15 Career-Changing Frames

Without a doubt, other than my parents, Ron Smith was the most influential person in my teenage years. I first met Ron at the skatepark in Vail, Colorado, the summer between 8th and 9th grade. I asked him if I could shoot a photo of him blasting out of the mini ramp and boardsliding the deck railing and he said, "absolutely." He did the trick, and I shot the photo. My image sucked but it didn't matter. He had stoked me out beyond belief and a bond had formed that would alter my life forever. Ron is probably 10+ years older than me and one of the best and most stylish snowboarders of all time and, for some reason, he saw something in me and we connected. That following winter, he took me under his wing and taught me so much about life, board riding and friendship. This image hung over my son's crib so he could fall asleep to perfect style every night. Ron is the the real-life Yoda. Photo: Seth de Roulet