Going Off Snowboard History Podcast

40 years ago, when racers were rockstars and carving ruled the day, an experimental technology was taking hold of snowboarding—born from the quest for the perfect turn.  In this episode, Tricia and Jen dive deep into the explosion of asymmetrical snowboards in the late 80s. This movement was led by charismatic European rippers with a splashy “pastels and a ponytail” energy. Ringleader of this crew...

In the ’80s, a dispersed subset of renegade youth used all possible tactics to storm the gates of ski resorts amidst widespread snowboard bans. Today’s episode is that story. Tricia and Jen sit down with Brad Steward, one of the great pioneers of the snowboard industry, to divulge how he and other total legends claimed snowboarding’s place on the chairlift.  At the turn of 1980, Brad was a teenage...

The 1987 Juicy Fruit Gum TV ad is an essential time capsule. The stars of 80s snowboarding—Craig Kelly, Terry Kidwell, Tom Burt, Jim Zellers and more—rip on proto-freestyle equipment, juxtaposed against footage of beautiful people having fun in the sun and of course, chewing gum. No hats or goggles were worn in the making of this.  Jen and Tricia bring in a triple threat of live human experts—fame...

This is an origin story and ode to the gone-but-not-forgotten summer snowboarding scene on the Blackcomb Glacier in Whistler B.C. How did the summer camps emerge? Who ruled the day, back in the day? Tricia and Jen dive in after downloading from a gang of Canadian legends.  Up on the glacier circa ’92 few things were better than getting to see Marc Morisset, Kevin Young or Jamie Lynn bust. Wanderin...

In the snowboard timeline, ’96 was a heyday. The scene was popping in Salt Lake City, where a newly relocated filmmaker known simply as “Whitey” documented a gang of talent riding under the radar—including soon-to-be-god-tier Brighton local JP Walker. Welcome to “The Warriors.” In this episode, Jen and Tricia sit down with Whitey to expound on the making of this fun and raw mid-90s cult-classic sn...

In 1992, pro snowboarder Dave Seaone did an inverted aerial at a world-cup halfpipe comp in Japan. He was DQ’ed and fined $100. Welcome to the prohibition era, when riders had to hide their McTwists and triple check for ski patrol before throwing a backie.  In this episode, Tricia and Jen track down the first flip ever captured on film (allegedly), they delve into fun handplant variations and trac...

Get prepped to go down the snowboard history rabbit hole in this casual, made-for-the-heads spring special. Jen and Tricia go BTS on the birth of jibbing in Colorado, do recon on an alleged parking lot brawl with the Burton A team, and drop in deep on the early 90s tech that enabled the ultimate tweak.  From Trent Bush talking about the death of the “surf turn” to Jason Ford’s tale of the first ti...

In historical snowboard time, “B.C.” stands for “Before Craig.” A god-tier talent in snowboarding’s early years, Craig Kelly helped forge the path of style, gear tech, and where riding could go. In this episode, Tricia and Jen examine the legend of CK and why a certain sect of core snowboarders still invoke the line “Craig Kelly is my copilot” 23 years after his death. They regale 2 special heads:...

In 1992, Canadian pro Jon Boyer hired his friend Geoff McFetridge to create some unlike-all-the-other-shit graphics for his new pro-model snowboard on Barfoot. They were loud, expressive and created to hang on the snowboard shop wall.  In this episode, Jen and Tricia sit down with Boyer (now an LA director) and McFetridge (now an acclaimed illustrator and artist) to talk about how Boyer’s boards c...

Once upon a time the colors were freaky, and tuck-knees and tweaks ruled the day. Going Off dives behind the scenes on an iconic 1990 photo of Jason Ford shot by Rod Walker—to learn from one of the masters what it took to be a snowboarder in the Boned Out Era.  In this episode, Jen, Tricia and legend Jason Ford talk about how riders were riffing off what the 80s vert skaters were doing—styling out...

In the early 90s, 2 counties in Central Colorado became the unlikely breeding ground for a snowboarding style revolution. This is that story, so gather round the fire.  Armed with intel from tons of CO OGs, Jen and Tricia trace how the “new school” scenes in Breckenridge and Vail first kicked off. They dive into early jibbing, equipment mods, rider-generated videos, Super Mario Land, big-pantism,...

Was it the fat-stance fat-pants period? The era of the big film star? The wild pioneer days of the 70s and 80s? Join the snowboard history debate team as they dive into our sport’s primordial stew. The mission: to unearth which time in snowboarding lives on in our collective imagination as the true golden age.  After a fly-by-night tour of our sport’s history to date, Jen and Tricia identify a spe...

Snowboarding-wise, the ’98 Nagano Games and 2002’s Salt Lake Games were polar opposites. We went from mocked and misunderstood to celebrated with stadium seating. And it’s in this 4-year window of history that we first earned our identity as one of the most widely watched Olympic sports of all time.  In this 2-part series, Tricia and Jen go deep on the hype, the hope and the heartbreak of snowboar...

The Olympics either saved snowboarding or ruined it, depending on who you talk to.  We were the first un-Olympic sport to join the Games and had to pave the way for other countercultural movements to become Olympic on their terms.  In this 2-part series, Tricia and Jen go deep on the hype, the hope and the heartbreak of snowboarding’s first 2 Olympic appearances: Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City...

Hang onto your Mambosoks—this holiday special is a feast of historical snowboard trivia. Tricia and Jen solve the great James Bond stunt-double debate, reveal which famous 90s board graphic earned a cease and desist from the Cosby corporation, and go BTS on the heavy private sessions at one of snowboarding’s first-ever superpipes.   From Lance Violette’s take on how Burton’s Uninc series was born...

Arguably the most beloved snowboard movie of ’93 captures an essential time—in a unique way. Roadkill, a 24-minute Fall Line Films production, was the birth of “new school,” and a spark that ignited soon-to-be legendaries like Jamie Lynn, Bryan Iguchi and Terje Haakonsen.  In this episode, Jen and Tricia sit down with Roadkill director Dave Seoane to expound on the making of this loud-and-fast ode...

Once upon a time, snowboarders deployed plastic milk jugs for highbacks and donned sneaker-esque “riding shoes.” Today’s snowboard binding is a feat of ingenuity—an embodiment of the right-brain spirit that has always fueled riders.  In this episode, Tricia and Jen track down the modern snowboard binding’s strange and true history over half a century. With hot intel from such experts as Trent Bush...

No highbacks. No cell phones. No chairlifts. All anarchy and style. On the 40th anniversary of a legendary photograph shot by Trevor Graves of Scott Clum, we uncover and celebrate what it was like to be a snowboarder in 1985.   In this episode, Tricia and Jen bring in two live human experts, Trevor and Scott themselves, to reminisce and expound on the vibe of the day. They talk about the equipment...

Hop in, graphics nerds. We’re going on a wild ride from the explosion of 80s neon through the pro model snowboard era that kicked off the 90s board graphics revolution, then on to the great consolidation that happened at the turn of the century—and what rippled out when the bubble burst.     In this episode, Jen and Tricia bring in a host of live human experts—Brad Steward, Barrett Christy, Shanno...

Before it became an icy 22-foot U-shaped monstrosity, the snowboard halfpipe was a hand-shaped, Roman Coliseum-style venue where snowboarders would go to see and be seen, meet other misfits, and throw down for a chance to be recognized as best rider in the world. In this episode, Jen and Tricia trace the snowboard halfpipe from its origins in backyard ditches to its machine-cut glory days across t...

Going Off is the snowboard history podcast. As the early days of snowboarding begin to slide into the long past, Going Off documents its oral history. We trace back what made it so strange and explosive, why it changed all those lives and still bonds people for life. From the history of snowboard fashion to how halfpipes were born, from the birth of jibbing to pivotal movies, music and magazines,...