Age: 23

Sponsers: Burton, Arnette, Heavenly Valley

Summertime: Surfing in Mex.

Wintertime: South Lake Tahoe, California

I’ve never seen someone progress in snowboarding as fast as Brian Richardson. I first met Brian four years ago in South Lake Tahoe. It was the fall quarter of school, and we’d both just moved to South Lake to ride and go to school and were waiting for the local ski resorts to open. Brian told me all about growing up surfing in San Diego and how his dad lives in Mexico, right above some super famous surf spot on the cliffs over looking the ocean. He was a little frustrated with the fact he couldn’t surf and it wasn’t winter yet, so he learned how to skate really well in just a couple of weeks. Winter finally came and we rode Kirkwood every day. Brian had a little bit of a problem keeping up with everyone–it was only his second season riding. It was funny because he was a sponsored surfer who competed, then he tried snowboarding, figured it out, and moved to the mountains. He could barely do any straight airs when I started riding with him early that winter. Every couple of weeks I’d go away for a week or so, come back and he’d always have some new trick to show me. The next thing I knew he was taking me to his misty lines and spots. He was constantly fine-tuning his style and his confidence to go big off everything.

One year later, after a season and a half of snowboarding, he’s riding for Burton as an amateur. I couldn’t believe this kid. He left the surf world because he no longer wanted to deal with competing and sponsors, and the next thing you know he is traveling around with me, doing the same thing in snowboarding. Crazy! Brian is a perfect example of someone who finds a certain sense of love for a sport, like snowboarding, and always has to progress because he has so much fun evolving with a talent he never knew he had.

Brian Richardson is a badass who hasn’t even begun yet, which is scary. Yo! Brian, you’re my boy, I just want to say I am really proud of you. Mad respect.–John Sommers

Brian would like to thank, his mom, dad, and grandpa. Barry and Vince at Burton, Mike Carter at Arnette, Bill Smaine at Heavenly, Artie at FLF, Ben Worth, K.O.R.E. Entertainment, John Sommers, Rob Ricky of United Media, Green Cowboy Photography, all the bros and some of the hos.