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JOEL MAHAFFEY
The first time I met Joel was during the 1991-
92 season at Homewood Ski Resort on Tahoe's
west shore. I had only heard rumors from a
friend of mine about this little Grom who was
ripping at Diamond Peak Resort in Joel's home-
town of Incline Village. His status at the time was
definitely Super Grom, at only twelve years of
age. His talent was rising, and he got hooked up
with Buddha's Board and Skateshop, only later
to be followed up with a board sponsor from
Ride Snowboards, Scott Eyewear, Volcom, and
Special Blend Clothing. While Joel was still in
high school, he was fortunate enough to go on
the road, travelling with the Ride team.
Permission was granted by Incline High as long
as his grades were up to par and Mom and Dad
said it was OK. Joel's riding speaks for
itself-whether it be on a skateboard or snow-
board, it's always balls-to-the-wall for this kid.
How was your summer?
Not bad.
Did you get to skate much?
Actually, I skated all summer. Reno
just put up a skatepark, it's about twenty-
five minutes from my house.
How's the park?
It's really good. Super fun set up,
you can go really fat if you want to,
good transitions in the street course.
How would you compare skate
boarding to snowboarding and
skaters to snowboarders?
Skateboarding is more fun because
it is more challenging than snow-
boarding. The tricks are more com-
plicated, and it's easier to get
hurt. Snowboarding is fun for
sure, but it's just way easier
than skating. I like big tasks,
that's why I give
skaters more credit than snowboarders. Skaters
push limits more, and the consequences are more
dangerous if you come up short on a skateboard.
Almost anyone can snowboard, but not just any
one can skateboard. I give a lot of respect to the
ones who can skate and snowboard really well;
those people and their riding really stand out.
Who are some skater crossover snowboarders
you admire for their ability to do both?
Noah Salasnek, always able to adapt to all
situations. He's got sick style on and off the
snow, not to mention a full bag of tricks. Aaron
Vincent's always going fast and big no matter if
he is skating vert or street. And John Cardiel
for pushing the limits in both sports.
So, what's up for you?
I'd like to travel some more and focus on my rid-
ing. I'm stoked to take advantage of Tahoe's moun-
tains this year now that I'm done with school.
-Aaron Sedway
Left: Damn that's some deep
snow. Joel barely manages to
keep atop the situation at Ski
Homewood in Lake Tahoe.
Above: Driftin' backside ollie
at a local Tahoe ramp.
Right: When the resorts get
tracked out Joel heads for the
backcountry and hucks rocks.
Background: Everybody loves
BC. Too bad it's so damn
expensive. At least it keeps the
crowds away.