You may remember last year we dropped this season edit from a then relatively unknown super-grom, Toby Miller.
Well, another year older and this kid is going bigger than ever before. He may be a walking advertisement for the big drinks brands and the like but he sure knows how to send it.
On second thoughts, watching this is sure to ignite a spark of anger in some people. Whilst others are off finding their own way into the snowboard “family”, working hard, riding hard, developing a natural sense of style and flair in the hope of getting picked up by sponsors, this kid is on a conveyor belt of mechanical training and endless pipe sessions, with the ambition of becoming the next Shaun White.
This kid is on a conveyor belt of mechanical training and endless pipe sessions, with the ambition of becoming the next Shaun White.
Clearly he’s in it for the long haul. He’s got a smile on his face and he gets to shred every dam day, but that could easily have consequences, don’t you think? Just take a look at the flying tomato, losing the stoke after years of high pressure competitions and big money sponsors. Is Toby on the same path?
One question, then. In the age of the uber-grom (just check out Ayumu Hirano and Marcus Kleveland) is this his own ambition? Or the ambition of the people pushing him down this path of gruelling commercialisation? It seems like the boy is running the risk of being burnt out before he even gets started.
What do you think?