By Christina Crook

“Simon Chamberlain has an outstanding section in Mountain Lab, in terms of technical ability and visible ease in the performing of the said tricks. The opening shots of his section are possibly the highlights of his section. He does a nosepress to tail-tap out, a 360 nosepress, a 180 to nosepress to 180 out, a boardslide to 270 out, and a noseslide in which he 180s and lands in a tailslide back on the box. He does all these tricks on a single flat box. He also does a frontside tailslide to 270 out on the stair feature and a frontside tailslide to switch backside tailslide on a long flat bar. The segment finishes with Simon talking about and going out to a rail jam.” 
. . . from the video MTN. Lab

In his senior years of high school Ontario-born Simon Chamberlain made his way west to Whistler, with his parents’ blessing, to pursue his dream of riding pro. Now residing in the Sea-to-Sky corridor, this 23 year old rides for top names such as Nomis (founded by Simon and his brothers; Nomis is Simon spelled backward,) Stepchild, Thirtytwo, etnies and Bear Mountain. Simon, a committed believer in Jesus, has given his faith some big air.

CC: What have been some milestones in your faith?

SC: I have really supportive parents. They never pushed me to do anything  whether it was sports or church. I always attended youth group, which was awesome. But I snowboarded on Sundays. My parents knew I was a good kid and wanted me to have fun and this freedom had a huge impact on my faith. Now I surround myself with the support of Christian friends and my family.  

What challenges have you encountered living in the culture of snowboarding?

I’m pretty good at staying away from the scene. The industry is always a party scene, but because I feel called here, I show up, drink my coke, hang with my friends and usually leave before things get ugly.  

I’ve never had an interest in this stuff but I know it’s easy to be drawn to it. People sometimes notice that all I’m drinking is coca-cola and may comment but I don’t care; a lot of people respect my decision and are cool with it.

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You’re at the top of your game. How did you get so good and how do you sustain it?

We all get our talents. I’ve always known God wanted me to be a snowboarder and to do it for him, so I work hard at it. I ride about 200 days a year. I see a trainer regularly and maintain my health. I try to keep a good balance with my head too, by designing the promo line with Nomis and Stepchild. I try to stay focused, and you might say I'm a bit stubborn! But it’s just because I know this is my job.

Your trademark is a cross. What’s it like to be an ‘out’ Christian among your peers?

There’s a little bit of pressure because I can start to feel like people are looking for me to slip up, like swearing for example. The cross was something I wanted on my boards.

I just saw a lot of skulls and pentagrams out there and thought, even though it’s a small thing, I’d like to look down to see a cross and be reminded that God is with me. After all, I spend more time with my snowboard, than in church!

What’s ahead for you?

I just got engaged so we’re just enjoying this season. This next year we’ll be filming for the next Stepchild movie so we’ll be riding all over the world. Other than that, I’m just chilling, keeping my head up.

What encouragement would you give to peers who share your faith?

Keep having fun with what you love doing. Keep your head up and don’t get down for getting railed on because what you believe in is good.

Photos of Simon by Rich Odam  www.odamphoto.com

Options Winter 2009