Ian Smith Is Just One Big Kid and Loves To Shred

Ian Smith is just a big kid when it comes to snowboarding, I realized this after the first week I worked with him at Woodward. His smile and energy are highly infectious and the kids gravitated to him immediately due to his stoke level always being turned up to 11. That energy and stoke carries over to his riding and whether he’s throwing down huge spins or double chucking his energy and passion drives him. Ian has a lot to say about being one of Colorado’s native sons, snowboarding and filming. Here’s what he has to say.

Angry Snowboarder:Who’s supporting you these days?

Ian Smith: Tranzaxion Snowboards, Drake Bindings, Northwave Boots, Vestal Time, Rooley Goggles, Candy-Grind, my Girlfriend, and Woodward is where I currently get my income.

AS: How was it filming with Stept Productions and 4Reel Media this past winter?

Filming this year was good I had a rough start to the season with filming and bad vibes and seven guys in one house but we really turned things around by the middle of the season. Kyle Foster was doing most of our filming in the past but he didn’t have much free time this season so when our friend Forest Pigeon Miller moved in to our shred house things started to kick off. Forest is another owner of 4-reel media and he was all about filming. Forest made it out with us on every trip and was usually always down to go get the shot. Our crew worked together to launch Now That’s What I Call Snowboarding, when it went online it motivated all of us to get things done this year. As far as all of my footage went I have to give all credit to Forest, we shared our footage with the Martinis who were our in with Stept Productions and we also shared footage with Mistaken Productions in Sup Bro?. This fall you’ll be able to find me in those three movies: Dub Reel, Network, and Sup Bro.

AS: Since you grew up as a Colorado native down in Evergreen and have been riding for 14 years how much would you say things have changed in the Colorado shred scene?

Ian Smith demo2 from Ian Smith on Vimeo.

IS: Well when I first started to snowboard we were not allowed to ride at Keystone or Aspen mountain and now Aspen hosts the X-Games and Keystone has one of the top snowboard parks in America. I remember that half-pipes were hard to come by, they would have them one year then none the next, as far as Coppers park went any way. The parks were mostly jumps no one was hitting any rails. One of my older brothers friends would build log jibs around Copper and he swore that rails were the next big thing in snowboarding, sure enough it caught on like wild fire. I also remember when it was called a snowboard park, not a terrain park. which is one reason I switched to snowboarding. As far as Colorado changing  it hasn’t changed much maybe less snow and more people from the Mid-West.

AS: How on point is Brecks terrain park and is it a breeding ground for park slayers right now?

A Day in the Lane from Ian Smith on Vimeo.

IS: Breckenridge has always been a breeding ground for shred ninjas. That’s why I started riding Breck over any where else, they always had the best jumps, the best half pipe and creative rails. In the recent past other mountains have surpassed Breckenridge with the 22 foot pipe and more creative features but I am still a Freeway advocate, the jumps are always large and perfect.

AS: Now Snowboarding seems to have a solid following behind it and a lot of other riders are doing their own thing with online webisodes. How beneficial has that been to marketing yourself and getting your name out there?

IS: I think its as big as we make it. I’m not sure if it has helped me personally at all yet but I believe it will. Nowsnowboarding.com is an outlet, it gets the banger footage that we get out to the world. We are able to show the people now, rather in a movie that they may of may not buy next October. We started Now Snowboarding to bring the fun back in snowboarding, we plan on making lots of fun edits as well as the most progressive edits around. Now Snowboarding allows us to show the world, not only what we have to offer snowboarding, but what other progressive riders we meet along the way have to offer snowboarding.  Sure nowsnowboarding.com helps market ourselves and our sponsors but for us its about showing the world what snowboarding is to us and not just showing our parents that we like to ride.

Now thats what i call Snowboarding Volume. 1 from Forrest Miller on Vimeo.

AS: Do you see this trend in riders marketing themselves online as the way things should be done if they’re to get ahead in the snowboard industry?

IS: It already is you can go to shaunwhite.com or Torstein.net which is cool and all, but now snowboarding is more about our shred community as a whole not just about ourselves.
AS: When it comes to doubles you have a few on lock and it seems that trick is becoming the next level in progression. How do you feel about double chucking in general and is it all it’s cracked up to be?

IS: Wow the double cork, yeah it is one hell of a new realm of tricks that has exploded on to the snow scene. Yes they are hard and take talent and guts but I don’t think it defines snowboarding as much as it is cracked up to be. They are totally next level tricks but I think a flat 10 is harder than a double cork 10. I have a few double corks down you’ll just have to check out at nowsnowboarding.com. And yes they are crazy and are bringing a lot of new crazies to the competition.

AS: In the position you’re in as a rider what are some of the major pro’s and con’s with your dealings to get more exposure and to just ride?

IS: I don’t even know, I try not to look at snowboarding as pros and cons like that, it just gets me depressed. My pros are that I get to go snowboarding whenever I want. People are going huge and there are so many amazing riders out there that absolutely blow my mind, but I usually view it as; wow I could go that big, lets make this jump bigger. Or dang I’ll leave that to the kids with a half-pipe coach and I’ll go ride some powder.

AS: Top 3 people to keep your eye out for to blow up this season?

IS: Mark Hoyt, Colin Spencer, Chris Willett

AS: Top 3 places to shred?

Beaver Creek, Squaw Valley, Mt. Hood

AS: Thanks and shout outs?

My Sponsors, Woodward at Copper and crew, my friends from all around, Forest Miller, Mark Hoyt, Colin Spencer, my brothers Scott and Eric, my family. Everyone who has ever been stoked on me, or watched any of our videos. 4-Reel media, Yea. Nice, Dub Reel, Network, Sup Bro, and of course you my man, Avran  with angrysnowboarder.com. Also a big shout out to all of those kids trying to make it as a snowboarder or skier.

All photos submitted by Ian Smith courtesy of Jon Paciaroni Photography.