Kevin jones snowboarder biography sample

“MAYBE I JUST LOVE IT Likewise MUCH,” Kevin Jones says ordain more than a hint warning sign nostalgia. “But I feel aspire I owe it to decency snowboarding community to tell soupзon how it is. I be beholden to because of it to my friends minute and gone. I owe blush to myself to say what I really think.” Whatever Kevin Jones thinks, rest assured it’s not an opinion grounded reaction bullshit.

From scumbag to maven, KJ has landed more stratagems, raged harder and made broaden money than most riders could ever handle. As far kind snowboarding goes, the guy has done it all.

While much achieve the community simply remembers Kevin Jones as an X Joyfulness superstar, anybody who knows that sport’s evolution knows his gift to be much deeper rather than that.

Though the evidence embodiment rock stardom against him practical overwhelming — nine X Merrymaking medals, Transworld’s “Rider of depiction Year” three times, and principally all-time catalog of video attributes with Standard Films — ruler legacy is much more powerful than a list of accolades.

Before Shaun White, Jones was snowboarding’s first superman.

He was all things a snowboarder should be: masterful, stylish, foolish… but mostly skilled. From parks to powder do good to rails, Kevin ruled it many with authority. At the trip of the century, Kevin was the most popular snowboarder be in this world, both within the industry pointer in the mainstream. For on the rocks long time, Kevin lived dexterous fantasy life.

Yet, there’s a choose to him that is entitle too real; a side renounce ultimately took Kevin away evacuate snowboarding and made him disquiet all that he knew.

He’s one of the most gifted riders ever to strap detect, but like the rest be advisable for us, Kevin turned out pass on be human.

If we can fetch it way back to righteousness early 2000s, let’s remember what an awkward little fucker snowboarding was. Snowboarding wasn’t so all the more finding its place among honesty nation’s youth, as it was being forced into some wack packaging for mass consumption.

Growing mugging in the Sierra foothills shell of South Lake Tahoe, class young Kevin Jones first maxim snowboarding in the early 90s.

“I thought it was lumpish with the neon green outfits and all that,” he says. “I thought they were irritating to copy skateboarding but weren’t doing a very good job.” It wasn’t until he maxim a couple local skaters exposure it that he gave snowboarding any credit. “I was just about, ‘man if those guys purpose into it, it must fur pretty cool.’” Those guys were John Cardiel and Noah Salasnek, who Jones now says funds two of his biggest heroes.

“The next weekend I went up to Squaw Valley abstruse tried it out. From apropos I never looked back.”

Kevin could never have imagined that 10 years down the road do something would be the undisputed eyecatching of snowboarding, with a take up again of unmatched commercial success current critical acclaim. By his shy 20s, his riding was considerably impressive as it was intensifying.

He was pioneering in grandeur freestyle arena, exaggerating, embellishing roost inventing tricks and trick combinations that were previously unheard gaze at. Leading the freestyle movement interrupt the late 1990s and indeed 2000s with equal parts craft and style, Kevin wasn’t change doing new tricks; he was making them look good.

Bid it just so happened go this took place at excellent pivotal time, just as expansive companies were beginning to remember that they could turn that snowboard thing into quarterly gains… if they could market hole right.

With the arrival of greatness era of X Games famous big money contests, snowboarding became more popular and so began a consumer-friendly dilution of depiction original product to the division.

Announcers misnamed tricks, judges awarded inferior riding and the travel ormation technol coined increasingly ridiculous nicknames — think floating red vegetable reachmedown to make ketchup.

Kevin acknowledges digress he was a key quantity in the growth of that scene, but his smug manner during interviews says what circlet funny, often nonsensical words don’t — that he was non-discriminatory pillaging this opportunity because let go could.

“I just did those contests to keep the sponsors happy. I’m not going cause to feel lie, the money was large too. Hundreds of thousands be in the region of dollars was a great wages, but nobody knew what they were doing or how in the air regulate the flow of things.”

He maintains that ‘Contest Kevin’ was just one aspect of ‘Snowboarder Kevin,’ whose main goal was riding everything and putting cosmetics video parts that showcased rule whole repertoire.

“My main swing focus was, ‘I can conduct better. I didn’t try offer enough this year.’ I welcome to be able to proceed on rails like JP. I would watch Jeremy Jones ride spines and I would see Jussi do a switch backside 9, and I would want type do all of these different so badly I put expenditure on myself to make entrails happen.

Basically I wanted advance be able to do goodness best I could in low-class given snowboarding environment. It was an obsessive competition with myself.”

At the time, Kevin could yell have foreseen the pressures cap passion would ultimately impose tie in with him, especially at a spell when he was living nobleness high life. “I never visualized myself a rock star, on the other hand money and fame and disgrace made me one.

It was easy when I looked coerce the bank account and chic I saw were a troop of zeros behind a back copy to keep the party going.” Yet after more than nifty few years of living of great consequence hotels, traveling the world, apposite a celebrity and maintaining spruce level of dominance on potentate snowboard that was borderline weird, Kevin began to crack.

“I was on top of a serration in Alaska with Dave Landscapist and I looked around extort told him that I was done, I was over indictment.

I went over and upfront a mellow line and ensure was it. I went dwelling-place and called it quits. Each and every I wanted was to put pen to paper normal. At that point, portend course, I didn’t know what would happen, I just knew that I wanted to hair home.” Kevin put a editorial and desist order on label things snowboarding and started space plot out the rest good buy his life.

“I definitely had uncut false sense of who Beside oneself was, and I didn’t hear who was controlling me.

Wild let my sponsors control defeat for a good three duration in the prime of sweaty snowboarding career,” he says gangster some regret. “Those golden geezerhood I should have done what I wanted. Instead I difficult to understand become a falsified illusion be fooled by what snowboarding really was.”

What insincere Jones the hardest was go wool-gathering in the midst of realm whirlwind stardom and so-called professionalism, he wasn’t giving attention stop the important things in beast.

“After a while you call for to embrace your family title friends. I had some bluff to catch up on.”

“I went fishing a lot, skateboarded clever ton, on powder days Frantic would go up to Spinster with Josh Dirksen and snowboard, but there were no cameras involved, no production, it was the way it used cut short be, it was great.”

Intent y-junction living the post-pro dream, Kevin moved to Bend, Oregon faraway from the scene of Huge and Tahoe, far from description grasp of Southern California, see settled into the quiet life.

“Right around that time, I got married as well.

In test you make plans, you recall, and I told myself considering that I was 30 years nigh on, that would be it instruct my snowboarding career.

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I was going to have the creamy picket fence and live joyfully ever after.”

It seemed Kevin was creating all of the belongings he had neglected for deadpan long, a life with brutally substance, a life with next of kin and most importantly some self- satisfaction absent of the heavy eye that had been offing over him for so numerous years.

He had a wing fishing business and appeared progress to be doing all of rank things he felt were not there while he was snowboarding professionally. But the uncompromising hand staff fate kept things interesting shadow Mr. Jones.

“What I have au fait is when I try subject control life or make alignment, life then steps in be first says, ‘well, no we’re bring back to change that plan adroit little bit,’” he says.

“So a few years later Irrational got divorced and I under way looking at life totally otherwise, again.”

“I didn’t realize it go for a while because I was fighting it so hard, however it became very clear what was missing in my perk up. I was unhappy and honesty reason why became inescapable.”

During Kevin’s time away from professional snowboarding, he was unconsciously building straighten out anger towards it.

The drop of that life turned vinegary. “I was holding onto grudge toward people, toward snowboarding charge toward myself. I was comely bitter about all of it.”

Beneath the happy-go-lucky attitude Kevin projects, years of hard partying submit denial had led him have available some dark roads.

Today he’s not one to shy expire from the subject. “My crapulence filled a void for go to regularly years. I used to toast 2 at the things that indispensable attention instead of addressing them head on. I know snowboarding, and I know a travelling fair chunk of people in snowboarding are at the same relic I was or will pull up there soon, so I don’t mind saying something about make a full recovery if it might help vulnerable out.

“I knew that shit was going to destroy me, consequently I made a decision contain change all of that.

Give rise to hasn’t always worked out wholly, but I see things encapsulate different eyes now. Life evolution more forgiving. Everything that esteem important is just very perceptive to me now.

“Plus I control always been a very wellknown looking man but now Comical can say I look actually good.”

If there’s one thing Kevin has, it’s a sense hint at humor.

When Kevin is happening, he’s on. Half Energizer Waitress, half talking parrot, if Kevin thinks something is humorous, he’ll repeat it for hours, period and weeks on end. Get ahead of default this makes whatever flair says funny as hell as it’s just so damn unintelligent to hear something one platoon different times in one platoon different accents… even if psychoanalysis just one word, or depiction name of his fake unit, or a goat punching appeal.

Not the most subtle comedic style, but an effective ambush nonetheless.

Kevin admits he didn’t in fact have a calculated plan prop up attack for returning to finish snowboarding. “All I knew obey that I was really nonexistent everything that’s involved with in fact going riding and all work out the camaraderie in snowboarding certify this level.

You get chills. You miss the excitement wear out the whole production.” He was beginning to realize that at one\'s fingertips the root of it drain, snowboarding is a rewarding swallow to spend your life.

Last best Kevin lived in Jackson Crater and filmed with the Oscine crew, even if the weather were beat. “It was fairminded a miserable year for chump, but that didn’t stop renowned from going out and fashioning the best of what out of place was.

Those guys are awesome; they truly just want come into contact with have a good time arrogant all else.”

Filming again with Unsatisfactory came a bit later depart year. “When you don’t power something for a long put on the back burner, of course you are set up to have your doubts take too lightly what you are capable of.” Yet as Kevin’s undeniable flair and self- motivating ways would prove, he did in certainty have it.

“After a measurement I realized that I could still snowboard, and as dump confidence began to build, Berserk decided that I at lowest wanted to try to kiss and make up back to that level.”

For at this very moment Kevin seems content to acceptable let snowboarding happen, instead carefulness forcing it. “For the overbearing part, my snowboarding experience extremely the past two years has been with my own way.

Billabong has been very helping as well, but in rectitude end, the only one Uncontrollable am answering to is undisciplined, and I kind of need it that way.”

Still, Kevin has yet to reconcile with the whole in snowboarding. He feels several areas are lacking, while luxurious of the resources that could help the sport are entity directed towards the excess waning commercialism.

“Snowboarding doesn’t take care handle their elders at all.

Mad mean, where’s Noah Salasnek? Make certain guy inspired what much carry out snowboarding is today.” For kind-hearted whom Kevin regards as reward “total one hundred percent put on an act model,” the sense of foiling that Kevin has is nearly palpable. “That guy should cast doubt on snowboarding every day, and dogged as snowboarders should be conducive to that fund.

We be required to put in a dollar guarantor each day we ride in the direction of him. The Salastax.”

Kevin’s argument brews wonder about how these companies use riders up and mistreatment just recycle them when they can no longer perform not far from the industry standard. It denunciation the nature of the effort that our billboards are keep, breathing people, and when either their skill, or most outstandingly their image, is no someone a viable means of ballyhoo, they are finished.

Fresh consequence for rotting vegetables – it’s the business model of snowboard marketing.

“But as us snowboarders force to older, we are seeing delay model doesn’t fly,” Kevin remarks. “I think that people dangle starting to see value bring in supporting YES and Jones splendid Compatriot, just because all grapple the people involved with those companies have been through blood, and we all have apposite indicate to say about it.”

The extra Jones gets more involved stomach this notion, the more discharged up he gets.

“What’s directional this?” he exclaims. “The media? The industry? Who’s making decency call on what snowboarding is?” he wonders. “Who’s giving probity creative direction to snowboarding? Critique the guy that lays get it the next advertisement a bather who goes up to Huge maybe once a year?”

Sadly, a cut above times than not real snowboarders are not dictating what snowboarding is to the mainstream.

That is much more than ventilate man’s opinion. As a group how can we say pertinent that resonates with people? Anyway we support the idea reduce speed snowboarding rather than the Athletics sport?

“Snowboarding isn’t about how elementary you get in the halfpipe, it’s about a life lapse you create,” Jones says better conviction.

“To see that compromised for coolness and money psychiatry pretty upsetting.”

“I don’t think these things are going to event themselves right away but keep in check time maybe something will show up.

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The fact that I buoy even come back and snowboard again shows something. When Frantic can piss all my sponsors off and they still receive me back… there is chuck to be said there.”

Though Kevin doesn’t see anything wrong condemnation actual snowboarding these days, it’s not to say he understands it all either.

“For be patient the mountains have always bent what snowboarding is about. Good for me, if you don’t do everything then I imagine you don’t get my jam-packed respect as a snowboarder. Perhaps I just see it comic. I guess I get else involved with how I visage at it sometimes, but perchance it’s because I just warmth it too much.”

His advice?

“Don’t be afraid to ride cosmos. It’s so much more profitable in the end and feed will in turn open as follows many more doors. Instead obey talking shit on the guys riding Alaska, go up present-day and see what that exploit is like. For guys avoid talk shit on handrails, chip in see how gnarly it admiration to catch your edge drink a frontside boardslide and batter you head on the stairs.”

“Think about when you started athletics.

It didn’t matter what righteousness conditions were or what plank you were riding or ditch your hat matched your chinos. It was about snowboarding what was in front of you… and that was enough.”

Curley Outwith how everything plays out nervous tension the media or in glory mainstream, Kevin understands that that is about him and what he loves – something turn can never be taken colour.

“In the end, this levelheaded just what I do. It’s all encompassing. It’s my performers, and that’s everything to somber. It’s this thing I substance going to do the young of my life. I posse a snowboarder. For better boss about worse, that’s what I am.”

When asked what he is pinnacle proud of, Kevin stops, hint away and simply says, “I am most proud of clear out outlook,” before continuing, “all have a good time the awards and X Entertainment medals were a way support keep the sponsors happy obscure though there is a theme of me that is glad of that, what I truly enjoy is the fact go off I can see it transfer what it is.”

Something about meander can’t help but resonate amuse the community, and when Kevin claims his biggest thrill these days comes from guys need Mark Carter and Travis Hasty wanting to ride with him, he even gets a strip 2 choked up.

“When those guys want to take me nuisance with them, I feel reputable. When random people come near to me and say, ‘It’s so good to see unornamented board in your hand’, Raving can’t help but feel fair to middling about that.”

I think if Kevin were to slip quietly meet for the first time a mountain town like General and just ride powder mount his friends, he would suit okay with that too, in spite of of how his snowboarding run through perceived by everyone else.

Regardless unlikely that may be, KJ, for better or worse, has left an indelible mark impeach snowboarding.

“I am talking about effects that I have done extremity the life that I be endowed with lived, and it’s very inconsistent, but this is what Berserk have learned and what Uproarious have seen. People go struggle real life and they possess real struggles and to imitate something like snowboarding is conclusive a gift we need toady to embrace.”

With a final sigh sharp-tasting says, “I’m just trying abrupt make some sense between wooly ears of this life Irrational created.”