The path back to authentic snowboarding starts with a simple question. Why are you snowboarding?
If your answer has anything to do with content or follower count, you’ve lost the true meaning of snowboarding. Here’s a challenge. Ditch the phone for a full day. No filming, no photos, no documentation. Just you, your board, your friends, and the mountain. Watch how your riding changes when you’re not performing for an audience.
The mountain doesn’t care about your follower count. You won’t ride better when there’s a camera pointed at you. The only thing that matters is the raw connection between you and the act of surfing on snow. That connection is what we call the soul ride, and we’re in danger of letting it disappear.
When Shred Became Clicks
I watched a kid waste forty-five minutes last winter at the 3 Kings park at Park City Mountain Resort. Not riding. Not pushing. Not even stoked. Just setting up the shot. He repositioned his phone, checked his angles, and forced his buddy to film the same mediocre rail slide until the light hit just right. The second he bagged his three seconds of content, he was gone.
The park was going off that day with bluebird skies and amazing snow. This snowboarder chose to document a weak trick instead of actually feeling what snowboarding offers. This captures where we are right now. A culture so desperate to capture the moment we’ve forgotten how to live in it.
Social media didn’t just change how we film snowboarding, it fundamentally altered how we ride. Every turn gets filtered through the lens of “will this blow up online?” Riders bail on incredible terrain because it doesn’t have the right backdrop. People huck themselves into tricks they can’t handle because it’ll look gnarly on their feed.
The irony is that this thirst for online validation has made most people worse riders. You can’t develop style when you’re constantly stopping to review footage. You can’t build confidence when every run gets graded by engagement metrics instead of personal satisfaction.
The Death of the Session
Real snowboarding happens during a session. You hit a feature, work it, dial in your line, fail, experiment, and progressively push the limits. This is where progression lives. This is where style develops. This is where you actually get better.
But sessions make terrible content. They’re repetitive, boring to watch, and filled with bails before you stomp the trick. Social media rewards instant gratification, not the grind. So we’ve ditched the session for the single clip. Riders hit a rail once, get the shot, and move on to the next “content opportunity” instead of actually progressing. They’re collecting clips instead of building real ability.
Bringing Back the Session
The session is where snowboarding lives. It’s where you push your limits, dial in your style, and build the confidence that makes you a better rider. Here’s how to reclaim it.
Find Your Crew. Sessions work best with riders who want to progress, not just document. Find people who get stoked on the process, not just the product.
Pick One Feature. Instead of hitting everything once, pick one feature and work it until you own it. This is how real progression happens.
Celebrate the Fails. The best sessions are filled with spectacular crashes and gradual improvements. Those bails are part of the story, not something to delete.
Leave the Phone in the Lodge. You’ll be amazed how much more you progress when you’re not stopping every five minutes to check footage.
If you’re compelled to capture the moments, stack clips, don’t just drop it like it’s shot. There’s no value and no one remembers it. The moment is lost otherwise. Build something meaningful from your riding, not just random content drops.
The goal isn’t to reject technology or go back to the stone age. Film your riding, share your stoke, inspire others. But don’t let documentation replace the actual experience of snowboarding.
Why This Matters
Snowboarding has always been about freedom, expression, and the pure joy of shredding on snow. When we turn every run into a content opportunity, we lose the very thing that made us fall in love with this sport in the first place.
The best riders in snowboard history didn’t get there by chasing likes. They got there by putting in countless hours, pushing their limits, and developing their own unique style through relentless sessions. That foundation of real riding is what made their eventual video parts so compelling.
The Soul Ride
Put the screen away and remember why you started snowboarding. Replay the moments, the revelations, the revolutions, in your mind’s eye. Feel the edge bite into the snow. Notice how your body responds to terrain changes. Pay attention to the rhythm of linking turns. This is the soul ride, and it’s what separates snowboarding from every other activity on earth.
The mountain is waiting. Your board is ready. The only question is whether you’re going to ride it or just film it.
Stop watching and start shredding.
Agree with all! Ride for the Joy of Riding!
I want to film it but never stop to attempt it; too busy enjoying the moment; gonna attempt to hit this winter but mostly by myself near Marias Pass Montana Glacier Park back country; a challenge I am 70 now September 10