Craig Kelly is not only my friend, but a hero and a mentor of mine in snowboarding. Tragically he lost his life back in 2003 in an avalanche whilst training to become a certified Canadian Mountain Guide in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. When I finally met him he turned out to be the best possible role model. Details: www.scma.com. His dad Pat explained that he could dealwith the loss because Craig had lived as much in 36 years as most ofus do in 80, which was a very fitting obituary. Twenty-one pages of stunning imagery and intelligent thought with snowboarding's greatest all-time talent. Over the weekend, Craig Kelly was guidinga group of skiers and riders in the Revelstoke area ofBritish Columbia, explained an email from Burton.The group was caught in an avalanche. Craig was a four-time World Champion, a three-time U.S. Open Champion, three-time Baker Banked Slalom Champion, and the 2002 recipient of TransWorld SNOWboardings Tranny award. Near Sporthotel Gudari in Caucasus Mtn, near Tblissi, "Soviet" Georgia, ISM magazine trip, 1990. Hed be the living legend Id introduce my kids to some day, and theyd know immediately who he was because Id have already told them his story: Craig Elmer Kelly was born on April Fools Day-April 1, 1966. He was a four-time world champion and three-time U.S. Open champion, a fierce competitor whose talent was matched only by his passion for a sport he helped pioneer. It was done in conjunction with another founder of the sport, Bob Barci. The productive blue water has moved to within only a mile or two from the beach and anglers are finding dorado and sailfish that close. You have to take care of them. Donations in memory of Craig Kelly can be sent to the Canadian Avalanche Association, P.O. You cant give her the key to your heart because snowboarding put a combination lock on it and only your snowboard knows the number. Although Craig was quiet and analytical, he was an amazing athlete and quickly became known as the house snowboarder. During Hell Half Hour (the houses nightly stress-release study break), Craig would crank up The Scorpions or Judas Priest and jump on his bed with his snowboard. He was my inspiration before I met him. January 26, 20 Craig was a Sims Snowboards rider, founded by Tom Sims, from 1983 until 1987. He was my inspiration before I met him. Box 2759, Revelstoke, B.C., Canada, V0E 2S0 or via the web at http://www.avalanche.ca in the sales and products section. Hes still there. Again, Kelly was at the vanguard. The 13-year old meta local kid named Dan Donnelly and the two wentBMXing together, then started riding snowboards in1981 when a local shop bought a couple of boards asa test case. A post shared by Steve Andrews (@whererusteve). He was no slacker, telling onemagazine I constantly think about working a certainmuscle group or perfecting a particular techniqueif my riding doesnt feel technically perfect. It paidoff: in 1986, he won the slalom event at the WorldChampionships in Breckenridge, Colorado, and asthe 1980s came to an end and his star was rising, heswitched teams from Sims to Burton in the sportsfirst acrimonious court case, and claimed Burtonsfirst pro model. After dominating the freestyle titles for three years, Craig tired of the negative energy and stress associated with competition and decided freeriding was his next focus. Craig was responsible for the design and development of the following Burton signature models: The Mystery Air, The Craig Kelly Air, The CK Slopestyle, The Cascade, and The Omen. Kelly was in in the process of becoming the first fully certified snowboarder guide in the Canada Avalanche Association, and at the time of his passing had achieved the highest level of certification of any snowboarder. Subscribe to SNOWBOARDERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. He had only fifteen units remaining to graduate, but traveling to contests around the world was tough to juggle with a full-time education. Craig wrote, If this (list) comes across as uninteresting or meaningless to you, please consider it an educational experience. In that list of eleven people, Craig included both Tom Sims and Jake Burton Carpenter-Craigs quiet way of giving credit to all those who helped him along the way. When going big in the streets on a snowboard is dubbed a "Brisse Spot", We've compiled a list of helpful travel tips with the goal helping you make TransWorld SNOWboarding's managing editor provides an in-depth, honest, and Terje speaks further on his controversial tweet. Having tasted victory, Craig fell into a focused regimen of school and snowboard training, an almost Zen-like technique that his mother Janet likened to the BMX days when hed take his entire bike apart and put it back together the night before a race. News of Kelly's death sent shockwaves throughout the snowboarding community. He was called a "style master" by TransWorld Snowboard Magazine editor Jon Foster. We tracked out Gunners Bowl until we moved onto the Arm, and we hiked to some of the most incredible alpine terrain that one can find by foot. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Photo: Vianney Tisseau//Burton. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Thank you for signing up. Annett remembers a soft-spoken, spiritual man who loved snowboarding almost as much as he loved his infant daughter. Woodward PC, Big Bear, and Woodward Copper with The Dust Box! When going big in the streets on a snowboard is dubbed a "Brisse Spot", We've compiled a list of helpful travel tips with the goal helping you make TransWorld SNOWboarding's managing editor provides an in-depth, honest, and Terje speaks further on his controversial tweet. He attended the University of Washington where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity and studied Chemical Engineering. Hedging his bets, Craigjuggled schoolwork with a diary full of contests and astrict training regime. Kelly made it clear that the backcountry was where he was heading. Im sure his guard was up too, but. . The skiff Porpy brought in a 100-plus pounder on four consecutive days. Holistic medicine provider and practicing clown. Craig Kelly (April 1, 1966 January 20, 2003) was an American professional snowboarder. I had no idea all those times that hed talked my mom into letting me go. Socially Awkward: Terje Haakonsen addresses the tweet heard round the action sports w Gretchen Bleiler with Conan O'Brian Tonight Show, Socially Awkward: Terje Haakonsen addresses the tweet heard round the action sports world, R.I.P. Craig, fourteen at the time, was instantly hooked and talked his dad into fronting the money for his own Burton Backhill. They were just following me, my brother Dave, Don Schwartz, and Doug Lundgren, but they were the ones who got busted, and they never ratted us out. Craig and Keith, subsequently got banned from June Mountain for life, but that didnt last. His reasoning wassimple: Ive always been into powder thats what I like riding.Luckily for him, Burton supported his decision wholeheartedly, andKelly found himself in the enviable position of being paid to get faceshots. Hood with Mark McMorris and The Burton Crew, Nitro Hard Drive | Dominik Wagner - The Bad Seeds, Phenoms in Finland: Jesse Augustinus & Max de Vries, R.I.P. The first leg of the Triple Crown was last month at Breckenridge, Colo. Thats how we keep his legend alive. At age seventeen, Craig was accepted into the University of Washington as a chemical engineering major. Craig got arrested with Keith (Duckboy) Wallace at the 1991 June Mountain Op Pro for riding off the lodges roof. Theres another key. 1991 craig kelly, jean higgins. If this boats a rockin : Boaters are healthier and happier -- and have sex more often -- than non-boaters, according to a recent survey conducted by Impulse Research Corp. Its hard to imagine professional backcountry snowboarding as a thing without him. First, she gives you the key to her heart, and then the key to her apartment. A place where he found inner peace. George dobis was one of mt. SNOWBOARDERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. In the last few years of his life, Craig embarked on a 14-month journey starting up in Alaska and going down to Chile with his partner (girlfriend) Savina and two friends for adventure, surfing and living. Olivia has been around snowboarding her whole life and has been close with the Carpenter's (Jake, Donna, and their sons) for as long as she can remember. In the latest issue of the quarterly magazine frequency -- the Snowboarders Journal, Kelly talked about recently completing a top-level avalanche safety and awareness course, required of professional guides and forecasters. Flick, there goes the key to the storage unit, then the key to her car. I took it for granted that the four-time world champion/three-time national champion whose method airs Id tried to emulate in the late 80s would grow old as an icon of snowboardings soul. How fortunate we are to be able to honor them by following in their footsteps. . TransWorld SNOWboarding and the entire Burton family deeply mourns his loss and extend our sympathies to all the families and friends touched by this tragedy. Craig died on 20 January 2003 near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada in an avalanche which trapped 8 people and killed 6 others. Jason J2 Rasmus, 1972-2019Gone Tooz Soon. Despite Toms obvious disappointment in losing Craig Kelly to Burton, he was unhappy about Visions decision to sue Craig and Burton. I dont know anybody else that loved mountain riding as much as he did. Nitro Snowboards just dropped a new series called Hard Drive. Madison Blackley, Ozzy Henning, Aspen Weaver, Nate Haust, Joey Leon and more! To otherswhod known Craig or had been influenced by hisriding, it was a shock and a reminder that no matterhow talented, gifted and hard working we are, lifeis a precious gift that can be taken from us withoutwarning. He was previously married to linda edquist. Kelly is known as the 'Godfather of Freeriding'; Terje Hkonsen called Kelly the best snowboarder of all time. Called 'Craig's', the state-of-the-art addition to the company's Burlington HQ will be the place for the techies to experiment with new ideas in snowboard design. If Craig got into it, says Fulton, all the kids would get into it., Jeff took them up to Mount Baker, and they rode powder off the side of the road because Mount Baker Ski Area didnt allow snowboarding in 1981. His style and personality were magnetic, and through ongoing video parts and magazine coverage, Kellys progression from halfpipe to cliff lines proved there was a viable path beyond the podium. Craig Elmer Kelly was born on April Fool's Day-April 1, 1966. Craig Kelly: April 1, 1966 January 20, 2003 A timeline of Craig Kelly's snowboarding accomplishments and life courtesy of Burton Snowboards. Aside from in-studio and on-site reports, the show will provide daily athlete profiles. Like many earlier pioneers, he hadno inkling of a career in the sport until it actuallyhappened. Those championships were both in halfpipe and the now-antiquated snowboard slalom racing. Craig is small in the frame and not facing the camera, but if you know ONE FUCKING THING about riding a snowboard you can see how absolutely bad ass this is. He was going to college, and in preparation he loaded up his schedule with six academic classes, taking computer science, advanced chemistry, fifth-year math, German, American government, and physics. He was able to live the dream in one of the most pure senses of the phrase. After that, he was way more careful with his pranks. And the australian comedian, 40, certainly hit the jackpot with the handsome philanthropist, 29, who is not only 11 years her junior but also filthy rich too. A post shared by Freeride Boardshop (@freerideboardshop). Socially Awkward: Terje Haakonsen addresses the tweet heard round the action sports w Gretchen Bleiler with Conan O'Brian Tonight Show, Socially Awkward: Terje Haakonsen addresses the tweet heard round the action sports world, R.I.P. You begin throwing them out the window as you blow down the highway. The Craig Kelly World Snowboard Camp was created to help kids improve their snowboarding skills. Iam ready to sort of give back to the kids. In 1988, he set up the CraigKelly World Snowboard Camps, which toured during the summers notably to Norway in 1989, where Kelly met a quiet but incrediblytalented young rider by the name of Terje Haakonsen. Or find your own lines. Thats two more. We get alot of requests for reprints of this column, Craig knew there was a message worth following in here. This court case gave notice to other pro snowboarders that snowboarding was a viable career option, not just a renegade fad. News of Kellys death sent shockwaves throughout the snowboarding community. Madison Blackley, Ozzy Henning, Aspen Weaver, Nate Haust, Joey Leon and more! Were reprinting one of Craigs favorite columns written by Ken Achenbach from the January 1992 issue of TransWorld SNOWboarding to honor him. When I left, I gave Craig my personal board, a 1500 FE, and shook his hand. Craig kelly was born on april 1, 1966 in granite city, illinois, usa as craig elmer kelly. Subscribe to On Thursday, Burton Snowboards officially dedicated a new, 10,000 sq ft prototype facility to the memory of legendary rider Craig Kelly, who was killed in an avalanche in 2003. He would do things like steal peoples windshield wipers during snow storms, fill jacket pockets with warm oatmeal, and then there was the time he strapped Mike Ranquet to his cars snowboard racks for a chilly drive up to Mount Baker (and got a ticket for child endangerment, according to Ranquet). Introducing Polo Mens The Sport Shop Collection, K2 Snowboarding Presents | Antti Jussila for World Peace. This multiple award-winning film portrays the world's most iconic, charismatic and philosophical snowboarder, Craig Kelly, and traces the first moments in the history of snowboarding. Nitro Snowboards just dropped a new series called Hard Drive. Okay, next time put more weight on your rear foot.'. The legal aspects of this contract would be debated in court later in his career, but at the time, he sought counsel from one of his older/wiser Delta Upsilon brothers, who told him, Sure you can sign it. Wrong. Now you have an address, thats another key. They were his home away from home. Mt. In kindergarten, coloring and the ABCs were boring to Craig because he could already read. He blew out dozens of mattresses and broke boards monthly. SNOWBOARDERs Newsletter to receive stories like this straight to your inbox. Craig Kelly, 36, who retired from one of the most successful competitive careers in snowboarding history to follow his heart into the backcountry, was killed in an avalanche Monday near Revelstoke in the Canadian Rockies. I will miss Craig very much, but I will always remember the sound of him riding down a powder-filled mountain. Wise, poignant words from a man who lived, and eventually died, staying true to a passion for the mountains that was only matched by his talent as a snowboarder. If Id come in and bother him, hed shhhh me because he was so focused., During an interview in the late 80s, Craig told Wiley Asher, an editor at International Snowboard Magazine, about his seriousness: When I train Im very analytical, and I constantly think about working a certain muscle group or perfecting a particular technique. Who should we be thanking for that storm? Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). The morbidity of that statement didnt occur to me at the time, because the thought of snowboardings superhero dying was incomprehensible. Craigs riding style, ideas and passion helped define snowboarding and influenced the sport and industry in innumerable ways. Craig Kelly going a million miles an hour from CA$109.00 Look, I understand why this photo never ran. By doing so he helped prevent the entire sport from becoming a corporate wasteland of hype over substance. Hood with Mark McMorris and The Burton Crew, Nitro Hard Drive | Dominik Wagner - The Bad Seeds, Phenoms in Finland: Jesse Augustinus & Max de Vries, R.I.P. Healing Energies Accessing Life Photo Album from www.healingenergies.com, After reaching a goal weight during her year of health, rebel is celebrating 2020 in new. If I chatter out on a heel turn, I think, Why did that happen? Just as Kelly redefined what it meant to be pro, he redefined how snowboard products were developed. Back at school during the week, Craig would set bamboo gates and train two or three nights under the lights at Ski Acres, outside of Seattle. Allah? Craig commandeered the foot of our rooms narrow beds for yoga. Pulling all the keys out of you pocket and jingling them, you think about what you really want from life. He shocked the snowboard industry by walking away from multimillion-dollar deals[citation needed], at the height of the snowboard craze, to pursue his passion for freeriding. Craig Kelly should undoubtedly be considered as one of the forefathers of modern snowboarding. One of Craigs conditions to taking on the guest editorship was to have the opportunity to pay tribute to a few of the people who had meant a lot to his snowboarding. Kelly also appeared in an enormous number of video and photo shoots. On weekends, Craig would go home to Mount Vernon, raid the refrigerator on Friday night, then hang out at Mount Baker until Sunday, when hed drive back to Mount Vernon, raid the refrigerator again, and return to the university. For boots, he took a pair of Sears canvas tennis shoes into the woodshop at school, shellacked them for waterproofing, and wore BMX gaiters duct-taped to his shoes to keep out the snow.In spring of 1982, Mount Bakers Mountain Manager Duncan Howat warily began to open the resorts lifts to snowboarders-on a trial basis. See how Kelly and Kazu retained their titles. Baja on the Fly has begun a fly-fishing operation there. Jacob grew up with two siblings, philip a. Thank you for signing up. It was in freeriding where Craig felt the happiest. Read our full Privacy Policy as well as Terms & Conditions. Over the past decade, however, Kelly devoted himself to backcountry riding and guiding, along with continuing his design and development work for Burton. Reports, the show will provide daily athlete profiles tough to juggle with diary! An amazing athlete and quickly became known as the house snowboarder mattresses and broke boards monthly the to. In Caucasus Mtn, near Tblissi, `` Soviet '' Georgia, ISM magazine,... Viable career option, not just a renegade fad to live the dream in one of the Delta Fraternity. In innumerable ways Sims, from 1983 until 1987 Caucasus Mtn, near Tblissi, `` Soviet Georgia... An Avalanche which trapped 8 people and killed 6 others decision to sue craig and Burton you throwing. Third-Party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website an. 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Show will provide daily athlete profiles sue craig and Keith, subsequently got banned from June for... How fortunate we are to be able to honor them by following in here Andrews! Member of the phrase craig kelly snowboarder daughter pro for riding off the lodges roof a heel turn, gave. Language links are at the time, was instantly hooked and talked his dad into fronting the money his... For World Peace craig kelly snowboarder daughter many earlier pioneers, he was a message worth following in their.. Be pro, he was a viable career option, not just a renegade fad the University of where... An American professional snowboarder just dropped a new series called Hard Drive Elmer Kelly born! An educational experience pro, he was called a `` style master '' by TransWorld snowboard editor! Foot of our rooms narrow beds for yoga sound of him riding down powder-filled., ISM magazine trip, 1990 iam ready to sort of give back to the kids with! Andrews ( @ whererusteve ) snowboarders that snowboarding was a message worth following in their footsteps on! Be sent to the storage unit, then the key to her heart, woodward. Also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use website...