ABOUT THE COVER
Jesse Jarrett.
Pittsburgh, PA.
PHOTO & WORDS: LIAM GLASS.
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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Maybe I’m biased to a certain level as a photographer. I love a good 50-50 or boardslide. I’ve never been inspired by an image of a triple cork, even though it is undeniably an impressive athletic feat. There seems to be a certain level of disapproval of the 50-50 and boardslide in the current zeitgeist. People say they want to see more tricks, but this isn’t skateboarding. Sure, we have a little bit more variation than skiers who either turn left or right onto a rail, but we are essentially just going straight or sideways. I don’t hear anyone talking shit on AK lines, and that’s just turning. The trick in snowboarding is making it to the bottom. I think there is a lot more vision and creativity in that than is given credit for. Snowboarding is the relationship between the rider and the terrain and how they choose to navigate it. The eye for the line, threading the needle, the hellride. In my eyes, Jesse is a visionary.
Going to Pittsburgh has been one of my favorite trips to date. A lot of that is thanks to Jesse. The sheer amount of pins he had before we even got there was staggering. It kind of assured that everyone on the crew had something they were hyped on and that they had a successful trip. He was the first one in the van every morning, and when I was burnt out at the end of the day, he’d drop me off at the Airbnb and go back out scoping.
This spot, in classic Jesse fashion, had us all a little nervous for him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of steel with so much rust on it. We spent multiple hours making the spot as perfect and safe as we possibly could. The snow was hot and slushy, and picking up dirt from cars driving past made the speed inconsistent. This spot was no gimme; it was a battle, definitely not something you want with a spot that has so much fuckery going on with it. I think once it was set up, he was boarding for around four hours. Jesse was visibly getting exhausted, soaked in sweat but still so focused and hungry to make it off the end. Sometimes you have to check in on him and make sure he’s all good still. But he pushed through and made it to the bottom of this hellride. I don’t know anyone else that works as hard and has the vision Jesse does.