James C

My experience began on the east coast learning to ski at Pat's Peak in New Hampshire and it wasn't long before I was totally hooked on winter. After learning to snowboard at Nashoba Valley (another Ice Coast hill) my progression took off from there. Two seasons later, I had my first taste of the west at Copper Mountain where I also had my first brush with gearheads. I was riding this very old, very directional twin and the binding screws kept rattling loose. I stopped by the shop only to find out I had practically destroyed my board by overtightening the base plate screws, not to mention my edges were peeling out of the base which was desperate for a coat of wax. After asking a handful of questions, they let me borrow a demo board and it was like riding a dream! Ever since then, I've loved riding different boards to get a feel for the little differences and riding as many mountains as I can.

I've been on the snow for over 20 years as both a boarder and a skiier. I'm a 6'4" tall skinny dude so there were never a lot of arrows in the quiver for me to choose from. After the first couple seasons of the wrong board experience, I learned to be picky with my purchases and patient with the process. The opportunity to be your Curated expert is a chance for me to cut years off the trial and error learning curve and get you into the right gear right away. I am an all around rider with a stoke to shred both park and powder so whatever you're in to, I'm ready to get you leveled up. Let's chat about where you'll be shredding!

Being a snowboarder has lead to the most incredible adventures of my life. From riding Mammoth Mountain in July to creeping around during hunting season for early lines at Montana Snowbowl, there have been some wild trips and every time I learn more about myself and my gear. As a snowboard instructor I learned about the intricacies of each rider's style and preference. Where, what, and when you're riding will influence your decisions.

What works for one powderhound might not work for the next so we'll start off with your specific dreams. Would you like to advance from blues to blacks? Have you been ripping the jump line and now you're ready for the Euro-carve challenge? Maybe you're an East Coaster like me itching to get on a plane and explore the snowcapped peaks beyond the horizon and you don't want to waste a minute at the tool bench fussing with your baseplates. I want you to feel stoked for the season and confident that your setup will be ready to match your step-up.

So what's at the top of your list for this season??