Ripping | Gavin Sorg
Every mountain has a handful of standouts. Those with a deep bag of tricks, effortless style, and a fresh perspective on any new park rebuild or overhaul. In Whistler, Gavin is one of those riders. Hailing from Grande Prairie, Alberta, the 25-year-old toiled his way to the mountains. Graduating high school early and grinding through his first Whistler season in his van, bouncing back from injury and finding a home in the streets, Gavin earned his stripes in the Canadian scene without losing an ounce of modesty along the way.
Words and photos by Alistair Spriggs
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So you’re a snowboarder from Alberta Oil Country?
I grew up in Dawson Creek, which had no (snowboard) scene at all, before moving to Grande Prairie at 15. They had a snowboard club, ran by Drew Rogers, that’s where I met Jack MacDougall, Josh Lebrun, and Lucas Trace. They took me in and showed me what was up. Drew would eventually take us on a ton of shred trips. Mostly down to Edmonton, Banff, and Jasper, etc. He was always stoked to get us out of town.
Who led the charge in those early days?
By the time I moved to GP, those guys were all pretty decent. But I’d say Josh was the best.
Any favourite memories that exemplify your time in Grande Prairie?
Oh, man. As soon as I turned 16, I bought a bright-orange crotch rocket—like a Suzuki GSR600. My mom was terrified. I couldn’t ride it solo so I took off the license plate and ripped it down the main strip to my job at Burger King—sometimes out running the cops on my way home. My mom was terrified. I thought it was a good idea at the time.
Moving to Whistler can take some determination and grit. What’s your story?
Well, I ended up graduating a year early from high school so I could get to Whistler. The only problem was that I was 17 and had no housing references. My only option was to buy a small van and spend my winter shuffling around the lots. This led to a lot of nights where I’d be filling up piss jugs in -30°C. I’d start up the van every morning to dry my gear as best I could, but still ended up with soggy boots daily. You really have to love the lifestyle to be doing that. And no, I didn’t have any girlfriends at the time. [Laughs]
Safe to say you’re known for your rail riding, but I’ve heard rumours about your love for big jumps. Can you run us through your experience on Shack Left?
Well, we got an invite to Superpark a few years ago. So being a rail kid, I decided I needed to hit a big jump. I guess I just sent it, and overstepped. I’d done a couple Double Backside 1080s before but never on a jump that big. The Backside 720 and 900 went smoothly. Then I knuckled badly on the 1080. My knee exploded and I went straight into emergency surgery. Meniscus ripped into three pieces, MCL and LCL destroyed.
Damn, sorry to hear. So now that you’ve had your big jump, you’re back in the streets?
We’ve definitely been trying. We drove to Newfoundland from British Columbia last year with the Corduroy Boys, five guys in a Tacoma. The people of Newfoundland were really welcoming and hyped on us snowboarding in the streets. Even the cops pulled up to this spot outside a public pool. We were blocking the entrance but they decided we weren’t harming anyone and let us be.
Who are the Corduroy Boys?
Just a few friends in Whistler, we’re all living together. Bit of an inside joke about stealing fresh cord from ski patrollers.
What’s your ultimate goal in snowboarding?
Nothing too crazy. I’m stoked with some good photos, clips, and laps. I’d like to start enjoying it a bit more and snowboard for fun—you know, build moments that I’ll be hyped to look back on when I can’t snowboard anymore. That being said, we’re scheming a short video next year. I’d love to get into some pow. Maybe Japan, maybe California.
You the man, Gavin. Any shoutouts?
All the Corduroy Boys.
Backside Lipslide. Whistler, BC.