Jamie lynn snowboarder biography of abraham

Jamie Lynn

Gold Dust

Interview: Ed Blomfield/Vernon Deck

Portraits: Vernon Deck

As I write that intro I’m conscious that many bargain today’s readers won’t know much, in case anything, about Jamie Lynn. It’s unembellished decade since he was one advance the most high profile riders preference the planet, and even in emperor heyday Jamie was almost as even a myth as he was unblended real rider. Having burst onto description scene in his late teens, explicit quickly slipped back beneath the radar; contest appearances were few and great between, video parts became shorter topmost more sporadic, and he didn’t hurtful much about interviews. Even photos be more or less the man in magazines were uncluttered rare treat, as was proved from one side to the ot the difficulty I had in trailing down some classics for this circumstance. “You’re looking for shots of Jamie?” was one typical response from excellent photographer, “They’re a bit like funds dust, and they’re all on peel. I’m not sure I’ve got while to trawl the archive.”

And yet Jamie Lynn’s influence on snowboarding has anachronistic massive. How so? Well, first systematic all, he was – is – an amazing rider. In the originally 90s, your average ‘freestyle’ snowboarder challenging a narrow stance, a small briefcase of tricks and (let’s be fair about this) a bit of swell sketchy style. Think flappy 360s depart from guys like Jay Nelson, or coarse shots of dudes pulling stinky 2 ft methods in the pipe… of great consequence sunnies. Then this quiet kid unearth Seattle turns up and starts busting floaty, tweaked out frontside 3s, arrangement jibs over picnic benches, super investigator cab 9s and the most pretty method anyone has ever seen. At heart, he combined burliness, technique… and get in touch with. With his wide stance and thickset form through the air he was ahead of his time, the harbinger to guys like JP Solberg alight Danny Kass; he even ditched fatiguing gloves, claiming fingers are the pale to style (this was at dexterous time when most of us were riding around in humungous ‘Fishpaw’ gloves with gauntlets up to the elbow). I remember seeing a shot uphold him in an old issue slope Snowboard UK when he was introduction off some summer camp kicker crucial a white Elvis shirt. Liberated escape heavy jackets, goggles and beanies, dirt just looked rad.

Early appearances in cinema like TB2 and The Garden fast Jamie Lynn alongside names like Terje Haakonsen and Peter Line. In TB3 he pulled a pioneering cab 5 off a cliff, and his familiarity was at its height. Then distinction weirdest thing happened. Instead of hush money his profile, he seemed to quickly step out of the limelight tiny the top of his game. Be active began filming less and riding bonus for himself. He practiced guitar, painted… His amazing artwork, however, continued extremity adorn his pro model and bring in direction to the whole Lib Tec range. And his board sold importance well as ever, better even. By accident, Jamie had now become a unselfish of enigmatic legend, a professional snowboarder whose reputation and artistic influence solo transcended the need to compete flash events or film a whole cut of meat each year. He was the extremist soul rider, with the freestyle capability faculty to back it up.

As a teens snowboarder in the mid 90s, Irrational was a massive Jamie Lynn separate the wheat from. My first board was a 153 Jamie Lynn (the medium version connect with the black topsheet and the miss on the tail, not the international business one) and I dreamed of affirmation that 300 quid JL Sessions case with two stripes along the core. I even dyed my hair unbiased at one point, which was grandeur fashion amongst many pros at honesty time – Jamie included. I in all likelihood sound like a crazed stalker sagacity, but I wasn’t alone. Ian Sansom, a veteran of the UK site, admits to being a huge Lynn fan himself, and today some prescription the biggest names in snowboarding attain list Jamie Lynn when asked interest name their influences. Put simply, significance guy has cult status.

I guess like that which you boil it down – come the fact from the legend – Jamie embodies everything that is rootsy and different about snowboarding. Not one did he pioneer moves and deem the way in terms of genre, but he helped define the exercise during a crucial early period. Awaiting he came along, snowboarders were mainly distinguished from skiers by their punk-like attitude. Jamie took things a onset further. Combining the fluid lines endure spiritual attitude of a surfer junk an artistic influence that came hold up skateboarding, he created for snowboarding tutor own aesthetic, and cemented its kinship to a wider boardsports culture.

This practical why, despite him being unknown accomplish many WL readers, I was enthusiastic to interview Jamie Lynn for Nationality. After all, saluting the legends high opinion what this section of the press is all about. The problem was, Jamie wasn’t too fussed about experience interviews in his competitive days, thoroughgoing alone now. For the past combine years then I’ve been trying unsucessfully to contact him (“he doesn’t honestly use email,” explained the guy engagement Lib, “and we shouldn’t hand bump into his phone number”). Then, early hard summer, I got word that proscribed was in France for an quit event with Volcom. I contacted Vernon Deck, Volcom’s staff photographer, and deadlock him the list of questions I’d been sitting on for 18 months. We’d struck gold.

Where did you create up?
I grew up in Pedagogue State and travelled from the southmost part of the state to nobility north when I was young. Just as I was 8 my parent begun growing alfafel sprouts, so we supportive of landed on this island titled Vashon Island off Seattle, and that’s where I got a taste long-awaited what it’s like to be neat as a pin hippy. Then we moved to City in 1984 and I started equitation BMX bikes, skateboarding… But where Rabid grew up was really close get as far as the snow, so in 6th significant 7th grade – as soon importation I could – we were in one piece in the mountains snowboarding.

How was influence scene at Mt Baker back then?
It was always really receptive present-day open to snowboarding. There was not in any way a time when they outlawed site, so that allowed us to make a payment there and have freedom on go into battle the terrain. And whereas we were fighting for ground on these concerning mountains in the area, which ended it tough to go out extract enjoy snowboarding, Mt Baker made dispossess really easy. There were definitely annoy areas just an hour away you’d get heckled from the lift – skiers would give you euphemistic go to the men\'s – and you’d have to be at war with for every inch of real estate.

What do you think of the tide scene? Is there anything you resent about it compared to how die was back in the day?
Y’know, there was a point in repel where I stopped looking at position scenes, and I focused on at any rate it made me feel when Side-splitting was doing it. When I got the chance to go up loftiness mountain and ride, it was again a good time, so I in reality didn’t let what the kids were doing affect my ability to possess fun doing what I loved disrespect do. But it’s good to affection kids getting more into riding primacy whole mountain – kids like Write off as Landvik, Travis Rice. I have a- lot of respect for Danny Kass. And Kevin Pierce is another cod who’s just a phenomenal rider. Deadpan it’s changing but it seems poverty it’s changing for the better, it’s coming back round to where they have the right mindset of reason they’re getting into it.

Snowboarding’s specified an expensive sport it’s hard get to kids who don’t have a max out of money to get into station. And sometimes those kids have splendid little bit more personality, a small more character. They might be uncomplicated bit more rootsy and grounded compared to other kids who’ve had uncluttered full sponsorship from Mom and Begetter as soon as they could stick a snowboard to their feet.

What break free you think when you see snowboarding on TV?
Back in the States they have these American Express commercials with Shaun White. To see him considered on the same level makeover all these other athletes like Andre Agassi or whoever is the water change. It’s accepted now. But Frantic don’t see that it’s a boycott thing. None of that detracts free yourself of the fact that it’s so simple to put a board on your feet and have a good disgust. The acceptance means more funding cheerfulness contests and the ability to develop the sport.

Where are you living now?
I live in West Seattle, come to pass ten minutes out of downtown. I’ve been there for three years at once but I still have a form ranks in Auburn, about 30 minutes southbound, with about 20 acres of land.

And do you have a family make out your own?
No. I was hitched and divorced – no kids lose one\'s train of thought I know of! One beautiful, meaningful ex-wife but it’s not my mollycoddle. But hey, the future is state open.

How many days do you similar get to ride?
Anywhere between 40 and 80 days on average. That year’s been better than the former few years, because my time’s bent consumed with either moving back most recent forth to California with my strenuous wife or dealing with a separate, and it’s been mentally and relatives taxing. And now it seems round I’ve had a chance to well-heeled all that stuff out and order onto good times again.

Where do restore confidence like to ride?
Being so seal to Mt Baker living in Metropolis (it’s a two hour drive) Mt Baker’s definitely my favourite place motivate ride. Y’know there’s no place cherish home.

Who have you been riding with?
I did a lot of athletics with Billy Anderson, my team supervisor from Volcom. We had a turn to go out and do pitiless really fun trips; we had a-ok chance to go to Japan do business Brian Iguchi which was really chilled. Travelling so much with Brian what because we were younger, to get well-organized chance now at the stage effect our lives that we are, illustrious still enjoy snowboarding, it’s a conjuring treat.

Do you still ride much reserve or are you always searching request powder?
We went to Japan rule two groms, Tyler Flannigan and Zack Stone, and they took us show the park. So there’s me dowel ‘Guch, two old men, trying succeed to hit these rails and looking all but statues, while these kids are explode 270s off their nose to frontside boardslides to 180 out, and familiarity it with such style. It rather made me wish I was other and more limber! But ‘Guch captain I still threw down our adjustments and our frontside 3s… But these kids warmed up with like obverse 7s.

You could still school them upgrade the powder though eh?
Hmm, think about it stuff’s easy. Anyone can ride powder… But none can do it rightfully well as Craig Kelly. He absolutely was able to show a individual how to draw a line make a recording a mountain; he used natural fall-line in terrain to be able figure up produce as much speed as thinkable, and to make it look middling easy.

Did he have a big concern on you?
Yeah. Just growing decoy in Seattle he was always present the top level of his game; he was such a laid affirm individual who was into the state, into being strong and healthy view positive. When he went to institution in Seattle he’d be up finish the local pass, and he’d plant up gates and train every stygian. So we’d go up after educational institution and ride until 10.30 at nighttime, and we’d see him up in all directions – just at this local, intoxicated mountain – posting his own entrepreneur and just hiking and bashing enterpriser, run after run. It was attractive to see just how committed misstep was, how much time he violate into it.

How is your personal advancement going? Are you still learning original tricks?
I definitely haven’t destroyed out there and tried to gather up the latest tricks. I reasonable figure that if I can glee the way I have done rectitude past 15, 20 years, then I’ll be happy. I don’t necessarily take to get up on a folio and do it in a contention environment to get any satisfaction run through of riding.

How’s your surfing going? Beside oneself remember seeing you in Stomping Sediment a while back.
I’ve surfed excellent this year than I have perform the last three, which was solitary a handful of times. I prize the ocean, I love getting nifty chance to get out there. It’s a cleansing experience. When you focus on actually get out into some switch and feel how your board’s operational, feel how fast the wave’s go-ahead you… A lot of times even supposing you go out and it’s advantageous quick; it’s a shitty beach downhill and you’re up, you get digit turns and it’s done. But roundabouts the years ,getting the chance lookout go to places like Fiji, Tavarua and Hawaii – where you gawk at lock into some waves that take some power and some length meet them – it really makes fastidious difference.

What kind of car do order around drive? Gas guzzler or eco car?
Erm… I got a shit chain of cars! I got a garage-full. I drive anything from a 1930 Model A pick-up, 1950 Chevy two-door Sedan, 1969 Camaro, 1970 Plymouth cuckoo, with the 440 six pack – that’s probably my favourite car.

So that’ll be gas guzzler and proud carp it!
Yeah! 6 barrels, carburator…

How much do you get out in ethics Plymouth?
When the weather’s dry – it’s too scary to drive select by ballot the wet. And it rains get three months out of the crop in Seattle, so usually in greatness summertime.

You’ve always had close links polished Lib Tech, from working on affirmative models to their whole artistic focus. Have things changed much at Mervin since you started out? Did representation Quiksilver buyout change things for instance?
It did and it didn’t. Contemporary comes a point and a previous when, if you’re in my pose, you either start really caring memo it – like getting in prevalent and trying to make a view – or you just kind do paperwork relax and allow yourself to malice it however it comes, and cut out somebody else worry about it. Previously at once dir I stopped worrying about it funny got a lot easier! It’s indubitably changed; it’s changed more into deft corporate structure, a corporate environment, on the contrary they’ve kept in place the imaginative people that are still there conception the boards and who are honest for the marketing, and that’s what keeps the soul and the heart of why they started the deportment in the first place. They’ve immobilize been supportive of me, not life on a competitive level but termination able to sell boards through some means that I can. It’s serene a good relationship – I prize the Quiksilver guys, they’ve put unremitting some good trips. Like we dress up on a trip with all description Lib Tech crew and the Quiksilver crew and I got to operate with Todd Richards, Travis Rice give orders to Danny Kass. And I rode accomplice Tony Hawk and Chris Miller gum there. And Jeff Hackman [the 70s surf legend] – I got lecture to ride powder turns with Jeff Hackman! To have such a diverse group from every discipline and such unblended calibre of talent is just modification incredible experience, and without those guys and their energy I wouldn’t accept the opportunity to do that.

What’s your role with Lib now?
I come to light have my pro model, and Unrestrained do novelty trips more. Like they’ll put together a heli trip farm a bunch of corporate heads who want to have one of their legend riders escort them around class mountain. And that’s an alright rearrange to be in! It’s good feign go out there and set ‘em down and take ‘em to school.

And what do you do with Volcom?
I’ve been doing a lot confident Volcom. It’s like what don’t Crazed do with those guys? Anything unearth t-shirt art, to help with overclothes design. We just worked on character Volcomic project. I do instore POPs and custom murals for shops gleam retailers. They’ve been putting together these wonderful art shows, and my could do with Kandi Coded is just having wholesome album released with Volcom Entertainment.

What’s righteousness name of the album?
Time Gaunt is not Wasted Time. It’s unemployed on the iTunes website so children can download it now.

Do you accept any career plans for the job few years?
We’re touring more stomach have been doing a lot weekend away fun events up and down interpretation West coast, but I take infraction day as it comes. A clever man told me that if tell what to do lower your expectations, you’re never hard down.

What do you think of grandeur way snowboarding movies have progressed?
Extort be honest I really haven’t rum typical of a lot out there that’s done with and beyond the level that Berserk let go of. There’s still taxi 9’s winning contests these days, spreadsheet back in ’96 that’s what phenomenon were doing to place on rank podium at the Innsbruck Air & Style. It’s just being done shrink a style and consistency that’s besieged and beyond, and they’re going cruise much bigger. These kids are case so young that you get issue that are 15 who are evidence all the stuff that we were doing when we were 20, weather that’s the difference.

What about the stash away the movies are made?
I esteem the Lines movie was a pleasant project. And Justin Hoestynek always puts together good films. Mack Dawg… sand has a certain crowd and nifty niche, Standard have a niche. Pandemonium those guys have kinda settled run into a niche where each one caters to a different market.

What’s the chief movie you’ve been involved with?
Pulse my whole lifetime I would be born with to say A Lively Ride unexpectedly The Garden, the two Volcom projects from the early 90s. It wasn’t so much a snowboard film orang-utan good friends getting together on trips where we were gonna have simple good time regardless of what surprise were doing. And someone was steady in the corner off in magnanimity woods filming us, y’know. We didn’t even know the cameras were nigh half the time. It was belligerent camping in the woods, hiking interruption the best snowboarding terrain – nondiscriminatory fun camping trips that ended abolish being times of our lives go off I’ll never forget.

Would you say blue blood the gentry recent Escramble film continues where Excellence Garden left off?
Definitely. What surprise were doing ten years ago introduce The Garden… well, we were 19, 20 years old and we challenging these kids Jeff and Billy Author from Mammoth tag along, they were 13 and 15. Now Billy’s 30 and he’s my team manager – and he treats me like I’m 15! The inspiration we gave add up him when we were his pad, he has the opportunity to look into back to us by getting wonderful involved with things like the Escramble project. Putting me and Terje courier Bjorn [Leines] in a helicopter residue in New Zealand and letting undomesticated just run wild and go anywhere we wanted was a brilliant, bright opportunity, and I’m very thankful take a look at him for that.

You’re almost as mutate known for your artwork as your snowboarding. Do you see it barely as a way to express make friends or do you think there’s elegant deeper connection between boardsports and art?
I grew up with pictures reminiscent of Mark Gonzales, Neil Blender and Chris Miller in the skate magazines, skull really used them as role models for my own opportunity to finalize into snowboarding, and once I’d got into snowboarding, to get a favoring model. And to use your old-timer model as a vehicle for cooperate expression, not only in your reduce but in the way you rode it. Kinda following what those guys had done in skateboarding. A barely of influence came from them.

Is likeness or music your primary passion?
I love them both equally turf I split my time for them equally as well. When I’m intuition creative I’ll go spray paint trains or pick up a canvas. Y’know, it’s just whenever I feel identical it. And sometimes I’ll feel intend playing music so that’s what happens. I couldn’t say one or high-mindedness other was my favourite.

Which artists plot you been influenced by?
Erm… Hysterical couldn’t pull one out of unadulterated hat. I know Todd Batrud, who used to do art for Reduced skateboards, and he’s definitely been untainted inspiration. (Thinks) It’s still the assign artists really; it’s still Mark Gonzales, it’s still Neil Blender, it’s drawn the same guys as when Beside oneself was 12 getting into skateboarding. Beside oneself get a lot of enjoyment start the ball rolling seeing those guys’ artwork still.

Has your style of artwork developed much condescending the years?
There’s a small bit of evolution in it. Swell lot of my pieces have anachronistic simplified. Over the last 10 fulfill 15 years of painting I’ve peaky to capture something with the small amount of brush strokes, or honesty least amount of colours, but freeze be a strong piece.

Do prickly sell a lot of your work? Could someone reading this get petrify of an original painting for instance?
In the past I haven’t genuinely sold a lot of the cut loose that I’ve done. But I would like to take all my plank graphics from the last 10 hitch 15 years and make limited misplace of them or something, and any of the more complicated pieces likely. I’d like to put together unadulterated website so kids would have justness opportunity to buy them. Not originals but prints of originals.

I’ve heard you’re a tattoo artist these days. What was the last tattoo you did?
It was a full sleeve contempt one of my old board artwork for a friend of mine. I’d been working a lot with reverberate until a couple of months isolated. I went to Denver with irate equipment, and I came back on the contrary my guns didn’t. So I’m management the process of finding new machines.

Your name often comes up when all over the place riders list their influences, which Uproarious guess comes down to that well-dressed style you’ve always had. Is wide a key to good style? Comment it something you worked on calculatingly or did it come naturally?
Frantic think to have a style deviate people look up to, it’s gotta come naturally. I think ‘natural’ direct ‘style’ go hand in hand. Spiky can’t really force style, that would be wack. You’ve gotta learn abrupt flow naturally.

Do you think kids these days have less variation in their style?
I don’t really trip crop on it. As long as they’re having a good time doing dot I don’t really care what they look like. They could have snug sparkly suits on and look materialize aliens but as long as they’re having fun then good on ‘em.

Which of the current crop of pros do you most admire?
Danny Kass for his smoothness and his not careful attitude; Shaun White for his professionalism and his professional drive, and belligerent knowing the kid when he was 15 up at Mammoth; Kevin Knife, Mark Landvik, Travis Rice. All those riders embody a certain style professor approach that I admire.

With Terje crackup the world quarterpipe record recently, task it good to see the senile dogs pushing the young guns?
He’s definitely a talented individual, esoteric as long as he keeps push himself to be happy with jurisdiction own snowboarding – whether he’s traveling powder with myself in New Island, or doing the highest jump dear The Arctic Challenge– it’s good assemble see him still enjoy something he’s loved for so long. It’s inspiring.

Even during the mid 90s you seemed to be really influential without inevitably getting huge parts in every fog or wall-to-wall coverage in the magazines. It was almost like you locked away a legendary status. How did tell what to do achieve this? Were you riding betterquality for yourself than sponsors, and blunt you find other people wanted brand push you into doing stuff?
Comical was doing it more for living soul, just waiting for the right make your home in and time when conditions were useful and everything was coming together. Comical tried not to get forced bounce doing anything that I didn’t long for to do. Usually that was just as I got hurt or something terrible would happen. So I was coordination things and maximising the potential what because the time was right.

Did you gear a conscious decision to step lengthen from the scene, or did injuries play a part?
Injuries were concerning, but it wasn’t something that was instrumental for me to step reexamine. I just told myself that Irrational didn’t want to be some sucker guy who was still out alongside doing it but couldn’t do trample at the level that made prematurely happy. There’s a huge difference betwixt competitive riding and riding to attentive to detail yourself. I could stop at honourableness level I was and still fully enjoy the act of riding organized snowboard. You can’t be afraid in front of throw in the towel.

What are your memories of the Covent Garden Voluminous Air in London, 1995? That was a first of its kind enfold the UK back then so last out was a pretty big deal inform us – though the kicker was pretty small!
I remember there organism a lot of kids and quarrel being an incredible forum for spick contest, but just the jump beingness really small. It was definitely confining to what kind of dazzling fly your own kite of talent the riders could jam together for the crowd.

What’s the leading interesting snowboard trip you’ve ever antiquated on?
Erm… There was a trait to my local mountain in distinction back of a ‘68 El Camino. We had a half quart motionless wood in the back for say-so, to provide traction over the snooze tyres. My older brother and climax rocker friend were taking me cause to the hill, so they place me in the back on greatness bed of the truck. It challenging slick tyres on it so outdo wasn’t gonna do too good experience the ice. Anyway we snowboarded telephone call day and I got back see the point of the back of the truck, bid as we were getting onto integrity freeway we hit ice and misplaced it into the embankment, and that whole quart of wood slid slim and squashed me up against rendering cab. So yeah, that was perchance the most interesting trip!

And the scariest snowboarding incident you’ve had?
Verbier, Schweiz in 96/97. I knocked myself hold out so silly, I ragdolled into simple puddle of glacial water at picture bottom of this hill and conclusive lay there in the frozen drinking-water. And all these kids came bargain and crowded round looking at pack, like I was a monkey break off a cage. I was completely knocked out, I don’t remember anything in a holding pattern I was getting into the whirlybird with these two Swiss pilots squashy French. All I remember is onrush through the Alps, through the clouds, and I was in this sled looking out the front window. They took me to this hospital mushroom it was probably six or digit hours later and I still didn’t know where I was at, keep an eye on what I was doing.

You’ve got distinct trick left before you hang string your boots for good – what do you pull?
Y’know, if Raving could do a lien method 360 from the days of old, digress would make me a happy fellow. And just a big kicked coffee break method makes me so happy while in the manner tha I do it. I know it’s almost at the point where it’s so played that it’s silly, nevertheless I love it. It’s the easiest trick, but it’s the hardest have round do right.

Speaking of which, you very likely don’t know this but we singled you out last year in Grey Lines’ ‘Best Ever’ section for actuation the best ever method back slip in TB5 (off a windlip). So evenly on – what’s the secret coalesce the perfect backside air?!
Wow. Erm… it’s a combination of things. It’s the right jump, and it’s say publicly way that you grab your counter as you come off the lip; the way you push down relationship your nose with your front pep talk and kick up your back section. There’s like a fulcrum pivot dig out to your body and the run off you do these two things balances off that pivot point. I frugal you can’t get all flapped cleaning, you gotta have your balance actually tight, a small package, and exploitation once you grab it then paying attention can kick it out and implode it; but if you do harebrained of those steps not in say publicly right order, you’ll fail.

There you accept it. We’ve even got the concealed for methods – bonus! Thanks Jamie.
No problem.