Noah Dines was snowboarding uphill when he answered the telephone. It was December 20. He was in Stowe, Vermont, and shutting in on 3.5 million vertical toes. Each step Dines took as he spoke with GearJunkie pushed the world file increased for the best altitude distinction ever lined in a single yr on skis.
Dines began snowboarding on January 1, 2024. His “attain aim” for the final 12 months had been round 3.28 million toes. However when he sailed previous the earlier world file, set by Aaron Rice in 2016, of two.5 million, Dines nonetheless had practically 4 months left to climb. He celebrated the accomplishment with mates and pressed onward to three million and past, singlemindedly centered on racking up as a lot vert as attainable earlier than yr’s finish.
On December 30, 2024, the 30-year-old Bedford, Mass., native reached the highest of his final run of the yr. He ended his rely a day early as a result of it was a bissextile year, simply as Rice had finished earlier than him. His ultimate quantity was 3,590,097 vertical toes — including greater than one million toes to Rice’s earlier world file.
That’s over 120 Mount Everests in a yr. Even Dines admits it’s onerous for him to think about snowboarding extra. He solely took a handful of days off, skied all over the world chasing winter throughout the nation after which south of the equator. He lived a monastic existence, consuming merely, residing out of his truck, staying with mates or in modest lodging; no alcohol, no time for frivolous diversions. His eyes by no means left the prize.
Now, he’s about to reenter “actuality,” and his life won’t ever be the identical. His love for snowboarding, nevertheless, hasn’t modified or faltered in any respect.
“I nonetheless genuinely get up, and I’m excited to go snowboarding,” Dines mentioned. “Snowboarding stays extremely enjoyable.”
GearJunkie has been overlaying this story since February, when Dines smashed the file for the best altitude distinction lined in a month. Then once more, when he was snowboarding in Oregon at Mt. Hood (someplace across the 2,067,000-foot mark) and was getting ready to go to South America. So it was thrilling to meet up with Dines once more to speak about his journey as a complete, what it’s meant, and what he’s going to do now that it’s over.
“January first, I’m simply an unemployed dude who likes to ski lots,” he mentioned. “However I’m excited concerning the future.”
Noah Dines: World File Holder, ‘Dude Who Likes to Ski’
Will Brendza (GearJunkie editor): First, I simply need to say congrats. How has this journey been since Mt. Hood?
Noah Dines: It’s spiraled in actually superior methods. It’s gotten actually cool. Not that it wasn’t already, but it surely’s simply been superior. I had my low level … in case you keep in mind, this summer season, there was that vast IT outage — that was the day I used to be flying to South America. That ended up costing me about 4 days of snowboarding and infinite frustration.
I had numerous time in airport traces, after which I ended up altering my plan. I used to be initially going to go to Termas de Chillán, however then I ended up in Farellones, which is the place El Colorado, Valle Nevado, and La Parva are … They’d an enormous yr. In late July, early August or so, I had in all probability the perfect 10-day stretch of powder snowboarding in my life. We misplaced energy. The street, loopy street from Santiago as much as the mountains was out. It was fairly sick.
Some World Tour people and ski racers had been the one folks there. So it was all good skiers simply teeing off all day.
How lengthy had been you down there for?
I ended up being down there for 3 months. I used to be in Farellones for two months — that was August and September, a bit of little bit of July. Then, as soon as it received actually scorching and melty there, I went all the way down to a city referred to as Malalcahuello and I used to be there for a month. That was superior as effectively.
I simply met so many unimaginable skiers and snowboarders that I’m mates with now. I received to go to the highest of the volcano with the USA Snowboard Cross staff as a result of I met one in all their guys who was coaching GS farther north in Chile. I met the Slovenian Males’s Velocity Skiers. I noticed Jeremy Jones once more down there. Parkin Costain. It was simply the migration.
You blew previous the earlier world file and previous your unique aim of three million. Did you ever think about you’d make it past 3.5 million?
No. I all the time had a attain aim of one million meters, which is 3,280,000 toes, and alter. So, I all the time had that quantity in my head. However 3.5 million is … My unique plan had been to ski 9,090 toes a day for 330 days. So it’s like I had two further months of snowboarding.
Gear-wise, had been there any upgrades you made that had a huge impact in your season?
I ended up on ATK Trofeos, that are the perfect on the earth, for my part. So, that’s been an enormous enchancment. However, no. Actually, the massive factor that I’ve realized is, holy smokes, these items lasts. I would go to a brand new pair of trainers earlier than the tip of the yr, I may not, however I’ve solely had three pairs of shells — which is fairly darn good. It’s triple that in boot liners, however if you’re rocking skinny liners, that’s a consumable.
Proper now, I’m on a brand new pair of skis, and the colour distinction between these and my [identical] outdated ones is insane. They’re brilliant yellow, in comparison with pastel yellow pale from the solar.
What have been a few of the largest challenges in reaching this aim?
Cash. The enterprise facet of it has been onerous, particularly beginning out the yr and having no concept how issues would shake out. That actually has given me extra anxiousness than snowboarding. Snowboarding, you simply put your skis on, then stroll.
I’ve additionally undoubtedly battled numerous warmth with our warming local weather.
How is your routine going to vary after January 1, 2025?
That’s the massive unknown. And it’s thrilling, but it surely’s additionally scary. It’s actually a large unknown.
I’m excited to maintain snowboarding. I’m excited to complete up a bit of earlier and go drink espresso. And I’m excited to say ‘Sure’ to issues, whether or not that’s simply going out for dinner or a drink or going to go ski one thing enjoyable, or going to a marriage. There’s been numerous saying ‘No’ as a result of I’m so centered. And I don’t remorse any of it. I feel that’s an enormous a part of doing one thing like that is that if it was simple and didn’t contain sacrifice, everybody would do it.
I’m additionally wanting ahead to wanting again on this yr. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how my perspective on it adjustments over time … You don’t understand how one thing molds you till you may have a little bit of separation.
Do you may have any want to return to educating?
No, I can’t think about being in a classroom proper now. However I don’t suppose I’ll ever depart the broader concept of training behind — whether or not that’s talking about what I’m doing or [running] clinics, I care about training … Nonetheless, I simply can’t think about sitting in a classroom proper now. I think about that might be a troublesome factor to return to. I would find yourself doing that in a yr. However, as soon as once more, I simply … I have to take a deep breath earlier than something.
What does this file imply to you, and what would you like folks to remove from it?
What it means to me is continually altering. But it surely’s actually a pivotal second in my life — the best one. It’s been a journey. I’ll know extra later.
What I would like folks to take from it, I’ve been saying this lots, is you can be me. I’m not particular. I don’t have that deep athletic background. I don’t have a belief fund. I made a decision I needed to do one thing, and I poured my soul into it. So if you wish to do one thing, you may. And it is going to be onerous and making an attempt, however if you would like it, you may have it.
