Matt Ladley - Snowboard
 |
Matt Ladley from Steamboat, CO, is rapidly making a name for himself in the snowboard world as an all-around rider. With his sights set on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., he could very well be the latest addition to a long-standing tradition of Steamboat Olympians.
He landed the “Minor Threat” column in Snowboarder Magazine when his refined riding style caught the eye of pro rider Josh Dirksen. “Matt did one of the best lien airs I have seen in all my years of boardin’,” said Josh. “And to tell you the truth, I don’t seriously throw out the ‘best lien air’ title very often. But it was a lien air that looked like he had been thinking about it for at least 15 years, and the kid was only 14.”
Matt’s natural style and consistency has sent him to the top of podiums coast-to-coast. In 2006 he made the U.S. Rookie Halfpipe Team after earning the Chevy Revolution Tour’s Halfpipe title. A repeat of that performance on the Tour and a podium placing at the U.S. Grand Prix in Tamarack in 2007 put Matt in the line of real contenders in national halfpipe competitions. According to Matt’s U.S. Team coaches, “He has a natural finesse that you look for as a coach but can’t always teach. He’s keeping up with the ‘Spin Generation,’ consistently nailing back-to-back 1080s or his favorite secret weapon, a Cab 9.”
Results: 1st at Copper Mountain and Mount Bachelor in 2007 Chevy Revolution Tour, 3rd at 2007 Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix at Tamarack Resort, Idaho, 1st at Jackson Hole’s 2006 Chevy Revolution Tour stop, 1st at 2005 U.S. Open Junior Jam at Stratton Mountain, Vermont, 1st in Halfpipe Event at 2005 Nationals
Sponsors: Nike 6.0, Salomon, Bonfire, Oakley, Transit, Windell’s Camp |
|