Cruising the groomers is one of the first things a snowboarder does, but also one of the hardest to really master. Lots of people can ride fast, but it's not until you see a guy like Terje Haakonsen effortlessly blast a huge method off of a nonexistent bump, or Ben Ferguson lay down an armpit dragging carve that you realize just what's possible on a regular old groomer. Riding fast, getting creative, and looking good doing it are a few of the things that can really show how good a pro snowboarder is.
Norwegian professional snowboarder Terje Haakonsen, born 11 October 1974 needs no introduction. Terje ruled freestyle snowboarding in the 1990s when he won numerous events including the ISF World Championships, European championships and the U.S. Open in half-pipes. He also won legendary Mt. Baker Banked Slalom 7 times and set the world record for highest 'air' reaching almost 10 meters out of the top of the quarterpipe with his backside 360. He has worked with Burton since he first exploded onto the snowboarding scene and many of us will remember him from the documentary First Descent capturing five of the world's best snowboarders taken to the mountains of Alaska for some outrageous "Big Mountain" rides. In his 40s, he is still considered as the most stylish and smoothest rider in the industry.
The 18-year-old snowboarder from Bend, USA Ben Ferguson is one of those kids who astonish the snowboarding world with his skills and progress. Born in 1995 he got his start at nine when Burton signed him to its Smalls Team. Most of the time he competes in halfpipe and slopstyle events. He made his mark in 2010 when he won Rev Tour in halfpipe and finished 10th in slopstyle at the Mammoth Grand Prix stop a year later. He also had a smashing 2012 season, landing gold in halfpipe and silver in slopestyle at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Ben qualified to qualify to the Sochi Winter Olympics competing for the four spots on the halfpipe team but eventually didn't get on.
Those two have got carving in their blood. Watch their way through the groomers of Mt.Baker showing us how much fun you can have just ripping around the mountain. After seeing Terje's method 55 seconds in, or Ben's backside 360 tripod at 1:17, you will be left open-mouthed and shaking your head with a few more tricks added to your checklist.
Enjoy!
