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words: Chris Wilmoth
photos: Kyle Kennedy

In 2008, the idea for Snowboard Unity Day was conceived over cheap beers at a bar in Sacramento. John Graham (Rome), Jason Watson (Milo Lafayette), Adam Garcia (Milo Lafayette), and myself had just wrapped up a day at the January Northern California WWSRA trade show. We all snowboard quite a bit each season but while trying to plan a day to shred together, we found it pretty ridiculous with our rep and retailer schedules to actually plan a day on hill together. I mean we are all immersed in snowboarding, but between trade shows, sales meetings, holidays, heavy retail weekends, random events, travel, family, life etc, we eventually just “see” each other on the hill and maybe experience quality ride time from time to time. We never actually spend an entire day with all our snow industry peers without it being work related, like at a demo or something like that. Embarrassed to admit it, we were all just too busy to snowboard together as a group.

One of us had joked around and said something along the lines of, “welp, see you in April then.” Almost simultaneously we all agreed to book a day in April, make a cheesy flier, throw the word out to fellow reps and shops, and call this thing Snowboard Unity Day. The ONLY rule was that it couldn’t be work related. No demo tents, no banners, no branding. Pretty simple. Just snowboard, BBQ, and enjoy the day as a group. I worked at Boards N Motion for almost eight years prior to repping and had (and still have) a strong connection to them, so the four of us ran this idea thru with the crew at BNM, and we all agreed. Snowboard Unity Day it is, see ya’ll in April. I’m sure I’ve missed something here, but that’s how I remember it.

Three years ago in February 2011 snowboarding lost a friend, Scotty Goodale. That April we dedicated our 4th annual Snowboard Unity Day in his honor. So many people came out of the woodwork to snowboard and to celebrate his life. If you were there, you remember. It was pretty special. There were easily over 200 heads on the hill and in the parking lot. Since that year, Snowboard Unity Day has not only been a single day for all us to get together and snowboard, but it has also taken on its own kind of spirit. At least I think so. Others do too.

It’s easy for some of us to drop it all and catch first chair, some of us not so much. Some can throw a few G’s down on a snowboard trip, but that’s out of the question for most. Some of us manage to get 50, 60, 70 plus days on-hill, and for some a dozen is a lot. Unfortunately some of us are so damn wrapped up in the work side of snowboarding that it’s easy to forget that it’s just that… Snowboarding. Silly ass snowboarding. So for one day we drop it all in April when shit is not that busy and grab the board, sunscreen, pack the ice chest, meet up in the parking lot and hit the hill with all the other freaks. It’s easily one of the best days of the season.

Anyway, Snowboard Unity Day isn’t possible without the snowboard reps, shops, in-house folks, snowboarders from all walks of life (and I mean all), and the friends and family members that attend year after year. Since 2008, this has become an annual deal. There should be one in every territory.

This year, I need to throw a huge thanks out to Matty Peterson, Tucker Norred, Eric Rosenwald, the park crew, the night security and the ski patrol at Boreal and Woodward Tahoe. Things got a little out of control this year, and once the beers were gone, the cops got called. I apologize for that. But if it wasn’t for your hospitality and amazing park, we would have bounced hours later but it was too fun. But for real, the park was tits and we all thank you for having us. Unity Day 2014 is a wrap. See you next year? Please? #SnowboardUnityDay #scottyRIPS