Up and coming snowboard pros
There are many pro snowboarders out there doing amazing things, but a few up and coming snowboard pros have caught our eye. So we went ahead and compiled a list of the most exciting riders you have to know about this season.
If you keep your eyes peeled in the world of global snowboarding and the competition circuit, you will begin to spot the rising stars, the prodigies, the up-and-coming snowboard pros. These are the young and ambitious, talented riders who hit the big jumps hard, pull record-breaking tricks, and take on any seasoned professional in the industry.
We love to see innovation in the sport, the limits being pushed, and the riders smashing our beliefs of what we thought was possible. As such, we have compiled a list of the most exciting pro snowboarders to watch. This way, you’ll know which riders to keep an eye on.
Although we might not ride as hard as these up-and-coming snowboard pros, the good news is we can certainly dress as cool as them; check out our snowboard jackets for women / snowboard jackets for men and style your dream outfit to rival the pro snowboarders.
Female pros to keep an eye on
Ever heard of Zoi Sadowski-Synnot, Katie Ormerod, Chloe Kim or Maddie Mastro? You can watch these ladies excel at halfpipe, slopestyle, big air and even in backcountry. Let’s get to know them a bit more..
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
Born: 6 March 2001
Hometown: Wanaka, New Zealand
Event(s): Slopestyle; Big air
Sadowski-Synnott started off her career strong, with a silver medal in women's slopestyle at the World Championship in 2017, and then headed straight for a bronze medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics. After that, she has put herself and New Zealand on the snowboarding map.
She was crowned the 'best all-round Snowboarder' in the Natural Selection Tour, as her talents don't just lay in slopestyle but also backcountry. Sadowski-Synnott has competed against some of the veterans of freeride and is already standing out as an icon, showing the world a backflip Indy, which is now her signature move.
Katie Ormerod
Born: 25 August 1997
Hometown: West Yorkshire, UK
Event(s): Slopestyle
Katie is one to watch, an unlikely British female slopestyle boarder who started on the dry slopes in her hometown. At an early age, she was noticed by the British Olympic board and trained and competed as one of few British female riders.
Then, at just 16 years old, she became the first female in the world to land a backside double 1080. Her podium spots got her a place in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, but she sadly suffered grisly injuries in the run-up to her Olympic debut. But now, we are super excited to watch Ormerod hit the slopes again in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics — she is back in action!
Chloe Kim
Born: 23 April 2000
Hometown: Long Beach, California, United States
Event(s): Halfpipe
So far, her career in snowboarding has been an epic journey, beginning with a gold medal position at the 2015 X-Games when she was just a mere 14 years old. Then, she hit the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, where she won gold in the halfpipe, with points way ahead of her competitors. She has nearly 700k followers on Instagram and is always sporting the newest and coolest gear, proudly sponsored by some of the biggest brands in the industry. Not a bad life for a 21-year-old.
Maddie Mastro
Born: 22 February 2000
Hometown: Loma Linda, California, United States
Event(s): Halfpipe
We have seen young Maddie be part of the new age of female riders, who are ambitious and bold: two things we love to see in the industry. With numerous titles in the X-Games and World Cups, she quickly showed her natural talents on the board. In 2018 she became the first female to land the Double Crippler in the halfpipe, and it's this kind of fearless mentality that has placed her at the forefront of the competition scene.
Up & coming male snowboard pros
Next up the gents! Get to know the most talented male riders and find out who’s behind the video “Sponsor me”, who made the Europa cup at just 13 years old and who won Movie Of The Year in the 2020 Snowboard awards.
Dusty Henricksen
Born: 2 February 2003
Hometown: Big Bear Lake, California, United States
Event(s): Slopestyle
Henricksen is achieving medals, podium spots and titles in the X-Games, US Open, World Cup and Youth Olympics, and making history with his tricks. Henricksen continues to show only ambition and not an ounce of fear when he performs his switch backsides and double grabs, earning him Gold in Men's Snowboard Slopestyle. Keep your eyes peeled for his moves in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
Scotty James
Born: 6 July 1994
Hometown: East Melbourne, Australia
Event(s): Halfpipe
This prodigy made the Europa Cup at just 13 years old, and since then, he has had a constant stream of medals and podium positions at the X-Games, World Cups and so on. He made it to Sochi in 2014 for the halfpipe and slopestyle competitions, and by the 2018 Winter Olympics, he was Australia’s flag bearer. He is now competing against the big dogs in the industry, such as Shaun White, so keep your eyes peeled for the day when he inevitably takes over their titles.
Red Gerard
Born: 29 June 2000
Hometown: Rocky River, Ohio, United States
Event(s): Slopestyle, Big air
The young 21-year-old came front and centre into our lives in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. For his Olympic debut, he hit his Slopestyle competition with passion, creativity and flair. So it was hard to go unnoticed.
Since then, his rise to fame has been rapid, appearing in his snowboard film 'Joy', which won Movie Of The Year in the 2020 Snowboard awards. He also starred in the Burton team video 'One World', which shows the talent he brushes shoulders within the industry.
Ben Ferguson
Born: 21 January 1995
Hometown: Boise, Idaho, United States
Event(s): Slopestyle, Halfpipe
Ferguson wholesomely started his snowboarding at the age of 6 and posted a video on YouTube titled 'Sponsor Me', which found his first sense of recognition for his natural talents on the board. The Youtube video got him a place on the Burton Smalls Team.
Now, as a Burton pro rider, he travels the world, shooting epic content, training hard, and riding the slickest boards on the halfpipe and in the park. But as Ferguson is a talented all-around rider, he has also taken his skills to the next level in the backcountry, getting stuck into that deep powder and intense terrain.
Jared Elston
Born: 02 February 1999
Hometown: Bend, Oregon
Event(s): Slopestyle, Big Air, Halfpipe
Jared is low key on the scene but has earned a respectable reputation in the industry; whilst still not a big name in the competitions yet, he most certainly will be a top contender soon. He is already sponsored by Nitro and in the Red Bull Recharged roster. He is young, fearless and ensures he always has fun on the board. His Instagram already has over 17k followers and is an epic library of huge air shots and creative tricks.
Yuto Totsuka
Born: 27 September 2001
Hometown: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Event(s): Slopestyle, Halfpipe
Totsuka emerged on the Japanese halfpipe circuit in 2016, and from there, he made his way around the world, competing in various International halfpipe competitions. He is known for getting some major air whilst still being able to wow the judges and the crowd with his long list of tricks. He made it to the 2018 Winter Olympics but unfortunately fell and injured himself; however, this has now brought him back, fighting and striving for even more.
Wrapping up
You heard it here first; after keeping our ears to the ground and having a keen eye to spot the best of the best, we would put good money on these up and coming snowboard pros to lead the industry and change it. These late Millennials and Gen Zers will shake up the world of snowboarding with their ambition, creativity and flair, and we can not wait to see it! Although, it does make us question what we were up to at 14 years old and how we could have maybe done things a little differently…
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