2024-01-29 10:45:19
Niki Ayako (01)
Niki Ayako splits her time between Hokkaido and Nagano, Japan, where she works as a photographer, shooting outdoor sports for various brands and publications. Niki aims to capture the atmosphere felt in nature throughout the four seasons—the sound of frost on a snowy mountain, the morning mist from a quiet lake—as well as people’s emotions. Ultimately, she hopes her work leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. In addition to outdoor photography, Niki also does commercial shoots and works in graphic design. You can see more of her work online at nikiimages.com and on Instagram @247nikiimages.
Stephen Hare (02)
Originally from Toronto, Stephen Hare has been contributing to the snowboarding community for nearly three decades. Whether it be through photography, content development, product design, or sales and marketing, Stephen is a bit of a jack of all trades. He now resides in the British Columbia Interior with his wife, Lindsay, and son, George. Stephen operates Pillar Trading Ltd, a sales and marketing agency that currently represents Nitro, Autumn, L1 Premium Goods, Eivy, and 100 Percent. See his work online at stephenhare.ca and pillaragency.ca, and on Instagram @sharephoto.
Tom Hsieh (03)
Tom Hsieh (pronounced “Shay”) is the founding editor of International Snowboard Magazine (1984-1991), the first regularly published snowboard magazine. A San Francisco, skater and skier, he took to snowboarding in 1982 like a duck to water. Hsieh would hike with friends around the backcountry of Donner Summit in Lake Tahoe, finding slopes that had shapes reminiscent of the greatest skate parks of that era. Hsieh set the editorial voice of the magazine to be a rider’s advocate, defending our right to access ski resorts, protecting the soul of snowboarding, and calling out huckster charlatans trying to make a fast buck in our new sport. He now resides in San Francisco with his family and operates a legendary golf course called Gleneagles.
Ralph Kucharek (04)
Born and raised in Burlington, VT, Ralph Kucharek has spent his life surrounded by mountains and water. He started snowboarding in 1998 and prior to that had already found his passion for angling. Growing up in a place that nurtures these pursuits, Ralph has been able to make his living as a snowboarder and flyfishing guide for the past decade. Ralph has spent his snowboarding career mostly riding and highlighting the East Coast and produced and directed 100 North—A Vermont Snowboard Movie. He currently sits on the board for the Sidesurfers Banked Slalom, guides for the Alaska Steelhead Company, hosts for WhistlePig Whiskey, and rides for Rome Snowboards, Bonfire Outerwear, Coal Headwear, and Woolf Merino. You can follow him on Instagram at @ralphkuch and see his fishing at @vtflyco.
Jason Robinson (05)
Hailing from Whitefish, MT, Jason Robinson is a veteran professional snowboarder and man of many talents who has cultivated a unique flow through life. From street parts with Think Thank to Big Mountain Rider of the Year with Absinthe Films and a recent re-emergence in Teton Gravity Research’s Flying High Again, his riding speaks for itself. What you may not know is that he also works as a writer for various brands and publications to help support his continual growth through experiential pursuits. Now residing on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, “JRob” is currently supported by Cardiff Snowcraft, Karakoram, Bothell Chiropractic Clinic and Airblaster. Follow him on Instagram @jrobble.
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