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Thank U Snowboarding
Thank U Snowboarding - S1 - Ep14 - Vicky and Nige Brookes
Season 1, Ep. 14
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Vicky and Nige Brookes are lifers, simple as that. They have built their lives around a love of snowboarding, finding any which way to keep them doing what they love. They started off living in a van in Chamonix doing seasons way back when, and I can tell you, I lived in an Ambulance in Val D'Isere for a week in 94 and came close to dying, so its no mean feat they van lifed it, before there was such a thing as van life.
So, having a child that snowboards would seem like a natural extension of their love for the mountains, which they did. The fact that this child got really fucking good is a testament to their love of the sport and their enthusiasm for it. When you chat to Nige ad Vicky, it makes sense, and they have done everything they can to enable Mia to pursue her talent, again, back to the van life in Laax, living frugally to afford Mia the opportunity to ride everyday.
You can see that in her riding and the joy that it brings her parents, who are an absolute pleasure to hang out with and are in no way precious about their daughter and the lifestyle that now encompasses them, they seem to embtace it and enjoy the journey.
I saw Nige being interviewed at the X Games, and he isn't banging Mia's drum as much as championing snowboarding and womans snowboarding in particular, which is pretty cool, as he could be insular about what Mia could and does acheive, but they are in it for snowboarding, and that is rad.
Their own story is as interesting and I think its gonna get a whole lot more interesting as time goes on... I hope there will be a part 2 of this at some point, I'd love to know what Mia thinks about the stories of their parents snowboarding...
We mention the Greg Stump movie 'The Blizzard of Ahhh's' which you can check out now on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzv12VwCKEfXL1TBup-ByCA
If you'd like to send us pictures of you riding for our Instagram or a rad story or your thoughts about snowboarding, hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.com
If you need kit for your next trip to the dryslope or mountains, give our friends at The Snowboard Asylum a shout: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/ where you'l aslo find info about their Shred Weeks...
I mention the Upbattle splitboarding weekends, if you want to know more about that, check out their https://www.instagram.com/upbattlesplitboarding/
Nice one x
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12. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep12 - Hannah Duncalf
01:29:20||Season 3, Ep. 12This episode is a great example of how Snowboarding, possibly unlike other 'sports' can bring people together. I'd never met Hannah before and we sat down as strangers, but by the end of the interview I felt I'd made a new friend. Then we went shredding and had a great day with a solid crew, some up from Bourg and other Tignes locals, all chopping around in the bit of pow we had, laughing on chairlifts and basically, doing what snowboarders do.I wanted to tell stories like Hannah's because doing a season is a joy in itself, and for some, one season turns into a life and a career. I wanted to show that is is possible, no matter where you are from, that you too can carve a life out in the mountains, and that there are people that speak your language, come from where you come from, doing the thing you might want to do.It is totally do-able and hannah is the proof, that as well as snowboarding, she had carved her career doing other things she loves too, it isn't just a subsistance lifestyle of doing whatever to get by (well, it might be early doors) but you can pursue your other passions out in the mountains and live a life that is rewarding in all aspects.You can find out more about Hannah by visiting her instagram @hannah.tadasanayogaIf you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comIf you are interested in merch, we have T's and Hoodies in all sizes, hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their sale is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
11. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep11 - Skier Jim
01:50:32||Season 3, Ep. 11If there had to be one skier who blurs the line between skiing and snowboarding, it is Jim Adlington aka Skier Jim. He doesn't necessarily ski like a skier, and is definitely 'one of us' in terms of personality and outlook. Its quite mad that given the community in Tignes which he would fit right in with, he lives over the mountain in bat shit crazy Val D'Isere, a town which has transformed in many ways since I was last there 31 years ago. In fact Jim lives in the same apartment block that I first lived in for two weeks whilst trying to find a job and life over there when I was 19, which wa a bit of a mind bender.Jim owned and ran Planks, a very succesful clothing brand out of Val and he talks candidly about that story arc, why it closed and what he is up to now. He loves DJing, which we did talk about a lot before and after I pressed record (a bit geeky even for me!) we took a walk round Val, Jim certainly is part of the furniture there, we could barely walk for 50 yards without someone stopping to say hi, and it was great to see someone be as fondly regarded as he is.Jims love for the mountains is infectious, as is his interest in life. We talked a lot about all sorts of things and the podcast is only part fo that, I"m very much looking forward to hanging out with Jim again as soon as possible (he says loading a bag with vinyl in anticipation of the call...)If you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comIf you are interested in merch, we have T's and Hoodies in all sizes, hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their sale is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
10. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep10 - Lewey Payne (Douk Snowboards)
01:55:09||Season 3, Ep. 10If Lewey was hand building snowboards in the Alps, or Japan, no-one would bat an eyelid, but as a guy building boards in the UK, he stands out as different. But Lewey is a prime example of someone being exactly where they want to be in life. Sure, he could be a bit bigger and maybe have an employee or two, but as someone who loved snowboarding, who found someone needing an apprentice to learn how to build snowboards, local to where he lived in the West Country of the UK, whose Dad was working nearby and popped his head it to see they had received his application instantly pushing his CV to the top, is a wild set of circumstances. Or meant to be.I enjoyed making this episode so much, from getting to know Lewey and our conversation, to the time spent building a board and getting hands on in his workshop.Lewey isn't just a snowboard brand, maybe not even a brand, but he is a craftsman. Every board that comes from his factory has felt his hands a hundred times, the only automated process being a C&C machine to router the shape and the inserts, everything else is done by hand, and it is glorious.You can watch the process in a video up on our Youtube channel here: https://youtu.be/c2ApXTeo1tMAnd you can find out about DOUK Snowboards by heading to their website here: https://www.douksnow.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooHJEi3JmLCJw0FYx6sCsKvAdTrRlXQNJATkKQRo7UrBprB_2BeIf you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comIf you are interested in merch, then hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
9. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 Ep9 - Stewart Morgan
02:05:30||Season 3, Ep. 9Stewart blasted into the snowboard industry, missioned with hooking up a team of riders and spreading the Oakley name as far and as wide as possible, and boy, did they choose the right person.Anywhere he went, he would look after his team and associated people, if he saw someone on the mountain struggling with their goggles, bam, he'd hand them a pair. He was generous to a fault, I can only wince if I think how much product Stewart used to give out, but then again, that was his mission, and Oakley make fucking great goggles. In fact, I've pretty much always used them.Stewart took that mentality to other sports too, watching Olympic athletes all wearing Oakley sunnies, that was his doing. His energy for looking after people took him around the world and he has countless outrageous stories to tell, we only scratched the surface in this interview, but he is genuinely one of the most generous individuals to have worked in snowboarding and there are a ton of riders who owe him their careers.Thank U Stewart xIf you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comIf you are interested in merch, then hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
8. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep8 - Ash Strain
01:38:33||Season 3, Ep. 8Ash is another one of those people who has an infectious energy for snowboarding. His path has taken in many facets of the lifestyle of snowboarding, from a job in the industry to playing in bands out in the Alps, (probably in the wrong order) and maybe he lost the love for it at points. As a community we are thankful that Ash is still with us. Sadly, the lifestyle of snowboarding can be an easy place to get lost in, and I think this is a conversation that is starting slowly to be had, but one that there are quite a few people who aren't willing to have it.If you are worried about the amount of alcohol you are consuming or worried about a loved one, then you can speak to Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 which is an NHS service, or you can get help and advice from https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/get-help-now or https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/Luckily, we do still have Ash and his infectious laughter and smile, and I for one, hope to see him on a board soon, and take some laps and hear some more of his stories on a chairlift.If you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comIf you are interested in merch, then hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
7. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep7 - Izzi Jones
01:33:03||Season 3, Ep. 7Izzi has an infectious love of snowboarding, everytime I"ve seen her, she has a big smile on her face and you can tell she is so stoked on snowboarding. We met at the Spring Break and I'm sure Shannon from the TSA had mentioned her, so we got chattng and I found out she runs meet ups for snowboarders, which, I'd never really thought was a thing. Back in the day, you just went where there was snowboarders and you got chatting. But I guess these days, with higher social anxiety, amongst other problems, people want to feel like they will be safe and putting on social events is a great way to welcome more people into our great world.Through her social events, there is a burgeoning crop of people who just love snowboarding and the people around it and are finding 'their tribe' which is great to see, and The Reason magazine championed that in the latest copy of their magazine.Snowboarding in the UK needs people like Izzi to keep the community alive, we all live such disparate lives, but getting together with fellow snowboarders is always a joy, so if you need companions for the shred, take a look at https://www.instagram.com/snowcone.social/?hl=en-gbIf you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comIf you are interested in merch, then hit us up at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
6. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep6 - Russ Shea
01:49:39||Season 3, Ep. 6Russ has been quietly shaping and documenting the best of British Snowboarding for as long as I can remember. I didn't really know what Russ did entirely, he was just everywhere, at every event or happening for ever. I assumed he had something to do with organising things, maybe the Brits, maybe dryslope things, then of course, I noticed he started shooting snowboarding as more and more of his photos appeared in magazines. It felt like he worked with Snowboard UK and Document magazine mostly, and certainly whoever was coming off dryslope and turning their attention to bigger things, but I didn't realise just how involved he was in representing British Snowboarding to the wider world.He is well tarvelled because of this, totally grounded and prior to the interview I enjoyed a ride or two dwon from the Kaurnatal glacier, chatting about all sorts of things, including his love of Lambrettas (definitely not Vespas)He is planning to release a book of some of his fine images next year, which we'll keep you updated about. and is still frothing for snowboarding after all this time.Its people like Russ that make the British scene, just regular people, with relatively regular lives, but with a deep love of snowboarding and the people within it.Keep on shredding Russ. xIf you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
5. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep5 - James Stentiford
01:50:10||Season 3, Ep. 5James has probably ridden more powder than any other UK rider (except Neil Mcnab probably) and has hard earned his repuatation as one of Europes best freeriders. From his early skate style snowboarding, to the big peaks of Chamonix, his career has taken him around the world to many far flung places, a bug for adventure he still services with his own camps.Eschewing the usual pro snowboarder turned industry bod, which to be fair, he tried for a bit, he realised that actual snowboarding was way better than talking snowboarding, but instead of just persuing a solo pursuit, he shares his love of adventure and powder with his clients, making sure they have a good time, ride epic lines and come away safely to enjoy a beer at the end of the day.If you want to know more about James' camps, you can find his website here: https://www.stentifordsnowboarding.co.uk/If you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x
4. Thank U Snowboarding - S3 - Ep4 - Martin Drayton
01:50:23||Season 3, Ep. 4Martin Drayton is one of UK snowboardings founding fathers. There it is. Simple. A kid from London who found skateboarding and then snowboarding, got himself to the Alps to do seasons, helped set up a frame work for teaching snowboarding, helped set up The Snowboard Asylum, was a pro for Burton back when no-one was pro, raced internationally, was a major part of Chalet Snowboard, even tried to qualify for the Olympics with no support from anyone, then tried again to represent Trinidad.So many of my guests stories go back to Martin, he has quielty and modestly help shape UK Snowboarding, and there he is, 24 seasons deep in Park City, teaching people of all levels the finer aspects of snowboarding.The word legend gets bandied about a lot (by me, I know) but this guy is one, at 66 stilll going strong, surviving a hit and run on the mountain, back on it, riding as many days as he can.Thank U Martin for everything you've done for us. xHere are some links to articles and whatnot Martin sent over, there will be loads of photos on the Instagram and the Youtube version will have a photo gallery.https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/03/06/utah-snowboard-instructor-spine-fracture/https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/khai/60-the-new-30?brid=OkqpvVvKtAtIHbnAAqWTmQhttps://youtu.be/RYW9TywjzPIhttps://www.facebook.com/share/v/19bWedAQfd/?mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://www.facebook.com/share/v/17mV19jQUZ/?mibextid=wwXIfrIf you want to know more about the Thank U Snowboarding Community Camp in March 26, there are details here: https://thankusnowboarding.wixsite.com/spring2026 or you can email us at thankusnowboarding@gmail.comWe are supported by the rad crew at The Snowboard Asylum, and their new website with all this seasons product is online now: https://www.snowboard-asylum.com/We are also looked after by Dan and Lizzie at Burton https://www.burton.com/gb/en and Tom at High Days for Volcom https://highdaysltd.com/I'd like to take a moment to introduce FourTwenTea, which is delicious tea embibed with CBD oil, which I have been drinking over this summer, just to help keep my brain from overheating. Its completely natural, Jemma, the owner, is a snowboarder and total legend and I can't recommend this stuff enough, so go check it out: https://fourtwentea.com/Peace x