Thank U Snowboarding

Neil has carved himself quite a unique path, one that he certainly blazed for himself. No other UK snowboarder has earned the title of high mountain guide, a qualification that is as much about climbing as much as snowboarding, and to take clients into that environment and be responsable isn't something to be taken lightly, let alone the time and effort it takes to earn that title in the first pla...

Delighted to be finding out more about what was an institution in the game, a brilliant shop, cultural hub in both skate and snow and place where people, including myself would pilgrimage, yes pilgrimage, to buy their kit and soak up some of SS20's, how can I put this, radness. SS20 was a snow and skate shop in Oxford, and their clever use of graphics on their T Shirts made them somewhat legendary...

Someone you probably have never heard of this week, but as well as looking and recording some of the historical figures of our sport, I also thought it was relevant to talk to people who are getting people excited for snowboarding outside of the normal confines of what used to happen. It used to be shops and dry slopes that would be organising trips and bulding a scene, but with the majority of th...

From uber grom out of the brand new SnowDome in Tamworth, to working seasons in Colorado, to shaping the British aestehtic of snowboarding, to helping showcase our little corner of the world to the masses via Olympic commentary, Tim truly has worked and blagged and worked some more to live a life in snowboarding. Almost always upbeat, enthusiastic and frothing for the shred, Tim seems to enjoy the...

Chris Moran is a hero of British Snowboarding, always seeing the cracks in doors and pushing them as wide open as possible, and for the beneft of snowboarding. From a young age, shredding with Ste Bailey on dryslope, to seasons in caravans in Chamonix (dear God) to the WhiteLines chalet in Meribel, Chris has always created fun and adventure and is happy to take along whoever is up for it. I'm sure...

Welcome to “Thank U Snowboarding,” the podcast that dives deep into the rich history and vibrant culture of UK snowboarding. From the early pioneers handcrafting boards in the Scottish Highlands to today’s Olympic medalists and world champions, we’re uncovering the incredible stories behind an island nation that, despite its lack of towering peaks, has made a monumental impact on the snowboarding...

Danny, for a long time, was far and away the most powerful stylish and progressive rider the UK had produced. He made his presence felt, not just in the UK scene, but internationally, with a heavy bag of tricks and a keen eye on what those tricks looked like. From humble beginnings in Pontefract to a life travelling and snowboarding, filming wih an A list of snowboarders, living in the Alps, count...

Well, we are nearly there... The last episode for ths winter is coming next week, but in the meantime (which means I haven't recorded it yet) here is a mix of songs from snowboard movies, put together in a fashion by me, which I hope will get you frothing for snowboarding, bring back some happy memories, or both... As you all might know by now, my day job is in music, producing, mixing and DJing,...

For those of you who don't know Mark Munson, and there are probably a lot of you, Mark is one of our cultures true individuals, almost aggresively so. Its fair to say that Mark didn't really want to be part of snowboarding originally. He wanted to acheive, because one of the things you'll learn, is that when Mark does something, he goes all in 100%. Regardless of whether that is skating, snowboard...

Snowboarder, guitarist, model, influencer, mother. It would be easy to not like someone like Juliet if you just looked at what she has done on paper, but that is a fraction of the story. Juliet has always been a bright eyed girl, stoked on life and what opportunities it has presented, her infectious smile and laugh about how absurd most things are has seen her through some pretty amazing situation...

Ian Felton orchestrated a few things that have had a lasting impression on UK snowboard culture. From Kaos Mountain Wear, to Kaos The Movie, his work with the British Snowboard Association and the World Snowboard Federation, to running commentary for the BBC at the Olympics. I think Ian realised that Doing It Yourself was the way it was going to have to go, he saw that the ski industry (certainly...

Vicky and Nige Brookes are lifers, simple as that. They have built their lives around a love of snowboarding, finding any which way to keep them doing what they love. They started off living in a van in Chamonix doing seasons way back when, and I can tell you, I lived in an Ambulance in Val D'Isere for a week in 94 and came close to dying, so its no mean feat they van lifed it, before there was su...

Matt Barr, quietly (mostly) helped shape what UK snowboard culture, and the wider worldwide culture, looked like over the last three decades. Matt recognised his own talents early on, realising he wasn't going to be a pro snowboarder, set about making it his life in other ways. Learning a few tricks from the master of the blag, Chris Moran (he won't mind me saying that) Matt used snowboarding as a...

When I first thought of the podcast, Oggys story is one I wanted to tell. This guy hasn't lived the life per se, but he has lived, and continues to live, his life in snowboarding. As a shop owner, Oggy made sure he treated his customers in a way that helped them become lifelong snowboarders, making sure they had the right kit, knew what to expect, what to take, what NOT to take, and all the good s...

Its quite funny how UK snowboarders have spread themselves around the globe, I mean, its not funny per se, but UK snowboarding, for a small country, has a bigger influence over the world of snowboarding than you might think. I was chatting with Matt Barr this moring and both he, and Ed Leigh are on Travis Rices Natural Selection selection committe, which is quite mad, then you have Tom Willmott wh...

I was stoked to find out that Lesley was in Laax last week,she was there doing research for her PHD, with maybe a little family holiday thrown in, as her partner and daughter were there too. I'd been planning on going to the Upbattle weekend and doing this interview then, but I feared that would be a heavy weekend, so I thought I'd nab the opportunity to get Lesleys story earlier than expected......

I've been waiting to do this one.... Rob invited me over to Bourg St Maurice to record this episode, but I couldn't make it work. I told him I was gonna be in Laax and he messaged me to say he'd drive over, sleep in his car, we'd go riding, do the podcast, have some beers, he'd sleep in his car then drive another 9 hours back to Bourg, I mean, what a legend, as well as this, our lives through star...

Seeing a grom grow into a really great adult sums it up for me with Tom. Our paths first crossed at a dryslope in SE London way back in the 90's when Tom was a mere 11 years old, but already quite a character. We, of course, treated him like a grom, gave him plenty of shit, but also encouraged him, always chatting to his family and I think from there, his parents could see a good community of peop...

In my opinion, one of the most stylish riders to come out of the UK, and yeah, that might have a little family bias attached, but I'm claiming it. I've been lucky to ride all over with him, I've taken him to hospital a couple of times, we have had a fair few adventures and drunken escapades and so far, we've made it through... In this episode, we mention his investment and work with Greystone Acti...

No-one has influenced the UK scene, and driven it in its current direction than Eddie Spearing. OK, that might be a bit of hyperbole there, but certainly Eddie's impact on the UK scene is notable in many ways. From starting the first snowboard magazine (Snowboard UK) to presiding over the British Snowboard Association. to being at nearly every competetion, Eddie was everywhere and gave everything...

Fairy unknown in the history of UK snowboarding, a name lost to time. Maybe due to the fact that he sort of existed outside the UK scene to an extent. From skating and building his first snowboards, to decamping to the Alps to persue this 'sport', from meals with Jake Burton to hanging out with Shawn Farmer et al at the King of the Hill in Alaska, Graeme has had a pretty wild ride and is still fro...

I've not really ever chatted that much with Becci before, a few short conversations here and there at various events, but she feels like someone I should have been great friends with and this was as easy and relaxed a conversation as I think I've ever had. Becci grew up skiing, coincidentally, at a dry slope I later worked in the snowboard shop at (maybe thats the connection) and became very good...

This weeks episode is with one of the pioneers of snowbooarding in the UK, and its not a term I use lightly... Stuart found snowboarding through skateboarding, at a time when snowboarding wasn't even really a thing in this country. Calling up Burton Snowboards in America (I wonder who he got through to) to find out where he could get his hands on a board, to setting up fanzines to help promote the...

A great catch up with an old friend, Melanie entered the scene in the late 90's quickly establishing herself as an outstanding snowboarder, making a mark on the UK scene and the worldwide competition circuit. We also chatted about what snowboarding means to her now, and lots of other things, a real nice ramble-y chat this one. Hope you enjoy it. In this episode we talked about local scenes includi...

Ed Leigh is in snowboarding for life, I'm not entirely sure there is anyone who can speak so eloquently about the experience of snowboarding and why you should do it, as well as having a nearly bottomless realm of stories from his time in the mountains. He loves life and finds it interesting and as such, life finds him the craziest opportunities for him to eperience and share. Time spent with Ed i...