Industry Profile: Professional Snowboarder Scotty Arnold

Shay: What is your job title?
Scotty: Pro Boarda

Shay: Did your parents question your job choice?
Scotty: They definetly would have liked to see me go to college but were very supportive of whatever I chose to do.

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Shay: What was your first set up?
Scotty: I bought a BlackSnow mogul monster from Ames. It was plastic with no highbacks.

Shay: What is your current set up?
Scotty: I am riding the Salomon Arnie 5000 with arnie bindings.

Shay: What was your first job?
Scotty: I was a dishwasher at a hotel resturant.

Shay: What’s a great day of snowboarding to you?
Scotty: Fun in the sun with a good crew of friends

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Shay: Who are your influences?
Scotty: All my friends that I grew up riding with have had the biggest influence on me.

Shay: How long have you been snowboarding?
Scotty: 16 years

Shay: How many days do you get to ride a year?
Scotty: A lot hahah

Shay: What’s your trick of choice?
Scotty: Triple cork triple grab to front nosepress

Shay: Who are your current sponsors?
Scotty: Salomon, Grenade, Boost Mobile, Park City Mountain Resort

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Shay: How is working with your sponsors?
Scotty: It is great. I get to have a lot of input. On the product I ride, and get to travel to cool places.

Shay: What is your favorite mountain to ride?
Scotty: There are too many good ones to choose from.

Shay: Is being a pro more about talent or hard work?
Scotty: I would say back in the day it was about talent, but now there are so many talented snowboarders that it is about which one of them is working the hardest.

Shay: Do you find it’s harder for kids to become pro than in the past?
Scotty: Yes because it is more mainstream now and so many kids want to be pro.

Shay: How do you keep snowboarding cool?
Scotty: I do what I want to do and not what the current trends are.

Shay: The Salomon Arnie is your pro model, what were the steps involved in creating the Arnie for you?
Scotty: I worked on all the dementions(size flex stance etc) and I come up with the concept for the graphics and work closel with the artist on all the graphics.

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Shay: What other products do you have your name stamped on?
Scotty: I have a binding with salomon, and a glove with grenade

Shay: What do you do in the off-season?
Scotty: I skateboard a lot, try to surf, and make music.

Shay: How do you progress your own riding?
Scotty: Start small with new tricks and work your way up.

Shay: Are there any events or competitions that are a must to attend?
Scotty: Grenade games!!!

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Photo:  Kendra Tombu

Shay: What are some memorable experiences from being a pro snowboarder?
Scotty: Just getting to go on fun trips with friends and experience new places and people.

Shay: What was the defining moment when you knew you were pro?
Scotty: The defining moment I knew I was pro was when I was able to not have a job and fully support myself off of snowboarding.

Shay: Did you plan on becoming a pro snowboarder?
Scotty: That has been my dream since I was a wee lad.

Shay: What’s a typical day in your life?
Scotty: Get up, take the dog for a walk, go shred, come home, go skate, go hit the bar ahah.

Shay: What’s the best part of filming with a crew?
Scotty: If you are with a good crew and they are all trying to help each other out.

Shay: What’s the best perk you’ve gotten from your work?
Scotty: Just being able to snowboard around the world and meet people I would have never got to meet.

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Shay: Any disadvantages of your work?
Scotty: When you take what you love and make a job out of it there are always gonna be downsides, but the good outweigh the bad for sure!!!

Shay: Since you started snowboarding, what’s been the biggest change?
Scotty: It is crazy to me how young kids are trying to get sponsored and compete. There is definitely a formula that kids are trying to follow. Back in the day it was all about having fun and riding with your homies with no Olympic dreams, haha.

Shay: What’s the busiest time of year for you?
Scotty: I would say right now when the season gets started. All the companies are trying to get photos and finish up product, and I am trying to get comfortable on the board again after summer time.

Shay: Any upcoming projects your looking forward to?
Scotty: Just to keep designing cool boards and getting to go to new places makes me happy.

Shay: Have you thought about life after being a pro snowboarder?
Scotty: Yes, all the time.

Shay: Education vs Experience…which do you think is more important?
Scotty: Education, you gotta be smart and the more you experience the less risk you take. So be smart but stupid hahaha.

Shay: What advice would you give to people wanting to become a pro snowboarder?
Scotty: Do it because you love to snowboard and don’t try to fit in the box, there are already tons of kids that fit in the box. Be different.

Shay: Final Thoughts?
Scotty: Be happy.

*Pictures courtesy of Scotty Arnold, Grenade and Salomon Snowboards.