Help Dirtbag Smash Life
Donation protected
Hey everyone! Most of you have already provided me and my family a level of support that I cannot possibly repay. But I have one more ask, and this one is incredibly personal.
I would like help to attend this years Smash Life Banked Slalom at Lost Trail Ski Area.
I will need to raise a significant amount of funds by the end of February to cover the entry fee, gas to and from Oregon (where we are moving to), lift tickets for a few days, food, and possibly lodging.
Basically, I am a washed up athlete asking for sponors the old skool way. Do I have a chance of winning the competition? No. But that's not the point. By competing, the kids get to win.
What is Smash Life Banked Slalom?
Oh, man. Where do I begin. In 2011, a professional snowboarder from Whitefish, MT died in Chile doing what he loves - what we all love. His name was Aaron Robinson.
I met Aaron briefly in Colorado sometime before 2010. I didn't know he was a big shot, he didn't act like it. We shared a chairlift together, and some great conversation about the Shred Life. Years later, I would see his name on a flier in Big Sky, Montana in 2015. "A-Rob's Smash Life Banked Slalom."
And that's how I found out who Aaron really was, and that he had died.
His family set up an event and a foundation to honor Aaron's memory and legacy. The first event I attended was around my brother's birthday, January 9, 2015. I knew no one, showed up, signed up, got a T-shirt, and threw down. After that, I would forever be part of an amazing tribe of the raddest humans you've ever met. And I've tried real hard not to miss a single event.
Smash Life Banked Slalom is a snowboard-only event that is both a competition and a fundraiser. This competition helps to fund the Plant-A-Seed foundation. The Foundation ensures that underprivileged Youth get to go experience the magic that is sliding sideways down a mountain.
These kids get to enroll in a 2 year mentoring program that makes sure they get gear, lift tickets, lessons, rides up the mountain, and the chance to become a mentor themselves. Many of them compete at the event. One of the earliest Youth from this program is now a full grown woman and an absolute joy to watch snowboard.
And this is what I mean when I say it doesn't matter if I win or lose, the point of the competition is to bring the stoke and get the next Gen's torches lit.
I will need to raise at least $100 to ensure I have a spot in the competition. My entrance fee could be less, but how it works is that registration opens and 30 seconds later, when the event sells out, there are a limited number of "bonus spots" open at the $100 range. So if I lose the first round, I will need more money to win the second round... or to bribe my way in
For those of you that don't know, I wasn't just a sponsored snowboarder, I was also a coach. I took more pleasure coaching snowboarding to the average child or adult than I ever did pursuing my own achievements in the sport. Which is also why Smash Life is incredibly important to me.
After 2020 and the pandemic, my career as a pro snowboarder was over - almost as soon as it began. And because of the Pandemic, Smash Life skipped a year. I attended in 2022, where we celebrated the 10th Anniversary a bit late, but then I had to give up my spot in 2023 when I chose to stay in South Dakota and fight for Reproductive Rights. Which is how the majority of you came to know me.
My overall goal is to raise $750. Whatever I have leftover, whatever I can raise above that, I plan to donate to the Foundation.
Thank you for considering supporting me in this endeavor.
Organizer
Leah Bothamley
Organizer
Spearfish, SD