Craig Kelly - 1989
© Bud Fawcett
Snowboarding

Watch Let It Ride – The Craig Kelly Story

Unpacking the man, the myth, the legend of snowboarding’s first superstar.
Written by Jason Horton
2 min readPublished on

1 min

Craig Kelly – Let it Ride – Craig’s Best

Craig Kelly – Let it Ride – Craig’s Best

As a general rule, it’s better to just be living for the moment… because if you plan ahead you might not make it that far.
Craig Kelly

WATCH: It’s called “Snowboarding”

1 min

Craig Kelly - Its called Snowboarding

Craig Kelly - Its called Snowboarding

Wise, poignant words from a man who lived, and eventually died, staying true to a passion for the mountains that was only matched by his talent as a snowboarder.
Kelly was one of those rare breed who had all the talent, money and adulation, yet somehow remained pure. As a competitor back in the late 1980s, he dominated slalom and halfpipe contests – but he turned his back on the contest scene and the big-money contracts that went with it to fully immerse himself in freeriding, his true love.
1988 Burton US Open – Craig Kelly

1988 Burton US Open – Craig Kelly

© Hubert Schriebl

For some, Craig turning down the contest scene seemed crazy at the time, but for others it was truly inspirational. Here was the sport’s biggest superstar forging a new path that many more would follow in his wake – that of the career powder hound and freeride video star. For Craig, it was a no-brainer: live in the present, reconnect with nature, and dedicate yourself to the passion that fuels your fire. And yet it’s a striking contrast to many other world champions in sport, who, stuck in a groove made of past glory and future hopes, find themselves dragged slowly towards defeat, retirement and dreaded obscurity.
Craig's Cross at Baldface

Craig's Cross at Baldface

© Tyler Davis

For Craig, the journey ended in 2003, at the age of 36, caught in a huge avalanche while guiding a backcountry mission near Revelstoke, BC. A tragedy to be sure, but also an outcome that Craig would have accepted as the risk that makes the game worth playing. As he once put it, “It's kind of a weird balance of things out there... people lose their lives all the time up there trying to get that peak, and I like the fact that it’s that elusive.”
Watch the snowboard film Let It Ride featuring Craig Kelly from Sunday, October 9 on Red Bull TV!
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Part of this story

Craig Kelly’s Let it Ride featured on Red Bull TV

Don’t miss this moving story about the world’s most iconic snowboarder.

AustriaRed Bull Arena, Wals bei Salzburg, Austria
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