JANNA MEYEN
Only in snowboarding can a person who has spent so much of their career under the influence end up as the most influential. They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and anyone who has seen Janna Meyen ride knows she’s not only as strong as they come, but she kills it like no other.
Home Mountain: Wherever is good.
Sponsors: Nitro, Raiden, 32, Etnies, Volcom, Dakine, Electric, and Side Effect Snowboard Shop
Board: Nitro, Janna Meyen 154cm
Regular or Goofy: Regular
Boot: 32 Vela
Binding: Raiden Janna Meyen
Career Video Credits:
Who do you feel is the most influential rider of the last 20 years? Why?
Jamie Lynn, because style is everything.
When did you start riding?
1989ish????
What was the highlight of your career?
Winning a gold medal at X Games 2006 for my Grandma Moses who was in the hospital.
Most memorable session?
Shredding in the rain at Snow Summit with Ricky Melnik. It was so foggy we couldn’t see a thing. We rode this wall ride for hours until we both hooked up on it and fell to the flat ice bottom. It was around 2000.
When did you realize that snowboarding wasn’t just a fad?
I started riding well before it was accepted by anyone. I’ve been around long enough to see it go from nothing to something. In 2007, I think it is a fad for some people. It’s a lifestyle for me.
What is your take on snowboarding and how far it has come? Did you ever think it would progress to the level it has?
Where are your favorite places to snowboard?
Mt. Baker pow!
Breck and Keystone parks and Mt. Bachelor when I’m home.
Which photographers captured your riding best?
Mark Welsh.
Favorite filmmaker to work with?
Does Mark Welsh count? If not, I’d have to go with Nathan Yant.
Which product innovation had the largest impact on our sport?
For me, snowboard boots. When I started riding they didn’t make snowboard specific boots. We rode Sorrels with ski-boot liners and duct tape around the ankles.
Are the values that our sport was founded on still apparent in the riders today?
No. Definitely not. It used to go entirely against the grain on and off the mountain. Now snowboarding is the grain.
What do you feel is your legacy in the snowboard world?
Can’t answer that. I hope that by the time I’m done riding people will say I left a positive mark on the industry.
If you could change one thing about snowboarding today what would it be?
That people would ride just to ride; without silly costumes and worry less about being sponsored and more about having fun.
Who is the unsung hero of snowboarding that people should celebrate?
Dave Downing. He has always been a great influence in all areas of our sport.
What has snowboarding taught you?
To keep my priorities right. My relationship with God is my #1 thing. Without that being first nothing else matters. I could win X Games for the 90th time or learn some great trick, but unless I’m right in my heart with the big guy, success in anything wont matter.
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