Kimmy Fasani

Known for her smooth style on jumps and rails and hard charging attitude, Kimmy made a name for herself in the competition scene, but most recently she has been more focused on filming and photo shoots, participating in events such as Ms. Superpark. You can check her out in last year’s all-girl release Float, or in the upcoming Runway Films project, See What I See. She’s also getting involved in product development for her sponsor, DC.

Sponsors: DC, Smith, Clif Bar, Skullcandy, CTI, Purl Wax, Elemental Herbs, Salty Peaks
INTERVIEW

What got you interested in snowboarding and how long have you been riding for?
When I was younger, I had a wild child mentality and would try anything I could wrap my mind around. I had a couple of guy friends in Tahoe that started snowboarding and convinced me to give it a try. My mom bought me a snowboard in 1991, but I continued to ski race and would only go snowboarding a couple times a month. When I was 15 a couple of guys told me to try a back flip. We built two jumps in my backyard and I tried it. After the third try, I landed it. Those same guys convinced me to start competing, I did, and I fell in love with snowboarding.

Was your mom OK with all of this??
My mom actually was in the backyard with one of those HUGE camcorders taping it! She’s always been really supportive of me. She’s never tried to take center stage. Instead, my mom’s always been my backbone and let’s me make my own decisions. I was set on pursuing a career as a pro snowboarder, so we made a deal. As long as I went to school and came away with a degree eventually, she would support me financially and get me started.

So after cyber stalking you a bit, I found out you were/are going to school for Marketing/PR? How do you think that will play into your already established and pretty awesome career as a pro shredder?
School has been a big goal for me because I never wanted to be left out on the limb with no back up plan, and with snowboarding being such an unpredictable sport I figured having a degree wouldn’t hurt. After 5 years, I just graduated from University of Phoenix Online with a Bachelors in Marketing. Marketing and PR was intriguing to me. I love to soak everything up and learn as much as I can, especially when it pertains to the action sports industry. So, after focusing on Marketing, I now feel like I have a better understanding of what I am endorsing and how my image really affects the companies I am promoting. Down the road, I would like to use my degree for a marketing or public relations position somewhere in the action sports industry. It’s such a great industry in general because it generates such positive energy and keeps kids active.

You grew up in California and ride at Mammoth, right? How do you think that’s helped your riding progress to the level it’s at today?
Yeah, I grew up in California. I grew up riding in Tahoe, then moved to mammoth when I was 18. Riding at Mammoth has given me a strong foundation for all aspects of snowboarding. The park is always maintained and fun, the mountain offers a good variety of terrain, and the skies are always blue unless it’s snowing. Secondly, the people that I ride with here, including my boyfriend Chris Benchetler, have helped me progress tremendously. The vibe is always good, and the chairlift rides make for super fast laps.

You’ve competed in the past, but it seems like you prefer video parts more. Any reasons why and what video can we look forward to seeing you in the near future?
I do a handful of contests each season but I have a really hard time focusing on so many features at once, which is why I prefer to film. With filming I have time to think about the feature and I very rarely feel rushed because I know I am just out there doing my thing. There is just a different type of energy when you’re filming, and even though there’s still a lot of pressure to land and do tricks perfect I don’t get as stressed because I don’t feel like anyone’s watching me. Plus, video parts are things that are remembered forever and contests results seem to fade from year to year. This year I will have a video part in Runway’s “See What I See.”

Park, powder, pipe, backcountry… what’s your pleasure?
I would love to say I excel at all of them, but right now my strongest area is Park. However, I did buy a snowmobile this spring and spent a lot of time up in Canada in April and May trying to get my feet under me in the powder. Becoming an all around rider with a mix of backcountry, big mountain, and park is a long-term goal for me so each season I hope to gain more opportunities that will get me to that point.

Some exciting things are happening with DC and the new line of snowboards… please tell the inquiring minds about DC’s decision to start up a board collection. Did you have any input on the design and tech of the boards?
DC is an amazing company and their focus is to create progressive and fun boards. Their decision to make snowboards has been a long time coming. The Founders of DC, Ken Block and Damon Way, have a passion for snowboarding and have been involved in the snowboard industry for along time, First with Droor’s Clothing, and now with DC, which has become a huge shoe, boot and outerwear company.

The opportunity to make boards happened last year and after lots of team feedback and testing session the boards will be in stores in August. The company is really receptive to feedback and I was definitely able to get involved with how the girls board would look and ride. The women’s board is the BFF and comes in 144cm, 148cm, 150cm, and 152cm.

So what sets the BFF apart from other boards you’ve ridden?
I think it’s great because it really is the perfect board for all conditions. Since there is just one women’s board for the first year of the production, we wanted to have a board that every girl could enjoy. We have designed the board so women can ride it in powder, park, on rails, or in the pipe. It has the perfect stiffness for what a girl needs in every condition. If you land backseat off a jump, it’s going to throw you forward and you’re going to land fine. It’s soft enough so you won’t catch edges on rails. I was on the BFF (Core Graphic) 148cm all season and it’s a great all around board.

Core graphic?
Yeah, the core graphic differs from the regular graphic. We wanted girls to feel comfortable with DC’s color choice so that’s why we went with a basic pattern on a blue top sheet. The core graphic is awesome. It has a black top sheet with really bright yellow, pink, orange and green shoelaces all over the place. The bottom is black with a colorful DC logo. We thought it was a good idea to have a little something for everyone.

What kind of fads have you been a part of? Most recently, the reverse camber and magnatraction combo seems to be the hot topic among snowboard manufacturers. Any experience riding any of this tech and what do you think about it? Can we expect to see anything of the like on a DC board?
I have not really been part of any of the new fads. I have heard the magnatraction combo boards are really fun but at this time I don’t think DC is making a move on these new concepts.

In 5 years, what do you hope or expect to see in the female snowboarding world?
Currently, there is a lot of progression taking place in women’s snowboarding and women are learning that they are capable of doing 900’s and even 1080’s in both park and pipe. Within the next 2 to 3 years I think that women are going to become a lot more consistent with their 540’s and 720’s and this is going to give them a stronger foundation for becoming ready and consistent enough to try 900’s and 1080’s. The foundation is the most important part of progression and once women have this foundation of consistency they will be able to step to the next level. In 5 years, women’s snowboarding will grow and there will be more women pushing and progressing the sport. 900’s and 1080’s will be the 540’s and 720’s of today’s women’s snowboarding.

What was the best piece of advice or life lesson someone’s ever given you? (Doesn’t have to be snowboarding related, but it doesn’t hurt!)
1. Just shut off your mind and ride…
2. Live each day to the fullest because you never know what tomorrow may bring. I think it’s important to realize we get this one shot at life. We should go after what we want and what will make us happy instead of putting it off until tomorrow because you never know what could happen.
3. Don’t ever become so busy that you forget how very happy you are. I think people can forget how lucky they are when life becomes a bit too hectic. I’m busy all the time and I have to go a lot of places. I just like to remember that I “get” to go instead of “having” to go. It really puts things into perspective. I’m very fortunate and I do my best to remember that when things get tough.

Posted by Halley O'Brien on 08/05