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Jetpack is everything that is right in snowboarding. I don’t usually like to get into all those debates on the “state of the industry” or “what snowboarding needs” and all that because who am I to say, but I’m pretty sure what snowboarding needs is more of this. While you may think Jetpack is simply the latest and greatest girls crew in a growing scene, it is much more than that. It encompasses everyone who is a part of their lives, making the journey unforgettable and the good times legendary. The life and times that make the juice worth the squeeze, if you will.
In my humble opinion, what people in the snowboard industry need to do to ensure the prosperity and future of this lifestyle that some call a sport, is what Jetpack does with every episode; show just how much f@%ing fun snowboarding is. The ludicrous-speed progression that’s been happening lately feels alienating, even to someone like me who works in the industry. I can’t imagine what a kid getting their first taste of snowboarding thinks when they see a quad cork, but I bet it’s intimidating as sh!t and probably discouraging. Someone might see that and think “Well I’ll never be able to do that EVER, might as well not try.” I know I have. But when someone sees a Jetpack video that’s filled with friends, laughter, stoke, and people genuinely enjoying snowboarding, that’s going to convince a first timer that snowboarding might actually be pretty awesome! And it’s not like they’re watching beginner level riding either, everyone who’s a part of Jetpack is incredibly talented, they just know how to have fun while killing it and portray that feeling on the small screen.
We could also all learn to ditch the ego. We’re not cooler or better than anybody else just because we’re able to stand sideways on a piece of wood and fall down a mountain. Once you lose the ego and become open to anyone and everyone who has a good attitude and a desire to ride, snowboarding becomes a much more fun and welcoming place. I know it sounds crazy, but the more comfortable people are the more they’ll want to ride. Shocking. Jetpack does this perfectly by being all about the group. It’s obvious in their videos that they know how much better snowboarding is when you’re surrounded by happy, stoked individuals, whether they are good, bad, or even snowboard at all. Hell, Mary Rand’s mom had some clips in Mission 2 and on Instagram, and it was awesome! If everyone is so worried about the industry dying or losing participants, maybe it’s high time we look at how we market to/treat people trying to get into it in the first place.
Sorry if all that got long and preachy, but I decided to write this blog with the sheer hope that at least a few people will read this and watch the videos and feel the way I do about Jetpack. That they will get inspired to ride and crave the feeling every time they see one of these episodes. And, ultimately, that they’ll want to get the full movie when it drops this fall! Because at the end of the day, Jetpack isn’t about being too cool or being a precision contest machine or immediately jumping on the latest trends or even about being the best. It’s about the pure joy of snowboarding with those that matter most to you, and that is what everyone outside of our little sideways bubble needs to know about snowboarding. Enjoy.
Ridiculous amounts of props to Amanda Hankison for being the brains and the brawn behind Jetpack and to everyone at Snowboarder Magazine and Brighton Resort for fully backing their missions through time and space. Jetpack is Nirvana Ortanez, Isabella Boriello, Mary Rand, Danika Duffy, Marie Hucal, Corinne Pasela, Alexa McCarty, Amanda Hankison, and anyone and everyone along the way.
