If you were around in the heyday of snowboarding you’ll be well acquainted with pioneer Mike Basich. Those newer to the sport might falter slightly, as you won’t have seen him commentating at the Olympics or filling a pundits chair on ESPN, but rest assured Mike Basich is one of the OG’s. Mike’s decades long professional career has multiple highlights, including some exquisite movie parts but quite possibly most notably his stonking 120ft (give or take, depending on who you ask) heli drop ‘selfie’. A man who paved his own way in the sport, who dropped off the competitive radar at the peak of his contest career to take the road less travelled.
When Mike veered off the beaten track he ended up in the secluded Sierra Nevada, right in the heart of the wilderness and began fashioning his new home. A secluded log cabin with 84 acres of land that has slowly but surely become a lifestyle as much as it is an abode. TV Host and adventurer Ben Fogle journeyed out to visit Mike to film the latest episode of Channel 5’s ‘New Lives In The Wild’, and we get to see an insight into the life Mike has built for himself and his family. Mike shows us his personal ski resort, Area 241, which boasts its own private chairlift, his ingenious solar powered hut and even his homemade hot tub. It’s worth a watch if you’re dreaming of escaping the rat race, or even just to see Mike in action on his board once again. Click here to go to Channel 5 and watch Mike’s full episode.
