EP 118 Pointing it with Ashely Call

In this one, Cody talks to big mountain snowboarder Ashley Call. As a kid, he was familiar with his home mountain, Eaglecrest, because he’d be there pretty much every day from 6:30 in the morning to 6:30 in the evening. For over 20 years, his dad was the director of ski patrol. So, while he helped ready the mountain for the day, Ashley ran around the lodge and caused trouble. Until the mountain opened and the lifts started spinning. Then it was time for Ashley to ride the mountain all day long.

He started snowboarding at 13. That first year, he went as fast as he could until he fell down. He had to, he was trying to keep up with the Juneau Boys, a group of riders in Juneau who were pushing the boundaries of the sport in the ‘90s and early 2000s. They rode together, traveled for competitions nationally and internationally and filmed video parts. They were a family of exceptional riders who fed off each other. So, to keep up with them, Ashley had to point it. He had to go as fast as he could. Which is something he would become known for. He would go on to have an impressive big mountain career, with wins at Verbier, Arctic Man and King of the Hill.

For the last six or seven years, he’s been focused on powsurfing. Powsurfers are like snowboards, but without bindings. He says it gives him the same rush he used to get with snowboarding, when he’d charge spines and steep lines. So, any chance he gets, that’s what he does. At a ski resort or in the backcountry. As he gets older, that’s where he sees himself putting his energy, being a proponent of powsurfing. That and being a father. He says that his daughter has taught him patience, something he’s lacked until recently. Lift lines and traffic, for example, used to stress him out. But now, with a kid, he’s learning to slow down and that it’s okay if things take a little bit longer.