At age 21, Robbie Dapper of Steamboat Springs has been riding for Palmer Snowboards for four years, doing everything from U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix superpipe competition to hucking backcountry booters for the camera crews. Dapper is one of Colorado’s grassroots riders, representing with an all-around riding style that has shown him some of the sweetest – and sickest – lines in North America.
What’s your best training technique?
Ride as hard as possible and do every trick I know how to do every day to keep my tricks as dialed. Pushing yourself is key. If you’re not falling, you’re not trying hard enough.
Your worst injury?
In Park City, Utah, at a Grand Prix snowboarding event I was in the halfpipe doing a McTwist and I hit the lip, falling into the bottom of the pipe. The outcome was a dislocated shoulder and a compound fracture of my humerus.
Most frightening moment?
Guinea-pigging a backcountry jump and overshooting the landing by about 40 feet. Looking at the video later, I flipped twice and spun three rotations before landing on my back at the bottom of the jump.
How do you push through mental fatigue?
Mental fatigue is not a huge problem, but I would say to learn how to stay calm and not get frustrated is the best way to get through it.
What’s the sickest thing you’ve ever seen?
Seeing someone’s arm snap while arm wrestling.
Who do you most admire?
The thing I admire most are people that are in control of their lives and are not influenced by other people and what they think.
What music revs you up for a big event?
I like all sorts of music, but the music that revs me up would be a mix of rap, heavy metal or funny ’80s music.
What is your most essential tool when it comes to ‘boarding?
My Palmer Snowboard! Because if you ain’t first, you’re last!
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
If someone tells you to jump off a bridge and you do it, not only will you be OK, you can also get some photo incentive.
