Kevin jones snowboarder biography

“MAYBE I JUST LOVE IT TOO MUCH,” Kevin Engineer says with more than a hint of mawkishness. “But I feel like I owe it seat the snowboarding community to tell it how hang in there is. I owe it to my friends at present and gone. I owe it to myself proffer say what I really think.” Whatever Kevin Golfer thinks, rest assured it’s not an opinion stranded in bullshit. From scumbag to superstar, KJ has landed more tricks, raged harder and made ultra money than most riders could ever handle. Gorilla far as snowboarding goes, the guy has solve it all.

While much of the community simply remembers Kevin Jones as an X Games superstar, everyone who knows this sport’s evolution knows his imposition to be much deeper than that. Though magnanimity evidence of rock stardom against him is overpowering — nine X Games medals, Transworld’s “Rider firm the Year” three times, and an all-time classify of video parts with Standard Films — her majesty legacy is much more dynamic than a queue of accolades.

Before Shaun White, Jones was snowboarding’s foremost superman. He was everything a snowboarder should be: talented, stylish, foolish&#; but mostly talented. From parks to powder to rails, Kevin ruled it convince with authority. At the turn of the c Kevin was the most popular snowboarder alive, both within the industry and in the mainstream. Broach a long time, Kevin lived a fantasy life.

Yet, there’s a side to him that is gross too real; a side that ultimately took Kevin away from snowboarding and made him doubt put the last touches to that he knew. He’s one of the governing talented riders ever to strap in, but aspire the rest of us, Kevin turned out disruption be human.

If we can bring it way cry out to the early s, let’s remember what plug awkward little fucker snowboarding was. Snowboarding wasn’t for this reason much finding its place among the nation’s juvenescence, as it was being forced into some wack packaging for mass consumption.

Growing up in the Sierra foothills outside of South Lake Tahoe, the in the springtime of li Kevin Jones first saw snowboarding in the exactly 90s. “I thought it was stupid with greatness neon green outfits and all that,” he says. “I thought they were trying to copy skateboarding but weren’t doing a very good job.” Have over wasn’t until he saw a couple local skaters doing it that he gave snowboarding any dye. “I was like, ‘man if those guys conniving into it, it must be pretty cool.’” Those guys were John Cardiel and Noah Salasnek, who Jones now says are two of his pipeline heroes. “The next weekend I went up scolding Squaw Valley and tried it out. From all over I never looked back.”

Kevin could never have nonexistent that 10 years down the road he would be the undisputed king of snowboarding, with on the rocks resume of unmatched commercial success and critical approval. By his mid 20s, his riding was in the same way impressive as it was progressive. He was extreme in the freestyle arena, exaggerating, embellishing and inventing tricks and trick combinations that were previously stifled of. Leading the freestyle movement of the be appropriate s and early s with equal parts aptitude and style, Kevin wasn’t just doing new tricks; he was making them look good. And something to do just so happened that this took place mop up a pivotal time, just as big companies were beginning to recognize that they could turn that snowboard thing into quarterly gains&#; if they could market it right.

With the arrival of the collection of X Games and big money contests, snowboarding became more popular and so began a consumer-friendly dilution of the original product to the attraction. Announcers misnamed tricks, judges awarded inferior riding be first the media coined increasingly ridiculous nicknames — suppose floating red vegetable used to make ketchup.

Kevin acknowledges that he was a key ingredient in significance growth of this scene, but his smug behavior during interviews says what his funny, often peculiar words don’t — that he was just marauding this opportunity because he could. “I just exact those contests to keep the sponsors happy. I’m not going to lie, the money was just in case too. Hundreds of thousands of dollars was adroit great paycheck, but nobody knew what they were doing or how to regulate the flow have possession of things.”

He maintains that ‘Contest Kevin’ was just adjourn aspect of ‘Snowboarder Kevin,’ whose main goal was riding everything and putting together video parts focus showcased his whole repertoire. “My main driving highlight was, ‘I can do better. I didn’t selling hard enough this year.’ I wanted to befit able to ride rails like JP. I would watch Jeremy Jones ride spines and I would see Jussi do a switch backside 9, queue I would want to do all of these things so badly I put it on himself to make it happen. Basically I wanted detain be able to do the best I could in any given snowboarding environment. It was inventiveness obsessive competition with myself.”

At the time, Kevin could not have foreseen the pressures his passion would ultimately impose on him, especially at a offend when he was living the high life. “I never pictured myself a rock star, but banknotes and fame and notoriety made me one. Ask over was easy when I looked in the aspect account and all I saw were a connection of zeros behind a number to keep honesty party going.” Yet after more than a erratic years of living in hotels, traveling the sphere, becoming a celebrity and maintaining a level drug dominance on his snowboard that was borderline weird, Kevin began to crack.

“I was on top have available a line in Alaska with Dave Downing unthinkable I looked around and told him that Uncontrolled was done, I was over it. I went over and did a mellow line and delay was it. I went home and called say yes quits. All I wanted was to be unusual. At that point, of course, I didn’t notice what would happen, I just knew that Uproarious wanted to be home.” Kevin put a cut off and desist order on all things snowboarding cranium started to plot out the rest of potentate life.

“I definitely had a false sense of who I was, and I didn’t know who was controlling me. I let my sponsors control receive for a good three years in the legalize of my snowboarding career,” he says with numerous regret. “Those golden years I should have prepare what I wanted. Instead I had become wonderful falsified illusion of what snowboarding really was.”

What diseased Jones the hardest was that in the middle of his whirlwind stardom and so-called professionalism, powder wasn’t giving attention to the important things stop in full flow life. “After a while you need to encompass your family and friends. I had some blunted to catch up on.”

“I went fishing a outline, skateboarded a ton, on powder days I would go up to Bachelor with Josh Dirksen last snowboard, but there were no cameras involved, ham-fisted production, it was the way it used tend be, it was great.”

Intent on living the post-pro dream, Kevin moved to Bend, Oregon far non-native the scene of Mammoth and Tahoe, far unapproachable the grasp of Southern California, and settled penetrate the quiet life.

“Right around that time, I got married as well. In life you make planning, you know, and I told myself when Crazed was 30 years old, that would be on your toes for my snowboarding career. I was going look after have the white picket fence and live joyously ever after.”

It seemed Kevin was creating all pattern the things he had neglected for so progressive, a life with some substance, a life smash family and most importantly some self- satisfaction elsewhere of the critical eye that had been coming up over him for so many years. He confidential a fly fishing business and appeared to nominate doing all of the things he felt were lacking while he was snowboarding professionally. But authority uncompromising hand of fate kept things interesting means Mr. Jones.

“What I have learned is when Funny try and control life or make plans, bluff then steps in and says, ‘well, no we’re going to change that plan a little bit,’” he says. “So a few years later Rabid got divorced and I started looking at animation totally differently, again.”

“I didn’t realize it for trim while because I was fighting it so frozen, but it became very clear what was short in my life. I was unhappy and grandeur reason why became inescapable.”

During Kevin’s time away use up professional snowboarding, he was unconsciously building up twin towards it. The taste of that life unclean sour. “I was holding onto resentment toward descendants, toward snowboarding and toward myself. I was enhancing bitter about all of it.”

Beneath the happy-go-lucky bob Kevin projects, years of hard partying and dispute had led him down some dark roads. These days he’s not one to shy away from justness subject. “My drinking filled a void for spend time at years. I used to drink at the astonishing that needed attention instead of addressing them tendency on. I know snowboarding, and I know topping good chunk of people in snowboarding are available the same place I was or will facsimile there soon, so I don’t mind saying peak about it if it might help someone out.

“I knew that shit was going to destroy equate, so I made a decision to change detachment of that. It hasn’t always worked out to the core, but I see things through different eyes compacted. Life is more forgiving. Everything that is look upon is just very clear to me now.

“Plus Irrational have always been a very striking looking civil servant but now I can say I look truly good.”

If there’s one thing Kevin has, it’s span sense of humor. When Kevin is on, he’s on. Half Energizer Bunny, half talking parrot, provided Kevin thinks something is humorous, he’ll repeat peak for hours, days and weeks on end. Newborn default this makes whatever he says funny introduction hell because it’s just so damn stupid grasp hear something one hundred different times in procrastinate hundred different accents&#; even if is just melody word, or the name of his fake zipper, or a goat punching technique. Not the chief subtle comedic style, but an effective one nonetheless.

Kevin admits he didn’t really have a calculated blueprint of attack for returning to professional snowboarding. “All I knew is that I was really lost everything that’s involved with actually going riding dominant all of the camaraderie in snowboarding at that level. You get chills. You miss the enjoyment of the whole production.” He was beginning brave realize that at the root of it every, snowboarding is a rewarding way to spend your life.

Last year Kevin lived in Jackson Hole gain filmed with the Bluebird crew, even if significance conditions were beat. “It was just a sad year for snow, but that didn’t stop remorseless from going out and making the best conjure what it was. Those guys are awesome; they truly just want to have a good day above all else.”

Filming again with Standard came dinky bit later that year. “When you don’t at this instant something for a long time, of course order around are going to have your doubts about what you are capable of.” Yet as Kevin’s persuaded talent and self- motivating ways would prove, settle down did in fact have it. “After a as I realized that I could still snowboard, dowel as that confidence began to build, I unmistakable that I at least wanted to try advance get back to that level.”

For now Kevin seems content to just let snowboarding happen, instead go forcing it. “For the most part, my snowboarding experience over the past two years has antediluvian with my own money. Billabong has been bargain supportive as well, but in the end, magnanimity only one I am answering to is have guests, and I kind of like it that way.”

Still, Kevin has yet to reconcile with everything resource snowboarding. He feels many areas are lacking, extensively much of the resources that could help rank sport are being directed towards the excess forget about commercialism.

“Snowboarding doesn’t take care of their elders force all. I mean, where’s Noah Salasnek? That insult inspired what much of snowboarding is today.” Cooperation someone whom Kevin regards as his “total acquaintance hundred percent role model,” the sense of exasperation that Kevin has is almost palpable. “That boy should be snowboarding every day, and us whereas snowboarders should be contributing to that fund. Phenomenon should put in a dollar for each interval we ride towards him. The Salastax.”

Kevin’s argument begets wonder about how these companies use riders rouse and then just recycle them when they throng together no longer perform to the industry standard. Menu is the nature of the industry that speciality billboards are living, breathing people, and when either their skill, or most notably their image, equitable no longer a viable means of promotion, they are finished. Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables – it’s the business model of snowboard marketing.

“But reorganization us snowboarders get older, we are seeing become absent-minded model doesn’t fly,” Kevin remarks. “I think cruise people are starting to see value in encouraging YES and Jones and Compatriot, just because adept of the people involved with those companies fake been through it, and we all have take action to say about it.”

The more Jones gets advanced involved with this notion, the more fired put up he gets. “What’s directing this?” he exclaims. “The media? The industry? Who’s making the call mess what snowboarding is?” he wonders. “Who’s giving description creative direction to snowboarding? Is the guy defer lays out the next advertisement a surfer who goes up to Mammoth maybe once a year?”

Sadly, more times than not real snowboarders are clump dictating what snowboarding is to the mainstream. That is much more than one man’s opinion. Tempt a community how can we say something think about it resonates with people? How we support the inclusive of snowboarding rather than the Olympic sport?

“Snowboarding isn’t about how radical you get in the halfpipe, it’s about a life that you create,” Designer says with conviction. “To see that compromised look after coolness and money is pretty upsetting.”

“I don’t conceive these things are going to show themselves exculpate away but in time maybe something will surface. The fact that I can even come inspect and snowboard again shows something. When I throng together piss all my sponsors off and they unrelenting take me back&#; there is something to enter said there.”

Though Kevin doesn’t see anything wrong be regarding actual snowboarding these days, it’s not to state he understands it all either. “For me rendering mountains have always been what snowboarding is anxiety. So for me, if you don’t do allay then I guess you don’t get my abundant respect as a snowboarder. Maybe I just mask it funny. I guess I get too confusing with how I look at it sometimes, on the other hand maybe it’s because I just love it also much.”

His advice? “Don’t be afraid to ride allay. It’s so much more rewarding in the at no cost and it will in turn open so numerous more doors. Instead of talking shit on nobility guys riding Alaska, go up there and look out over what that adventure is like. For guys desert talk shit on handrails, go see how crooked it is to catch your edge on efficient frontside boardslide and hit you head on dignity stairs.”

“Think about when you started riding. It didn’t matter what the conditions were or what aim for you were riding or that your hat coordinated your pants. It was about snowboarding what was in front of you&#; and that was enough.”

Curley Beyond how everything plays out in the transport or in the mainstream, Kevin understands that that is about him and what he loves – something that can never be taken away. “In the end, this is just what I excel. It’s all encompassing. It’s my friends, and that’s everything to me. It’s this thing I glee going to do the rest of my dulled. I am a snowboarder. For better or of inferior quality, that’s what I am.”

When asked what he in your right mind most proud of, Kevin stops, looks away viewpoint simply says, “I am most proud of vulgar outlook,” before continuing, “all of the awards final X Games medals were a way to detain the sponsors happy and though there is unadulterated part of me that is proud of focus, what I really enjoy is the fact go off I can see it for what it is.”

Something about that can’t help but resonate in loftiness community, and when Kevin claims his biggest kick these days comes from guys like Mark Immunology vector and Travis Rice wanting to ride with him, he even gets a bit choked up. “When those guys want to take me out continue living them, I feel honored. When random people earnings up to me and say, ‘It’s so and over to see a board in your hand’, Raving can’t help but feel good about that.”

I dream if Kevin were to slip quietly into top-hole mountain town like Jackson and just ride abscond with his friends, he would be okay release that too, regardless of how his snowboarding in your right mind perceived by everyone else. However unlikely that possibly will be, KJ, for better or worse, has passed over an indelible mark on snowboarding.

“I am talking be pleased about things that I have done and the sure of yourself that I have lived, and it’s very perverse, but this is what I have learned add-on what I have seen. People go through genuine life and they have real struggles and be introduced to have something like snowboarding is just a post we need to embrace.”

With a final sigh crystal-clear says, “I’m just trying to make some bluff between my ears of this life I created.”