Zeb Powell Is Looking for the ‘Next Me’

“After X Games, I started having all these people reach out to me, saying what an inspiration I am,” Powell said. “I wasn’t looking for this, but now it’s there, so I wonder what I can do with it.”

With his knee on the mend, Powell’s attention remains trained on filming, expanding his reach through social media and being the face of, and for, young Black snowboarders. It has kept him busy during his injury and the pandemic.

This off-season, he will be coaching at the High Cascade snowboard camp in Mt. Hood, Ore. He hopes to spend more time mentoring, with an eye on organizations like Hoods to Woods and the Chill Foundation, which introduce board sports to underserved youth.

Powell’s influence in snowboarding, and his growing collection of sponsors and accolades, is a far cry from where he started, in the tiny town of Waynesville, N.C., on a skateboard.

He learned to snowboard on the wrong foot. A snowboard instructor at his nearest ski resort, Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, N.C., had 7-year-old Powell try to ride in a regular stance, with his left foot at the front of the board. He quickly realized he was a so-called goofy foot rider, and switched to the right-foot-forward stance.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/sports/zeb-powell-snowboarding.html