Global Dispatch: Dustbox and Urban Snowboarding
As published in Volume 9, Issue 2 of the Oxford Review of Books
In the past twenty years, snowboarding culture has been overhauled into a glamorous, manicured vacation for the wealthy, abandoning its roots as a winter surf alternative. Curated mountain towns, outrageous lift ticket prices, and crowds of out-of-towners have claimed the slopes themselves. Dedicated townies-sans-ski bums have been gentrified to the outer realms, out of sight and out of mind.
Vail Apocalypse | Financial Times
Social media and print magazines have spawned a loose collective of bums exploring their relationship with the wider world, forming a symbiotic bond between new print magazines and these freestyle boarders. Torment Magazine, a snowboarding magazine, describes a group as “probably recognized by less than .0001 percent of the world’s population, but in the snowboarding world, it’s become a household name.” Frowned upon by locals, urban stunts are captured on thrifted, grainy fisheye lenses. Baggy bibs, loud music, and a sense of freedom recalling the amateur skate videos and associated culture, from the 90’s (e.g. Vans, Thrasher Mag, Mid-90s).
Jonas Harris 50-50 ollie | Colt Morgan photo | Torment Mag
“Dustbox,” fifteen snowboarders anchored by an old campervan, travel the United States building makeshift ramps, grinding rails, and ostensibly leaving disapproving adults in their wake. A snowy, nameless suburbia is jolted awake by their aggressive, hair-raising tricks, a brief flash of color blurring past on dirty snow. Simultaneously beautiful and powerful, these daredevils destroy preconceived notions of a city, making every building seem as if it were designed to be boarded. Free from the limits on form and movement imposed by downhill or traditional halfpipe snowboarding, these artists are building the natural winter analog to street-style skateboarding.
Wildly creative, the final product is a disembodied montage of tricks, broken boards, and hooliganism set to smooth bass lines. Decommodified and aesthetic to the extreme, these upstarts are the epitome of culture for culture’s sake. With limited social media presence and almost no self-promotion, word of mouth is the only way to stumble into this community (this article notwithstanding). Dustbox is not a targeted influencer campaign nor an attempt to “lead the youth” (helmets are nowhere in sight).
The grungy, low-budget lifestyle is a calling for group members and avid followers alike, a stark rebuke of society’s reverence for corporate consumerism. Dustbox presents a world where happiness exists in its most Platonic state, untainted by the modern world’s fixation on transactional performance. However, fifteen dudes surviving on the cheap can only break so many snowboards before life starts hurtling back into the fold. Perceptive brands have noticed the hype, partnering with boarders to sneakily market their newest boards or virtue signal their “in the now” appeal. Or maybe these dudes have inspired board companies to return to their roots and support the culture that made them popular. A subtle K2 symbol during a video, or a “supported by Fat Tire” in the credits, reminds viewers that artists must eat, too.
Bean front lip | Photo Oli | Torment Mag
Maybe, just maybe, Dustbox will visit your city soon, following a slow trek from NYC, to Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City. You wouldn’t know unless you stumbled upon their half-melted ramp and cigarette butts or you are a disgruntled Airbnb host. Ghosts in the Wind, Dustbox is already on its way to the next adventure, pushing the boundaries of extreme sports and leaving a subculture dragging in its wake.
Other Cool Pieces on Dustbox:
Torment Mag: https://tormentmag.com/p/dustbox-in-the-age-of-wonder-2/
Snowboarder Mag: https://www.snowboarder.com/news/dustbox-needed-you