RIPPING | Kim Cote

When I first met Kim, I was led to believe that they were also an identical twin like me. When I found this was actually a sick joke, it was crushing, but I bounced back, and I’m glad I did. Kim is an awesome person. They’re kind, but also take no bullshit — it’s the perfect balance of treating others with respect and respecting one’s own opinions and values. Footage of Kim snowboarding isn’t put out there with the same vigour as others, so it’s special when we get to see a clip on the ‘gram, or better yet, a heater section of clips in the latest Paid Programming video, Tuesday's Child. Whether it’s more video parts, or helping bring a non-profit hike park to life, we’re excited to see what Kim gets up to.

By Finn Westbury | Photos Liam Glass + Jesse Jarrett  

@nobodyknowsurbaked

Age: N/A

Place: Calgary, Alberta

Sponsors: Ride Snowboards, Vans

[Laughs] I'm from Calgary, and, no, I don't have an identical twin. Y'all are never going to let that one go, hey? I got to say, that was not really my doing. That was more Frankie, my sibling.

 

My mom took us to Sunshine for a weekend when I was 12, and then I’d do a school trip to COP once a year. I got more into snowboarding when I was in highschool because my homie was working at COP and she got me a job at guest services, which is how I met a lot of people who snowboarded here. When I moved to Kelowna, that's really where I felt like I found snowboarding. This sounds stupid, but that's where I was like, “Damn, I really fucking like doing this.” [laughs] I got to board with people all around BC. I’d go on trips down to Baker, out to Vancouver, or up to Whistler. It was a good time. I feel like I got to progress in private. It was just for fun. I'm not saying that it's not like that still, but I'm not going to lie; it's different in Calgary.

 

A while ago, when I lived in Montreal, Quin [Ellul] was living in Toronto, and he would come to visit sometimes, and he'd invite me out to film. I’d just come off a broken femur, so I was interested, but it seemed pretty gnarly at the time. In due time, Jesse [Jarrett] and Vinny [Laz] convinced me to come to a couple of spots. I owe a lot to those two for getting me into it. I started filming because I just wanted to hang out with my friends. There were no expectations. If I got clips, great. If I didn’t, whatever.

 

I'll be filming more stuff. I've never really tried to film a full part. Maybe I will, maybe I won't — I don’t know. I won't be completely disappointed if I look back on life and I haven't. The experiences that I've already had have been good enough, and if it keeps going, that's chill.

 

I'm always surprised when people even know that I'm snowboarding. It just seems kind of unbelievable. My Instagram is private, I live a very private life, and I like my privacy. So it scares me when people know who I am. It's kind of a weird compromise. Yeah, I want to do these things with my friends, and yes, I want to have documentation of my snowboarding when I'm older, but I'm nervous to put myself out there. I'm not really the type of person to do that. It's surprising. All it is to me is surprising.

 

I'd say, talk to my lawyer [laughs]. I've thought about putting it public. I never thought that this was what I'd do with snowboarding. I'm saying yes to things just to see what could happen. I know I'm never going to make money off snowboarding, so I need a backup plan. I need other things to do. I'm snowboarding because it's fun, and if those other things happen, cool.

 

I'm just trying to figure out what to say yes to and what to pass on. I can't reiterate this enough, I have no clue what I'm doing. Everyone else does, but they probably don't either. But I’m really just making this shit up. I think everybody's faking it.

 

A group of us in Calgary incorporated a nonprofit last year with the goal of making snow sports more accessible here. It’s ridiculous that you have to spend like $1,500j ust to go board. Skateboarding is way more accessible and super diverse. The goal is to basically replicate what a skatepark is—but for the winter. I love the vibe at a skatepark. Accessible, diverse, and when you add the whole recreation side of it and health equity, and it'sl ike, “Why should only a small percentage be able to play outside in the winter?” It's such an important time to exercise and get outside.

 

The biggest way that you can support us right now is to follow us: @ours_snowparks on Instagram or at ourssnowparks.com. If you're in a position where you can contribute financially, that's awesome, but honestly, just spread the word and stay up to date with what we're doing.