Jeff Lavin
Snowboard Pro Forum

Name: Jeff Lavin

Nickname: "Lavin" and sometimes JR

Date of birth: 12-21-1981

Started riding in what year? 1994/95

Sponsor/s? Acadmeny, Fuel, Monster, and Lavinsnow.com

What snowboard related business activites are you involved in? Currently writing a book called getting back in the game about two ACL injures.

I also just turned my website into a info site for anyone who needs news, local area info, cheap hotels, deals on gear. It's a hub for anyone with the creative dream. In the works we have a community site in the development process so people can be connected in the action sports/ creative industries.

Fuel Clothing makes some of the sickest threads in the industry and I'm doing all I can to get the word out to shops, and people.

Where did you grow up? Wisconsin, Maine, CO, West

Live now? CO

Fave places to ride? Keystone, Breck, Tahoe, Any backcountry and natural features

Do you warm up each day before you ride? If so, what do you do to warm up? Warming up is key, and cooling down is just as important. It depends on the day. For Park day usually I wake up around 6:30 get a meal with in the hour. After I do a quick set of stretches, hit the trampoline and get a few spins in. Then it's off to the hill/ resort and I take a couple of fun laps. After I feel good it's go time.

For backcountry/ filming days I usually wake up really early depending on the time. Eating is key with in the hour no matter the time. Stretching out, followed by a quick set of polymetrics gets me stoked. Then I try to Roll with it.

How keep in shape in season? How keep in shape for snowboarding out of season? Working out and conditioning is a part of my life. During the season it's not as heavy, off season it's a 5-6 day a week thing.

Fave riding buddies? All my friends from Maine and CO. Or anybody that has a stoked attitude!

Who do you admire in snowboarding or outside and why? Everyday I learn something from the mountain about myself, nature, the big picture. Honestly snowboarding saves lives, if we didn't find each other we'd be lost.

Do you ever get bummed out about your riding, and why? There where times when I used to before I blew my ACLs during 2006. Feb 24th 2006 I blew my right knee when things were looking real good. Rehab and PT was no prob. I hustled the business side to get Monster Energy to back me along with a few other sponsors. Come Dec I was rocking it full swing. On the 16th I was taking laps with a Snowboard manufacturer the was going to sign me and a wrong person on the landing sidelined me with my second ACL injury.

Now I'm happy to do backflips off the smallest mogul kicker. You could make me ride on hard boots, never done it but I'd be pumped just to ride. If there's anything to ride you can count me in. I have a ink that says Ride to Live-Live to Ride, it's changed to Ride to Love-Love to Ride.
How do you fix it? Simple strap on my board, or put on the worst cheezy music that gets you amped.

Do you use visualization, and if so, how? Everytime before I drop. Before I'm even there I've done what I've visualized. It's all a head game.

What safety equipt. do you wear, use for snowboarding? An avalanche beacon is on the list, helmet

If you're pro, when did you decide to “go pro” — and what happened to get you there? One day I was in the right spot at the right time. Eastern Edge and Transworld came to my local mountain Sunday River, the heard I was down and invited me to the private park shoot. It was a gnarly kicker, the guys were stoked and we had a blast. After a few kind words from the photographers and filmers I new the dream was obtainable.

What have you read, listened to seen that you liked lately? Anything from James Redfield, a few motivational books. Independent music really gets me pumped, most of the time it's better than the radio and they're more hungry. Kind of like us!

Where have you traveled to lately that you like? Norway was awesome! Also Headed for Argentina on the 10th of August

Any guilty pleasures? Sushi for breakfast,

Have you done well in any contests lately that you want to tell us about? Contests rock it's been a bit with injuries, now it's all about getting the shot or the video clip. One day for less than 4 seconds.

Anything that not many people know about you that you would like to share? I wrote this a while ago and I think it expresses my passion for the shred


Riding is... as much a part of me as my hand, like a hand is part of your body. It's a part of my mind, body, and soul. I love it, I hate it, I cry about it. It's my wife. It's blood. It's got freedom. It's dancing, It's expression, It's a feeling. If everyone could feel this emotion, like feel this way, maybe the world would be a better place. Everything you get out there... boarding is relevant in the real world. You learn goal-building. You learn to go after your fears, becoming your fear. You Become fearless and become a better person in the process. Have fun, smile, laugh, not take life too serious, if you take it seriously just enough... if you take it too serious, you hate it. It's yin and yang, the perfect left flow of feng shui, it's a place where people are still kind to each other, drama does not exist. Everybody should experience something like that. for some people, it's music. some it's at 100mph, others it's writing or painting, or ridng sideways.

Encouraging words for beginners? Keep riding it gets better every turn. There's always something to learn, so you can never get bored.

Advice you want to share? Break everything down into micro goals. Don't forget how you do anything is how you do everything! It's all about going with the flow and also making things happen!