“A thousand-plus miles from home in Whistler, BC, after three months on the road, moving locations every day. Late April, muddy parking lot, yet fully grounded and at peace. No better feeling than debriefing at the truck after the day.”—Blake Paul Photo: Oli Gagnon THIS PAST SEASON , snowboard fans witnessed justice in real-time during the final of the Natural Selection Tour stop in Revelstoke, BC. The inevitable match-up of Jackson’s two finest homegrown talents went as many predicted: Blake did the run we all wish we could do as smoothly as him—twice with few flaws. He made the objectively scary and difficult terrain look like a fun run. Travis went full God mode, won, and delivered an internet-breaking clip. Blake’s second-place result was fair, but the true victory was the long-overdue appreciation by the judge’s panel for what Blake’s riding represents. There’s a reason Blake is many pro-snowboarder’s favorite snowboarder. At heart, he’s the ulti-mate fan of the sport. He’s invested countless hours watching all genres of all disciplines of snow, skate and surf videos, all of which inform his creative expression. A veritable journeyman, his Rolodex is as eclectic as it gets. One week, he’s lapping Brighton with “The Mikes” (Rav, Bogs, Leblanc); the next, he’s in a raft with Rice, Mark McMorris and Mark Landvik, hiking pillow lines from a riverbank. The cast of characters around him might be doing crazier tricks, but Blake’s clips still stand out. “What’s so unique about him is he never forc-es it,” Mike Bogs hits us with the brass tacks. That’s in large part what makes Blake an era-defining rider. Like the true professional he is, he exhibits restraint in his riding, as he does in all areas of his life. He chooses to do things well or not at all. His actions communicate his conscientious approach to an activity that his-torically celebrates stunts over artistry. “I literally just got home from a trip to Europe. I hadn’t even unpacked my board bag, and he asked if I wanted to hop in the car and come to Jackson,” Bogs shares, explaining how Blake has opened doors for him, unconsciously continuing his contribu-tion to the karmic cycle that played a significant role in his jour-ney. Bogs says it was one of those moments where you intuitively know to say yes. “Before I know it, I’m in Jackson for the first time, my first real backcountry experience, and Blake was dou-bling me out to this zone with Guch, who told us that the first time he had hit that jump was in ’97.” Blake considers Bogs one of his dearest friends, describing him as “a grounding presence in the crew.” Still, Bogs wasn’t sure why Blake invited him to Jackson, but the fact that he did provided more than an extraordinary experience. “What I appreciate most about our friendship is that he gives without expectations,” Bogs continues. “That’s how he shows up in our community. He has this comfort with himself, this way of knowing what will work and what won’t, that makes you feel more at ease.” In a world bombarded by creatively constrained and quickly replicable trends, people who exhibit sophistication in their art form, like Blake, contribute more to the world than they realize. As a friend, he reminds me to take the things that matter seriously and find humor in the ones that don’t. As a snowboarder, we’re lucky to have him in our community. I’ve already started to no-tice his influence on the incoming class of pro snowboarders, who I’m sure have played Blake’s video parts on repeat throughout the years. He has drawn inspiration from the ones who’ve pulled him under their wings and others he’s admired as they flew by. He has had to learn to lean into the hard times, knowing there are lessons in every experience, good or bad. Ultimately, Blake sees each aspect of his journey as an oppor-tunity to curate and realize his dream life, knowing that every trip, friendship, project and iPhone edit he puts out will only happen once, so he’s going to do everything he can to make it as great as he pictures it in his mind. Because life is crazy, how we do it matters, and all we have is now. BLAKE PAUL 083
The Snowboarder's Journal The Snowboarder's Journal 21.2: Page 83
