Without even knowing it, he led by example and showed several generations what to avoid but even more importantly, where it was possible to go. Over his 15-year professional career, he won 4 world championships and 3 U.S. championships; he won the Mt. Socially Awkward: Terje Haakonsen addresses the tweet heard round the action sports w Gretchen Bleiler with Conan O'Brian Tonight Show, Socially Awkward: Terje Haakonsen addresses the tweet heard round the action sports world, R.I.P. Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions. VANCOUVER (CP) - In the snowboarding world Craig Kelly was considered an icon, a builder of the sport and a man who loved escaping the confines of resorts to ride in the pristine backcountry. On the day of his death, Kelly was making the transition froman ambassadorial rider for Burton into a full time mountain guide.It was while out on a training exercise that the avalanche struck, in aravine near Nelson, British Columbia, where Kelly had made his homewith wife Savina and their two-year-old daughter Olivia. He was no slacker, telling onemagazine I constantly think about working a certainmuscle group or perfecting a particular techniqueif my riding doesnt feel technically perfect. It paidoff: in 1986, he won the slalom event at the WorldChampionships in Breckenridge, Colorado, and asthe 1980s came to an end and his star was rising, heswitched teams from Sims to Burton in the sportsfirst acrimonious court case, and claimed Burtonsfirst pro model. SNOWBOARDERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Craig Kelly is survived by his daughter, Olivia, and partner, Savina. He shocked the snowboard industry by walking away from multimillion-dollar deals[citation needed], at the height of the snowboard craze, to pursue his passion for freeriding. Craig had starring, uncredited, roles in Siberia and P-Tex, Lies & Duct Tape, which were both Greg Stump films. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Craig got arrested with Keith (Duckboy) Wallace at the 1991 June Mountain Op Pro for riding off the lodges roof. He won virtually everycompetition there was, including four world championship titles ina row, and along the way, helped shape, research and design manyof Burtons products. His daughter, Olivia, was born a few months after, a beautiful souvenir from the road, as he once said. In a Snowboard Life magazine article a few years ago, Kelly referred to snowboards as little more than toys and pointed out that snowboarders good times in the hills are merely an evolution of the fun touring skiers have been onto longer than anyone can remember. Wise, poignant words from a man who lived, and eventually died, staying true to a passion for the mountains that was only matched by his talent as a snowboarder. Craig eventually became known as the sports first truly professional athlete, but dont mistake that for being a saint, says longtime friend Ken Achenbach. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. With that in mind, Craig talked to his parents about quitting school and committing himself to professional snowboarding. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. After that, he was way more careful with his pranks. ForBurton, the main sponsor and organiser of the event,it was an untimely end to one of their best ever riders,a legendary presence in the scene, and lets befrank one of the companys best assets. Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay up-to-date with the latest from When I left, I gave Craig my personal board, a 1500 FE, and shook his hand. Press play for a hell ride through Helsinki. Among those scheduled to compete -- in Mammoths new Super Duper Pipe, 600 feet long with 22-foot walls -- are Olympic medalists Ross Powers, Danny Kass, JJ Thomas and Kelly Clark. This cool kids outdoors club will introduce you to L.A.s best asset, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, its last major COVID restriction, Burbank aborted landing was latest close call for U.S. flights. He was going to college, and in preparation he loaded up his schedule with six academic classes, taking computer science, advanced chemistry, fifth-year math, German, American government, and physics. So to be able to watch Kelly and see where even he and his crew would avoid laying tracks helped us to gain mountain sense. A humble statement by the humblest of snowboarding pros, who totally removed himself from the bustle within boundaries of lift-serviced facilities and commercialization of the contest world, choosing instead the soulful art of free-riding as far from the crowds as possible. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. And on Monday afternoon, in the Selkirk Range of the Canadian Rockies northeast of Vancouver, it finally caught up to and overwhelmed him. TransWorld SNOWboarding and the entire Burton family deeply mourns his loss and extend our. Craig Kelly was an American professional snowboarder. A place where he found inner peace. His go-with-the-flow attitude made him the perfect travel companion who always kept you on your toes. Tragically he lost his life back in 2003 in an avalanche whilst training to become a certified Canadian Mountain Guide in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The group was caught in an avalanche. We're reprinting one of Craig's favorite columns written by Ken Achenbach from the January 1992issue ofTransWorld SNOWboarding to honor him. I cant think of a bigger loss to the sport, and to all of us personally, says Jake Burton. I know Craig would want us to respect the loss of the other victims as much as him. Downing, 34, who spends most of his winters filming and testing equipment in the backcountry slopes near his home in Lake Tahoe, said he has seen several avalanches, including one in which an entire upper-slope bowl released and shook the earth as it rumbled down the mountain -- but he has never been buried by one. Before his death, he was working to become the first fully certified snowboarding mountain guide, even working to open up the now-iconic Baldface Lodge. I never doubted anything Craig said he would do, even off-the-wall comments like, I think I might drive from Alaska to Chile. He told me that years before he actually did it.. No way, he said. Baker Banked Slalom snowboarding competition in 1988, 1991, and 1993. He has always been the mentor for my friends and me. Vernon, Washington. Soon you have to get a day job because youre not making enough money at night. Bottom Turn : How Snow Surfing is Growing Around the Globe, Rated Radical:. There was money to be made. In his interview, Craig showed the first signs of his upcoming switch from overall racer/freestyle guy to dedicated freestyle champion. If this boats a rockin : Boaters are healthier and happier -- and have sex more often -- than non-boaters, according to a recent survey conducted by Impulse Research Corp. Craig was the first in his school to ride ramps on his skateboard, to race BMX bikes, to surf, and eventually, to snowboard. Over the weekend, Craig was guiding a group of skiers and riders in the Revelstoke area of British Columbia. Donations in memory of kelly can be sent to the canadian avalanche association. The cross overlooks Baldface Lodge near Nelson, British Columbia. Site Navigation. A true legend, Jason "J2" Rasmus turned his persona into a professional "Snowboarding was born, lived, and died in the mid 1990s." He looked like you used tosnowboard and nothing else. The soft-spoken 36-year-old, often described as the Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky of snowboarding, was one of seven. . He is the rider who put professionalism into team riding, and then laterdemonstrated his passion by dedicating his life to the sport. Download the original design pdf here: Keys To Reality. Yes, Craig was a man apart. "Craig Kelly embodied the sole of . By doing so he helped prevent the entire sport from becoming a corporate wasteland of hype over substance. Over his 15-year professional career, he won 4 world championships and 3 U.S. championships; he won the Mt. Craig Kelly was studying to become a Certified Canadian Mountain Guide. Over his 15-year . Angela Sun has been named lead correspondent for Fox Sports Nets action sports show, 54321, which debuts Monday at 5 p.m. Leeann Tweeden, Chad Towersey and Kip Williamson are co-hosts of the first daily program devoted entirely to the five core, or action, sports: skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX and motocross. Craig Kelly was a competitive force, a true soul-driven freerider, and a passionate and highly intelligent mind behind Burton product development. He set a standard that many emulate today. Jason "J2" Rasmus, 1972-2019Gone Tooz Soon, Three Decades of TransWorld SNOWboarding: Part 1, 1987-1996, Bottom Turn : How Snow Surfing is Growing Around the Globe, How to Set Up Your Snowboard Bindings with Danny Kass, Mountain GOAT: Dan Brisse, The Gap of Death, How to Plan Your Dream Trip to Niseko Japan on a Budget, Burton Step On: A Critical Review of a New Step-In Snowboard Binding System. Copyright a360media 2023. Thats two more. Your information has been successfully processed! Tom Sims, renowned for recognizing snowboarding talent, rode with Craig that winter. A haven he never took for granted. Hiswife Gail said recently that when Duncan saw whatCraig could do on a snowboard, it changed his wholeoutlook. Mount Baker opened its doors to ridersand became an influential hotbed of experimentalsnowboarding. The skiff Porpy brought in a 100-plus pounder on four consecutive days. In one of the most famous tales of his adventures, in 2000 he took a 14-month trip with his girlfriend, from Alaska to Chile, surfing and snowboarding his way through the Americas. They were just following me, my brother Dave, Don Schwartz, and Doug Lundgren, but they were the ones who got busted, and they never ratted us out. Craig and Keith, subsequently got banned from June Mountain for life, but that didnt last. Okay, next time put more weight on your rear foot.'. Runtime: 90 minutes Let it Ride is a tribute to the former 'Godfather of Freeriding' Craig Kelly. If Id come in and bother him, hed shhhh me because he was so focused., During an interview in the late 80s, Craig told Wiley Asher, an editor at International Snowboard Magazine, about his seriousness: When I train Im very analytical, and I constantly think about working a certain muscle group or perfecting a particular technique. It was in freeriding where Craig felt the happiest. The legal aspects of this contract would be debated in court later in his career, but at the time, he sought counsel from one of his older/wiser Delta Upsilon brothers, who told him, Sure you can sign it. Olivia has worked at Tribute Boardshop in Nelson BC as well as at Baldface Lodge. 20, 2003 in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Kelly was one of the most gifted, intelligent and careful riders outthere, which made his death even more difficult to comprehend. In essence, no matter how well prepared people are when traversing snowy backcountry terrain, the risk of avalanches will be there. Last year (1987) the only training I got in the halfpipe was when I went to a contest two or three days early.That winter, Craig became frustrated with Vision and switched over from Sims to Burton snowboards, a decision that led to a lengthy, groundbreaking legal battle, which also was the impetus that made Tom Sims rethink his relationship with Vision. You dont even slow down for the tollbooth, paying instead with the tossed key to your office and the executive washroom. And you need stuff to wear to work. Ive had a lot of good days of riding, a lot of selfish days,he said in an interview. But between school and training, Craig took off his game face and reveled in the art of the prank. Craig Kelly going a million miles an hour from CA$109.00 Look, I understand why this photo never ran. Craig, fourteen at the time, was instantly hooked and talked his dad into fronting the money for his own Burton Backhill. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Although Craig was quiet and analytical, he was an amazing athlete and quickly became known as the house snowboarder. During Hell Half Hour (the houses nightly stress-release study break), Craig would crank up The Scorpions or Judas Priest and jump on his bed with his snowboard. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Investigators ruled the deaths accidental, caused by asphyxiation. Your information has been successfully processed! Hood with Mark McMorris and The Burton Crew, Nitro Hard Drive | Dominik Wagner - The Bad Seeds, Phenoms in Finland: Jesse Augustinus & Max de Vries, R.I.P. Baker Hardcore posse a famous group he ran with on the mountain launch the ridge at Chair 5, and later when Chair 8 came in, the insane spectacle that occurs when Shuksan Arm has the stability to properly send. Prior to 1994 there were no heli operations inAlaska; a decade later and the backcountry access industry in the areahad become huge. News of Kelly's death sent shockwaves throughout the snowboarding community. Theyre high-maintenance items. But back in 1988 during the court battle, Craig was mentally drained. Over his 15-year professional career, he won 4 world championships and 3 U.S. championships; he won the Mt. The Built Ford Tough Championships of Snowboarding is in progress through Sunday at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. We get alot of requests for reprints of this column, Craig knew there was a message worth following in here. [1] Kelly made it clear that the backcountry was where he was heading. As you pull into the parking lot at work, you cant get the hitchhiker out of your head. He blew out dozens of mattresses and broke boards monthly. His memory held strong last Friday as we rode straight onto the lift after the Canyon opened, giving us access to 14 inches of light, dry midweek powder. He wasno fool, said Russo recently. [1] Born on April Fools Day in 1966, Craig Kelly is considered to be the guru of freeriding. Kelly and 13 members of an expedition on the Durrand Glacier were themselves taken in, swept up by an avalanche and buried by up to 15 feet of snow. A bit farther offshore, giant yellowfin tuna are crashing the surface after baitfish. As the conversation turned to her boyfriend, jacob busch, and it turns out they've been dating for quite a while. It spans over 25 years, watching as the snowboarding legend Kelly became one of the biggest names in the industry. The difference between Craig and others was that he could actually do it all. I know so many people who go into the backcountry totally ignorant, but Craig knew what was going on, Downing said. In 1979, when Kelly was 13 years old, he and his BMX buddy bought two of the only snowboards in Mt. Craig Kelly was the first true professional snowboarder. He attended the University of Washington where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity and studied Chemical Engineering. Back at school during the week, Craig would set bamboo gates and train two or three nights under the lights at Ski Acres, outside of Seattle. Jake Burton and many of his friends thought this was a bad decision, but Craig said, Trust me. 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