Is snowboarding a sport? Are snowboarders athletes? With the Winter Olympics almost exactly two months away we find ourselves again asking these questions. And though the answer should be, “who cares, just have fun,” the implications are much larger. As in, larger paychecks by global corporations and nations capitalizing on the boardin' ability of a buncha twentysomething dirtbags.
Luckily, the ever clever folks at Portland-based outfitter Airblaster have teamed up with artist and former pro snowboarder Corey Smith to celebrate the Modern Athlete with a limited edition collaboration.
If you’ve been a boarder for long, you’ll likely recognize Smith’s art from decades of Capita graphics, and of course his very own Spring Break Snowboards (get to know Smith and Spring Break in this studio visit and profile). Though you don’t need an extensive knowledge of his socially-charged artwork to appreciate the hilarity of the characters emblazoned on this collection’s parka, ninja suit, ball cap, and T-Shirt.
You’ve got mall cops on hover boards, vapegods on scooters, bong weilding wrongboarders, and beer bonging bladers. It’s entirely ridiculous and entirely great.
Everyone knows you can’t be bummed when wearing a Ninja Suit, so needless to say, the illustration-covered classic is our pick of the bunch. The Parka is a standout too though, with 10k/8k waterproof/breathability, sealed seams, a tailored fit, and an illustrated liner.
These limited pieces won’t last long. So let the rest of the bros argue over whether or not sliding on snow with a hunk of wood is in fact a sport, and snag an Airblaster x Corey Smith collab piece and Stay Wild instead.
