TBoard96

Hi, I am wondering how people get sponsored in snowboarding, and what the process is, if any of you sponsor riders or have gotten sponsored, I would appreciate any tips or advice. Also, I'm not sure if I am quite good enough yet, but I can BS/FS 180, BS/FS 360, am working on my BS 540, can boardslide, 360 on boxes, 50/50, nose press, tail press, and am working on backflips and frontflips. I am 16 and have been snowboarding for 6 years but have only started to snowboard the park this year. Thanks for reading.

KnoxBoarderX

There are a few things you can do.

Put together a highlight reel, film all the time. Put your videos out on youtube, sponsors probably won't see those videos unless you tell them about them though.

Talk to your local shops or mountains, usually they will sponsor riders.

Do as many competitions as you can. That's the real way to get out there. If you win competitions it's a resume builder. The more competitions you do and the better you do in them, the more likely a company will sponsor you.

Sponsors want riders to do well and be seen by lots and lots of people. Talk to as many pros and sponsors as you can. You have to really get your name out there. You have to stand out from all the other people that can do the tricks you can do. What makes you different? What makes you worth sponsoring? Those are the things some sponsors will ask you. Why should they invest money in you? What can you give them? It's a relationship, you need to build up that relationship.

Extremo

All the kids who are getting sponsorships around here are killing it. Here's a vid of Zach Normandin riding Waterville. He's got a few sponsors.

You've got to ride the right places, win the right contest, and be part of the scene where you make the right connections. But botton line, you have to ride like this.

linvillegorge

You're throwing threes at 16 and talking about being sponsored? Maybe if you were 10 years younger. A 14 year old kid was on the podium at X Games Superpipe this year. A lot of the guys in the major big air comps are your age or just a couple years older.

Progression has gotten ridiculous. Just go ride and have fun.

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"People say that marijuana smoking is going to get in the way of my career. I say to them that on the contrary, my fighting career is getting in the way of my marijuana smoking." -Nick Diaz

Clayton Bigsby

You have to go 100%, that means relocating during the summer months (Mt Hood, Aus/New Zealand, etc), huge commitment if you plan on doing it as a job.

Attitude has a lot to do with it, ClifBar has a slogan "We'd rather sponsor the guy that finishes 2nd and is humble, then the arrogant guy that finishes 1st"

linvillegorge

There are VERY few true "professional snowboarders" if your definition of a pro is someone who rides as their sole method of supporting themselves. Most of your "pros" are just getting free gear, comp fees paid, etc. It's really pretty minimal. There are some pretty damn accomplished riders still slogging away in shops, etc. in order to support themselves. There's only a handful of guys ballin' off of riding.

__________________
"People say that marijuana smoking is going to get in the way of my career. I say to them that on the contrary, my fighting career is getting in the way of my marijuana smoking." -Nick Diaz

BurtonAvenger

Markets over saturated go learn to market yourself and maybe you'll find someone interested.

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Angry Snowboarder Because someone has to call it how they see it!

TBoard96

Yeah I wasn't thinking about going pro or anything and competing in the X Games, but just a small sponsorship, but if I don't got what it takes, then I don't got it.

linvillegorge

If you're just spinning threes and doing board slides, then you don't have it. No shame in that. 99% of us - most certainly including myself - don't. Just go ride and have fun.

__________________
"People say that marijuana smoking is going to get in the way of my career. I say to them that on the contrary, my fighting career is getting in the way of my marijuana smoking." -Nick Diaz

trapper

If you're that quick to write yourself off then maybe you don't have it. You're only 16 and while you might be behind where the pros were at your age, it's not like you're old or anything. I know next to nothing about pro snowboarding but the common characteristic of people who "make it" in anything is believing in yourself and not letting others stop you from doing what you want. Fucking have fun like someone said, get as good as you can and follow BA's advice about marketing yourself, and maybe you'll get lucky somewhere down the line. As long as you have fun you've got nothing to lose.