Community-Driven Snowboarding Leads the Way at the SNOWBOARDER Block Party at Big SNOW

September can be a torturous month for snowboarders. The brand launches are constant, the video teasers are starting to sneak into your feed, and your local shop is likely pulling skateboards down and replacing them with racks of next season’s snow products. Let’s be real: It’s a tease. Everyone’s itching to get on snow, and that’s why the first community Block Party was strategically planted on the calendar in the middle of September to make sure we were scratching that itch for the greater NYC area.

Presented by SNOWBOARDER Magazine and 5-Hour Energy, the Block Party was a community ride event held at Big Snow in the American Dream Mall. That’s right, we hit the fridge for a blast of cold air and fast laps with a roster of community groups doing the good stuff. Twelve community organizations and non-profits came together for the Block Party, which went off with on hill sessions by Park Affair and Hoods To Woods , hourly raffles to support the participating groups, and DJ sets. The base area of Big Snow was filled with a tent village featuring demos by Nitro and Burton , with an appearance by Arc’Teryx , all of whom hooked it up with the raffle prizes along with 5-Hour Energy.

As Block Party attendees made their way to the lift, they were greeted by grassroots community groups and non-profits spreading the word about the work they do and offering information, resources, and sessions throughout the evening. Not only were there local groups such as Hoods to Woods, Chill NYC , and Park Affair’s NJ chapter, the tent village represented community groups from East to West, giving everyone the opportunity to learn a little more with each other.

“Talking with other organization founders helped us remember that we all started small. Running a non-profit is incredibly rewarding but can also be exhausting. The Block Party helped re-energize us to keep pushing,” said Laura Rogoski from We’re All Mental (WAM) .

In addition to WAM, SHRED Foundation turned up from Albany, along with Beyond the Boundaries , Soy Sauce Nation , Technically Doing It , The Rose Club , Black Boarders Connecticut , East Coast Lady Boarders , and Anthology 42 .

It was a convenient opportunity to host an event for five hours given the abundance of 5-Hour Energy around, but with the amount of energy harnessed by that fridge, we could have gone for five more. This was truly a Block Party in every sense, with attendees ranging in age from toddlers to seniors. The DJs kept things lively with multiple dance parties breaking out and some live commentary by Tyson Brown, aka @pro__kook , who in typical fashion, showed up in head-to-toe Pro Kook drip, mic in hand, ready to report.

The Technically Doing It crew was lapping non-stop with Adro Mitchell and local LJ Henriquez laying it down on the jib line. Nirvana Ortanez and Andrew “AK” Kelly of Soy Sauce Nation took breaks between laps to hand out treats from the Asian market, keeping everyone fueled and standing by their objective to create space for underrepresented riders, bringing people together and celebrating differences. Laura Rogoski and Nitro team rider Lex Roland of We’re All Mental held it down at their booth, handing out zines and sharing their mission to create a free mental health support community within snowboarding and beyond. Check out their website for more information on how you can join the We’re All Mental community.

Local group East Coast Lady Boarders were representing, bringing women together in the snowboard community. Danny Hairston of SHRED Foundation was posted up spreading the word about his organization’s mission to introduce youth to snowboarding and skateboarding while giving them personal and professional skills to carry with them. Also present was The Rose Club from Utah, Beyond the Boundaries, Black Boarders Connecticut, and Anthology 42 (who facilitated the day’s fundraising).

“The Block Party was an incredible event where we got to meet so many people and organizations that have an inclusive vision of snowboarding at the forefront,” said Nirvana Ortanez. “Each and every representative from the different groups had a unique approach and insightful views for creating positive change.”

AK followed up with the same sentiment and noted, “We departed the event feeling inspired, supported, loved, and grateful to be a part of such an incredible snowboard world.”

NYC-based non-profit Hoods to Woods hosted an evening session giving feedback to riders looking to improve their skills on the slopes. The turnout was impressive, as signaled by their iconic red and green bibs that participants in all of their programs wear. Since 2009, Hoods to Woods has provided access to the outdoors for inner city youth, with Big Snow being one of their program locations.

Following the Hoods to Woods session, Taylor and Sofie from Park Affair took over and ran a park session for all to attend. They kept it going while the energy was flowing until the lights turned off.

“The Block Party is something that I feel like has been missing from snowboarding in recent years,” event co-organizer Sadie Maeda said. “The opportunity for all these different communities, from all over the country and all different backgrounds, to come together under one roof is truly special. There’s been so much mutual respect between all the groups but very little chance to all come together. Every group does so much for their unique communities, creating spaces that haven’t existed and bringing like-minded people together, and they’ve done so much for snowboarding as a whole. It was amazing to be able to all enjoy something together, no pressure, all love. We hope this is the catalyst for more events like this in the future because everybody is invited to the Block Party!”

Block parties originated in New York City as a way for the community to celebrate each other and welcome newcomers, which is exactly what the Big Snow Block Party intended. And it’s true, so many of these groups and organizations work independently to create an inclusive and accessible culture in snowboarding, but rarely get to come together. Secondly, there are so many members of the snowboard community that aren’t necessarily participants of these programs, but want to come together to support and learn more on a personal level about what these groups do and who is behind the name. The Block Party achieved that last week and couldn’t have been done without all of the groups that came out to share their mission and support each other along with the boarders who kept that chairlift spinning and the energy high. “It was just like a classic neighborhood block party,” Beyond the Boundaries co-founder and Block Party co-organizer Christine Savage chimed in. “It brought the community out and got everyone talking, helping to strengthen existing bonds and create new ones.”

Please check out and support all of these groups doing work to build an accessible and inclusive snowboarding space that we can all share.

Beyond the Boundaries - @btbounds
Hoods to Woods - @hoodstowoods
Chill Foundation - @chillfoundation
SHRED Foundation - @shredfndn
Soy Sauce Nation - @soysaucenation
The Rose Club - @_theroseclub
Technically Doing It - @technicallydoingit
Park Affair - @parkaffair
Anthology 42 - @a42fdn
Black Boarders CT - @blackboardersct
We’re All Mental - @_were_all_mental
East Coast Lady Boarders - @eastcoastladyboarders

Huge thanks to everyone that was involved in making the SNOWBOARDER Block Party happen. Thank you to all of the groups that came out and make the event a great time. Thank you to Big SNOW for having us and to 5-Hour Energy for the support. And thank you to all of the effort, passion, and dedication that all of the groups and organizations put into snowboarding every day of the year.