MEET THE HOMIES VOL 6: ARIANA SANCHEZ

Header photo: Ari & Andy Wright | Photo by Leigh LaBrake

Name: Ariana Sanchez
IG handle: @ar_chez_
From: Marion, IA
Currently in: Winter Park, CO
Years riding: 11
Fav place to ski: Winter Park Resort
Current set up (board, boots, kit, etc): Boards: Salomon Rumble Fish & Jones Flagship Boots: Nitro Faint TLS Bindings: Union Legacy & Burton Lexa Kit: Changes all the time! 

Describe your journey with snowboarding. When did you start, why do you continue?

I’ve loved snowboarding for as long as I can remember. Growing up in rural Iowa, there weren’t many opportunities to ski or ride and I didn’t grow up skiing. I remember watching snowboarding competitions on TV and dreaming of getting to do something like that someday. I loved consuming any snowboard media I could get my hands on, and I was obsessed with the video game, SSX on Tour (PS2!) when that came out! 

When I was around 14, my friend invited me to go on a ski trip with her and her family and that’s when I got to snowboard for the first time. If I wasn’t obsessed before, it cemented that then and there. I went riding a few times in high school, but not much. I lived a ways away from the nearest hill, and just couldn’t afford to go often. I grew up out in the country and would sometimes take my board (I spent my first few paychecks on my first setup!) out to our pasture just to ride the little hills we had in the backyard. But in college, I joined the Ski & Snowboard Club and the Alpine Race Team and started going more with my friends to a local hill. 

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to live in the mountains, but it wasn’t until after I graduated college that I even considered it to be a real possibility. Being in the mountains has always felt like home for me. It’s where I feel most happy and most creative, and I’m always chasing that feeling.

You take most of our photos and they are AMAZING! How did you get into photography and why do you enjoy shooting skiing and boarding?

Firstly, thank you!! To be completely honest, I got into photography in high school when I got my first iPhone and wanted my Instagram to be “artsy” lol. But it did unlock this new creative side I hadn’t explored before. I got my first “real” camera my freshman year of college. I switched my major around a few times and landed on Journalism. There, I found my passion for storytelling through photography. 

I knew a career in traditional news wasn’t for me, but I still wanted to find something I could do with writing and photography. I had a few photo assignments in school that I ended up doing out at the local hill, and after figuring out snowboard racing wasn’t for me, I still wanted to still tag along to competitions, so I brought my camera with me to shoot photos of my friends racing. That was the start of finding my passion for ski/snowboard photography.

I think what I love most about shooting skiing and snowboarding is that I don’t find it easy. It’s always challenging me and there are always new things to solve for. Lugging gear around the mountain while also snowboarding, shooting in sometimes less-than-ideal conditions, finding shots just by riding around until I find something cool, having to think about the line I need to take so that I don’t mess up the snow for the shot-- it feels so rewarding when a shot turns out. I love looking back at shots and knowing what went into it to make it happen.

Tell us about the High Cascade Photo Workshop you attended in Mt. Hood over the summer!

Dude. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life!! I feel so thankful and fortunate to have been able to go out to camp this year! I learned so much from some of the best snowboard photographers in the game and met so many incredibly talented photographers who also have a deep love for the sport and photography. Being in the same vicinity as skiers/riders I’ve looked up to for years was a surreal experience. I hope I can go back in future years!

Who are some photographers or brands with sweet photography you’ve been into recently?

Andrew Miller and Jérôme Tanon are two of my all-time favorite photographers. You can feel the passion and love for snowboarding through their photos, and that’s what I aspire to be able to do with my work. I recently came across Jeremy Bernard’s work through Salomon Freeski, and I’ve been a huge fan of what they’ve been creating together! Tim Zimmerman is also a huge inspiration for me, I’m constantly in awe of what he creates. It was amazing to get to meet him and pick his brain at the High Cascade Photo Workshop. I tried not to geek out too hard meeting him!

Jones Snowboards is one of my favorite snowboarding brands. The photos that come from Andrew Miller for Jones inspire me so much. Their visuals seriously make me fall more and more in love with snowboarding with every post.

We’ve had good conversations around learning things in the park and how the mental blocks are soooo real. Are there any tricks you’re focused on getting down this season, and how will you respond to these blocks when they come up?

Yes!! I’ve told myself for the past couple of seasons that I’ll try to get in the park more and every season I find myself riding by saying, “Ehh, next time.” My goals this season are to hit a 360 on the bottom Ash Cat jumps, hit the Dogpatch jumps (in any sort of capacity), and hit some rails! I think my internal dialogue this year to get over mental blocks is going to be, “I’m not getting any younger.” haha.

(Also I’m documenting this here so pls hold me accountable to actually do this this season!!)

You’re boarding on a powder day, what’s playing in the headphones?

Definitely psychedelic rock, alternative rock, or indie.

We’ve also talked about planning more specific photoshoots so we can get the content and style of shots we (and the homies) want. When it comes to shooting, what are you excited to try out in the coming season?

I always love impromptu shoots out on the mountain, but I am really looking forward to planning out some shoots this season and getting a bit more strategic with what we shoot! I’m looking forward to trying out new gear (lenses and lights) for some new shots. I’m also looking forward to shooting the new Ash Cat Collective merch drop!

What makes Winter Park special? What is one of your all-time favorite memories from a winter season spent there?

The people, 100%. One of my favorite memories so far was my first powder day last year. I had only snowboarded out west a handful of times before moving to Winter Park, and that was the first time I rode in true powder. I don’t think I stopped smiling all day.

Stay tuned for more Meet the Homies! @ashcatcollective