Biography

Jake grew up in Vermont, riding Bolton Valley and Stowe, where his technical riding and massive airs landed him on podiums of slopestyle and halfpipe competitions throughout his teens. The biggest win came in 2004, when he won one of snowboarding’s most prestigious events, U.S. Open. Suddenly, at age 17, the snowboarding world was his oyster. He moved to Mammoth, then Tahoe, but found his west coast home in Bellingham and at nearby Mt. Baker—the deepest resort in the contiguous United States—where Jake became a master of powder and style. The backcountry was his new home, where an endless offering of lines and natural terrain challenged Jake’s imagination and creativity. Through the next decade, Jake produced award winning video parts with Forum, Absinthe and Snowboarder Magazine, but it was his solo film project, Naturally, that catapulted Jake to the upper echelon of riders. Eventually, Jake found his way back home to Vermont, where he lives with his young daughter, Nell, and wife, Kristin, an organic/holistic chef and restaurant owner. Jake grows much of his own food, practices yoga and carpentry and plays soccer. He and Kristin also founded a non-profit organization called the Mountain Light Project, which works with the American Alpine Institute to offer free youth avalanche and backcountry education for children and young adults.