all around hell-man Marc Edmunson and I now look forward to doing it much more than my old loves of snowboarding, skiing and telemark-ing. It allows for a lot of adventure, freedom and expression and spontaneity much like surfing does. It turns any snow laden terrain into a fun challenge and it keeps a person in tune for when riding the waves.
This mountain surfing blog will house text and images that try to capture the fever of untracked, less traveled places that allow everyday athletes to pursue their passion in a strapless fashion.
