It's been a while since we've boarded on our favorite glacier. Torment Summer Retreats have taken a hiatus, and the second consecutive year without Cobra Dogs and late nights at Charlie's had us thinking: what else do we miss about summer camp? We started reminiscing on old Signature Sessions™ (and the recap edits that followed), so we decided to see if those branded weeks still carried the same energy that we so fondly remembered. Matt Norris headed to High Cascade for Salomon's Signature Session™, and in between parking lot hangs, river dips, and early mornings at the Airbnb, he was able to see what really goes on, on-hill. Camp is definitely still camping, and our friend Harrison Gordon helped us realize that all week long. No one has a better perspective on summer boarding than him; he's been a camper, session pro, and newly appointed brand TM throughout the decades. So, after our week with him had come and gone, we reached out for a little more insight on the whole experience.
"All my life I wanted to be a camper at Mt. Hood. It never happened. This summer, though, I was lucky enough to get the invite from Harrison to join the Salomon Signature Session. Harrison had a big impact on me when I was younger watching his Videograss and Brown Cinema footage, and now he’s moved on to bigger things as a Team Manager at Salomon. We mic’d up Harrison and the team and got some insight to what it’s like being a pro (or a TM) at a signature session at High Cascade. Read below to hear about Harrison’s transition from professional snowboarder to industry insider." – Matt Norris
How long did you ride for Salomon Snowboards?
All in all, I rode for Salomon for 14 years.
Did you ever think you were going to be a TM/In-House?
Not really. I didn’t have any thoughts about what I was going to do until the last four to five years. I started to realize that I wanted to be a part of the industry after being a rider.
Why Salomon and not your other sponsors?
Salomon has been my longest sponsor, and I approached them about it around the same time I started to think about it—four-ish years ago. I hit them up first and was pitching something along the lines of what Iikka did with DC where he was still a rider, but more than a rider. There was some inspiration there for me.
What do they have you doing over there now, what’s your new title?
The title is, “Community and Sport Lead.” It sounds pretty ambiguous but it’s essentially a North American team manager with a shitload of other responsibilities nobody knows a team manager does.
What are those responsibilities?
Everything from creating window displays with reps and retailers, to implementing these sales contests for floor people at shops. Talking to riders about video projects and giving input on ads, potential new team riders, and product advice. A whole bunch of stuff.
Do you like it?
So far, I do. I feel really fortunate because I’ve seen so many of my friends struggle to land on their feet after their career, or whatever you wanna call it. The timing aligned perfectly because I was able to make it happen and they were able to find a place for me. It feels good. I'm excited about the winter too because I'll be snowboarding quite a bit, I just don’t have to film a part if I don’t want to.
Who is your favorite team rider to deal with?
Ooooh, that’s tough. As far as the OG’s go, I would say Louif [Paradis] and Tommy [Gesme] are really easy to work with. Some of the newer people, I would say Emma [Crosby] and B-mo [Blake Moller].
Everyone knows you were filming sick video parts before this, what was your favorite video part you filmed?
That’s tough. I guess I would say the stuff that was the best to me was the earliest stuff I did. Which would probably have ended up in Bon Voyage or something. I always tried to be well-rounded and have shots in the backcountry as well, but I just never really pulled it off to what I would have considered a success. If I had to say one, it was probably Videogracias year.
We had a good time at Mt. Hood, what did you think about that trip?
I've spent so much time up there, it felt cool to go up there with my new “title.” My homies who don’t snowboard were asking me what the difference is, and I would say it’s similar to going from a camper to a camp counselor role. Which is pretty cool, for me. I think it’s interesting listening to Hayden Rensch’s Airtime podcast about how no one talks about the next chapter after snowboarding.
Do you think it’s important for someone to have been pro to take on a role as a TM?
I think it means a lot. Coming from being a rider, it’s important to know what is actually expected of a team rider. The hope is I can be the in-between person for the riders to convey how they feel and what they want to do for the brand. For me, I was lucky to have really cool TM’s along the way, but I think it’s important for the brands to hire internally because we’re the people that really lived it and loved it. All the other skills like excel spreadsheets and emailing are really teachable. Nobody really knows the experience of being a rider like us.
What do you think about people that don’t actually snowboard running snowboard brands?
I think it depends on the person. I've had experiences with TM’s and industry people where I could have judged them for not being a former pro, but then found out they really do value it all. Your skill level doesn’t matter really, but it does matter if you actually are a snowboarder. It’s visible in the culture of brands and teams when there are people around who think they know, but don’t really.
I feel lucky at Salomon, because, within the snowboard category, everyone is a lifelong snowboarder. Some of them have been working there for the entirety of the brand, which is longer than some of the team riders have been alive. It does feel good to be in a place where there isn’t any faking.
Curveball question, who would win in a fight: Robby or Goop?
I feel like Goop is a bit more wild, which could give him an advantage. Plus he’s an arborist in the summer so I imagine he’s lifting tools and doing man shit all summer. But Robby is from New York and I bet he could scrap pretty well if he needs to. I think I’m gonna go with Goop on this one, sorry Robby. Love both you guys.
