“Tim and Hannah cruising off the top of a popular west Lake Tahoe backcountry zone known for its old growth timber and protection from the elements. The views from the summit are spectacular over Emerald Bay and the rest of the lake. It was the only semi-sunny day of our weeklong trip this February, and we made the most of it by doing a lap and a half off the top before high winds sent us back to King’s Beach to watch the Superbowl.” Photo: Colin Wiseman Do you think true authenticity is almost counterculture these days? For sure. It’s a scary plunge. Because society is not set up for that. There are no safety nets for us. And it is kind of counterculture to drop everything and be like, “I’m just gonna pursue what I believe in. And if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, then I might be in big trouble.” But I have this theory that if you are living authentic, everything will work. Because you’re coming with a different perspective, a dif-ferent energy. I see it more now than ever. People are branching out, and it’s cool. Do you think we’re having a shift, not just in snowboarding, but in broader self-consciousness, where people are realizing that consumerism and all these marketing ploys don’t have any depth? We’re being fed a false sense of accomplishment that [gives you] these highs for a very short time [through consumerism], but there’s no depth to them. When I was 19, I went to Africa with my mom and my aunt to do volunteer work at some orphanages, schools and hospitals. We met with one of the chiefs in the Masai tribe [in Kenya] and he was ex-plaining the contrast between their nomadic life and the Western life. For them, it’s so easy to have too many goats, and too much shelter to bring with them, and too much food and water. They have to live really simply, so they are always shedding material things. In Western civilization, you can never fill a bank account. It’s impossible. So you’re always looking for more and more and more, and you never reach a point where you’re satisfied. Because you think you have these goals, but your satisfaction is short-lived. Instantly you’re striving for more, and then for more. People are now looking for more deep accomplishments that are not within the material world; they’re with interactions with people and more tangible experiences. So, by showcasing things like riding a tandem bike across the country [in the summer of 2016] through Do Radical, you’re showing that you can obtain satisfaction without huge amounts of resources and material goods? Hannah and I are just regular people. As far as our resources go, we’re nothing special. We’re trying to show that it doesn’t take anything except being confident and following what you want to do. We have it all within us to go out and do whatever we want. Do radical, you know. And just go out and live. So that’s the whole goal: to inspire people and show them these approachable ways of enjoying life. And maybe giving something back. Whether it’s socially or environmentally, there are no rules. Having a more fulfilling experience, that’s the goal. 080 THE SNOWBOARDER’S JOURNAL
The Snowboarder's Journal frequency 15.2: Page 80
