“This shot was taken at Bearsden dry slope by Stevie McKenna, who had been talking about how good the light gets there when the sun starts to set.
“I know some people don’t really like dry slope, but it’s a great way to cut your teeth and can make you a better rider”
Bearsden is my local slope in Glasgow and where I learnt to snowboard in the first place. I know some people don’t really like dry slope, but it’s a great way to cut your teeth and can make you a better rider (if nothing else, a bit tougher from all the carpet burn!). I was proper keen to get a good shot from there, to really show how fun dry slope can be.
We actually managed to get a couple of really nice shots but I’m singling this one out because of the trick – a backside 180. It’s definitely of my favourite tricks because there’s so many different ways to do them. There are tons of things you can do to make it your own, so it’s really fun to play about with. I love going as big as possible on back 1s because you can fully appreciate how high you’re going, and with the slow rotation it kind of makes you feel like you’re floating.
“I love going as big as possible on back 1s… the slow rotation it kind of makes you feel like you’re floating”
On this particular hit I remember sending it right down the bottom of the landing and having to Shaun-White-squat my way through the transition, so successfully riding away from it was a pretty good feeling.
It was a great night, like so many others I’ve spent up at that slope, which is why I think I like the shot so much. It reminds me how much fun I’ve had riding over the years, and hopefully shows that even if you can’t make it to the mountains all that often, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a rad time riding in the UK.”
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