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023: Bryan Iguchi/Never Stop Riding

Bryan Iguchi, London, October 2017. Photo: Owen Tozer

“It’s not just a sport. It’s a way of life, whether you’re chasing waves or the next snowfall”.

Legend alert! Yep, for episode 023 I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with one of snowboarding’s most beloved characters: the great Bryan Iguchi.

‘Guch’, as everyone calls him, has had one of the most most legendary and important careers in snowboarding, spanning over two decades and covering almost every key development along the way.

Bryan at Baldface Lodge. Photo: Dragon Alliance

Name a milestone and chances are Guch was part of the session. Big Bear back in the day, with Brushie and the rest? Tick. Part of the legendary mid 90s Burton Snowboards team with Terje, Rippey, Johan and Craig Kelly? Check. Moving to Jackson so he could expand his mountain knowledge and truly dedicate his life to snowboarding? Yup. Having a ringside seat as Travis Rice broke through? Check.

Photo: Owen Tozer

We cover all this and much more during a lovely, enthralling conversation held in later October 2017 on a crisp, hungover autumn day by the banks of the Thames in London.

Listen out for:

  • Guch on seeing Travis ride for the first time.
  • His artistic life, and collaborating with Schoph and Jamie Lynn.
  • Guch on ‘choosing a path in life, and committing to living and breathing the mountains’.

If you’re a snowboarder, you’re going to love it. Not a snowboarder? Then sit back and enjoy the zen-like wisdom of this most popular and respected legend anyway.

Right on Guch!

If you only have five minutes…

Listen to this section - Bryan on the influence Craig Kelly had on his riding

Connect with Bryan

Show Notes

  • Down by the river.
  • Covent Garden Big Air Comp.
  • Bryan’s artistic life.
  • The importance of experimenting and learning.
  • The different mediums Bryan is currently working in.
  • The privilege of travel.
  • Inspirations from other artists.
  • The collaborative routine.
  • Bryan’s early board-riding years.
  • The influence of sideways culture.
  • A life on the road.
  • The early Big Bear years.
  • Moving to Jackson Hole.
  • The Burton years.
  • The Garden.
  • The influence of Volcom.
  • Making the decision.
  • ‘Snowboarding just became an obsession.’
  • What snowboarding gives Bryan.
  • The natural connection.
  • The importance of community.
  • Bryan’s first memories of seeing Travis ride.
  • Travis’s uniqueness as a snowboarder.
  • Bryan’s ongoing education in the backcountry.
  • The power of knowledge in making good decisions.
  • The changing boundaries of risk.
  • Seasonal cycles – mourning winter, the deprivation of summer.
  • Surfing the Snake River standing wave.
  • The cycles in the snowpack and snow temperatures.
  • How parenthood has changed his approach.
  • Riding with the boys.
  • ‘You don’t stop snowboarding because you get old, you get old because you stop snowboarding’.
  • The things that help Bryan keep riding.
  • Guch’s relationship with his sponsors.
  • Current projects.
  • Bryan’s last day riding – AK with Travis and Carter.
  • His advice for the best way to tackle AK – top-to-bottom runs.
  • The legacy of Johan Olofson.

People Mentioned

Places Mentioned

Companies/Organisations/Projects mentioned