Melissa Riitano's Snowboarding Journey
Episode 4

Show Notes

Backcountry athlete Melissa Riitano spent much of her snowboarding season here in Utah to enjoy our historic snow year. Melissa has been a pro snowboarder for over a decade, and she’s currently shifting her focus from street riding to backcountry snowboarding in deep powder.

Trusty host Nils Mindnich talks through Melissa’s snowboarding journey and her mental process for progression. Melissa has a methodical approach to her immediate goals that also plays into her multi-season progression plan—it’s truly fascinating to see what it takes to perform at such a high level.

Nils finishes off the episode with a fun question that we’d also like to ask you; What time period would you go to if you stumbled across a time machine? We might just go back to the start of this last winter! Let us know what your answer is in the comments!

Check out our Snowboard Boot Guide

Chapters With Times:

0:00 – Intro
1:01 – Beginnings In Photography & Snowboarding
4:23 – The Infamous Subie
6:12 – Turning Snowboarding Into A Career
11:06 – Building A Strong Mindset
14:32 – Sense Of Self Vs. Goals & Pursuits
16:34 – Learning New Skills & Hobbies
18:33 – Kodiak Cakes
20:25 – Product Development
22:51 – Backcountry Snowboarding
29:20 – Upcoming Goals
35:00 – Progression By The Season
39:02 – Random Question
40:30 – Outro

The Backcountry Podcast (Backcountry.com) is a collection of conversations with influential members of the outdoor community, including our athletes and ambassadors. We dive deep into widespread topics from guests’ perspectives, ranging from film projects to personal pursuits and outdoor industry news. The Backcountry Podcast is hosted by Backcountry athlete, professional snowboarder, University of Utah Mechanical Engineering graduate, and all-around mountain guy, Nils Mindnich.

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Check out the products featured & Melissa’s sponsors here:

All Backcountry Snow Gear
K2 Snowboarding
Coal Headwear
Crab Grab
Yakima Snow Racks
Everything Backcountry Access

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearheads, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.