Scott Sullivan

A surfer, musician and artist from the Olympic Peninsula, Scott Sullivan has been entrenched in the snowboard scene for more than twenty years. He spent time in Utah on the other side of the lens as a rider before bringing his camera into the mountains to document the development of snowboarding into what we know today. And while he might be worried about the McDonaldization of the sport, he believes there is still a ton of soul left to be explored. It is the unique individuals that Sullivan seeks out as subjects, documenting the lives of riders like Gigi Ruf, Nicolas Muller, Bryan Iguchi and beyond.

When I was 10 years-old I remember being out surfing–paddling back out and marveling at sunlight reflecting off the face of a barreling wave. It was spinning off into shades of gold and red that appeared more like the thumbprint of God than just a passing wave. I remember wishing I had some way to capture that image in my head and then take it home and project it for everyone else to see. I think back on that moment now and realize that sometime back in that early phase of my life the seed had been planted with the desire to capture the world around me and share it with others.

I began surfing at an early age, then skating, and shortly after came snowboarding. That was nearly three decades ago and somehow I’ve managed to plant myself firmly in this world of sliding sideways. The friends I made along the sideways path became my network, which soon morphed from a group of snowboarding and surfing dirtbags into semi-responsible people with actual jobs. They are now working at the magazines and companies which make up this industry that revels in the throes of arrested development…

Subscribe to see the whole piece.

CLOSE

The Snowboarder's Journal mailing list

We respect your time, and only send you the occasional update.