Laguna Beach, California is not a place commonly associated with snowboarding talent. Then again, Keegan Valaika is an uncommon kid whose trajectory in pro snowboarding has been anything but predictable. As a grom he localized the SoCal park mecca that is Bear Mountain, where his natural ability quickly blossomed into a full-blown prodigy designation within snowboarding's ranks. Soon swept up in sponsorship and competition, Keegan quite literally grew up in the industry. The influence of veteran pros and the freedom of filming inspired Keegan's vision of his own career. In 2009 he put out well-rounded parts in movies like Burton's It's Always Snowing Somewhere, Absinthe's Ready, and cult-classic BozWreck 2 easily earning him SNOWBOARDER Magazine's coveted Jibber Of The Year award. In 2010 he nabbed the ender in TransWorld Snowboarding's feature film In Color, and this year is featured in Videograss's The Last Ones. Keegan continued moving toward his goal of snowboarding on his own terms with a crew of friends in tow and has since taken yet another step in his career by founding his own clothing company Gnarly and is currently balancing brand ownership with producing rider-driven shred flicks featuring himself and the talents of snowboarding's next generation of skate-inspired rulers.
Fuente: Adidas Snowboarding
