Dave Short - Blue Collar Pros

Contrary to his last name, the main feature of Dave Short’s riding is a penchant for going big. With perception as accurate as a bald eagle, Short hones in on every available transition, no matter how far away, enabling him to attack the entire mountain in a fashion that really could be described as predatory (just to milk the eagle metaphor even more). 

I got a first hand experience of this in Japan, while traveling with Short for the first Snow Craft video and print project. Our crew was posted up on a resort cat track, getting ready to drop into a tree run slathered with the northern island’s famously stacked conditions. Short pointed out a small pillow about 70 feet down the fall line. “You’re going to land where??” I called after Short, as he hiked back up the cat track to drop in. Whipping past us and off the precipice into space, Short casually punted the biggest air of the trip, greasing the unseen trajectory perfectly. Everywhere we went Short would drop something equally unexpected and photogenic. We ended up calling it “Dave’s Trip.”

Photo by Erin Hogue (http://erinhogue.com/)

The Vancouver, BC native has racked up hundreds of pages of editorial, landing himself on the covers of magazines around the world. But this hyper-intelligent rider never quite blew up. Instead of the year-round adventures you see marquee freeride pros Instagraming, Short was putting himself through college or surfing in Europe. You could make a remark about quality over quantity, but in Short’s case he seems to be prolific in both regards. Why has he remained on the fringes, despite being overexposed in terms of print coverage? Maybe it’s because as a baseline, Short is more interested in snowboarding as a creative expression than as a “career.”  

Back in Japan, when it came time to travel south to our second location on the main island, our crew of pro snowboarders ditched us to stay behind in Hokkaido and work with their own filmer. Short stuck it out, despite the middling aspirations of our project (powder boards in Japan, not double corks), and in the sake of adventure and cultural tourism. He’d never been to Japan and wanted to see as much as possible— in the process he bagged yet another spread in the magazine story. 

Satisfying a natural curiosity and drive is what defines Short’s career as rider. If you take a look at any photo or video he’s put out, his individual stamp is clear to see on mountains across the world. TGR caught up with the Canadian dark horse to talk sponsors, cover shots, and life after action sports.  

Dave Short in Snow Craft

You’ve had an interesting life outside the snowboard bubble. Can you tell everyone what else you’ve been doing besides riding? 

I've been pursuing my studies ever since I graduated from high school. I have a degree and I am trying to build upon that. Outside of snowboarding, I've committed myself to other sports too, namely downhill biking and surfing. 

You went to school for philosophy—what led to this decision?

I went to university for economics but lost my grip on the mathematics portion, so I changed my major. I need two more economics classes for a minor. I am preparing my education credentials for some different career paths, because when the snowboard support stops it is nice to have legs all your own to stand on. 

I’m assuming that you’re done with your BA now, what’s next in the formal education of Dave Short? 

I am deciding between pursuing teaching (four months of vacation time a year) and air traffic control. 

My girlfriend and I have been working on an incredible novel for years now. We have an intense plot dialed in and it is half-written. The story follows a loving couple on their journey through Central America. They prefer being scammers to scamees. We are very excited at the prospects of our story. It has shaped up to be a perfect movie adaption.

It sounded like you had a job last winter… When’s the last time you held wintertime employment?

Never. It was a move of necessity. My sponsors dried up and I needed to sustain myself, so I had to be a weekend warrior while working this full-time job right up until June. I was a personal teacher for a grade ten autistic fellow. 

What about in the summer time? What’s your typical off-season work been like?

Depends on the year. I generally try to flee Canada for the summer months. But my typical off-season bread winning has come from working horrible labor jobs. My girlfriend Adrienne and I travelled around Europe this summer, and then we came home and I got a job humping rebar and building the guts of a bridge for four months of horrible, soul sucking work. My ideal situation for earning cash is by selling all my snowboarding gear that I've accrued over the years.

You grew up right near Mount Seymour, BC. For those who don’t know, can you explain what it’s like there, and how it influenced your riding?

It's good. But all anyone cares about is that it's where Devun grew up riding. It's a tiny mountain with lots of character, but it rains more than it snows up there these days. Seymour taught me how to be precise and creative. 

Can you talk about where you first got your start as a sponsored rider? What was your first breakout moment? 

I was snowmobiling with my friend Luke and we saw some dudes hitting the 1080 step-down in the Whistler backcountry. I went up to Martin (Gallant) and asked him if I could hit their jump. It's a massive step-down gap. He said to go ahead but I could tell he didn't know what to expect. Andy Finch was at the top of the drop-in all scared to go. I didn't understand why. I said fuck it and dropped and did a big 'ol corked out 360 and stomped it and then Martin began including me in his Gathering Collective videos. After that I got signed by Westbeach and they paid me an exorbitant salary for a while and spoiled us with heli trips and whatnot, then I bounced around to various sponsors over the next decade, but I never experienced the love I got from Westbeach from any other sponsor.

You’ve been all over the place on a snowboard. Can you list the countries you’ve been to as a rider? Any standouts?

Argentina a few times, Europe a bunch of times, Japan, Alaska, Quebec, California and Mexico.

Can you talk about your interest in surfing, and how that influences your approach to snowboarding?

I love surfing in the right waves and they feel like the same sport underfoot.

You’ve been on the cover of countless magazines and in 100+ editorial spreads… Can you list all the magazines that you’ve been on the cover of? What about inside of?

I've been in every snowboard publication you could think of. I've gotten the Snowboard Canada magazine cover twice (a decade between the two), TransWorld Business for one cover, a Frequency cover, Mountain Life magazine, and a North Face catalog once. I've had over 400 pages of editorial, but only ever had five ads for sponsors in my entire career. Two Westbeach ads, a two-page DC shoes ad, a Drop mfg ad, and a North Face ad.

Were you always getting so many photo bangers from the beginning? If not, how did that evolve?

I used to orchestrate photos with professional photographers, but now I focus on riding big mountain lines and I simply don't care to worry about photos. I've evolved into a more laissez-faire attitude, in that if I'm ripping mountains images will emerge.

What are you up to when you work with a photographer? Do you shoot photos yourself? Why do you think you’ve been able to rack up so many shots?

I understand the composition of a great snowboard photo, so I find it easy and predictable to produce some epic images just by planning ahead and having a vision. 

On the flip, it seems like the rockstar-level sponsorship thing hasn’t been as steady… Do you feel like you’ve made it in that department? 

What? Go ask Travis Rice or some other blessed one.

Does it even matter to you to be a big-name pro boarder? Or are you satisfied with shredding itself, and a more balanced life with work and school in the mix too?

I like moderation, no one thing to excess. What matters most to me in snowboarding is getting the opportunity to rip steep fluted runs.

What’s your approach to gaining and losing sponsorships been like? How has that changed over the years?

It's tougher to fund a trip to AK without support, but now that’s all on me, I don't owe sponsors anything.

We hear plenty about marquee freeriders, but I am assuming for every major “pro,” there are legions of underground rippers deep in the cut on their snowmobiles or skins. Can you talk a bit about any of these folks, and what motivates them to push the limit so far—and on their own power, so to speak?

Because they have strong passions and aren't controlled by corporate agendas, they choose and pursue adventures that pique their personal interests. Heroes like Dave Henkel and Cam Unger rip more powerful lines than half the top-billed riders would ever step to. 

What, if any, message do you have for kids out there who want to make a career out of freeriding, or boarding, in general?

Be the best and success will follow. Do big goofy PR stunts.

When the first POV video cameras came out, you were all over it with edits that you filmed yourself. What was your initial draw to documenting your riding in that style, and how has that evolved since?

It was salvaging more than anything. Filmers get paid to go with name brand riders and using POV was simply one way for me to produce content free and without aid. But strictly POV edits are garbage, Blair Witch Project style. So I am thankful for working with some great filmers to combine their high quality clips along with my POV clip. The true value of POV shots is unleashed by combining them with second-angle footage.

Last season, you filmed the “Short Stories” episodes. What was the push behind that series? What’s the response been since you put them out? Are you satisfied?

Trying to drum up some support for the future, I signed a syndication deal with 33mag.com giving them 48 hours exclusive rights to my episodes, following which the episodes made the rounds on to every major snowboard website, and some enjoyed over 20,000 views. 

What’s next for you in the mountains? Is there more you want to document?

Yes,I want to continue creating hot edits.

Any shout outs?

Arbor has been a wicked sponsor for me. They have the best snowboards on the market, and it is a true brand dedicated to keeping the snowboarding industry in-house. Thanks to Marin at Ultimate Distribution and Sean Black and Farmer at ARBOR HQ.

Photo by Erin Hogue (http://erinhogue.com/) 

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About The Author

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stash member Jesse Huffman

I learned to ride on the steep and short pitches of the east before making a 14-year tour of the Northwest and NYC as pro rider turned freelance writer. After moving back to my native Vermont, I'm still chasing powder, waves, and concrete.