Josh Chauvet

Current home: Big Bear in the winter.

Pass holder at: Snow Summit

Sponsors: Burton, Wave Rave, Reef, Black Flys, ZJ Boarding House in Santa Monica, CA

Years on board: Five years.

What was your first time like?

Josh Chauvet flying the Bear Mountain Halfpipe during the Board Aid III festivities. (Photo: Trey Tomsik)

For a long time me and my friends would go behind my house when there was snow on the ground with a skateboard deck turned around. We would drill little holes and put straps on it made from phone cords. I did that for a few years. Then one day my cousin and I rented boards. It beat us up like it beats everyone up the first time. I tried it a few more times, then went back to skiing. A friend talked me into trying it again, and I loved it. I bought a snowboard and went for it after that.

How did you get hooked up with Burton?

I rode for Solid through a guy named Steve Mendelson at first. Then Steve started reping for Sims and I didn't really have a sponsor. Last year he introduced me to Burton's team manager and their So Cal rep. After riding with them I asked the rep if I could borrow a board for a while. Now I'm on the factory program.

Why do you like Snow Summit so much?

It's fun. Where else can you go any day of the week and always have sunshine and decent snow?

What do you think of So Cal and all of the dis'ing that goes on about the area?

Everyone vibes everyone here, but you just have to put that aside and go on with life. It's a good place if you can get around all of that. Believe it or not it's better for sure than a few years ago. When the whole skate thing was more intertwined with it, it was bad.

Your folks are pretty involved with the competition circuit. How did that all come about?

My dad started going to the USASA events with me four years ago. He snowboarded, even competed a bit, but he liked helping out with the events more than competing. Then my mom started helping out. My mom was the starter for two years and my dad was a technical advisor. My parents give me a lot of support in snowboarding, or anything I want to do for that matter. They like to help with events like Board Aid. These days they're living in Catalina (an Island off of Los Angeles.) and are more out of the scene, but they still try to help out when they can.

Did you teach them to snowboard or did they teach you?

I taught them to snowboard. I took my mom behind the house and we tried it on the hill there, but she hated. Then I took my dad, he hated it. After a few months I convinced them to do it again. Now they're really into it.

I can remember a couple of times when we were living in different places and we all met somewhere to go snowboarding as a family. One year we met at Snow Valley for Christmas and rode there for the day. That was neat.

What are you trying to do with your snowboarding now?

Overall I want to portray a positive image for snowboarding. I want to have fun for the love of snowboarding not for a material reason to get rich and sit around. Sometimes it seems like the people coming into it now don't always know what snowboarding is all about. It's supposed to be fun. It would be nice to turn pro, but it is a hard struggle. I feel like I'm on my way. Hopefully I will break through soon.