Our next interviewee is somewhat of a hometown hero. From the snow heavy flanks of Mt Baker to the high alpine riding of Crystal Mountain, Sky has been making a name for himself one giant leap at a time. I had the chance to talk to Sky when he made it out to Seattle for the Deeper Primer and talk to him about what lines is he Jonesing for this upcoming season.
Name: Orion Sky Rosveld
Primary Location, Home Mountain, or Home Range: The Heart of Cascadia, Crystal Mountain, The Cascades.
Primary Solid Board: Gnu Billy Goat by Temple Cummins and the Lib Tech Dark Series
Primary Split Board: Lib Tech T-Rice split.
Preferred Binding System: Karakoram Split30
Boot: Salomon F22
How Long Have You Been Snowboarding Semi-Professionally? Since I placed 11th in Pro at the Banked Slalom in 2008.
How Long Have You Been Splitboarding? 2 years
What Compelled You to Begin Splitboarding? I love being in the backcountry, and splitboarding is like having a magic carpet.
Gnarliest or most Extensive Approach for a Single Line: Up steep shallow snow with ice underneath to get to a chute to valley run on the Volcán Villarica, just outside of Pucón, Chile.
Ideal Backcountry Day: Super far out back at Crystal Mountain, 20 degrees, sunny, stable snowpack, 2 friends and we are getting epic footage. Anywhere in the Cascades on day like this.
Lifetime Goal or Objective, a Line You’ve Been Eyeing for a While, or What Would Be your Dream Trip? Japan eternal levitation to the top and bird play flight on the way down. There are so many lines I’ve been eyeing. Some on Shuksan…we’ll see. Far South at Crystal.
Favorite Backcountry Meal: Rainier Organic Bakery Sasquatch Sprouted bread (3 slices) with 2 layers of peanut butter or almond butter, raisins, cheese, and an apple. It’s the double-decker.
Favorite Piece of Gear (and Why): Merino base layers, because I can wear them for 4 days and they’ll still smell alright.
Favorite Place You’ve Travelled (and Why): Chile, the culture is rich, the food is excellent, the people are friendly, and the mountains majestic
Sponsors: Mervin Mfg, Smith, Crystal Mountain Resort, evogear.com, INNATE, and One Ball Jay wax. Mike Martini hooks it up with Patagonia outerwear.
Print/ Movie Appearances: Photos in frequency, SnowStyle Japan, Bomb Snow, the Bellingham Herald! And random internet movies with Funner and Forrest Burki. This season I’ll be filming with Sam Tuor and the Robinson brothers (Aaron and Jason) for “Of Life and Love.” and with Sam Giffin “Y”
Local Causes You’re Passionate About: Lummi Nation Flow Skate & Snow. Connecting with first nation peoples at parks and mountains.
Other Stuff You Do (music, volunteerism, art, school, etc.): I paint, write songs, and practice qi gong.
Website/Blog: ranaboats.com rana = frog in Spanish
