LAURA MUNRO | RIPPING

I first met Laura in New Zealand riding SnowPark close to 10 years ago. She was very quiet, but her snowboarding did all the talking. She has quietly been winning rail jams for years and the past few seasons she has been expanding her skills into the backcountry on her splitboard, proving she’s not just a park-rat. She’s dedicated to her craft, all while trying to lift up the next generation of riders.—Edwin Poulston

LAURA MUNRO

Sponsors: Salmon Arms, Cariboo Brewing, SGV

Place: Vancouver, BC

@lauram1923

You’re complaining about being cold whenever I see you. What made you pursue a sport that is cold like snowboarding? [Laughs] I really love snowboarding because it never gets boring. There’s always something new you can try, something you can go bigger on, and with enough layers you can try and stay warm.

You got into snowboarding kind of late, how did it all start?

I really started riding when I was about 18, after I graduated high school. I got my first season pass and was hooked.

Who did you look up to when you were starting out?

Anyone big in female snowboarding at the time. Jess Kimura and Christy Prior were the standouts that come to mind. I found the biggest thing for me starting out was when I took a freestyle lesson up Seymour. I was lucky enough to become friends with my instructor, who invited me to come down to New Zealand. That’s actually where you and I met for the first time. Doing the season down in New Zealand I met so many amazing people, then I came back to Canada and kept the ball rolling.

So pivoting to The Uninvited movie project, you are in The Uninvited and The Uninvited II. How did you get involved with that?
That was interesting. One day I was leaving Seymour and I bumped into Matt Heneghan and he told me Jess Kimura was filming a movie and asked if I had ever filmed any street. I had never filmed anything in the street but thought I would just give it a shot, what’s the worst that can happen? I filmed some stuff all by myself with a tripod. It was sketchy filming alone, but I got some clips and sent them over. After that I slowly met some other people to film with, like the SGV crew. Then one day Jess Kimura hit me up on Instagram saying that she heard about me hitting spots by myself and invited me to come hit a spot with her up in Whistler. It just kind of went from there.

You work locally coaching the next-generation kids up at Seymour, correct?
I’ve been teaching the freestyle program up at Seymour for a few years, and I’ll be coaching with Fraser Valley snowboard this upcoming season.

That’s awesome. What advice would you give any up-and- coming girls that want to get into street snowboarding?

Take chances, even if you are unsure of yourself. Don’t be afraid.