We had the good fortune of connecting with Jess Spencer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, what inspires you?
The day I started snowboarding I was instantly inspired by people like Kelly Clark, The Frends Crew, Mark McMorris etc. I would see these competitors on TV looking like they are living their BEST life’s, and I instantly knew I wanted to be apart of this community in some way.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Follow your dreams, sounds cliche right?

The day I started snowboarding I knew I wanted to make it more than a sport but a lifestyle. Gearing everything towards snowboarding I started competing right away and that winter my parents surprised me with a trip to X Games in Aspen, Colorado. My parents saw my drive to go somewhere with snowboarding but I was unsure of where to go. I started with becoming an athlete which got me the opportunity to move to Colorado for college at CU Boulder. I finally saw a path worth taking.

Soon after moving to Colorado I had broke my back and had a life-threatening complication that had put me in ICU for 2 weeks making me question my competing decision. Shortly, I decided to end my dream of being an athlete and gearing more toward the industry side of work. I started receiving job opportunities in college in the snowboard industry and knew that’s where I needed to be. I graduated in 3 years with a Bachelors in Social Media Marketing, Minor Photography/Film excited to see what the world held for me.

Tip for anyone looking to get into whatever industry/department they want to be in:
Study the people who have your “dream job.” How did they get there? Look at their past positions and resumes to see how they continued to grow into this position.

It was the best dissusion I’ve ever made.

My parents were so confused when I said I wanted to move up to the mountains and work at a Burton Retail shop straight from college but they gave me enough trust to know I knew what I was doing with my career. The connections you get from being one on one with the product, customers, and employees can help you prove you are there for a reason and to help make a difference in this community.

With 4 years of working with Burton, I have slowly moved closer to working Freelance Social Media/ Photography in the snowboard industry. The most recent job I have been working with is Monster Energy shooting photography for Olympic Qualifiers such as the Grand Prix and Dew Tour. There are other opportunities in the making right now and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Tips for anyone looking to get their dream jobs:
It doesn’t come fast, start now! Build your resume, build your connections and if the time comes be ready! You will have challenges along the way and feel like you’re not going anywhere but then one moment hits and it’s ON! Be prepared for the unexpected because that’s when the dream opportunities come.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live currently in Breckenridge, Colorado and have wanted to move here my entire life. I love having friends and family visit me to show them what a beautiful place it is here! Taking friends to local spots like RMU or Motherloaded gives visitors the perspective of what we get to live everyday. My favorite part is the gondola brings you straight from the town to the mountain without driving making the experience that much easier.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shout out to my parents for understanding my passion for snowboarding and for giving me every opportunity they could to put my foot in the door in the sport.

I would like to thank my first ever snowboarding coach Jeff Vagg for seeing my drive and love for the sport. Jeff showed me the ropes of what snowboarding could be and I am forever grateful that he opened these doors for me.

I would also like to thank Brian Thomas for giving me my first job out of college at Burton Snowboards. Brian not only was my boss for 3 years, but mentored and shaped me for success with Burton and in the Snowboarding Industry. Brian’s hard criticism with work and life only made me become a stronger independent women in a male driven sport and I couldn’t thank you enough.

Instagram: j_spen321

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