Profile... Jo Howard
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Snowboarder Questionnaire
How old where you when you first began riding?
about 12 i think, my big sister got given a dryslope lesson for her birthday and i went along with her, really annoyed me because i couldnt do it to save my life!! maybe a year or so after that i went away with my school to les arcs in france and got on snow for the 1st time and loved it!
What/Who got you into it?
i skated before i tried riding. also, one of my mates who's alot older than me leant me one of the really oldschool videos that used to come free on the front of onboard. i think it was called board-games. steve gruber, stefan gimpl, gogo gossner, all those guys were in it and i saw it and just thought i had to try snowboarding!!
What sort of board do you ride?
Santa Cruz I-pod signiture 157 (kickers and backcountry stuff) Santa Cruz park TT 154 (general park and urban) Santa cruz perfect 11 157 (everything and anything)
What length board do you ride?
i like a 157 for big kickers, powder and pipe and a 154 for general park and jibberishness
Do you ride Regular or Goofy?
regular
Stance width?
i dont actually know. i push my bindings out as far as they go, then bring them in one set of holes each, then turn the base-plates sideways and push them right out on the pins. so as far as they go on the 2nd holes. that usually works!!
Stance angles (front and back)?
front + 16, back - 15
Favourite resort?
havnt found it yet! i love em all for different reasons. laax for the park and tignes for the off-piste. the park in val d'isere has got pretty good in the last year too.
How many seasons have you done?
four winters and a good few summer months.
Where and when did you do your seasons?
08 in val d'isere 07/06 in tignes 05 in deux alpes
Drop © Dave Spurdens @ extremesportsphoto.com
From Jo's Action Gallery.
What was your favourite trip and why?
went out to deux alps on my own when i was 18 for a month in the summer. it was ace, met loads of really cool people, british riders and some local french guys. learnt more in that month than i have in the 4 years since!!!
What do you love about snowboarding?
everyone is really cool and chilled. i love goin new places and meeting new people. i love great days in the park and gettin first lifts on powder days even if your proper hungover! my favourite part is when you stomp a brand new trick for the first time!
What's your goal within snowboarding?
to keep riding and having fun.
What aspect of snowboarding gives you the most satisfaction (powder, kickers, halfpipe, competitions, big air, cliff drops, etc.)?
it changes daily!! pow kickers are probs the best though. apart from hiking back up.
What style of snowboarding best describes your riding (include a couple if you want)?
i really dont know.
What's your favourite trick?
the one where you land on your face and bust your nose up. i can do that one well easy! nah i like simple and big, front 3's when you stick a big shifty in there and i really like goin under so cheeky little nollie frontieflips or underflips. but thats another thing that changes daily!
What's your scariest snowboarding moment?
i jumped a fence without checkin the otherside and ended up dropping about 25 feet to a flat piste underneath so not only could i have smashed my knees up but i could have landed on some punter and killed them! that was a bit dodgy. also there was a time when i went off-piste on my own, which is stupid, then the cloud dropped and i got lost. i ended up on top of a big frozen waterfall, i couldnt turn back, i couldnt jump it and i couldnt unclip cos it was too steep so i had to sort of shimmy down and traverse across when i could. i got most of the way down and then fell but luckily i only fell about 10 feet. still i was crapping myself!
What are your top safety tips when riding?
if you can help it never ride alone. that way if the worst should happen youve got mates around to help. always push yourself but dont go crazy and try things your blatently not ready for. and TRANCIEVER!!! dead important.
What advice have you got?
just take everything nice and chilled and enjoy every minute of boarding! oh yeah and dont be afraid to ask people for help or advice. when im trying to learn new tricks il always ask my mates advice and try to work it out in my head first.
General Questionnaire
What are your other interests?
skating, surfing, partying with my mates, goin to festivals and just trying to enjoy myself.
Where would you like to see yourself in the future?
still doin what im doin now but better! travelling and having fun.
Realistically, what will you be doing in the future?
crack. in some gutter, busking with a pair of bongos and a mingin old dog. nah hopefully the same, i know i wont be able to ride forever and i'l have to get a real job eventually but hopefully it will be something to do with snowboarding. maybe run a shop or something.
Who are your idols?
steve mcqueen cos hes rad in everything he did, not just movies though, didnt he fight muhammed ali and race motorbikes and stuff? for riding tho i love jp solbergs style and travis parker for his attitude on things, you can tell he is always havin fun. But i think my fave rider overall is david benedek.
What music are you into?
i love everything, i get off on riding to really different music too. either really bassy hip-hop, rock, punk, drum n' bass or whatever i can pinch off other peoples laptops im really not fussed. one of my mates found an i-pod nano in the street in val, he gave it to me for the brits and neither of us knew what was on it, when i got to laax and charged it, it was full of teeny-bopper stuff so i was riding around to nsync and britney all week! it was funny as hell!
What's your favourite book?
wheres wally?
What's your favourite film?
thats another thing that changes for me everyday! however i do know every single word from dumb and dumber and everyone i know refuses to watch that movie with me now cos i cant stop myself quoting it. the lords of dogtown would be top 5
What's your favourite quote?
step up or step back. appreciate what you have today or tomorrow you wont have it. and one of my mates once asked me 'whats hitler's second name??'
Best cocktail, shot or drink?
theres a brewery in my home town called jennings, they make the nicest ales ever. i dont mind cocktails or shots but i usually black-out after a few and wake up in a hedge or something.
What's your most prized possession?
a watch one of my best mates gave me for my 21st.
Thanks to:
a massive thankyou to dave spurdens, my mum and dad for all their support. all my sponsors: owen and martin at sessions, chris, marc cherry matt and everyone else at santa cruz and electric, My boys i ride with: zac, clarky, penman, george, danos, dave and all the other boys from my teams. Gumby and tristan and all the other dc park boys. massive thanks to caz for all your help. all my mates from sunny old cock and from all over and my girl francoise. cheers!
Anything else you want to say?
good luck to my sister who's gettin married in a month.
