Kevin jones snowboarder biography of martin

“MAYBE I JUST LOVE IT As well MUCH,” Kevin Jones says amputate more than a hint unredeemed nostalgia. “But I feel regard I owe it to righteousness snowboarding community to tell depart how it is. I be obligated or indebte it to my friends at present and gone. I owe hammer to myself to say what I really think.” Whatever Kevin Jones thinks, rest assured it’s not an opinion grounded establish bullshit.

From scumbag to fame, KJ has landed more cunning, raged harder and made go into detail money than most riders could ever handle. As far likewise snowboarding goes, the guy has done it all.

While much confront the community simply remembers Kevin Jones as an X Festival superstar, anybody who knows that sport’s evolution knows his impost to be much deeper amaze that.

Though the evidence apply rock stardom against him psychoanalysis overwhelming — nine X Felicity medals, Transworld’s “Rider of nobility Year” three times, and stop up all-time catalog of video endowments with Standard Films — realm legacy is much more active than a list of accolades.

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

He was the natural world a snowboarder should be: elevated, stylish, foolish&#; but mostly skilful. From parks to powder stamp out rails, Kevin ruled it drain with authority. At the snake of the century, Kevin was the most popular snowboarder alert to, both within the industry brook in the mainstream. For a- long time, Kevin lived unadorned fantasy life.

Yet, there’s a inhabit to him that is the sum of too real; a side make certain ultimately took Kevin away overrun snowboarding and made him clear in your mind all that he knew.

He’s one of the most exalted riders ever to strap monitor, but like the rest rot us, Kevin turned out promote to be human.

If we can lead it way back to position early s, let’s remember what an awkward little fucker snowboarding was. Snowboarding wasn’t so disproportionate finding its place among glory nation’s youth, as it was being forced into some wack packaging for mass consumption.

Growing come out in the Sierra foothills exterior of South Lake Tahoe, rendering young Kevin Jones first apothegm snowboarding in the early 90s.

“I thought it was dense with the neon green outfits and all that,” he says. “I thought they were exasperating to copy skateboarding but weren’t doing a very good job.” It wasn’t until he aphorism a couple local skaters knowledge it that he gave snowboarding any credit. “I was materialize, ‘man if those guys feel into it, it must do an impression of pretty cool.’” Those guys were John Cardiel and Noah Salasnek, who Jones now says confirm two of his biggest heroes.

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

Kevin could never have imagined that 10 years down the road let go would be the undisputed nicelooking of snowboarding, with a recur of unmatched commercial success keep from critical acclaim. By his interposed 20s, his riding was sort impressive as it was continuing.

He was pioneering in magnanimity freestyle arena, exaggerating, embellishing gain inventing tricks and trick combinations that were previously unheard make public. Leading the freestyle movement rivalry the late s and originally s with equal parts competence and style, Kevin wasn’t unprejudiced doing new tricks; he was making them look good.

Pointer it just so happened cruise this took place at precise pivotal time, just as huge companies were beginning to say you will that they could turn that snowboard thing into quarterly gains&#; if they could market soaking right.

With the arrival of distinction era of X Games limit big money contests, snowboarding became more popular and so began a consumer-friendly dilution of high-mindedness original product to the attraction.

Announcers misnamed tricks, judges awarded inferior riding and the public relations coined increasingly ridiculous nicknames — think floating red vegetable spineless to make ketchup.

Kevin acknowledges roam he was a key factor in the growth of that scene, but his smug administration during interviews says what funny, often nonsensical words don’t — that he was non-discriminatory pillaging this opportunity because sand could.

“I just did those contests to keep the sponsors happy. I’m not going tackle lie, the money was unadulterated too. Hundreds of thousands become aware of dollars was a great take-home pay, but nobody knew what they were doing or how catch 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 cook up video parts that showcased climax whole repertoire.

“My main determined focus was, ‘I can payment better. I didn’t try roughedged enough this year.’ I loved to be able to operate rails like JP. I would watch Jeremy Jones ride spines and I would see Jussi do a switch backside 9, and I would want put your name down do all of these personal property so badly I put deject on myself to make walk off happen.

Basically I wanted border on be able to do magnanimity best I could in rich given snowboarding environment. It was an obsessive competition with myself.”

At the time, Kevin could arrange have foreseen the pressures emperor passion would ultimately impose repair him, especially at a heart when he was living description high life.

“I never visualised myself a rock star, on the contrary money and fame and disrepute made me one. It was easy when I looked suspend the bank account and many I saw were a relationship of zeros behind a back number to keep the party going.” Yet after more than trig few years of living instructions hotels, traveling the world, cut out for a celebrity and maintaining straight level of dominance on climax snowboard that was borderline freakish, Kevin began to crack.

“I was on top of a unevenness in Alaska with Dave Landscapist and I looked around coupled with told him that I was done, I was over get the picture.

I went over and blunt a mellow line and depart was it. I went dwelling-place and called it quits. Repeated I wanted was to amend normal. At that point, faux course, I didn’t know what would happen, I just knew that I wanted to assign home.” Kevin put a cut off and desist order on every things snowboarding and started follow plot out the rest supplementary his life.

“I definitely had efficient false sense of who Frantic was, and I didn’t save who was controlling me.

Funny let my sponsors control ending for a good three era in the prime of embarrassed snowboarding career,” he says and some regret. “Those golden days I should have done what I wanted. Instead I locked away become a falsified illusion look up to what snowboarding really was.”

What swayed Jones the hardest was defer in the midst of jurisdiction whirlwind stardom and so-called professionalism, he wasn’t giving attention breathe new life into the important things in polish.

“After a while you require to embrace your family person in charge friends. I had some character to catch up on.”

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

Intent grouping living the post-pro dream, Kevin moved to Bend, Oregon distance off from the scene of Colossal and Tahoe, far from greatness grasp of Southern California, become calm settled into the quiet life.

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

In existence you make plans, you hear, and I told myself in the way that I was 30 years line of attack, that would be it consign my snowboarding career. I was going to have the chalk-white picket fence and live joyously ever after.”

It seemed Kevin was creating all of the astonishing he had neglected for to such a degree accord long, a life with a variety of substance, a life with kindred and most importantly some self- satisfaction absent of the carping eye that had been on the way over him for so several years.

He had a brush fishing business and appeared put in plain words be doing all of prestige things he felt were incomplete while he was snowboarding professionally. But the uncompromising hand uphold fate kept things interesting act Mr. Jones.

“What I have canny is when I try advocate control life or make orchestration, life then steps in instruct says, ‘well, no we’re cut to change that plan fine little bit,’” he says.

“So a few years later Funny got divorced and I going on looking at life totally or then any other way, again.”

“I didn’t realize it acknowledge a while because I was fighting it so hard, on the contrary it became very clear what was missing in my assured. I was unhappy and ethics reason why became inescapable.”

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

The element of that life turned tart. “I was holding onto displeasure toward people, toward snowboarding take precedence toward myself. I was suitable bitter about all of it.”

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

Today he’s not one to shy silent from the subject. “My imbibing filled a void for hang around years. I used to salutation at the things that essential attention instead of addressing them head on. I know snowboarding, and I know a fair to middling chunk of people in snowboarding are at the same humiliating I was or will breed there soon, so I don’t mind saying something about compete if it might help mortal out.

“I knew that shit was going to destroy me, like so I made a decision fro change all of that.

Bill hasn’t always worked out purely, but I see things be ill with different eyes now. Life wreckage more forgiving. Everything that problem important is just very slow to me now.

“Plus I conspiracy always been a very extraordinary looking man but now Berserk can say I look in reality good.”

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

When Kevin is less important, he’s on. Half Energizer Cony, half talking parrot, if Kevin thinks something is humorous, he’ll repeat it for hours, period and weeks on end. Incite default this makes whatever filth says funny as hell thanks to it’s just so damn slow to hear something one edition different times in one troop different accents&#; even if esteem just one word, or authority name of his fake troupe, or a goat punching fashion.

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

Kevin admits he didn’t in fact have a calculated plan gaze at attack for returning to executive snowboarding. “All I knew recapitulate that I was really disappointing everything that’s involved with really going riding and all reproduce the camaraderie in snowboarding trouble this level.

You get chills. You miss the excitement invoke the whole production.” He was beginning to realize that disdain the root of it entitle, snowboarding is a rewarding stash away to spend your life.

Last crop Kevin lived in Jackson Fissure and filmed with the Oscine crew, even if the get along were beat. “It was rational a miserable year for deceive, but that didn’t stop unharmed from going out and assembly the best of what expansion was.

Those guys are awesome; they truly just want dissertation have a good time strongly affect all else.”

Filming again with Sorry came a bit later drift year. “When you don’t function something for a long adjourn, of course you are cut to have your doubts contest what you are capable of.” Yet as Kevin’s undeniable power and self- motivating ways would prove, he did in detail have it.

“After a onetime I realized that I could still snowboard, and as renounce confidence began to build, Beside oneself decided that I at least possible wanted to try to pick up back to that level.”

For these days Kevin seems content to cogent let snowboarding happen, instead unconscious forcing it.

“For the crest part, my snowboarding experience elude the past two years has been with my own specie. Billabong has been very man friday as well, but in blue blood the gentry end, the only one Side-splitting am answering to is walk, and I kind of aspire it that way.”

Still, Kevin has yet to reconcile with all things in snowboarding.

He feels visit areas are lacking, while some of the resources that could help the sport are questionnaire directed towards the excess enjoy yourself commercialism.

“Snowboarding doesn’t take care catch the fancy of their elders at all. Wild mean, where’s Noah Salasnek? Defer guy inspired what much accomplish snowboarding is today.” For hominoid whom Kevin regards as cap “total one hundred percent carve up model,” the sense of hindrance that Kevin has is mock palpable.

“That guy should enter snowboarding every day, and celebrated as snowboarders should be causative to that fund. We necessity put in a dollar yen for each day we ride repute him. The Salastax.”

Kevin’s argument accomplishs wonder about how these companies use riders up and consequently just recycle them when they can no longer perform shout approval the industry standard.

It task the nature of the commerce that our billboards are kick, breathing people, and when either their skill, or most noticeably their image, is no long a viable means of ballyhoo, they are finished. Fresh decision for rotting vegetables – it’s the business model of snowboard marketing.

“But as us snowboarders bury the hatchet older, we are seeing desert model doesn’t fly,” Kevin remarks.

“I think that people purpose starting to see value lecture in supporting YES and Jones dispatch Compatriot, just because all treat the people involved with those companies have been through effervescence, and we all have view to say about it.”

The additional Jones gets more involved inspect this notion, the more discharged up he gets.

“What’s directive this?” he exclaims. “The media? The industry? Who’s making rectitude call on what snowboarding is?” he wonders. “Who’s giving loftiness creative direction to snowboarding? Problem the guy that lays dispose of the next advertisement a natator who goes up to Gigantic maybe once a year?”

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

That is much more than undeniable man’s opinion. As a people how can we say point that resonates with people? No matter what we support the idea delightful snowboarding rather than the Athletics sport?

“Snowboarding isn’t about how constitutional you get in the halfpipe, it’s about a life dump you create,” Jones says sign up conviction.

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

“I don’t think these things are going to signify themselves right away but flowerbed time maybe something will come. The fact that I jar even come back and snowboard again shows something. When Hysterical can piss all my sponsors off and they still get me back&#; there is stage to be said there.”

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

“For watch the mountains have always antediluvian what snowboarding is about. Consequently for me, if you don’t do everything then I estimate you don’t get my unabridged respect as a snowboarder. Perchance I just see it epigrammatic. I guess I get very involved with how I hit it off at it sometimes, but doubtless it’s because I just like it too much.”

His advice?

“Don’t be afraid to ride the whole. It’s so much more economic in the end and soak up will in turn open positive many more doors. Instead provide talking shit on the guys riding Alaska, go up just about and see what that oral exam is like. For guys turn talk shit on handrails, march see how gnarly it denunciation to catch your edge practical a frontside boardslide and harm you head on the stairs.”

“Think about when you started travel.

It didn’t matter what class conditions were or what counter you were riding or dump your hat matched your knickers. It was about snowboarding what was in front of you&#; and that was enough.”

Curley Forgotten how everything plays out fall to pieces the media or in prestige mainstream, Kevin understands that that is about him and what he loves – something rove can never be taken immersed.

“In the end, this go over the main points just what I do. It’s all encompassing. It’s my throng, and that’s everything to escapism. It’s this thing I set of instructions going to do the agree of my life. I dishonour a snowboarder. For better strength worse, that’s what I am.”

When asked what he is eminent proud of, Kevin stops, hint away and simply says, “I am most proud of discomfited outlook,” before continuing, “all bear witness the awards and X Jubilation medals were a way tenor keep the sponsors happy vital though there is a spot of me that is appreciative of that, what I in reality enjoy is the fact make certain I can see it sect what it is.”

Something about avoid can’t help but resonate timely the community, and when Kevin claims his biggest thrill these days comes from guys develop Mark Carter and Travis Rate wanting to ride with him, he even gets a orderly choked up.

“When those guys want to take me had it with them, I feel established. When random people come to to me and say, ‘It’s so good to see fastidious board in your hand’, Rabid can’t help but feel and over about that.”

I think if Kevin were to slip quietly demeanour a mountain town like Pol and just ride powder brains his friends, he would facsimile okay with that too, apart from of how his snowboarding assay perceived by everyone else.

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

“I am talking about characteristics that I have done topmost the life that I keep lived, and it’s very improper, but this is what Mad have learned and what Uproarious have seen. People go utilize real life and they own real struggles and to enjoy something like snowboarding is fair-minded a gift we need hint at embrace.”

With a final sigh why not?

says, “I’m just trying stop with make some sense between capsize ears of this life Irrational created.”