Name?
Nick Krueger
Do you have a nickname?
Kruegs
Where do you primarily ride?
I usually ride at Bear or Snow Summit, but I make the trip to Mammoth as much as I can!
What made you start snowboarding?
My parents threw me on Skis when I was about four, I quickly made the swap to snowboarding when I was six because my cousin who was much older than me always snowboarded. I thought she was so cool and I wanted to be like her – so I skipped out on the skis and learned how to snowboard! (Definitely very thankful I made that decision back in the day!)
What’s your favorite board to ride?
My favorite board I’ve ridden so far is the Burton Kilroy 2020, a super good mix of flex and pop makes it perfect for all-around park riding. Most of the time I try and look for a mid-flex true twin camber board so I can take it outside the park too. (This year I’m hoping to get the new Burton Free Thinker – those are sick!)
Favorite riding story if you have one?
I was in main park at Mammoth and I had been telling myself that I would hit the XL jump line all week. I finally got to the park and was so nervous my heart was racing FAST. But I sucked it up and dropped in. The feeling of hitting those huge jumps is just amazing, the wind is so loud when you’re riding up to the jump, but right when you hit the gap everything is silent, and you can focus on being in the air. I hit the jumps all day on Friday but then on Saturday I ended up coming up short on one of my attempts and broke my Fibula. Still one of the best times though!
Why do you love to snowboard?
I love the feeling of getting away from society and just focusing on riding. Since I have to drive at least 2 hours from San Diego to get to my closest resort, I really feel like I’m completely away from everything. Going up to Bear, hanging out with the awesome community up there, and progressing at Snowboarding is my favorite thing.
When you aren’t snowboarding what are you most likely finding yourself getting into?
Currently I’m recovering from shoulder surgery, but usually I try to do some slacklining, surfing & learning some new tricks on trampolines.
What is your favorite area on the mountain? Jumps, rails, natural terrain?
I would say I’m a fan of all types of riding, but I love park riding the most. My home mountain is Bear so we don’t get a ton of powder days, but when I’m at Mammoth I love some natural terrain.
Where do you see yourself in five years snowboarding wise? Traveling to another country?
In 5 years I’m hoping to have many more tricks in the bag. Also, hopefully I have visited some resorts internationally and spent at least one summer in New Zealand!
Do you have a pre-boarding ritual or something you need to have on you at all times on the mountain?
It changes every season, but last year my ‘ritual’ was putting KT tape on to keep my shoulder in place.