Snow Pirates Co. started the way most great ideas do — stoned. I had a blunt in one hand and the TV changing between One Piece and Eric Jackson’s movie Alignment. I don't know if it was the weed, but the message hit deep: finding balance between passion, purpose, and snowboarding. That was the spark that lit the fuse for what would become Snow Pirates Co. A small idea, fueled by raw love for snowboarding and a deep respect for riders who make the culture what it is.
From the jump, Snow Pirates Co. was never about the money, the clout, or chasing trends — it was about supporting riders who deserve it. The ones out there dedicating their life for the love of this shit. The ones who make this industry’s wheels turn. But like anything else, it had to start somewhere. I didn’t have a professional snowboarder background, angel investors, or even a fucking business plan — just a handful of riders turned friends, a camera, and a vision.
Over the next few seasons, things started to align — organically, not by design. From meeting the Snow Pirates team manager and now Boardslide Magazine’s co-owner Will Gosh, to throwing free events for all boarders, to backing the original Snow Pirates team who believed in something that didn’t exist yet, things started to fall in place. Each step, every all-nighter editing session, the tens of thousands spent that I would never get back, every frozen finger and dead camera batteries — it all added up to something that felt bigger than just a brand. It started to grow in a community direction by itself naturally.
The original Snow Pirates team was the backbone of it all: Hunter Ventline, Andy Rebne, Kaleb Loper, Shane Lynch, Will Gosh, Cole Brantner, Van Littlejohn, Molly “Scout” Martin, Alex Schreiber, and brothers Callum and Makai Gelvezon. Each rider hand picked for their passion and personality. Each one of them risked their reputation joining a brand-new company with no skin in the game. A company without a pro rider backing it, without corporate connections, without anything — and they still jumped on board because they saw the vision. They knew the ins and outs of snowboarding and how the “core” community would probably see us at first, and they still chose to light the fire. And for that I am eternally grateful and will forever help these particular riders in whatever capacity I can.
I never really cared if they rode the boards or wore the gear. All these products were still in the testing phase, and the shit was a learning process. I never asked the team riders to sign contracts. What pirate signs a fucking contract? Just pull up and ride, and if they needed anything like boots, bindings, or a new Snow Pirates board they got it without pushback. The whole point was freedom. The team was constantly encouraged to use Snow Pirates Co. as a stepping stone, to grow whatever future they wanted, to move on to bigger sponsors, to be able to call the shots. Our names began to spread, our presence grew together, and people started to know who the Snow Pirates were — not because of marketing budgets, but because of the authenticity. Hunter couldn’t even go to the doctor’s office without being recognized as a Snow Pirates rider. It was a combination of the riders talent and personality, and me trying to pulling big strings in the background that put Snow Pirates on the map so quickly.
But with quick growth came perspective. Seeing how the industry works up close. How political, toxic, and fake it can be. It started to eat away at my love for snowboarding, starting making me second guess my genuine relationships with the riders that put it all on the line for me. Companies use riders as pawns to sell products while claiming to “support the culture.” Brands that make profit off the backs of the riders who are the culture. Am I apart of that? Is Snow Pirates being received as something that is taking advantage of these riders? I had to make sure I was approaching everything with the correct intentions to ensure that the riders don’t feel used or like a walking billboard. Over the last few years I’ve been less and less concerned with products, even though we received hundreds of messages asking about new drops. The basis of my decisions had to be clear as day that I’m trying to support the riders — fuck the products.
Still, through all the noise, there was clarity. The moments that mattered weren’t the product drops or the online hype — they were the events, the free jams, the community meetups where everyone showed up for the same reason: snowboarding. Watching team riders get noticed, seeing friendships form, watching kids get inspired — that’s what kept me going. Did a 45 year old corporate bootlicker blogger who never made it just shit on us? Yep. But did Will Gosh and Hunter Ventline get featured on Slush Magazine approved by Pat Bridges? FUCK YEAH THEY DID — and they deserved every bit of it. People see the riders, my riders. That’s all that mattered to me in the end, and it’s what is fueling the evolution of Snow Pirates Co. into Boardslide Magazine.
Now, after years of grinding and growing (and having two beautiful kids), Snow Pirates Co. is evolving into Boardslide Magazine. It’s not a rebrand; it’s a continuation. It’s opening this platform that the Snow Pirates team built to other riders who deserve notoriety. The same heart, just a new platform that’s not tied to a retail brand. A platform where more riders can get their shine, more stories can be told, and more communities can grow. It’s all led to this, and I wouldn’t have it any other way if I had to chance to re-do it.
Boardslide Magazine is taking the best parts of what Snow Pirates Co. was — the raw, the real, the independent spirit — and extending the platform to amplify it for more riders to grow their presence in the boarding world. Expect more events. More videos. More riders finally getting the spotlight they deserve. Boardslide Magazine is a digital collective dedicated solely to the boarders.
No big sponsors. No politics. No corporate spin. Just the real recognizing real.
This isn’t the end of Snow Pirates, it’s just the next chapter. The same dedication, just more focused, more refined, and more driven to keep snowboarding authentic. Because at the end of the day, it was never about building a brand. It was never about being perfect. It was never about throwing the biggest hammers — although hammers were definitely thrown. It was about building something real, and I sleep at night knowing WE fucking did that.
To those that have been supporting me and the Snow Pirates team from outside looking in, thank you — from all of us. “Thank you” doesn’t even cut it. We’ve built something that we can share. We’ve built something together that boarders all over the world can be apart of. It’s out of my hands now, and in the hands of the community. Welcome to Boardslide Magazine.
"Do you want to know how it is when you're a big dog? You might got to take the assist, let your dog get the big shot" - Young Thug
Sincerely,
Zach Jacobs
Owner of Boardslide Magazine and Snow Pirates Co. Founder
