Young Gun Spotlight

The crop of talent at Holiday Valley and HoliMont is absolutely ridiculous. Ellicottville draws in visitors from all over, so we get to see the best of Buffalo, Cleveland and Toronto. Kids seem to get better and better each year ... however, it also seems like they get younger and younger. Snowed-In’s “Young Gun Spotlight” showcases some of Ellicottville’s best young riders. 

Meet Evan Deglopper …

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I’m Evan. I’m 14 years young, and I’ve been riding for 8 years.

Where are you from? Do you come to Ellicottville often?

I’m from Buffalo, and my family has a house in Ellicottville. We try and make it down every weekend. 

How about your riding style? 

I ride regular with a cowboy stance. (For our readers, ‘cowboy’ refers to a wider stance with your feet turned way out.) I ride the Lib Tech Travis Rice pro model with Horsepower and Union Danny Kass bindings. 

What kind of riding are you doing? Do you like to compete? 

I ride all over the mountain, but I really like riding in the terrain park. I have three USASA medals in two competitions - two gold medals in boardercross, and I was invited to compete in the Junior Olympics (which Evan couldn’t attend.)

That’s awesome. How about your favorite trick? What kind of music do you listen to? How about your favorite run?

Favorite trick is hands down the cork tailfish 360. I love listening to Lil Wayne and Skrillex when I ride. Favorite run at Holiday Valley is Sunrise. 

Who are your idols? 

Obviously Travis Rice is a big one. The dude is so good at snowboarding ... it's absurd. He pushes the sport so much, which in turn pushes everyone else to get on his level. But I doubt they ever will. 

Why do you snowboard?

I do it because I love the fun of it. Nothing compares to going Mach 10 down Yodeler or the butterflies you get before you drop in for the big kicker at 42/78 (42/78 Terrain Parks at Holiday Valley). The thrill of spinning your body around two times while flying 40 feet through the air ... no sport can match that. It doesn't get any better.

What do you like to do when you’re not snowboarding? 

I love playing baseball. I’ve played in a travel league for 6 years, and we go to South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. We did get to play at Cooperstown for a week, which was so awesome. (Cooperstown is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame.) 

FAST FIVE:

Favorite 90s movie: Forrest Gump. Favorite Food: Chicken Wings. High School: St. Joe’s. Favorite Summer Activity: Mountain biking. Spins: Frontside.

Evan is one of the many up-and-coming riders at Holiday Valley that proves the East Coast can breed talent. An avid baseball player and mountain biker, Evan does a good job of staying busy 12 months out of the year. At just 14, Evan is hitting his stride and figuring out what snowboarding is all about - having fun.