With over 40 years of snowboarding behind him, Russell is one of the most decorated characters in the sport’s history. He helped pioneer the jib movement in the ’90s, not to mention steer the sport away from the uptight rigors that constrained other snow sports at the time. He was key to integrating snowboarding with the expression-oriented liberties of freestyle and street that continue to define it today. At every apex of the sport’s development, Russell has been there as one of the engineers of its enduring identity. That was a long shot given he grew up playing hockey, and was playing well enough to go to the NHL. It took a lot of boldness to believe in a sport that was still being invented, and give up the rink. It’s all the more remarkable considering the boundaries he broke not just on a board, but as the sport’s first Black pro. Today he lives in Los Angeles where he still wields an outsize influence on the snowsports world as one of its sage elders, is a dedicated father, runs a successful design firm that collaborates with brands across the spectrum. Oh, and he still rips.
Achievements:
- Founding member of the RIDE snowboard team
- First Black pro snowboarder
- Helped invent new-school riding