There is no question that Neil Provo has made a name for himself within the Wasatch Range of Utah. Mixing freeride terrain with a freestyle element, his style and grace has received the attention of companies and media alike. In this installment Neil talks about what got him into splitboarding and what gets him stoked when riding in the backcountry.
Name: Neil Provo
Primary Location, Home Mountain, or Home Range: Wasatch/Uintas, Utah
Age: 22
Primary Solid Board: Rossignol Experience
Primary Split Board: Rossignol Experience with split kit
Preferred Binding System: Spark R&D
Boot: Burton Serow
How Long Have You Been Snowboarding?: 15 years
How Long Have You Been Splitboarding? 5 years
What Compelled You to Begin Splitboarding? Trying to keep up with my brother and his skier buddies on snow shoes wasn’t working out for me! When i learned about splitboarding i was hooked. A whole new window of opportunity opened up…
Where has Split Boarding taken you? Mainly, splitboarding has taken me farther away from the mass heards of people at the resorts!
Gnarliest or most Extensive Approach for a Single Line: Oh only about a 5 hour hike, luckily things are pretty stacked in Utah and you don’t have to go far to find the goods. I am stoked to get into multi day tours and things like that, cover more ground.
Ideal Backcountry Day: Fresh deep stable powder, a good crew of friends, Cold and bluebird, a nice lunch with good snacks, and an epic zone to ride with no humans in sight!
Lifetime Goal or Objective, a Line You’ve Been Eyeing for a While, or What Would Be your Dream Trip? Thats a tough one, riding in Alaska has always been one of my lifetime goals. Doesn’t get much better then AK!
Favorite Backcountry Meal: Superfood enhanced Pb&j, candy of some sort, some hot tea, and a good smoke to finish it off.
Favorite Piece of Gear (and Why): Splitboard, for it brings me the most joy in life
Favorite Place You’ve Travelled (and Why): British columbia, it is the land of pillows
Sponsors: Backcountry.com, Rossignol, Smith Optics, The Levitation Project, dakine
Print/ Movie Appearances: A few photos here and there in Snowboard, Transworld, and Snowboarder magazines. Filmed with F.o.d.t. from 2000-2007, Red bull Massive in 2008, and TGR in 2009-2010
Local Causes You’re Passionate About: Legalizing cannabis…
Other Stuff You Do: Fly fishing, skateboarding, mountain biking, backpacking
Website/Blog: http://www.neilprovo.com/
