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Ben Watts has already spent half his life skateboarding and snowboarding. A fully sponsored rider by age 11, the board-riding prodigy from Mt. Bachelor, OR, sounds a lot like his idol, Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.
With his strong boardsports background, Ben’s already made his ascent up the pro ranks, winning both the 2006 European Open halfpipe and slopestyle youth competition when he was just 12. Ben owes his technical riding skills to his skateboarding background, growing up near Oregon’s renowned concrete skate parks, pools and hardcore scene. At 10-years-old he was already throwing high consequence tricks like backside 360s and a kickflip indies over the famed 14-foot Brookings Gap, demonstrating a level of fearlessness and talent not common for a kid his age. His riding continues to progress, especially as he’s taken on riding on every type of snowboarding terrain such as backcountry which helped earn Ben a segment in Warren Miller’s latest film, “Playground.” If he’s got guts, he’s got heart, too: at 13, he donated his cash prize from the freestyle title at the USASA Nationals, as the youngest male rider to ever win the open division, to a fellow snowboarder who had recently been paralyzed.
Results: 3rd at 2008 European Open junior division, 6th at 2008 Chevy U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in Tamarack, ID, 8th at 2007 Chevy U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in Tamarack, ID, 1st at freestyle and 3rd at halfpipe at 2007 USASA National Championship in Northstar, 1st at 2007 European Open halfpipe, 1st at 2006 European Open slopestyle and halfpipe
Sponsors: Nike 6.0, Burton, Monster Energy Drinks, Oakley, Go211.com, Freeboard, Side Effect Board Shop, Mt. Bachelor
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