Making a street project isn’t easy, and it’s even harder when it’s your first shot at it. The ABG crew took it all in stride and pulled it off. Keep scrolling to hear first hand from the women of ABG.
Featuring: Liv Ruddell, Rori Avelar, Ella Sorenson, and Maggie Galloway
Where are you from?
Rori Avelar: Flagstaff, Arizona
Liv Ruddell: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Maggie Galloway: Cleveland, Ohio
How did you all meet and come together?
Rori: We met in the usual SLC fashion; Casually boarded together, and then one day said, Fuck it, let’s make a movie.
Liv: Mars was in retrograde or something.
Maggie: Liv moved into my house in 2023, we’ve been pretty much inseparable since. I met Rori on-hill. I had a camera and we both wanted to film. Jeff Holce threw us in a group chat and we just started getting after it.
How hard is it to film an independent project?
Rori: There’s definitely a lot that goes into it beyond just snowboarding; Figuring out travel, finding spots, and hoping the snow and weather line up. We filmed mostly around Salt Lake City, but we also took a 20-hour drive to Minnesota, which was so much fun. We learned a lot along the way and made it work with what we had. I think figuring it all out together is part of what made it so special.
Liv: 6/10 hard 10/10 fun.
Maggie: I wouldn’t say it's necessarily hard, we are all just learning and growing as it happens. Money would definitely be comforting, but if you want it bad enough you’ll make it work with whatever you have in your bank account. At the end of the day, it’s just fun.
Best part of making your own project?
Rori: I loved being able to create something that felt like us. Having the freedom to share ideas and be involved in how the project came together made it feel more personal. We got to spend so much time together, and those memories are just as special to me as the final video.
Liv: The creative freedom and hanging out with my friends in parking lots.
Maggie: I’d say nobody telling us what to do. While editing the video, the team was updated on daily editing progress and if somebody didn't like something, we’d take it out. It’s not like somebody else has the clips and we have no creative freedom.
If any help, who did it come from?
Rori: Big shoutout to everyone at Salomon who believes in me, and of course Jeff Holce.
Liv: Jeff.
Maggie: Jeff Holce for sure. We wouldn't be here without him.
Who’s the most experienced street rider in the crew?
Rori: Honestly, we’re all pretty new to street riding, so it’s kind of just the blind leading the blind. We’re figuring it out together and having a lot of fun along the way.
Liv: We’re all new here.
Maggie: I want to say none of us because we all started at the same time. It was for sure a journey.
Who’s the most hyped to be on the session?
Rori: I’d say it’s pretty equal for all of us. We’re always hyping each other up, and when someone lands a trick, we’re all just as stoked.
Liv: Me, but in secret.
Maggie: I want to say me because 90% of the time I'm just sitting behind the camera and cheering the homies on. I see some spots and I’m so stoked I’m not the one hitting it.
Who’s the last one out the door?
Rori: Oh gosh, most definitely me. I have a kit crisis just about everyday.
Liv: Which door?
Maggie: We all exist as a unit and leave together, but for sure Rori.
Do you all work jobs?
Rori: I work as a server during the winter, which helps me make snowboarding happen. In the summer, I try to live by the beach and pick up different jobs. Last summer I worked at a coffee shop, so my day job kind of depends on the season, haha.
Liv: I work at Milo, run socials for The Uninvited, and do some freelance art and design.
Maggie: I work too many jobs. In the summer I paint houses for my brother and cater for wildland firefighters. I work at evo SLC, do content for Burton, work for a catering company, and I’m currently on tour with Warren Miller, MCing the film tour.
Top three people that inspire you?
Rori: Chris Waker, my friends, and my parents. Wouldn’t be here without them.
Liv: The Milo boys, Kim Deal, Alexis Sablone.
Maggie: The homies, my family, and Taylor Swift; but only the Enchanted album era.
Goals in snowboarding/outside of snowboarding?
Rori: Honestly to just keep having as much fun as I can on board. I wanna keep pushing myself and filming with all my friends, and help create a space for more women in the streets and backcountry. Outside of snowboarding, my goal is to start eating gluten again so I can finally drink a Guinness and split the G.
Liv: I want to be an Eagles cheerleader someday.
Maggie: I think it would be dope to not spend any personal money on a project. Definitely would like a job within the industry sometime soon.