Shayboarder.com

1. It’s currently down and hasn’t been working the last 2 weeks.
2. It’s been an important part of my life: writing and discussing snowboarding
3. I’ve made numerous friends, enemies and lovers thanks to that site.
4. It was always a joy to visit in the morning, afternoon and evening 7 days a week.
5. It was about snowboarding with snowboarders.

Since I do not write poems…I’m writing my blog as my poetry ode to snowboard.com

I joined snowboard.com back in August 2003 after a road trip to Mt. Hood with a co-worker. He told me in the car ride home about this amazing snowboard website that I should join. Needless to say, he convinced me to join that night. Within a year of being a member, soon after the “Year Round Snowboard Haven” article, I became a moderator on the site. A great honor back then, respect, parades, and glory soon followed…I was a legend! Ahhh who am I kidding!!!! I got paid in free core membership and stickers…for a job that I loved and hated.

Snowboard.com opened up a whole new world to me where I could talk to fellow snowboarders about snowboarding. Looking back on it, I never expected it to become anything big or more than a website…but I was wrong.

I met some amazing people from around the world, had some great conversations, got into some fights (some big, some small), had a couple stalkers, met some great guys and great friends that i still call friends outside of the website. I helped people buy equipment or find equipment they wanted and I have no regrets.

Here’s some highlights of snowboard.com that I enjoyed.

Snowboard Meets

I’ve attended five meets…each with a purpose of snowboarding, hanging out and the occasional booze fest.

In March 2005, I convinced Jay to fly out from Eastern Canada to Seattle. We would make the trek to Tahoe and stay with more sb.com members during the week long trip. It was an epic journey with many accomplishments. I had never met Jay before he flew into Seattle-Tacoma Airport and without knowing each other more than 30 minutes we were in my truck driving to Tahoe. I had spent a great deal of time talking to him weeks before the journey and did enough research to make sure he was who he said he was online. This was one of the best road trips I’ve ever done, just talking, driving and showing him western USA. We took a detour through the Redwoods in Northern California which everytime I drive through it takes my breath away on the beauty and massiveness of those trees. We drove along the coast and made our way to Tahoe less than 24 hours after he arrived in Seattle. In South Lake Tahoe, we crashed at a sb.com member’s house. We rode Sierra-at-Tahoe, Heavenly, Squaw, and Kirkwood with other sb.com members. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this meet.

Shay and Jay

Riding up the Sierra-at-Tahoe Chairlift.

Snowtroopers: Luari, Shay, Jay

Owned by Snowboard.com

My next meet was Alcoholiday in April 2005. It was held up in Whistler so I made the 5 hour drive up to crash at Joe’s house (Joe was a sb.com administrator). Just like the title of the meet, it was more about alcohol than snowboarding. I managed to meet up with more sb.com members, crash a couple parties and become a “for true” member of snowboard.com which basically meant I got a t-shirt for free. To this day, some of the stuff that happened is not remembered and should not be. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this meet.

For True Crew

Even my Whistler Edge Card Pictures was epic

This picture showed the proper way to use a snowboard.com sticker

Next was the Freedom Festival which took place in two locations: Whistler, BC and Skykomish, WA. The name for the meet came from a midwest member coming out to visit and get his freedom from the journey…and boy did he. He went back to the midwest a month later, packed up and moved to Washington. this meet was more about hanging out and relaxing in the summer. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the meet.

At the Snowboard.com office in Whistler

Relaxing in Skykomish

Me in Whistler in the summer

It took another year for me to attend a meet but I traveled back up to Whistler for the Snowboard.com World Meet in April 2006. A lot of members from around the globe came to the meet, partied and snowboarded together. Here are some of my favorite photos from the meet.

Trying to take a picture
Everyone at the bar (i’m on the far left)

Enjoying Whistler riding by taking advantage of the demos

Then the 30+ meet in Winter Park in February 2007. Even though i’m not over 30, I was invited to attend with some good friends. I went out to stay for 2 days and hang out. Since I was injured with bruised ribs, I didn’t get on the mountain with everyone to ride. It was also the Superbowl and we had a decent gathering for the Superbowl Party on Sunday night.

Around the TV at Superbowl

The Odes to the men and women of snowboard.com

Now these took a lot of time and energy to pick out members and write odes to them. I would say I spent a 3 hours of my life writing it up…much more time than this blog. That’s devotion. Regardless…I had fun with it honoring the men and women of the site. I’ll share with you some of my favorite ode’s that were done.

Cusano: Admit it, he’s god…we just need to form a cult and throw panties at him all day.

XkellyX: The real CO mountain woman who will tear boys apart and make men, real men.

Moselle23: I don’t think anyone can ever forget your ass or your boobs…or really any part of your body.

Konk: Only in another life would we have made out but we still have dreams.

Shred35: The only person I would let stay in my home for the entire winter…but he can’t do El.

Gezsweet: We are still waiting for the scottish kilt pictures with the wind blowing them up!

KSA: Lives in a van down by the river.

Board-Alaska: can’t get caught making love to any animal even the Alaskan moose.

Video Chat Truth or Dare

So it started out as a video chat for the regular forum members to chat without being bothered. It was just luck that there were webcams involved and you could watch your fellow members in the comfort of their own home. I soon invested in a webcam which I still have to this day. It was only $5 and the quality sometimes makes me look like a smurf…but really I don’t mind the blue tint on certain days. Really the fun part about truth or dare was playing the game…and finding out a lot of information about your fellow sb.com regulars.

Some of the best moments caught on webcam history from Truth or Dare are here for your pleasure.

Tanner and the hitler stache

Glamour Shots

There was a really boring time for me where I decided to use mugshots of members and virtual makeovers to create new and fascinating looks for some members of the site. I believe it was the best idea I ever had and really…who can’t resist a new look? Just some of my favorite virtual makeovers that occurred.

Joe

Shay (me!)
Gezsweet

Thanks to snowboard.com I have met:

-Mishkin
-DPK
-Lakia
-Steveduh
-Loach
-Pink_Dayzi
-Ssknaotwe
-Killthenuge
-Steezinsharon
-Tdot
-Tara_dakides_03
-Konk
-Teresab
-JayM
-Svenskapoo
-Ganjawanna
-Board-Alaska
-Moselle23
-Kendrat
-Tooscoops
-Cazza21
-DammitJ
-Board-Stupid
-Coco7
-Robvalentine
-Andrewmac
-Jcthemadhatter
-Mooz
-Joe
-Rick
-Kyle
-Slimpdawg
-Snowpunk
-Elsnowboardo
-Revolve-evolve
-vagabond216
-razzi
-followtheflame
-smoothboader
-Nconnors
-specialkalltheway
-Jamesbong0024
-sushicat
-Mcspinna
-nosnow
-powderkeg
-tacomaranch
-mpdsnowman
-latinarider
-ale_capone
-killclimbz
-shrederjen
-xkellyx
-riderspro
-BC
-XinthislifeX
-Mandingo

My collection of signatures

Forum Awards

Held twice a year and put on by the mods…the forum awards were always interesting and fun to partake in. I won some interesting awards and got some interesting votes during the voting…all in good fun.

Over the years here’s the awards I won
-Best advice in General (sb related)
-Nicest Member
-Best represents the sb.com forums (female)
-Most likely to be a couple (won that with El)
-Most unlikely Couple (won that with Hater_Player)
-Best Forum Fight

Regardless of what happens to snowboard.com, I’m glad I stuck through it and kept with the site…it has so much to offer to snowboarders.