Evan Wilcox

Words by Daniel Cochrane

Photos by Toshi Pander

At surface level, this is the story of our friend Evan Wilcox, Oregon native, summer camp hustler, SLC/Brighton local, snow chaser, all-around great guy, and now international industry marketer. On a deeper level, this is the story about not just following your heart and your passion but ACTIVELY doing so. Evan's story is standard in many aspects. He was introduced to snowboarding at a young age. He became obsessed, and eventually began making major life decisions with the end goal of riding as much as possible. It's a path many have taken, and many more have aspired to take. This story is here as motivation for anyone out there, especially those sitting on the fence or perennially offering up the "hopefully next season" to take that next step and pursue their dreams.

After finishing his studies at Oregon State, Evan relocated to Salt Lake to revel in some of the different experiences the Wasatch Mountains have to offer. Evan enjoyed Salt Lake's readily available mix of park laps, pow turns, and street sessions while toiling away at evening jobs to pay the bills. In the summer, he would return to Mt Hood and work with Windell's and We Camp. During this time, Evan picked up a handful of sponsors, including RomeSDS, VonZipper, and Bonfire, each of which he is still affiliated with to this day. The opportunity presented itself for Evan to attend the industry tradeshow, Denver's SIA, to support these brands as an ambassador, which is really just fluffy speak for "worked at their booth" but opportunity is opportunity. The experience proved valuable as he learned more about the business side of snowboarding and met many influential industry personnel. To many, this alone would be an end goal, but Evan found himself wanting a deeper pursuit of snowboarding. This is a constant in Evan's journey, appreciating where he has landed but always looking for the next step to level up and become more. His story is about seeking and creating growth in every sense of the word.

After a couple of seasons in Salt Lake, Evan realized that the deep days and accompanying pow turns were the aspects of snowboarding that most spoke to him. While Salt Lake is a prime destination for excellent snow, it has its good years and bad, and during Evan's tenure, the bad years were winning out. Evan began to eye the Holy Grail of powder Hokkaido, Japan. As he worked through the summer managing the demo shop at camp Evan would spend each evening relentlessly applying for any job that would get him to Japan. It is not an easy endeavor convincing someone 5000 miles away to hire you sight unseen. Coupled with the need to find an employer willing to sponsor an international work visa and the odds of success seemed low. Eventually, Evan's persistence paid off, and he landed a shop job turning screws at Niseko Sports, and a new chapter began.

Nothing is ever perfect, even when you've achieved many of your goals. Success comes with sacrifice, and many times these barriers prohibit many from taking chances. Safe is easy, but it may not always be fulfilling. Evan wasn’t concerned with safe or easy. He spent most of his meager savings on a one-way ticket to Japan leaving little room for failure. There were times where paying off student loans while living abroad on a shop kid's earnings were tough, but the experience proved more than worth it. Far exceeding his expectations Hokkaido, and the power it offered, proved to be life changing. Evan's next goal was to figure out a way to stay. The opportunity came via working within the Niseko Resort family itself. Utilizing much of his earlier experiences, Evan has become the digital marketer for Niseko United, representing all four Niseko Resorts. He has now been in Niseko for six seasons and sees himself putting down some pretty firm roots. He is not only continuing to pursue his current career but has also recently begun to hatch a business plan to help guide visitors and give them a thorough “local” experience in Niseko both on the hill and off. For Evan, the future is filled with opportunity, hard work, and most importantly, reward.

For everyone out there, he offers these few but powerful words of wisdom;

"As for life advice, I think my best word would be to follow your heart and don't wait! Time is the most precious resource, and we don't have much of it. If you love something, pursue it. It might be tough for a while, but if you are resourceful and keep your eyes open for opportunity, things will work out".

As we end another snow year, there are many out there yearning for more. Hopefully, Evan's story can serve as a catalyst for anyone wishing to take that next big step. As snowboarders, we are made for this. We've all been there in some form: above a park jump, staring down an urban rail, or atop a backcountry peak waiting to drop but scared to death. We've measured and managed the fear and the risk, and we've dropped in. Take the chance to be proactive. The world is out there waiting for you to pursue your dreams. Nothing beats that feeling of riding away successful and fulfilled. Those moments of courage on the hill can translate to bigger and better experiences your entire life if you decide to create your own story as Evan has.