As one of Academy Snowboards’ original visionaries and pro riders, Matt Peterson has come a long way with the company. Over the years Matt has helped put that special flavor on everything we do, gained numerous magazine editorial shots, and led Academy Snowboards to two Transworld Team Challenge titles. After retiring from professional snowboarding 5-years ago, Matt continues to play an active role with Academy Snowboards as the head coach at Camp Academy, SIA booth architect, and t-shirt art designer, and positive vibrations director.
Name:
Matt Peterson
Position:
SIA Booth Architect, Head Coach at Camp Academy, T-Shirt Creative Designer, Positive Vibrations Director
Where do you live:
Denver, CO
Where do you ride:
Anywhere there’s powder in the Rockies
What’s your history with Academy:
I had the privilege to be there at the beginning. It was such an amazing experience to be a part of those crucial decisions like name, logo, manifesto, team. I will never forget that. The time was pure magic. We really created something that we knew would be different and I think we have held true to those ideals today. Have fun with what you do and show snowboarding how it should be.
What’s your involvement now:
I have taken a back seat to day to day involvement while I moved back to Denver to go back to school and finish a degree. My main efforts now revolve around the snowboard camp. I work with all the coaches and the kids to make sure everyone is optimizing every minute of fun on the hill. I really enjoy working with the kids and encouraging them to try new tricks. I’m always amazed how much a kid can progress in a weekend. When he shows up, he can tindy grab and maybe throw a frontside 180. When he or she leaves, they are attempting inverts, grabbing correctly, spinning and ripping boxes. All they needed, was a little tutelage and confidence from the Academy crew! It’s really fun to see.
Where do you want to see the company go:
To the moon! But if we don’t make it all the way to the moon, I want to see more smart growth like we have seen over the past few years. Steady wins the race. If everyone who buys an Academy this year tells a friend how great the board is and what a great experience they had, whether it was dealing with the local dealer, working with customer service or meeting part of the team, that positivity will create new members of the Academy community!
What’s your favorite memory as an Academy Snowboards Team Rider:
This is too hard to pin down. I have hundreds and hundreds of the best memories of my life with Academy!
- Japan, 2005. JB, Micah, Brady and myself named this mountain Narnia. It was the raddest ever! It was this Mario Land and they had one chairlift to the top and only one tiny run down. Outside the ropes, was a literal snowboard fantasy filled with trees, waterfall drops, pillows and about 8 feet of rippable pow. So we obviously hopped the rope and gave her hell!
- Team challenge 2006. The Academy team rallied and ran the show. The other teams weren’t ready for what we had prepared. 70’s ski outfits hotdogging on mini blades with Dummer down the stair sets. Then switching to mariachi band which included head to toe outfits that I made with my wife the night before. We even had authentic sombreros from Mexico that JB wrangled up north. I think the real kicker was that we brought Jared Morgan, our roommate/ totally kick-ass guitar player who played our personal theme music for two days. What a party!
How important is it to see ‘true’ snowboard companies succeed in the industry:
It’s important to me to believe in good people who care about what they make and do. I believe it is passion and innovation that makes brands great and I personally know how much blood, sweat, tears and joy that have been poured into Academy snowboard CO. This is what a true company is to me. Let’s spread the good word!
