It’s hard to find a place in the hyper-saturated Whistler, BC snowboard scene. Top-level snowboarders get lost to familiar spots, and widespread recognition often eludes those who lay roots in the freestyle mecca. But every now and again, a rider with a special blend of skill, style, and grit reaches snowboarding’s collective consciousness. Beau Bishop is one of the few. The Toronto native is gaining recognition outside of Canada and holding his own as top riders call him up. But this second-generation scrapper had to fight to find a foothold in the upper echelon of backcountry freestylists—he’s faced adversity and visions of defeat. Beau has crafted a unique presence in Whistler via DIY edits and a blue-collar work ethic, grinding through hard times to make things happen on his own terms.

It started in classic Canadian fashion, at a toboggan hill in Ontario. He first “snowboarded” on an old skate deck before strapping into a Black Snow. The Bishops were a hockey family for the most part, but Beau’s grandparents liked skiing. They took Beau and his older brother Craig to Mount St. Louis when he was 11 years old, for their first day of real snowboarding. “We spent the whole day basically belly sliding, until my grandpa took us to the bunny hill and taught us how to use edges,” Beau says. “He’d never snowboarded, but he was able to figure it out.” From there, he grew as a snowboarder with his friend Dan Fair, whose family had a chalet at Blue Mountain. They’d bring Beau to ride on weekends…

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