Rasman Retrospective | Presented by Rip Curl

Chris Rasman has been making his mark in the Whistler backcountry since he was 18 years old, but it was when he linked up with the right crew under 'The Manboys' moniker he solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with. A decade of hit films was kickstarted by a WSSF Intersection win and an impressive list of accomplishments followed: feature-length films, award-winning web series, and the christening of the "Manboy Gap" in the Whistler backcountry (to name a few). And Rasman has stacked his own list of accomplishments: a pro-model with Lib Tech, producing a video with T-Rice, Natural Selection appearances, and multiple magazine covers.

Rasman is a real Canadian treasure, and Rip Curl has supported him for years. He was kind enough to chop it up with us about memorable Manboys moments over the past decade.

"Manboys was started shortly after the death of full length DVD snowboard movies, and amongst the departure of several big name snowboard production companies. We thought it was a good opportunity to not have a middleman and to make our own projects with more creative control. After a few successful years, our crew quickly solidified value to sponsors, and this gave us the confidence we needed to keep pushing forward. To be able to make a career out of snowboarding with your friends is something I will forever feel immensely grateful for. On top of that luxury, I would not be the snowboarder I am today without the Manboys. The camaraderie and teamwork that has been necessary for the success of the crew, has also elevated each of our skills and notoriety individually. This crew of riders means the world to me, and I am damn proud to say we've put out 10 projects together."—Chris Rasman

1. Finding, riding, and naming "Manboy Gap" (2014)

"It's hard to find new film-worthy jumps in the backcountry. Those perfect landings and gaps are not everywhere, and there are several pieces that need to come together for them to work. When Belzile and I found this thing, the potential was all there. We convinced the crew to spend the time on it, during a short and important seven-day Intersection film window. We lost our shit when that first hit worked perfectly. The following session was memorable. Rusty front 3 and front 7, both on the first try. Belzile back 7, and back 10. Myself, front 7 tail, and back rodeo 7. The front seven landed as a fold-out cover of Snowboard Mag later that fall and sealed the value of this jump in our minds."

Watch the rest of MB Season 1 here.

2. The Manboys Season Two: The Wrath of Lorenzo - Clip Highlight: Handdrag off a cliff (2015)

"This is the only time Pat Bridges has given me face to face props on a trick."

Watch the rest of MB Season 2 here.

3. Making our first full length film for iTunes, The Manboys Movie (2016)

"We decided not to film for the Transworld Movie again, which was risky, but we wanted to do something different and make a nostalgic full-length film sold on iTunes. With more riders and good street parts as well. To have Anto Chamberlain and Craig McMorris trust our vision and join the crew was rad. When the movie started premiering, Travis (Rice) and I reconnected after a few years of not seeing each other. He called me after watching it, singing the praise of the Manboys crew, and told me he wanted to ride with me more and that Lib Tech should give me a pro model. I was tripping. He followed up on all this, as I got a pro model with Lib, we made a short film together and became good homies. I'll always appreciate what that dude has done for me. In a way, it feels like The Manboys Movie rekindled that connection."

4. Something by the Manboys - Clip Highlight: Method where the little Avy is chasing me (2017)

"This shot is special to me because it's probably the biggest method I have done, and visually the shot is dope. The snow was super stable, we were not seeing any activity. I knew there was a chance that the convex at the top could move, so I tried to be light on my feet and have a good exit plan. When I felt some release under my feet on that heel-side turn, I had a quick moment to decide whether to carry on with the plan or abort. Both scenarios resulted in me cutting to my right and riding out of there fast, so I thought I might as well still go for the method."

Watch all of MB Season 4 'Something by The Manboys' here.

5. Selective Memory - Clip Highlight: Natty front 3 stale where I land close to the rocks (2018)

"This was an eye-opening moment for me. The shot is strong, but I was starting to get cocky and confident with freeriding. This slight misjudgement left my face inches away from that rock as I landed. I wasn't even happy when I rode away, I was angry with myself. The clip turned out great, but the shot is memorable because of the lesson."

6. Umami - Clip Highlight: Back Double 1080, drone follow (2019)

"Rusty's first day with his new drone, and I get this front 3 stale and back 10 first-try for each. He nails the drone follow cam perfectly, and I remember him yelling "this drone just paid itself off!"'

7. Snowdance - Clip Highlight: Cab 9 on "Fury Gap" (2020)

"Another new jump. Mark Sollors scouted this one, and even dug down and cut a huge tree from the landing. We tried to line things up to go session it together, but it never worked out. One day I was out with E-Jack, and our other jump plan got destroyed by snowmobilers, so I decided it was a good time to try this thing. One of the biggest and scariest jumps I have ever hit. It's high speed with a sharp dog leg turn 15 feet from the jumps' compression. I battled long and hard to put this one down."

8. Business Casual - Clip Highlight: Backside 7 indy on "Witches Tit' (2021)

"A feature made famous by Devun in his DC days. It's hard to sniper tricks into the perfect little landing, which is far from steep. This day was mostly clouds, we lost our opportunity to even hit the jump, as it's a morning light feature. We moved on and did other things with our day. At sunset, I sledded back to check if we even pointed the jump in the right direction, and I noticed that it was just late enough in the season that there was a sliver of sunset light poking onto the feature once again. We scrambled to get ready, and Jody opted to let me hit it alone, as we only had 20 minutes to session. Solid camaraderie moment, which shows how patient and well our crew works together. Another thing that made this trick special is it was the first "A" feature that Rusty got to document as a full time filmer."

9. Plank - Clip Highlight: Frontside double 10 on perfect jump (2022)

"Despite the fact that Mikey Rencz did this same trick there years before, this one is special to me because of the story around it. Before this, I had done two front double 10s in my life. One was an accident, and the other I wheeled out. So, I was travelling home from Natural Selection Jackson Hole. My car was in Seattle because I had just had COVID, so I wasn't allowed on an international flight, but I could fly within the states. Belzile gets a hold of me when I land at 8pm in Seattle and asks if I want to hit Perfect Jump the next day. He has multiple angles cued up, and the snows perfect. I raced back to Whistler, loaded up my sled and gear around 1 in the morning, and met the crew at the parking lot at 7am. It felt great to put this trick down, although I did want it with a nose grab instead... Sorry, Mikey."

10. Tango Echo November - Clip Highlight: Front 7 tail, nuking snow storm, rowdy pillow landing (2023)

"I love this clip because it was loose, first try, and in far away hike-only access zone. It took a lot of work to make this happen and it was different from the style of clips I usually try to get. I like that it's off of/into pillow stacks and that I had to whip it around and barely hold onto the landing. It probably wouldn't have landed it if it wasn't 4 feet deep."

Congrats to Chris and the rest of the Manboys on 10 years strong!

If you're trying to rock the same kit as Rasman, you're gunna want to grab the Back Country 30K/40K Jacket from Rip Curl.

Thank you Rip Curl for the images!

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