Minor Threat: Matt Ladley

Sometimes, I think snowboarding is heading in the same direction as gymnastics, where you can look at a rule book and see what tricks are cooler than others. Before I had a chance to worry too much about where snowboarding will end, I met Matt Ladley at one of Salomon’s photo shoots. Or to be more exact, I met Matt`s lien air.

From what everyone who went to Nationals at Copper told me, Matt can do pretty much every trick. And sure enough, on the first run we took together, he had some nice, big spins as well as a few good-looking straight airs. But it was run number two that made me one of Matt’s official fans. On the last hit in the pipe, right before I turned to head down to the chair, Matt did one of the best lien airs I have seen in all my years of boardin`. And to tell you the truth, I don’t seriously throw out the “best lien air” title very often. But it was a lien air that looked like he had been thinking about it for at least 15 years, and the kid is only 14. And to top it all off, he rode away with a big smile on his face. I am looking forward to seeing everything else the kid has to offer in snowboarding, especially those steeeeezy straight airs. Keep on shreddin`!

VITALS

Home Mountain: Steamboat Springs, CO
Age: 14
Height: 5'
Weight: 88 lbs.
Stance: Regular, 20” Wide, 15˚ Front, -15˚ Back
Sponsors: Salomon, Bonfire, Oakley, The Click, Windell’s
Board: Fierce
Binding: SPX 4
Boot: F22
Years Riding: 7
Years Sponsored: 4

WORD ASSOCIATION

Text messaging: Spending money
Chicks: Yes
Windell’s: Fun
Steamboat: Powder
Semi Trucks: 36-wheeler
Road Trip: Stinky Indian
Ping-Pong: Welts
Mustache: Thrustache/Alex Sherman
Skateboard: Oh, my god!
Heaven: Fresh pow
Britney Spears: Oh, god!
Lindsay Lohan: I don’t know
2Pac: Is he a rapper?
Jamie Lynn: Who
Team America: Exactly