The Ikon Pass just debuted a fantastic short film called My Ikon: My Ride.
It follows Russel Winfield, considered to be the first black professional snowboarder, and LJ Henriquez, an up-and-coming rider that Winfield has taken under his wing.
The film makes me hopeful that the future of skiing and snowboarding will be more diverse.
I highly encourage you give this a watch, and share with a friend. It’s the kind of feel-good, motivational, inspiring, and heart-warming video that we could all use right now.
Well done Ikon Pass, Jeremy Petit, and all that were involved in making it. Well done. 👏
Follow Russel Winfield on Instagram: @misterwinfield
Follow LJ Henriquez on Instagram: @lj_henriquez
ikonpass: “A STORY ABOUT LOVE FOR COMMUNITY AND THE RIDE IT TAKES YOU ON Community, to some, is more than a bond but rather essential to the fabric of success and happiness. For Russell Winfield and LJ Henriquez, the ride is their passion and the community behind them is their love. “This is how snowboarding is – loose, fun, and just hanging out with each other.” – Russell Winfield. “That’s what snowboarding just is – everyone mentors everyone. Age doesn’t matter, younger or older, we’re all there for each other.” – LJ Henriquez. Russell’s loud, East Coast laugh is as recognizable as his unique style and bright-colored, custom board from across the mountain. He grew up playing hockey in New York, but when he learned to snowboard in Vermont – at @Stratton Mountain – he was hooked. Russell looks back now, after moving across the country and riding nearly every bucket list destination along the way and realizes he’s probably the first professional Black snowboarder. Decades later, after seeing the impact he had on the sport, his goal is now to push this love for snowboarding into a new generation of hopeful kids and to continue merging urban culture more with the sport. Based at @Crystal Mountain Resort, Russell prides himself on still being faster than anyone he rides with but, when traveling throughout Colorado and California, he slows it down to hang out with his two daughters or other kids looking to get into the sport – “this is it, this is the good stuff.” One child who came across Russell’s radar a few years ago was LJ Henriquez – another East Coaster who was also born in New York City like Russell and also a natural snowboarder. They connected via Instagram when Russell saw that LJ was at @Copper Mountain and new to the scene. Now, at 14 years old, there’s no slowing down and instead LJ is as quick and resilient as Russell and even higher in energy and air time. Russell points out that, despite only meeting recently and being many years apart in age, their shared love for the sport and understanding of East Coast beginnings ties them together: “We both just want to ride. We just want to go down, and hit the side hits, and have fun with each other on the mountain.” Read their full story: https://lifted.ikonpass.com/my-ikon-m…
https://www.shredfoundation.org