Wintersports
Snowboarding
For Grace Warner, the heart of street snowboarding is in community
Grace's Getaway brings women riders together for a one-of-a-kind gathering in Michigan focused on collaboration, creativity, and cementing bonds.
The sun had set over an hour ago, but the lights running along the sides of the Pine Knob terrain park illuminated the rails. It had reached almost 70 degrees earlier in the day, unseasonably warm for Michigan in early March and forcing the resort to close to the public to preserve the snow. But now the rope tow was running for a small group of women who had been given the green light to ride. They dropped fast, sessioning a down-flat tube, building on one another’s tricks with palpable energy. The style was mellow. The level of talent was high. The pace was set. Red Bull athlete Grace Warner, at home at Pine Knob, had invited eight of her peers to join her for a two-day getaway—Grace’s Getaway—and while the atmosphere was casual and relaxed—or perhaps because of it—the momentum in the snowboarding was clear.
Grace Warner hits rail at Grace’s Getaway at Pine Knob Ski Resort
© Ashley Rosemeyer / Red Bull Content Pool
Grace is a rare individual. She is a gifted snowboarder whose riding is both naturally smooth and highly technical, and her success as a professional is propelled by this. She is adamant that she is not a “contest rider,” though just in the past few months, she won X Games gold and took runner-up in two of Red Bull Heavy Metal's three zones. But the Michigan native’s podiums are just further proof that she shines wherever and whenever she’s on her snowboard (see also Burton’s 2023 team movie, “Blooom” or her clips in 2022’s “Hot Coco”)—and are a counterpoint to her approach to snowboarding. And to what catalyzed Grace’s Getaway.
The idea for Grace’s Getaway was born at The Uninvited, an all-women’s rail contest built on expanding opportunities for female snowboarders that took place the previous April. Grace injured her wrist early on in the event and watched things unfold from the bottom of the course as a spectator. While injury is never ideal, the experience of slowing down and taking in the snowboarding was impactful. “I’m hyped that I got hurt at The Uninvited,” she explains, intrinsically understanding, “because I was forced to sit there and watch. I was truly inspired by all the women.”
Grace’s Getaway at Pine Knob Ski Resort in Clarkston, Michigan
© Ashley Rosemeyer / Red Bull Content Pool
In conversation, Grace is quick to point out the accomplishments of others before her own, lighting up when talking about her friends. She’s effusive about how much she admires her younger siblings Drake and Ava—who are ripping snowboarders, as well—and how they influence and support her (she has grown up filming with Drake, who has a rising career of his own). She gets fired up most when shining the light on those around her, particularly the Michigan boarding community and her deep aspirations to contribute to the place and people who she feels have given so much to her. It’s the reason behind her outspoken role in Red Bull Goal Getters, an initiative in which athletes encourage folks to pursue the things that mean something to them. For Grace, her snowboarding accolades are purposefully interwoven with bringing others along with her, particularly giving girls and women a chance to shine. If she has a platform—and she surely does—she is going to share it.
Alongside Red Bull, Grace’s Getaway came to life. Bring women riders together while eliminating external pressure to allow creativity and progression to come to the forefront. Deepen bonds to build off one another’s styles. Create more space for women riders in a sport where it has been far too scarce.
Grace’s Getaway at Pine Knob Ski Resort in Clarkston, Michigan
© Ashley Rosemeyer / Red Bull Content Pool
“I think there’s space for everybody [in snowboarding],” says Grace, sitting in front of tall glass windows in the Pine Knob Mansion, a beautiful, ornate building perched at the top of the Pine Knob terrain park. “But creating a space for females to ride and progress and just have fun together is something that just doesn’t really exist. Every single time that all the girls are together, we’re at a contest or clouded because there’s so much chaos going on. So the idea of taking all of that noise away,”—the heart of Grace’s Getaway—“and just being together, bonding, having fun, laughing, taking stupid photos of each other, and having a sleepover—is sick. Just taking all that pressure and throwing it away. We are on a snowboard vacation. A snowboard vacation…that has never happened in the past.”
Pine Knob is just under and hour’s drive northwest of Detroit, a ski hill that is small in stature but large in presence. The resort’s rope tow-accessed park is a proving ground or rails, jumps, and transition, all built by a dedicated park crew staff led by Matt Dunn. It’s the place where Grace cut her teeth growing up, when she was the only girl on the rope. Standing at the top of the park, you can see the entire myriad of features, artfully fit into a snowy space not much bigger than an athletic playing field. No matter where you are in the park, where you are in your lap, you’re very much in the mix.
Grace Warner at Grace’s Getaway at Pine Knob Ski Resort
© Gabriella Csapo / Red Bull Content Pool
“Having the event at Pine Knob too is so special because the tow rope vibes are elite,” explains Grace. “It’s like a skatepark. There’s something different about snowboarding on a tow rope. It’s so much more social and so much more of a community than being on a chairlift or a big mountain. Everyone’s together, having fun.”
The assembled crew arrived at Grace’s Getaway eager to take a beat amidst the frenetic pace of the season and take some Pine Knob party laps. Coloradan Egan Wint, the 2024 Red Bull Heavy Metal overall champion, and SLC-based Kaleah Opal Driscoll arrived fresh off filming in Japan. Jaylen Hansen and Lex Roland came in from Minnesota, while Tara Kipilla and Brantley Mullins, arrived from New Jersey and Utah, respectively. Ava Petersen, who ran the Cannonsburg Park Crew for Red Bull Jib-Tac-Tow, and Ava Warner, Grace’s younger sister, bolstered the Michigan representation.
The group at Grace’s Getaway at Pine Knob Ski Resort in Clarkston, MI
© Ashley Rosemeyer / Red Bull Content Pool
Collectively, the riders at the Getaway represent a heavy momentum happening in snowboarding. Over the past few years, they have been releasing video parts, winning events, and making their presence known as individuals, but their efforts as a whole make it clear that there’s a renaissance occurring in street riding, and the women are leading the charge. Getting them all together in one place was a special moment to witness not only the current state of rail riding, but to get a glimpse at where it’s heading.
On the first day, any nerves that were present were shaken off immediately as the riders got into a groove, upping the ante with each drop alongside one another during a session on a stairset built just for the event. Red Bull on hand kept the energy high. But Grace’s Getaway wasn’t about getting clips or photos in a pressure cooker—though filmer Mia Lambson and photographer Ashley Rosemeyer were on hand for the riders. It was about being together, supporting one another, and forging friendships that winter’s lightning pace doesn’t always offer a moment to cultivate. The appreciation for the gathering was immediately resonant. No competition, no over-scheduling, no judgement. A space for everyone to be themselves, to ride together, to have fun, and to move forward because of that.
Grace Warner, Jaylen Hanson, and Ava Warner at Grace’s Getaway
© Ashley Rosemeyer / Red Bull Content Pool
Grace sees more females riding in the Pine Knob part now and wants to encourage that further. “I’m excited to work toward that in the future,” emphasizes Grace. “When I was growing up, I was the only girl on the tow rope and now there’s 10 to 15 girls that show up every single day, that are on the tow rope, riding in the park, and trying to get better. And that to me, I can’t even comprehend. So showing them the world of snowboarding would be huge ‘cause I was so blind to that. I didn’t know that there were even other girls that ripped. Showing other girls that locally, in person, is really sick. And I think that will create a future of ripping female snowboarders.” She pauses. “I’m excited to see it.”
