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“The Spark brand identifies specifically with backcountry riders only, and they know exactly what backcountry riders need. Spark R&D has been leading the effort in the sport by creating new technologies that continue to blow riders away, which advances the sport. If you actually want to feel connected to your board, ride Spark, plain and simple.”

SEAN BUSBY

Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA, USA
Currently resides: An off-the-grid Yurt, NW Montana, USA
Current sponsors: 686, Goal Zero, Osprey, G3, Electric, Darn Tough, Icelantic (splitboards), Outdoor Technology, Honey Stinger, Bogs
Bindings: Arc

Sean Busby is a globe-trotting snowboarder who loves nothing more than exploring and riding remote mountain ranges around the world. His expeditions have taken him splitboarding across all seven continents, including expeditions to Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Tasmania, Iceland, Bulgaria, Norway, and Patagonia to name a few. He and his wife, Mollie, live on an off the grid homestead that they hand built in Northwest Montana. They run a nonprofit organization which hosts action sports and experiential education camps for people living with an autoimmune disease around the globe. They also run three yoga studios, and host off the grid education retreats at their homestead.

Q & A

I have been to all 7 continents on splitboard expeditions but some of my favorite include Kyrgyzstan where the concept of splitboarding changed for me from not seeking the perfect lines but more back to the adventure of exploring cultures and the awesome people that make them.

Every year I tend to return to the Arctic regions of Norway for a few weeks of snow camping and riding under the midnight sun. I love riding in the fjords and being at the ocean while meeting up with all our Scandinavian friends. This past early February my wife and I returned to Iceland for a winter camping splitboard expedition. The northern lights were brilliant and provided the perfect entertainment during the long nights that were followed by short days.

Last season was my first season back from a host of injuries to my ankle (2015/16) and it was a banger year for me with multiple winter camping split expeditions to Alaska, Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland Lapland regions. This season, I am looking forward to returning to some of those zones and spending more time in our local backcountry as well.

Towards the end of last season I also got into dog sledding. We have a new dog sled and dogs so that could make for another interesting and fun way to access the backcountry here in Montana!

On my first expedition to Antarctica I roped up with big wall climber, Mike Libecki, who gave me tons of knowledge into glacier travel techniques and opened up an entire world of possibilities for me. Splitboard mountaineer, John Griber, heavily influenced the travel side of the sport for me. While Craig Kelly blew my mind with style and grace through his riding videos I would watch as a kid.

My wife is one of the hardest working individuals that I know. She runs an international non-profit helping kids ski and snowboard that have T1D across three countries as well as owns two yoga studios here in Montana (Yoga Hive). With everything she has on her plate, she still manages to travel with me on splitboard expeditions, helps me tend to our off grid homestead and farm, and helps me manage my illness when it flares. She's stoked on life, and tolerates the realities of living off the grid: snowmobiling to our home all winter long, not having running water, chopping wood, and having to use a composting toilet as our only means. She's rad and stokes me out.

The Spark brand identifies specifically with backcountry riders only, and they know exactly what backcountry riders need. Spark R&D has been leading the effort in the sport by creating new technologies that continue to blow riders away, which advances the sport. If you actually want to feel connected to your board, ride Spark, plain and simple.

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