20 Ways You Know You Grew up Snowboarding in the 90s
Snowboarding was simpler in the 90s. Fewer people did it, the Internet hadn’t ruined it yet, and the popular consensus was to keep shit punk rock. Snowboarding was turning mainstream, and depending on who you asked, it was the beginning, or the end. For the riders who grew up in this magical decade and are still at it, there’s a bit of nostalgia floating around these days. Maybe because it hurt a lot less back then (getting old sucks) but mostly because that’s just kinda how things work. So, for you, my fellow 30+ board brethren, here’s 20 things that will remind you how old you are.
1. You’ve answered the question “How do you stop on those things?” on a chairlift.
Snowboarding was accepted, but far from mainstream in the 90s. Our parents still assumed it was a fad and you’d often encounter incredulous skiers asking absurd questions. Hell, Transworld even made a shirt with the answers.
2. You know TB stands for Totally Board.
While technically Fall Line Films was the first, the 90s were all about TB and Mack Dawg. Dawger was arguably more hip with younger riders, while the TB movies had lots of big mountain sections to fast forward through. But either way, you bought them both, every year.
3. You remember thinking it was insane when Jeff Brushie signed a 1.3 million dollar contract with Ride.
But still thought it was cooler when he rode for Burton. “Selling out” was kind of a big deal back then.
Brian Regis and Rahm Klampert. Pulled from the Yobeat photo archive.
4. You at one point wished you could ride the Killington half pipe (or you hiked it everyday – and night for the one season it had lights.)
See back then, the average halfpipes topped out at 12 feet and it was actually kinda fun. They were the 90s answer to the rainbow rail. Killington, in particular, had a solid scene of people who almost made it and the week before the Open everyone who was anyone would show up to “train.”
Photo: Sky Chalmers via ESPN
5. You remember when the US Open was a drunken mess, and people actually cared about it.
Oh, and there were no bag checks.
These suckers were guarantee not to break. Your ankles on the other hand…
6. You’ve ridden (or wanted) baseless bindings.
So much better board feel, dude.
8. Peter Line is kinda your hero.
Not only was he good at snowboarding, he had funny board graphics, and he was short enough to not be threatening.
9. You rode a stomp pad before it was ironic.
And if you were riding Clickers, it probably came in handy when they froze, broke, or otherwise failed you mid-run.
10. You had a Mack Dawg sticker pack, in its entirety, on the back window of your car.
It was a pain in the ass to scrape it off every September when the new one came out, but you had to keep that shit fresh, yo.
Told ya, Lifty guys.
11. You’ve been denied access to a chairlift for not having a leash.
So you ingeniously rigged up a shoelace from your boot to binding to trick the lifty. Why anyone thought run-away snowboards might be an issue, we’re still not sure.
12. You thought Shaun Palmer was kind of a bad ass.
Now you know he actually is.
13. You spent hours playing Cool Boarders 2.
But you never touched another snowboard game after Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater came out.
Jim Rippey, big air master. Photo: air-style.com
14. You remember when guys didn’t land 720s every time in contests.
And when they did, they won the contest.
Airwalk ad, circa 1996
15. You owned Airwalk Snowboard Boots
They were a big step up from your Sorels, but that’s not saying much.
Prom ad. Circa 1995
16. Every girl who you knew that rode was sponsored.
Both of them. And Tina Basich was their hero.
17. You either loved, or hated the Garden.
Nothing in between.
18. You can tell the difference between Ten Foot Pole, Pulley, No Use for a Name and Face to Face when you hear them.
Thanks to the music credits at the beginning of every part in videos, you had that shit down.
Sweet pants dude. No idea who this is, it was an ad for something though.
19. You used a studded belt to hold up your absurdly baggy pants.
And weren’t even a little bit ashamed.
20. You claim 93/94 was the best season ever.
Cause it was, duh.
That picture above #19 is John Jackson
#21 you got drunk with Matt goodwill at The lbs. Back when no one knew the lbs existed
This was yobeats best post, id say keep up the good work but we all know the next artical is going to be a review of the doller menu at McDonald’s
Peter is still my hero and I still have an old board with baseless bindings. Skate feel bro!
Well Said! The 90s were good times in Snowboarding.
There’s actually only 19, you forgot a #7 homeboy…, :oO
Broke, told you people cared about the past. Now put them three suggestions I gave you into action.
BTW, broke the boat out and it’s ready for you to come wakeboarding on. I got you one of them non stretch ropes you like.
LOVE IT! YOU KNOW YOU GREW UP SNOWBOARDING IN THE (early)90S, magazines got delivered to your mailbox and it was the only way you even knew about it. ASR in San Diego was the place to be in Sept for movie premiers. Pagers were hot items. When heading out on trips, you could still smoke on airplanes and would request the “smoking section” on over-seas trips. You were actually pumped to see other snowboarders on the hill…..could make this pertain to the 80’s as well….
#18 thanks to Mack Dawg and the free CD compilation with every VHS!
If you rode back east you and/or 5 of your buddies fucked brooke
I can take you to a Saskatchewan ski hill that still requires leashes. Plus, they still rent snowblades.
#10 – the best. I was just out of driving age but holy shit, my bike and boards were decked out! hahah. Solid.
i remember people riding halfpipe had forward angle on their back binding. oh you silly bastards
Yes !
The leash days were the best ! I remember making “fake” leashes that looked like they were attached to you..
Baseless bindings and Blax boots.. The Cappel girls !
The Ride cartoon series..
Dale Rehburg fork through the tongue flick.
Sean was a little kid.
Lepore was that 14 year old that we were all jealous of.
YNC .. Yuki Nemaki Clothing.. denied my first sponsor me video, I still have the letter…
That just blasted my mind !
My local resort lifty wouldn’t let me on the lift this past season because I didn’t have a leash.. Ski Plattekill for life!
In the 90’s you couldn’t wait for Fall to come so you could see all the new graphics at your local shop and if you were a good little shop lurker, you got to see catalogs before product came. You actually bought everything from your local shop, at a swap or out of the classifieds section in the newspaper.
There were no terrible shaky GOpro edits and if you did want to film…You had to use your rich friends parents VHS camcorder, then use 2 VCR’s to edit it and then you actually had to lend out the VHS for others to view it.
Hell Yeah the 90’s.
i got my first pube in the 90’s
The YNC in the photo accompanying #19 I believe stands for Yuki Nemaki Clothing. The translation is Japanese for Snow Pajamas… This was during the heyday of snowboarding in Japan, with dudes that were barely sponsored in the US having pro models in Japan (ala Scooter). Good times.
Check on all above, but you missex that you wanted THE Burton Bio-light jacket from 97…
I remember when dudes where doing 720’s to win contests
#19 is Mark Deleeuw – from Edmonton, AB, Canada – and the ad is for Yuki Nemaki snowboard pants – a company founded by Kelly Ross – another “old timer”.
That pic for 14 is obvs a Rippey Flip, and if you rode through the 90s you’d know that too.
I REMEMBER WHEN I ACTUALLY HAD RESPECT FOR JP WALKER
One scottish resort still doesnt let you ride without a leash! Ah, those airwalks were a revolution!! Top of the range.
ALL JIB AND NO BONK.
Listen to you old fuckers
What the hell happened to getting a stack of stickers when you bought a vhs/dvd? I’m talking to you videograss…
TB….check.
Baseless bindings…check – still have them.
Peter Line….he’s gay, right?
Stomp pad…check
Opening day 2007 Meadows was trying to enforce the leash law….what a joke. Had one in the 90s….
Shaun Palmer IS bad ass
Airwalk boots were great…still have them…sit my garage in Portland for when I have packing issues..
Brooke was sponsored doing girl methods, right?!
Black studded belt, baggy foursquare cargo pants…
93/94 was my first year!
I love baseless bindings
Whoever photoshopped the picture of the Audi with the MDP stickers should really get familiar with the “warp” tool. That shit works wonders…
Boozy The Clown, The US Open at Stratton, Ingemar Backman BS air in Riksgränsen, Jamie Lynn timeless method, every Mack Dawg flicks, the lowbacks, Peter Line corking, Tom Sims legacy, Robotfood, the SIA in Vegas, ISM, Craig Kelly is my copilot, Terje’s domination, john Cardiel in Riders On The Storm, ISF, Burton Brushie trout, Forum 8, punk rock soundtrack in snowboard videos, Barfoot, neon, Snurfers, Ranquet and Roach, The Legendary Baker Banked Slalom, the goddam leash law, Todd Richards, Suicide Six, The Art Of Flight… I’VE LIVED THROUGH THE BEST ERA IN SNOWBOARDING, Period. Can’t take it back!
The 90s
purple, yellow or red pants with black bull denim on the knees and butt. same color jacket with fake sheepskin lining and bull denim drop tail that touched the back of your knees
Burton t.decks with zero sidecut and a B that looked like a WuTang logo when you sat down to strap in, if you were regular foot
Airwalk boots with the carrot on the tongue
Ballantyne quarts with the puzzle on the cap
and hell fuck yeah the mack dawg sticker kit
Spring Loaded 93 thru 98 & BKVT nough said
Member that HUGE purple bruise on your ASS from the rock butt check, that was 90’s.
When all Killington locals had to have a Jaunt fleece
In The mid 90s Meadows would shut me down for no leash constantly. I feel like they still would
Not it is not. It is Mark Deleeuw. Long before John Jackson was around.
fucking yes!! so on point.
i still get psyched whenever i hear “cashing in”.. how about making collages from magazines/catalogs for your wall? using a row of recycling bins as a “box” to 5050 over in your backyard. getting yelled at for dragging a picnic table out to session cause your mountain didn’t have a park. ZINES! when a companies entire line fit on the back of a poster. huddling in my basement watching stomping grounds over and over and over all winter long…and not searching for the newest edit non-stop online. the era where snowboard companies had the best ads ever and didn’t give a shit about pleasing parents or olympic committees.
@flourcity…exactly! the first cold snap was like a calling to get your ass to the shop to check out the new graphics, buy a new video, and get all the free catalogs/stickers you could get your hands on!
when no one gave a fuck what kind of snowboard you rode, just that you were riding one.
16. Every girl who you knew that rode was sponsored.
Still true
JINCO jeans? Chain wallets? Flannels iced up from the mid-back down… good old days.
Thanks for noticing! Are you some kinda internet cop? Am I in shit?
You lived in a tent on Woody Creek and made the last days of the season even with a fractured tailbone and the flu.
Mmmm… CAPP3L girls 🙂
Building Cat track kickers
Colored camo pants
Epic Method airs
90s=
Creatures of Habit
Ballz Jeans
BS 180 Methods
TJ Schneider being way better than you at snowboard camp
Cut down nose and tail with t-bolted bindings
i got second in a big air contest… i did a front one stale and a method.
having to set your VCR to tape SBTV weekly at 3 AM in the winter. first had to check TV guide to see when it would be on