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Mikey Rencz has been riding a snowmobile longer than most people have been snowboarding. He started filming in the backcountry with one when he was 16 years old so it feels like riding a bike to him. This was the first time he decided to hit a snowboard jump on one though and he scared the shit out of us. It took him 3 tries to land and each failed attempt he would ditch the sled 30 feet up and come crashing down. The best part was after he stuck it he looked down and realized he was riding Jussi s sled. 2 days later Jussi’s suspension broke going down the trail. Photo: Adam Moran
These photos here are a small glimpse into the last 10 years of my life shooting snowboard photography. As a kid who grew up in New Hampshire, I was always into snowboarding. Photography really came second. It was a fun thing to do, and I always loved shooting everything and anything, but I never wanted to put down my own snowboard to take pictures. As I got older, my passion for photography really started to grow and, of course, I leaned towards shooting what I knew best: snowboarding.
It was the people around me that inspired me, and I found that documenting it all was almost as fun doing it myself. I’ve been with Burton for a long time now — from the store, to the team department, to finally being labeled a full-time photographer a few years back. That title still sounds strange to say. I think as long as it makes me a bit uncomfortable to really call myself a photographer, then I’ll still be driven to always do better and hope I make it there one day.
What I love the most about this whole thing is that there are no set rules, and the challenges of shooting in ever-changing weather make every day new. Some days are rough, but even on the worst days shooting, it’s still fun hanging out with your friends in the mountains, so life could be much worse. Hope you enjoy.
Adam Moran is a team photographer for Burton. To see more of Moran’s work, visit his website. And be sure to follow him on Instagram and Tumblr.