#slopestyle

#slopestyle

The origins of snowboarding go back to Christmas Day 1965 when an engineer named Sherman Poppen strapped two skis together to give his daughters something to do. He called it a snurfer and started selling them the next year. Jake Burton came along, refined the toy and helped turn snowboarding into a mass market sport. Along the way superstars like Shaun White and Chloe Kim redefined what could be done in the air and the sport is always reinventing itself in terms of tricks.

The quirky name for the competition comes from the original identity of the resort, spanning all the way back to the early 1970s. The name originates from the competitions held in Aspen, Colorado, in which skiers would prioritize style over speed. This led to a unique form of skiing not yet seen at the time, focusing on elaborate spins, tricks, and jumps while skiers worked their way down the mountain.

The introduction of Slopestyle skiing to the Olympics in 2014 was highlighted by Henrick Harlaut's pants falling to his knees during his qualifying run. What was likely a first impression of Slopestyle skiing to many people worldwide was certainly not a misrepresentation. Baggy clothing has been a staple of the sport since its inception in the 1990s, and despite the materials of clothing and athletes changing, this fad never falters.

I grew up in that same small town, dreaming of making bike films with my best friends. This project feels like one of those rare full-circle moments.