IT’S TITS!

Video from Snowboy, photos by Tim Zimmerman and story by Barrett Christy Cummins.

It’s Tits! 2019 graced Mt. Hood with the Snowboy designed landscape that young boys only dream about. However, it wasn’t a dream, and young boys weren’t granted access.  Well, not until the course was open to the public on day 4. It was a women’s only event, spearheaded by Jess Kimura and supported by Megan Pischke from B4BC and myself with Mervin Mfg.  An epic line-up of ladies showed up for 4 solid days of creative transition riding with berms, bumps, rollers, and bowls carefully crafted by Krush Kulesza and his Snowboy team.  Timberline signed on to support the event and fully embraced the Tits theme without attempting to rebrand it in a way that appeased those offended by the mention of female anatomy.  Timberline, Mt Hood and the surrounding scenery made for the most picturesque playground. The proceeds from the event benefitted Boarding For Breast Cancer, a non-profit organization that works hard to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle while raising money for outreach, education and young survivor retreats. After 3 days of exclusive access the girls shared the course with the public, who could ride with the pros for a small donation to B4BC.

I came away from It’s Tits feeling so inspired, and excited about the future of women’s snowboarding. My years of snowboarding in the 90’s left me feeling a little uncomfortable with the movement around, and even the phrase “women’s snowboarding”. I always felt like the desire for equality in snowboarding and beyond was compromised by the desire to shine a separate light on the girls in our own media outlets, events, and brands.  Not always, but often, that light exposed a level of riding and an approach to the sport that only further separated us and discounted our skills and relevance in the industry. Although well intentioned, these efforts were most often a collective buzz kill. I needed to grow up, obviously.  But, snowboarding needed to grow up too.  Those of us who stayed in the industry have worked hard to legitimize the sport and its players as inspirational athletes, recreationalists, enthusiasts, adventure seekers and conscious influencers.  The gap is closing between men and women on the snow and the level of riding is at new heights. Regardless of skill set though, “women’s snowboarding” has matured to a level of confidence and independence that warrants any light shined on it. Snowboarding as a whole has grown up and embraced the diversity… the heroes and kooks, the jocks and jibbers, soul carvers, slashers, and sketchy huckers. It’s Tits has put the buzz back in “women’s snowboarding” and created a scene that is inclusive and inspiring, without taking itself too seriously.

The 2ndannual It’s Tits was just what I needed to remind me that snowboarding is a community, a place that inspires us to live in the moment and be conscious of our future, a creative space that challenges and brings out the best in us.  The fact that this was a women’s only content gathering event made for a unique setup that led to progressive riding and a healthy competitive vibe that kept things exciting.  My first run through the course was following Katie Kennedy and Jill Perkins.  They kicked things off with speed and fluidity, and they only set the pace for the long weekend. The younger Gnu and Women’s Lib girls like Estelle Pensiero, Kailey and Ashley Bogart, Chloe Stanford, Cali Carlson were feeding off the energy and pushing themselves. Gnu Powerhouses like Katie K, Lily Calabrese, Jacque Lammert, Naima Antolin, Savannah Shinske and Maria Thomsen provided the fuel we all needed to approach the whole course with authority and grace.  We compared notes on equipment, style, sponsors and snacks, among other things.  The access to photographers and filmers and Snowboarder Magazine editors motivated everyone to put in full days (and one night) on the snow, getting to know every inch and curve of the voluptuous setup.  The only guys on snow were the support crew… they were there taking photos, follow camming, grooming the course, and high fiving. It was so awesome to have that support and see what happens when the women were running the show.

Thanks to Snowboarder Mag for the support and the investment in the women and girls.  Snowboy, Krush and Smiley for the passion behind it all, B4BC for being on-site at the event and present in everything they do, and the sponsors Timberline, Monster, 10 Barrel Brewing, diecutstickers.com, and GNU snowboards, Mervin Mfg for making things happen and recognizing the importance of events like these to the future of snowboarding.

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