I asked a few snowboarders at the top for some tips (YouTube was still 5 years away) and stumbled my way down. A new passion was born.
At the same time, a group of Dutch hometown friends really got into snowboarding as well. Soon after, all our savings and income from working in bars and coding simple websites were spent on cheap night bus trips to the Alps and gear on blue-tomato.com.
With shoe size 45, my first snowboard was a Nitro Magnum, with Burton Cartel bindings. Soon to be topped off with the first Airblaster jacket.
In the meanwhile, I graduated from university, while spending as much time as I could on the snow. A masters degree in Marketing Management landed me my first ‘normal’ job, which meant more money to spend on my passion.
Meeting my Swiss girlfriend in the years that followed, gave me the final push to leave my ‘normal’ job and I spent two full seasons in the mountains around Laax, Switzerland. This was the moment when I changed back to skiing.
Besides the many deep powders, my seventh (and last) position at the Dutch Freeski Championships must have been my personal highlight. The only benefit of being Dutch and having a passion for snow.
Back in the Netherlands, my passion for the snow sports forced me to stay ‘in the industry’, landing a job as Copywriter at Protest Sportswear. With a bit of luck, I got promoted to Head of Marketing a few months later.
My backcountry passion kept on growing, so I decided to start ski touring. Almost a year after my girlfriend had gone back to Switzerland, I got tired of the travelling back and forward.
So, in the summer of 2015, I decided to move to Bern, Switzerland. Bringing me back to my girlfriend and passion for the mountains.
Back in the mountains, after a ski tour to the Vilan, Switzerland, the classical ‘What if…’-moment hit me. A moment that later turned out to be the start of Open Wear.
David
27th January 2019