Writer: Chris Ahrens | Photography: Lou Mora
Professional snowboarder Hana Beaman arrives at my door, still wet from a surf session on her longboard. She looks happy and athletic as she introduces herself, walks in, and takes a seat. Her mannerisms are not those of an Olympic gold medalist, but instead resemble those of a humble surfer new to the area, asking directions to the best surf spots. Maybe that’s because she lives in the moment and right now, hundreds of miles and a season away from snow, she is thinking of surf. Talking about surfing, which has been my sport for the past four and a half decades, puts me at a distinct advantage. Now, if we were to talk snowboarding, the sport that sent her to the top of the TransWorld Rider’s Poll this year, things would be a little different. Or so I thought. But when the conversation shifted from salt water to frozen water, she remained happy and humble. Oh, and you can add humorous and friendly to that.

RISEN Magazine: Where did you grow up?
Hana Beaman: I was born in Santa Barbara but I grew up in Big Bear.

RM: Did you surf before you snowboarded?
HB: No, I’m a beginner at surfing. I’ve surfed the last two years and fallen in love with it. I went to Oceanside yesterday and got pounded, took my board in my nose. I was all mad. [Laughs]

RM: The term boarding is used often to describe surfing, snowboarding, and skating. Do you think there’s a meeting of the cultures?
HB: Yeah, I think we’re all kind of lumped into that group of—I don’t want to say extreme—alternative sports. We all have the tradeshows together; we all do the same stuff. It’s cool.

RM: To be at the top of a sport, you need confidence. Sometimes gifted people never go past intermediate.
HB: In order to be the best at your sport you need that confidence and you carry that confidence into other sports. I use surfing more as recreation. I don’t have to push myself as hard as I do in snowboarding and I enjoy it for that.

RM: Does snowboarding ever feel like a job to you?
HB: I have bad days where I think, Why am I out here? But it never feels like a job unless you’re forced to do something you don’t want to do.
RM: Board sports seem to breed an independent counterculture, but when they get expensive, as snowboarding is, the ghetto aspect of the sport gets cut out.
HB: Yeah, I think that’s one of the limitations of our sport. You have to buy all the gear, travel there, and buy a lift ticket. I wish it was a little more accessible for people. But where there’s a will there’s a way.

RM: What goes through your mind when you’re 20 feet in the air and you realize you might land wrong?
HB: [Laughs] At that moment you just sort of take whatever is going to happen. In powder it’s not that bad, but when you’re in a park jump and something goes wrong, your heart stops. Tuck and roll.
RM: What’s the worst you’ve ever hurt yourself?
HB: I’ve broken my collarbone. All of the injuries are bad, but I hate getting concussions. You have no clue what’s going on. I’m kind of a control freak, but I’ve been fortunate not to have any major injuries.

RM: Would you call yourself a risk taker?
HB: Yup, I’ll be at the top of a jump and not know what’s going to happen, but I’ll be, Oh, well, go for it. [Laughs]

RM: Are you like that with everything?
HB: A lot of stuff. In daily life, we’ll drive somewhere. If we see some random surf spot we’ll just go in. My girlfriends and I will go on random trips without hotels or anything.