You can’t see it, but Mike has a portable amp in his backpack. The traveling musician shreds while shredding at Squaw Valley, CA. Photo: Oli Gagnon Outside of school Mike and Nick filmed a sponsor-me tape that got them hooked up with Eastern Boarder, which would soon lead to Mike’s introduction to the folks at Capita. On the snowboarding front everything was going great, but back home things were a bit bumpier. “My parents separated just as I was getting into college,” Mike says. “My house was never really a place of love between them my whole life, so it’s not like I really saw them as together anyway. When they split it was like, ‘Damn, you guys could’ve probably done this sooner and saved yourself a bit of hassle.’ I’m sure that they stayed together for us, which I respect, but at the same time I think a problem that we all have is sometimes not putting ourselves first when we need to. You start putting other people first, when really you can’t help them unless you put yourself first. My parents are the most loving people, they’re really amazing and I’m very fortunate for them. It’s just hard times and sometimes we don’t even realize that we’re in them, and they happen to be at the expense of others. I’m in the same boat, though. I should’ve been more receptive at the time, more open to help.” In college Mike turned heads with his experimental park riding at Loon thanks to a popular web series called “Loonatics,” as well as videos that showcased his top-shelf board control in the streets. He traveled west to Mt. Hood, OR for his first summer snowboarding experience at High Cascade Snowboard Camp where he met Mark Dangler, who was gearing up to shoot Capita’s acclaimed team film, Defenders of Awesome (2011). Mike earned the opportunity to have a full part in the movie alongside legends such as Scott Stevens and Jess Kimura and rose to the challenge. He put together a memorable part that furthered his standing as a resourceful rail rider and followed it up with standout performances in Keep The Change and Videograss films Holy Smokes (2012) and Roll Call (2013), as well as Defenders of Awe-some 2 in 2014. With each successive video part Mike’s style became more and more his own, but it wasn’t until the next chapter of his story that he felt like he honed in on it. After spending a few years in New Hampshire following his gradu-ation with a bachelor’s in business, Mike began to feel stagnant. He moved west to Salt Lake City, where he roomed with Christian Bu-liung and started riding Brighton Resort. Fellow East Coaster Parker Szumowski joined them eventually. Although they had little funds, Mike looks back fondly on that time. “We’d have to pool money to-gether to buy potatoes and live off those for however many days,” he says. “Christian was working at the soup kitchen, so he’d bring back breadsticks and soup. It was honestly one of the best times of my life. It was so pure because we weren’t stressed about having a lot of money. It was a really special time in my career too, where I was able to start developing what I now see as my style. That was when we were just about to film for the Vans video, Landline .” (2018). Mike’s style, which is hallmarked by his ability to find and ride street spots where few else would see potential, shone through in the film. It was refined. Outside of snowboarding Mike was increasingly getting into in making music, an interest dating back to his days in the Worcester triplex. “My uncle on the top floor, Tony Postale, he’s an incredibly talented guitarist,” Mike says. “He’s still in bands and sends me videos of his bands playing. At family gatherings we’d be jamming, and he’d show me some classic chords. He was very patient with me. But he’d also throw me into some riffs—that’s the way it’s got to be. Just like with everything else, sometimes you’ve got to throw yourself into the mix and just start swimming and see what happens. Then all of a sud-den, you’re jammin’. I started traveling around with a guitar when I wasn’t even good because you have to keep plugging away at it. Some people were probably burnt on me playing the same riffs for a couple years straight, but eventually it got better.” Like any creative outlet Mike dabbles in—painting, poetry, playing guitar—he draws parallels between music and snowboarding. “It’s the exact same thing,” he says. “For snowboarding it’s about getting your feet into certain positions to hit your tricks and for guitar it’s learning how to get your hands to the right place to make the right sounds. Over time, you start being able to bend notes and put your own twist on things, which is like tweaking a grab.” In 2018 Mike teamed up with Brandon Cocard to create EP , a unique short video they shot and scored with music they made themselves over a two-week span in Truckee, CA. They filled out the band with snowboarders includ-ing Tim Eddy, Zac Marben and others, and made a similarly themed video, FutureMystique , the following year. MIKE RAVELSON 039
The Snowboarder's Journal The Snowboarder's Journal 19.1: Page 39
