Hometown Hero: Q&A with Professional Snowboarder Jake Blauvelt

Jake Blauvelt is a highly-respected and accomplished snowboarder with a career spanning 16 years, constantly captivating audiences with his smooth, creative, and effortless riding style. Born and raised in the Green Mountains of Vermont, he's our hometown hero, so we asked him some questions so you could get to know Jake like we do.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Waterbury Center, Vermont, moved out west for ten or so years to chase big mountains and snow, and now I find myself back where it all started in Vermont, chasing my 3 kids with my wife.

When and how did you start snowboarding?

I started snowboarding during the after school program at Bolton Valley in 5th grade. I was already dabbling with skateboarding at that time so it seemed like the natural thing to do in the winter in Vermont.

When you first started snowboarding, how much thought did you put into your socks?

None whatsoever. I think I probably wore cotton.

What issues have you run into with taking care of your feet and choosing socks for snowboarding?

Main issues I have would be feet getting wet from sweating even before you strap in, comfort, and feet getting cold.

What advice or tips do you have for others, based on what you learned from these experiences?

For foot sweat on the way to the hill, before you even strap in, I’d say don’t put your snowboard boots on until the last possible second, don’t crank the foot heaters in the car on the way to the hill and try the Backwoods sock that I helped design. It has zoned cushioning so your feet breathe better than the average sock.

All in all, just try the Backwoods sock or any snowboard sock from Darn Tough and I don’t think you’ll have any of the problems I had.

What do you look for in a pair of snowboard socks?

Comfort, warmth, and not too much cushion for good response when strapped in.

When did you first hear of Darn Tough socks?

In elementary school when my family would go to the “hunters windows” sock sale every year to stock up.

How long have you been wearing Darn Tough socks?

Pretty much my whole life. Most solid Vermonters do.

When did you realize snowboarding was going to be more than just a hobby?

Either when all I could think about was next time I was going to strap in right around that first year I started snowboarding, or a couple years later when I started competing in the local USASA Northern Vermont contest series and had some good results and realized I could maybe take it somewhere.

What's your favorite thing about living, riding, and raising your family in Vermont?

It’s where my wife’s and my heart is. It just feels like home here. Everything about it. The weather, the trees, the people. There’s no other place in the world I’d rather be raising my family. Having the kids be raised around all their grandparents and relatives is great.

Congrats on the birth of your third child, Bodie! How old do you wait for your kids to be before you have them out on a snowboard?

Thank you! Hah, with our girls we waited until they were about two to take them up to the resort and that was pushing it a bit for sure. But they’ve definitely had some good snurfs in the backyard with dad at just a couple months old.

What's your favorite place to snowboard in Vermont?

Bolton Valley Resort or my backyard glades.

You’ve had the opportunity to live in different locations with epic places to snowboard. What brought you back to Vermont? What keeps you here?

My family and the people who live here in Vermont brought me back and keep me here. There’s nothing like a good solid Vermonter. A real Woodchuck!

We hear your dad does sugaring each year. Is it true that you used to take his maple syrup with you wherever you went?

Haha yeah, I’d always travel with a little bit to spruce up my coffee in the morning wherever I was in the world. If there is one taste that grounds me and gives me a sense of home no matter how far away I am, it’s maple syrup off my folks' land.

We’re passionate about keeping our manufacturing in Vermont and supporting the community we have here, which is why we love that you hold Blauvelt's Banks right here at Bolton Valley. Can you tell us more about the story behind Blauvelt's Banks and why you picked Bolton as the location?

Bolton Valley holds a special place in my heart. It’s an independently owned resort and has a great down to earth, family atmosphere, and is where I learned how to snowboard.

Blauvelt’s Banks is a banked slalom race, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated for the construction of a brand new concrete skatepark in Waterbury, Vermont. I really enjoyed hosting the first race in 2020 and giving the shred community a fun event where we could all get together, have a blast racing and raising money for a good cause.

It feels good to have everything come full circle after all the years of travel and host an event where it all started for me, at Bolton Valley. We had to take last year off due to COVID, but we are back in planning mode for 2022. Set your calendars for race day on March 5th!

What are you proudest of as you look back on the last several years?

I’m proudest of my family, first and foremost.

In regards to snowboarding, I’m just happy to have contributed some solid video parts and helped develop some innovative gear, including my pro model Berzerker with RIDE^® snowboards and the Backwoods sock with Darn Tough.

Also, hosting the Blauvelt’s Banks and being able to give back to the community that has given me so much over the years and raise money for a good cause, that feels good too.

 

How did you come to collaborate with Darn Tough to make a better snowboard sock?

Darn Tough gave me the opportunity to design the best snowboard sock I could, and I took them up on it.

We had several round table sessions and compared a lot of archive socks they had from previous years taking the best parts from each and putting them into the Backwoods sock.

What made you interested in collaborating with Darn Tough?

IMO they make the best socks in the world, and I wanted to learn more about what it takes to develop a sock of their caliber. It’s amazing how much goes into  really good socks. I never knew there was so much to them!

What was that experience like for you?

I thought I knew what it took to make a good snowboard sock, but I had no clue. Luckily all of the designers are amazing and they really helped coach me through what it was going to take to make a great shred sock. I’d say I walked away from the experience feeling grateful that Darn Tough was on my side.

Tell us about your visit to the Mill.

Every time I get to visit the Mill it’s amazing. The thing I think I like the most is how many locals Darn Tough employs. It’s cool to see a great company doing great things for the local community.

I also love walking up and down the aisles of all the sock machines and seeing what kind of socks each machine is making, and what wool is being woven into them.

You were instrumental in developing the Edge and Backwoods socks. What experience and pain points did you work with Darn Tough to overcome?

Whenever I get to help develop product for brands, I always try to push performance while still maintaining comfort.

I wanted to make sure the sock didn’t have too much cushion so you don’t lose power transfer when initiating turns, but at the same time has enough cushion so you're comfortable and warm. The contoured cushioning on the foot gives you maximum comfort but helps keep your foot breathing and dry at the same time.

Also, I really dislike any pressure points where the top of the boot meets the shin, so we have segmented cushioning there to give a good amount of comfort while always maintaining that responsiveness.

What did you think when you got to try the socks you’d worked on out in the field? Did they perform?

They performed great! Super comfy, good response, warm, and they look sweet too!

What are you proudest of accomplishing with the socks you worked on?

I’m stoked on how it looks, especially the segmented cushioning on the shin, and how the shin feels against the tongue of my boot. No more weird pressure points!

What tips would you give someone looking for a good snowboard sock?

Not all socks are created equal! Definitely go for a good wool sock if you’ll be using it at the mountain for skiing or snowboarding and make sure they fit your foot well. Pretty much any Darn Tough snow sock will do the trick!

What are your favorite socks for… snowboarding? Lazy days at home? Gardening? Epically sliding across the floor?

For snowboarding, the Backwoods, which I was lucky enough to help design. Lazy days at home and gardening either the Tactical or the Hiker socks, and for sliding across the floor definitely the Element Crew athletic socks.

Have you changed your laundry patterns to align with your socks yet?

Hah, not yet I guess? The socks don’t need nearly as many washes as you’d think. The Merino Wool keeps them smelling fresh.

What are your thoughts on sleeping with your socks on?

Go for it if you’re cold, but I run hot and can’t handle the heat!

Besides the socks themselves, what makes you a fan of Darn Tough?

I grew up in Vermont and have always heard people swear by Darn Tough ever since I can remember. The Darn Tough name is highly regarded around here and knowing that they support much of the community, make amazing products in Vermont, USA, and treat their workers well was plenty reason enough.