Snowboard

How Kael Martin Balances Life as an Engineer and Sponsored Snowboarder


Kael is stoked to be able to balance a full-time gig with sponsorship. Photo: Colton Jacobs

The Northwest is a special place. The craggy Cascades and maritime snow make for a winter wonderland that is short on elevation, but makes up for it with deep wet snow and steep technical faces. The legendary Mt. Baker is a jewel in the crown of the many majestic mountains that are pillaged by underground rippers every season.

Baker in particular has a reputation for breeding some of the best all-mountain snowboarders on the planet, from Craig Kelly to Lucas Debari, Baker has churned out more than its fair share of big mountain legends. However, what truly makes Baker special is the amount of riders who absolutely slay the resort and the surrounding backcountry with little-to-no industry recognition. It’s not uncommon to see someone that looks like an off-duty crab fisherman ride a line that is worthy of a video part.

Washington born-and-bred snowboarder Kael Martin is cut from this same cloth. Martin–who works as a civil engineer–grew up riding Baker, making a name for himself not by filming big budget video parts but by humbly going to work, riding some of the boldest lines Baker has to offer.

After graduating from the University of Washington and beginning his career as an engineer, Martin started to get some industry attention and picked up some big name sponsors including K2 Snowboards and Patagonia. Martin. We spoke with Martin about his Mt. Baker upbringing, the Northwest snowboard scene, and finding a balance between full time employment and filming for various video projects.

TGR: Let's start with the basics: Where are you from and when did you first ride a snowboard?

KM: Basics are great. I was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington, and first rode a snowboard sometime in the late 1990s. I can’t remember exactly when though, I was pretty young and only have a couple vivid memories of that day. I do remember seeing some kids hitting a little jump on the side of a run. I fell right before the jump, so I decided to hike back up and try it again. I got separated from the lesson I was in for a while, but I can’t quite recall what happened after that. I made it off the mountain so it must have been okay.

Was it at Baker?

The second time I rode a snowboard was at Baker. The very first time I rode a snowboard was up at Whistler on a family vacation. No one in my family really skied or snowboarded, so it wasn’t really part of my childhood growing up. My school offered a ski bus program up to Baker, which you were allowed to sign up for once you hit sixth grade. I had a group of friends that had been snowboarding for a few years so that was a big motivation for me to go and try it. My first season was interesting, most of it involved trying to keep up with my buddies and getting ditched. Baker was an awesome place to learn how to snowboard. For a beginner I remember that riding Baker felt pretty adventurous and learning the mountain seemed pretty scary. The ramps off the chair were super steep and usually full of moguls. It was a long time before I made it off a chair without falling.


Baker boys are always at home in the white room. Photo: Colton Jacobs

Growing up, were you looking up to the standard big name pros or were you looking up to like regional guys?

It was some sort of hybrid of looking up to big name pros and regional pros. I think the Forum Eight was pushing the sport as a whole and they were fun to follow. I always looked forward to the Mack Dawg movies. We were pretty into rails and jumps for a while. For a couple seasons, Baker built a pretty progressive park with rails, hips, channel gaps, and a halfpipe. Trying to figure all that stuff out was a blast. But my favorite videos by far were the Robot Food videos. I was really inspired by David Benedek, Travis Parker, Josh Dirksen, and Wille Yli-Luoma. For regional guys, Temple Cummins is a legend and a hero. There were several local Baker pros that were always fun to see around the mountain. We would hang out at the Mount Baker Snowboard Shop and George Dobis would tell us stories about the Mount Baker Hardcore and the heyday of Baker. That was all a little before my time but we certainly tried to replicate and emulate it.

Explain the Northwest snowboard scene, I always try to explain it as the anti-scene scene.

The Northwest snowboard scene is pretty dynamic and continues to evolve with time. It is hilarious to hear it called the anti-scene; I think that was a really accurate description of the Northwest scene for a chunk of time there. The roots of Northwest snowboard culture were built at a time where views of snowboarders were quite negative and not many resorts allowed snowboarding. The attitudes, hairstyles and gear was pretty bold. At some point there was a recoil from being noticed and a push to ride more quietly. There was certainly a time while I was growing up where the goal was to go and ride the sketchiest and steepest lines but then not really tell anyone about it. You really scored some points if someone had to ask you if you were the one that rode such and such. More recently things have gotten quite a bit less serious and it has become less about a scene or anti-scene and more about a community.


Kael has an impressive splitboarding resume. Photo: Colton Jacobs

Do you think growing up and riding in Cascades fueled your passion for backcountry riding and splitboarding?

Absolutely! I feel so fortunate to have grown up in the Cascades, it definitely shaped my riding style and perspective on the mountains. I was also able to learn a lot from some very knowledgeable people in the area about when and where to go. I don’t think that sort of mentorship exists everywhere. The resorts in the Cascades are all pretty strict on their backcountry policies. That instilled a lot of respect for the boundaries and the consequences of accessing uncontrolled terrain. Once I started getting outside the resorts I found that I was really able to explore the mountains on my own terms. I have been amazed at how much ground you can cover and where you can end up on a splitboard.

You went to college and got an engineering degree, are you currently working in that field?

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Yes, I went to the University of Washington and graduated with a civil engineering degree. I am currently working in the umbrella of civil engineering. I work for a land surveying and mapping company. We specialize in bathymetric (underwater) mapping. My focus within civil engineering was hydrology because I love rivers and water and this company has allowed me to spend a lot of time in and around rivers.


When in doubt air it out, Martin isn’t afraid of big drops. Photo: Colton Jacobs

How do you balance your snowboarding with real life responsibilities?

It is a continuous struggle to maintain balance. My feelings on where I am at with balance, responsibilities and priorities can change from day-to-day or week-to-week. Every once and awhile I have to step back and take a look at the big picture and reevaluate what I am doing and determine if it is the right path to be on. I have a big support system which I am beyond grateful for. My family and friends know me really well and provide a lot of insight and guidance on how to prioritize activities and responsibilities to stay happy. The snowboard brands I work with understand that I sometimes have to be creative to get out on trips. Sometimes it is pairing work trips with snowboard trips. Fortunately, I really enjoy my job so it isn’t excruciating to get my work done before I can go out and play.

It seems like you are sort of going for it on a snowboarding level, are you conscientiously making a push or has this sort of happened organically?

I am trying my best. I love snowboarding and it is such a positive part of my life that I want to be doing it whenever I have the chance. I would say that being involved in a higher level of snowboarding was something I always strived and hoped for but didn’t necessarily pursue very aggressively. My first priority was always getting an education and then evaluating what was next. While I was in college I was invited to work on one of Liam Gallagher’s film projects. I had a blast doing it, we filmed it exclusively at Baker on the weekends and I was really excited to be a part of it. From there I sought out film projects and photo trips a little more and my involvement with them evolved pretty naturally.

The relationships I have developed with brands happened pretty organically but I have also been pretty intentional in terms of what brands I sought out. I have been working with Patagonia, K2, One Ball Jay, Karakoram Bindings and POW Gloves for at least five years now. Over that time period I have met and worked with so many amazing people within these companies that I feel like I am part of a family at each one of them.


Deep powder is better when shared with friends. Photo: Colton Jacobs

Are you working on specific projects at this time?

We are just putting the finishing touches on the main project we worked on last year called “Off and On.” Coincidentally, this movie touches on many of the same themes I've been talking about. It profiles Kyler Miller, Johnny Brady Jr. and myself as we discuss our experience with managing working full-time with life, family, friends, and boarding. Johnny and Kyle both fight wildfires and collected some really incredible footage from the fire season as well as the boarding season. I’m pretty excited for it to come out, I think there are a lot of folks trying to find a balance so hopefully what we have to say is relevant for anyone who takes a look at it.

What do you have planned for this coming season?

I’m going to continue to spend as much time as I can out in the mountains. I want to spend more nights out in the backcountry. I want to return to some familiar places and explore some new locations and terrain. I have several cool trips loosely lined up with K2 and Patagonia. The folks at K2 and Patagonia really encourage thinking out of the box and pitching ideas that we are passionate about making happen. There are some objectives that didn’t happen last year due to weather and not getting the right conditions that are high on the priority list for this year. 

Matthew Vanatta
Matthew Vanatta
Author
Former Associate Editor of Snowboard Magazine and Featured Columnist for ESPN Snowboarding I have spent the last decade crafting high-quality editorial for a number of outdoor sports and culture outlets.
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