Going Off Snowboard History Podcast

In the snowboard timeline, ’96 was a heyday. The scene was popping in Salt Lake City, where a newly relocated filmmaker known simply as “Whitey” documented a gang of talent riding under the radar—including soon-to-be-god-tier Brighton local JP Walker. Welcome to “The Warriors.”In this episode, Jen and Tricia sit down with Whitey to expound on the making of this fun and raw mid-90s cult-classic snowboard film. Stay tuned for talk of technical powder tricks, pirated music, Blunt magazine hijinks, Brighton backcountry, Ingemar Backman, Timmy Ostler, Mikey Leblanc and many more. They dive into snowboarding’s real-time evolution from a jib-fueled frenzy to freestyle with a taste for powder. They divulge what it was like to be a rider in 1996, when no one was getting rich—but a gravy train of rent and beer money was free-flowing amidst scene.

Once upon a time, snowboarders deployed plastic milk jugs for highbacks and donned sneaker-esque “riding shoes.” Today’s snowboard binding is a feat of ingenuity—an embodiment of the right-brain spirit that has always fueled riders. In this episode, Tricia and Jen track down the modern snowboard binding’s strange and true history over half a century. With hot intel from such experts as Trent Bush, Chris Doyle and Dennis Nazari, they trace the evolution from a single rubber toe strap to an injection-molded riding appliance. They reminisce on the lowbacks and T Bolting craze of the “fat stance” era. They talk hole patterns, channel systems, and who invented the highback. And they fearlessly (some would say foolishly) wade into the Great Step-In Debate. After another unapologetically lengthy deep dive, they bring in legendary snowboarder and style icon Russell Winfield for some quality binding banter. Russ divulges such secrets as how heelside carves happened in the days before highbacks (hint: they didn’t) and the backstory behind Ride Snowboards’ seminal ’90s baseless binding.

Hop in, graphics nerds. We’re going on a wild ride from the explosion of 80s neon through the pro model snowboard era that kicked off the 90s board graphics revolution, then on to the great consolidation that happened at the turn of the century—and what rippled out when the bubble burst. In this episode, Jen and Tricia bring in a host of live human experts—Brad Steward, Barrett Christy, Shannon Dunn, Lance Violette, Corey Smith and more—to divulge the stories behind some of the most important snowboard graphics and board-graphic movements of all time. Hot takes abound, like why Sims refused to put mountains on their boards and how Original Sin may have been the first brand to bring true art to a snowboard deck. For a fun Going Off drinking game, take a big sip every time someone says the word “iconic.”

Going Off is the snowboard history podcast. As the early days of snowboarding begin to slide into the long past, Going Off documents its oral history. We trace back what made it so strange and explosive, why it changed all those lives and still bonds people for life. From the history of snowboard fashion to how halfpipes were born, from the birth of jibbing to pivotal movies, music and magazines, each episode drops in on a new topic.Hosts: Jennifer Sherowski and Tricia Byrnes