Kailey Bogart hitting the group with some questions
Words: Mary T. Walsh
Photos: Ashley Rosemeyer

On May 6, as a storm moved overhead the Mount Hood National Forest, the ladies of the women’s-focused event IT’S TITS! gathered in Sandy, Oregon at the Wy’East Mountain Academy Campus, home to High Cascade Snowboard Camp, for the first-ever Pitch Sessions. As snow fell on Timberline, just a half-hour drive up HWY 26, the crew mingled outside of BOB, High Cascade’s indoor skatepark, sipping cans of New Belgium Brewing Co’s Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer and Liquid Death Mountain Water. Maggie, Kristin, and the crew from Boarding for Breast Cancer were rapidly dolling out raffle tickets for prizes from Yeti and Vans—by the end of the night, almost $900 would be raised from the efforts.
Raffle raising money for Boarding for Breast Cancer
Earlier that spring, Barrett Christy, trailblazing pro rider and influential member of the snowboard industry, had called me about working together to create a platform for women to collaborate with each other, provide and receive mentorship, and lift one another up, while, of course, doing the same for the industry through their efforts. I had been ruminating recently on the same thing, so when Barrett called, I was immediately on board. Krush Kulesza, head honcho of Snowboy Productions, was stoked to collaborate during the boarding meeting of IT’S TITS!. B4BC was in. The incredible crew at High Cascade, Gregg Janecky, Anna Fuller, and Bobby Meeks, were also down to collab and support. (Thank you for providing us the perfect setting!) As Mount Hood received a coating of early May snow, the inaugural Pitch Sessions took flight.

Gathered outside BOB
Eventually, attendees moved inside and sat, socially distanced, throughout the concrete skatepark. The group had spent the past two days riding together, feeding off of one another’s energy and building upon each other’s lines. The Pitch Sessions aimed to compliment that on hill ethos with an off-hill discussion to coalesce the efforts that already exist within the ranks of snowboarding and really enhance them. What do we mean, exactly? When it comes to navigating the path to becoming a professional snowboarder (same when it comes to working in the industry), so much of the information is passed down from person to person like (bear with me on the 90s reference, here) a mixtape proffered from an older sibling. There’s a sense of belonging to an exclusive club when you receive information in that way. But, building on the cliché yet apt phrase, “a rising tide raises all boats,” why not open up the cabal a bit in a more accessible way? The resulting coterie could have more energy, more ideas, more confidence, more collaboration, more growth—and that is good for everyone involved. So, the Pitch Sessions invited the riders of Snowboy’s IT’S TITS! to come together to break things down as one; a nucleus of experience and know-how from all different angles within riding.
Nirvana Ortanez sharing some wisdom
The catalyst for discussion was the deep experience of the panelists across the board: Mervin marketing’s Barrett Christy Cummins; rider and filmmaker Jess Kimura; Trollhaugen Resort’s Marsha Hovey; Roxy marketing’s Jenna Kuklinski and Nirvana Ortanez; and Mervin staff photographer Tim Zimmerman. I tapped in as moderator. The crew offered insights on all fronts of snowboarding: how to communicate with team managers and marketing directors, how to get shots with a photographer, how brands are working toward more diversity and equity on their teams and in their marketing. And the evening encouraged the attendees to take an active role in the conversation as participants in the event as opposed to an audience. Taylor Elliott, Jill Perkins, Fancy Rutherford, Mary Rand, Naima Antolin, Kailey Bogart, Ashley Rosemeyer, Gill Montgomery, Isabella Gomez, and more offered insight, asked questions, and advised their peers. The conversation stretched past its planned 90 minutes into two hours and could have gone on way longer. The interest was apparent. Merely the surface was scratched.
Mary Rand enjoying the session.
Armed with goodie bags stocked with products from Sun Bum, Yeti, Roxy, and One Ball Jay, the riders filtered out of BOB, energy still high in the air. There were three more days to ride and lots of time for the crew to build off one another.

“This first Pitch Session was a perfect complement to the progressive vibe on hill at IT’S TITS!” said Barrett. “I always come away from these events with connections and conversations that leave me feeling so enthusiastic about the future of snowboarding. There is a need for more women in leadership in this industry, and more opportunities and support for the women and girls to succeed in their own unique positions of influence. I know I’m not the only one who sees the imbalance there. We are seeing growth in participation and consumer spending by women, so now is a great time to strengthen the network, encourage more girls to seek out mentors, and for all of us to lift each other up and recognize our value. As we approach an Olympic year there are always more eyes on the sport, so it’s an ideal time to encourage more conscious progression, marketing, and branding, so we can ultimately increase participation and accessibility to these ‘sports’ that we love.”
True OG, Barrett Christy
A huge thank you to all of the riders for being a part of this discussion event; the panel for offering such vital insight; Krush and all of Snowboy; Gregg, Anna, and Bobby at We Are Camp; and to all of the brands that helped to make the first Pitch Sessions possible: New Belgium Brewing Company, Liquid Death Mountain Water, Yeti, Sun Bum, Mervin Manufacturing, Roxy, and One Ball Jay.