Jason’s reaction to a four-story fall. Photo: Alex Mertz

Jason Robinson may be the nicest person you’ll ever meet in snowboarding. He wears regular-sized clothes, he is soft spoken, he hails from Montana, and isn’t trying to take advantage of anyone to get ahead. In other words, he’s a bit of an enigma in the cutthroat snowboard industry, but don’t hold that against him. I initially sat down with Jason last summer to talk about his past season and future plans. However, midway through the interview, tragedy struck and it took three months to finalize. At long last…

You’ve been working at HCSC and Windells both this summer. Is that allowed?

The summer has been great. I have been coaching at HCSC and had the opportunity to do a signature session at Windells. I’m not exactly sure how each camp views it and I know there is sort of a little sibling rivalry type relationship between the two camps, and I guess they are in nearly direct competition. I think it’s a good thing to be at both camps because at the end of the day we are all here for the same thing, to have fun being near the snow in the summertime.

The camps are definitely different — Windells more laid back and High Cascade more by the book, so which one did you enjoy more?

Ah man, tough question. I think part of that may have started from HCSC being in the diverse town of Government Camp and having to keep a more strict enforcement of rules where at Windell’s the camp is it’s own facility with not really much surrounding it. These roles may have grown to be stronger and more evident over time. When I was 13 riding for Morrow, staying with them at Hood in the summer, my buddies and I had free reign at Windells both on and off snow. I clearly remember sneaking into HCSC to hit the jumps and getting ran out of there, literally, but I get that. I love both and can’t pick a favorite, sorry Josh.

Somewhere in Lake Tahoe. Photo: Jason Tackitt

You’re a nice guy and nice guys seem to get fucked over in the snowboard industry. Why do you think that is?

I have met a lot of professional snowboarders with strong careers that are really nice guys, so I’m not sure that is true. The business world can be pretty harsh no matter what industry you are in. Success with anything takes passion and persistence.

Word on the street is that you and your brother Aaron are working on a video project. What’s that all about?

My brother is my favorite snowboarder out there. He had this idea last season because he wasn’t filming with any crew. He approached me and wanted to know if I would be down to work on more of a lifestyle oriented video, focusing on our brotherly dynamic and friends we’ve made along the way under the working title “Of Life and Love”. We have a good friend and filmer named Sam Tuor and we’ve got a few awesome up and coming snowboarders like Kyle Miller, Blake Paul, and Alex Yoder on board. With no official video sponsors or support, Aaron funded the project out of his own pocket and in a sense manifested this awesome thing single handedlly and later deceided to go with the movie title “Manifest”. I didn’t get to go on as many trips with them as I would have liked during the winter but we are trying to get the whole crew on a Chile trip to finish out the video. Look for Manifest dropping online this December. A little early Christmas present.

December?

Yeah the video market is pretty saturated in the Fall with so many videos all coming out at right around the same time and it’s easy to get lost in the mix. Plus we plan to film in Chile into September where most videos are done with filming in May.

What’s it like having a brother who is also at the professional level?

It’s amazing. The excitement I get from watching him snowboarding is inspiring. He’s younger than me but most people think it’s the other way around because of his knowledge of the mountains and his natural style. When we first got into snowboarding we rode together all the time and then I got into filming and we sort of went our own way. Now that we are both at the professional level I get to ride with him a lot now and it is awesome. There was a time I had decided to give up on the industry side of snowboarding and around that same time Aaron was coming up and started really making a name for himself and he inspired me to get back involved and work harder at it.

You filmed a full part for Think Thank’s Ransack Rebellion. Was it hard backing up an ender part (Right Brain Left Brain) while also filming for Manifest?

I definitely worked hard this winter to accomplish my goals with both projects. I think most riders would agree that you’re never completely satisfied with how your year turns out. I was in Tahoe almost the whole winter and would like to have spent more time on the road with Aaron and Sam, but I feel like I did pretty good with what I had to work with. It was still always go go go. I never had a lot of downtime and prefer it that way. It helps when you have a good crew of people to work with like Sam Tuor and Sean Lucey behind the cameras. Getting to ride with focused, positive people like Tim Eddy, my brother, and Nick Visconti makes things a lot easier too.

You and your brother are involved in the big mountain scene. Your brother focuses on the contest scene a little more than you. How is it going into the intense contest scene from the laid back vibes of filming with friends?

Aaron has it down. He treats the contests like any other day of riding. I think that’s the best way to tackle that situation. I’ve personally tried a couple of the Masters contests and I had a hard time getting into the zone. I tend to over-think it. I like to keep it more low key. The one contest I will continue to do as long as I snowboard is the Mt Baker Banked Slalom. It doesn’t feel like a contest at all. You are just taking runs with your friends, cheering each other on and going as fast as you can.

Back one to bonk. Photo: Jason Tackitt

Would you say the big mountain contest scene is a bunch of aggressive jocks?

It is pretty funny to see the vibe at big mountain events sometimes. Some people take them way too seriously but it’s kind of justified because there is a lot of money involved, as well as a lot of risks since the conditions can be very dangerous. Then there is always going to be those who take things to the next level and just jump off the biggest thing possible with little chance for a clean landing. It’s not the best vibe for me but I enjoy getting to spend time boarding around a new mountain with some of the like minded shreds these events gather, but not having 10 dudes glaring at me for doing “their line.”

I hear you have adopted the nickname “Spirit Counselor.” Where did that come from?

Burtner and Lucey were doing some interview things at the beginning of the season in Washington and it was my first time on camera for the year and it just kind of came out of my mouth and it didn’t really stick until the mini teasers dropped. I’ve been boarding for a super long time and this next year will be my 10th year filming. So if anyone gets down during the season they can come to me to lift their spirit.

Is “lift their spirits” code for “get them high”?

(Laughing) Not in the way you’re thinking about it, no.

Liar. Do you prefer to ride big mountain or street features? You tend to kill it at both.

I grew up in Montana riding mountains and powder and I didn’t start to hit rails until at least 5 years later. I feel like I do better in the backcountry. So many kids now a days are insane rail riders that I can hardly keep up with the tricks nor do I really want to try. I just try to do my own thing in the streets. I do feel like there is more room for me to be creative in the backcountry and that’s where I plan to do most of my snowboarding. You can’t always have access to powder and epic backcountry conditions though, so if you only do that type of riding then you are closing yourself off from a whole other side of boarding that is really fun and and fun to watch. So I am going to keep doing both.

Jason, both hitting a rail, and at a contest. Holy Oly ’11. Photo: Geery

The Think Thank crew is pretty diverse. Which riders do you think work the hardest?

The crew is super diverse for sure and it’s evident that all who put together a full part worked super hard towards it. Anyone who has ever filmed a part knows how much time goes into it. Burtner obviously stands out not only is he out there inventing tricks but he is busting ass to get the movie edited and handling what goes into putting out a video. There are a lot of dudes that are busy working on projects and still manage to get some sick footy. Pat Milbery giving back to the youth, running his snowboard camps, Sam Hulbert is working on the contest circuit and Hironaka is in FODT which I think is sick! I’m really stoked on the direction Tim Eddy is taking his boarding and pizzas, all natural. Nick Visconti is a big standout, he managed to get an ender part in the video, he is going to school full time, and he does Tahoe Dangerzone. It’s definitely an inspiration to see someone working that hard both inside and outside of snowboarding.

Not a lot of professional riders come out of Montana. How did you make it?

I’m not exactly sure, I think I have just stuck with it long enough. I’m 26 and have been snowboarding since I was nine. I got my first sponsor, Ignition, and started competing when I was twelve. I moved out of Montana when I was 17 to South Lake Tahoe to try and meet more people involved in snowboarding and filmed my first little part with NC. So I guess it’s taken me almost ten years. Without moving out of Montana it is extremely hard to make a name for yourself because no one really follows the Montana scene outside of Montana. Which is strange because the terrain and conditions out there are insane and so are a lot of the dudes riding it. I have some friends up here that are ripping at the level of many pros that no one in the industry will ever know of or hear of, but that is part of what makes it so special because it’s snowboarding in its purest form.

You’ve called Tahoe home for quite some time now. Are you going to spend another season there?

I have spent the last five seasons in Cali and ridden there almost exclusively. I love Tahoe! You can film a full part there without having to leave. This year I will be switching it up a bit and will be living in my home state of Montana. There is a lot of great riding here but not many people out filming everyday, so I will be traveling a lot more then I did the last few years to shoot. I live really close to the interior BC zones and plan to spend time up there. I plan to post up in both Tahoe and Washington for a bit and hope to check out some new place like Jackson Hole, Whistler, and AK.

Why leave home when you have this in your backyard? Photo: Tackitt

Initially this is where the interview took a break for the day so Jason could go fulfill his role as an employee at HCSC. The following day we were supposed to finish this Hump Day when Jason and the snowboarding world were dealt some horrible news. Aaron had passed away snowboarding in South America. Jason immediately flew home and obviously there was some time of grievance in which we waited for him to be ready to speak on the matter. Three months later he was ready:

What happened exactly?

Aaron went to Chile with Blake Paul and planned on riding and filming for a couple months. It was the third day of his trip, second day riding when the accident happened. He was riding a legendary run, Santa Terisita, and just a few turns after dropping Aaron hit a rock that was under the snow which flipped him, there was another rock where he hit his head, Aaron never regained consciousness.

How are you and your family coping?

To be honest, not very well. Everyday is different, sometimes it feels like it’s okay and sometimes it seems worse than I can explain. I am lucky to have an amazing family to go through this with. Something that is helping us cope is working on the A-Rob Plant a Seed Project. We are getting local kids here in Montana, that can’t afford to snowboard, up on the mountains for the first time. All and all it is extremely hard to deal with such a huge loss.

Volcom has been running some awesome Ad campaigns in remembrance. What is the story with that?

Aaron rocked Volcom proud and he was part of the family over there, I feel like they had big plans for Aaron that unfortunately didn’t come to fruition. I’ve got to give a big shout out to Ryan Boyce, Billy Anderson and Alex Lopez for those.

I heard that you and some others went to South America to finish up the movie after Aaron’s passing. Was that an emotional trip and how’d it turn out?

Yeah, to call it an emotional trip would definitely be an understatement. Everyone in the crew made it down for at least part of the trip though. We had a very loose plan, no car, we spoke almost no Spanish between us, but somehow just kind of made it happen one way or another; I think A-Rob was proud. I rode with a small portion of Aaron’s ashes in the chest pocket of my coat the entire trip, I could feel his presence and it made me feel strong. A few days before coming home it was the most insane day, we couldn’t get a ride to the mountain hitchhiking for hours, we even experimented with jumping into the back of moving trucks. When we finally made it to the mountain is was so windy that the top chairs were closed so we hiked up and rode though this brutal ice and wind to a zone that Aaron loved to ride. We all huddled around and said a few things in the calm of the trees then walked out onto the wind scoured ridge, each took a hand full of ashes and let him fly away.

Can we still expect the movie in December?

Yes. Watch for “Aaron Robinson’s Manifest” It is going to be an amazing emotional ride.

Does something like this dissuade or make you think twice about venturing in the backcountry?

No. I do want to learn more regarding avalanche safety and the mountains in general, but if anything I’ll spend more time in the backcountry. I have to ride some of that powder for A-Rob. It’s important to remember that this could have happened just as easily at the resort or in the streets.

Tuckin’ Knee. Photo: Tackitt

What advice can you give the younger boarders out there to avoid similar situations?

There is no way to really tell if Aaron had a helmet on if he’d still be alive. I didn’t know if I should start wearing a helmet or not after his crash, Aaron seemed so comfortable with life, and death, he viewed himself wearing a helmet snowboarding as admitting its danger, making it a requirement to wear one riding a bike, skateboarding or driving a car, since they all held similar risks. I asked my mom if she wanted me to wear a helmet when I snowboard and she did, so I wear one now.

Thanks for your time Jason. Anyone you want to thank?

Blake Paul, Sam Tuor, Gina Sgrenci and everyone else that came down for the trip, Sol Guiffrida, Sebastian Goni, Ryan Boyce, Hunter Waldron, and everyone that helped make that trip happen, my family for being strong and most of all Aaron. Smash Life!