To conquer the idealistic model of success in snowboard videos, one must be talented, driven, and determined to overcome anything that comes their way during the unpredictable winter. Perhaps it takes a slight obsession with their craft, a strong passion for what they believe in, working with a group for the greater good, and abiding by the unwritten rules of the game. Maybe it’s the goal of ender segments, timeless jaw-dropping clips, spots that speak aesthetically loud, receiving the highly acclaimed Rider of Video of the Year awards, or simply carving an artistic lane in snowboarding. In the last thirteen years, Spencer Schubert has already garnished all these accolades with a style and individuality that will stand the test of time.
Most don’t know Spencer’s first video part in A Little Something (2010), a local DIY crew video out of Bend, OR, which featured massive kink rails alongside countless other progressive street spots. The footage was also accompanied by 900s, back rodeos, and even a double cork in the backcountry. Who comes out of the gate swinging like that? I remember watching his part for the first time and then meeting Spenny briefly afterwards at Sam Taxwood's house. Our one-on-one sidekick-style friendship sparked when Sam left us two to hang out alone while he attended his high school prom. The first thing we did was drive around SLC and look at famous street spots together out of pure boredom. But I soon realized I wasn’t bored hanging out with Spenny.
Spencer has come a long way since repetitively watching Robot Food’s Lame and Burning Bridges growing up. He's been on trips around the world with his close friends and snowboarding’s heroes, and has twelve-plus video parts under his belt, not to mention countless serendipitous memories that molded him into the eclectic, loving character he is today. Oh yeah, and an education in life you can’t get anywhere else. Somehow, I think his greatest tribute is accomplishing all this while never graduating high school or getting a GED.
— Blake Paul
Austin Smith - Mack Dawg Productions' We're People Too (2008)
Picking only 5 parts for this list is almost impossible. I can't say the “most influential of all time” because I only know the influence each had on me at that time. Austin gets the first spot because this part is not only great, but it also played a huge role in me pursuing filming in the first place. His performance in this video is unmatched, a mix of street and backcountry hammers that won him Rookie of the Year as well as Video Part of the Year—all at the age of 17. Even today, the level of riding in this part is insane. I could break down the size of the jumps and the tricks, but that's only part of the influence I got from Austin. He was a friend of my older brother who worked at High Cascade Snowboard Camp and filmed for snowboard videos, too.
To me, those were the coolest things in the world and I wanted to emulate them. I wanted to film a part I could show to my brother and his friends that would impress them. A pretty unrealistic standard to start with when those guys were Austin Smith. What started as seeking acceptance from my idols turned into a complete obsession for filming snowboarding. Though I never ended up getting a sled or doing switch back 9s on step downs, I always drew inspiration from what this part meant to me, and how filming an ender part would be the most coveted award in life. I guess I could thank Austin for helping start me down this path, but I kind of wish my brother’s friends were doctors instead.
Louif Paradis - Déjà Vu's Encore (2015)
I've referred to Louif as God before. If you read the above paragraphs, you would also know my perspective on life is seriously fucked up. It pisses me off that Louif isn’t seen as Shaun White. Go to any snowboard park and I bet you'd see two things: someone doing a back 270 to fakie and a transfer rail feature. Both of those were popularized by Louif. In that same park, you probably won't see someone with a 28" stance in skin tight pants doing a boot grab, yet everyone at the mountain has heard of The Flying Tomato.
I think most people have pulled inspiration from Louif in one form or another. For me, it's not a single trick, it's more the way he puts everything together. I said Encore for my pick, but it's really just a placeholder for any Louif footage. I think his approach with natural speed street spots or blending what's even defined as a street spot make snowboarding look cooler as a whole. Louif is one of the all time greatest in my eyes.
Jed Anderson - Videograss' Shoot the Moon (2011)
I remember watching the premiere of Shoot The Moon and absolutely losing my mind over this part. Jed’s influence had already taken hold of snowboarding, changing how people dress and how wide they set their stance. For me, it was this part that changed what it was to film a street part. In typical VG fashion, there were funny moments with a lot of personality, but the Mazy Star song also sets a more serious tone to the part. It was the first time I had seen snowboarding to that style of music, and first time seeing that level of riding at all.
From follow cam lines and switch back 270’s to the insane switch back lip on the triple kink at the end, Jed yet again pushed the boundaries of what was possible—but also what was cool. I think a lot of street snowboarding is modeled off of this part is. Since then, Jed has put out more parts that I love, though this one gets my pick for how it affected me at the time. Also, huge shout out to the mad genius Justin Meyer and all of Videograss.
Tommy Gesme - Adidas Snowboarding's blender (2018)
Tommy, Colton, and I go way back, but that isn’t the reason for this pick. I think blender might be one of the closest strokes to perfect that a street snowboard video can get. I love the soundtrack, the spot selection, the people, their outfits, the tricks, the filming Generally speaking, I love how it's all pieced together. It's the embodiment of the type of snowboarding that makes me proud to be a snowboarder. It's the video I'd show to someone if they asked what street snowboarding is.
Tommy is a good friend of mine, so I don’t often tell him I'm such a fan of his snowboarding. He can make anything look cool, but what I really like is that he doesn’t just do anything. His tricks are thought out, and the spots are too. In a time when there are so many good snowboarders, it's less about what you can do and more how you do it. If that doesn’t make sense, then watch more Tommy.
Chris Grenier - Transworld Snowboarding's Get Real (2009)
Before Instagram and podcasts, you really only had videos and magazines to get the little insight into who these snowboarders were. I became such a huge fan of Chris after this opener part—his antics on the screen, mixed with the baggy style, was the perfect mix. A big inspiration from this part was that anytime there was a camera pointed at me after this, I thought of Chris. There's a reason he's the personality icon of snowboarding today, yet that doesn't take away from his snowboarding in this part.
I tend to think back to the back tail he did on that down bar in Ohio, and how that was the first time I saw someone do it intentionally. Obviously it was inspired from skating, but to bring it to snowboarding really opened the doors to specifically how people were sliding down rails. I also think he was ahead of the curve on the whole shaped snowboards trend, except he used his to front board a triple kink. Look for it above his head on the next Bomb Hole episode ;).
Honorable Mention: Anything Jake Kuzyk has filmed.
Of everything I’ve been talking about, it would be an injustice to not mention Jake Kuzyk. Again it's impossible to list all of the inspiration from snowboarding, but when it comes to a video part, Jake is at the top of my mind. Everyone has a different path to what drives them in snowboarding, and I felt drawn to the videos. It's seems silly to refer to a video part as art, but I do think at some point it is. For me, filming snowboarding has been the biggest platform of creative freedom in my life. The people listed above, including Jake, have been the biggest influence on that.
