Kai Huggin | One Winter In Oregon
We first met Kai Huggin back in 2019 on a team trip to Mt. Baker. Despite being only 15 years old at the time, it was clear that Kai had a bright future ahead of him with style and board control well beyond his years. Fast forward to today, Kai's lifelong passion for snowboarding, skating, and surfing has shaped him into one of the more exciting up-and-coming riders here in the Northwest. With various podiums under his belt over the years and with newfound freedom and opportunities to travel, film, and participate in high-profile industry events and gatherings, we are stoked for his future and everything it has to offer.
Hey Kai! How’s it going? Hope you had a great summer!
Hey Jordan, I’m good thanks for asking. My summer has been mad fun. I spent the majority of it in Bend working and filling my time in between shifts skating and fly fishing. I just got back from an epic surf trip to Indonesia with my dad, brother, and a couple of good buddies. We surfed our brains out for a total of about 40 days and met tons of cool people from all over the world.
That sounds amazing. What kind of impression did that make on you?
Going to Indonesia with my dad was super special. I grew up on stories from his travels to Bali and getting to experience that trip with him was super cool. Watching him light up on the culture and waves was a highlight for me. He took me to the town he used to stay in and the place he used to stay, it was super cool to see all those stories I grew up on in real life. We surfed together and traded off waves. I was lucky to have someone like him who is well-traveled and knows the culture as a tour guide. I will be going back at some point in my life, hopefully with him. Regardless, I will always remember that trip, and that place will always be special to me.
Who would go for the biggest wave(s), you or your dad?
My dad is a ripper, I think at this point I might charge a little harder than him. It's Hard to say he still surprises me from time to time.
Skating, surfing, and snowboarding. What are your early memories of the three?
I started skating around 5, my mom put me in skate lessons at our local indoor skatepark called the Truckstop. I would spend hours on end skating every day which led to my passion for snowboarding and surfing. Around the same time I got into skating I got my first snowboard. I remember going to the resort with my family and grew to love snowboarding. When I was around 11 I shifted from skating everyday to snowboarding all the time and itching to surf whenever my family went to the coast. My dad is a lifelong surfer and was always chasing waves in Oregon whenever it was good. He taught me to surf and it's something we have shared together for as long as I can remember.
How would you say having such a long-standing relationship with the three has influenced your style on the board? Are there things you take from one to another?
I think they influence each other 100%. In my opinion one of the biggest things in surfing is flow. Being able to read a wave and apply the right maneuver to the right section and put all the pieces together seamlessly. That root of surfing translates to both snowboarding and skating and is one of my favorite feelings on any board. I think that specifically translates to my snowboarding and especially to growing up riding Bachelor. Since Bachy is a pretty surf-like mountain, you get good at reading terrain and generating speed. I also feel like I replicate surf turns riding wind lips and pow. As far as skating, I feel like I skate like I snowboard. I like skating transition and doing airs like I would on a snowboard. All in all, having a board sport for each season keeps you dialed, hopping on a skateboard or surfboard after snowboarding all winter feels familiar and comfortable as does the first day of snowboarding after skating and surfing over the summer.
Speaking of style and Mt Bachelor, who were some of the riders you looked up to when you were growing up?
Definitely all the local boys. Jared Elston, Ben and Gabe Ferguson, Austin Smith, Curtis Ciszek, Dru Brownrigg, Josh Dirksen, and Max Warbington. I look up to, and draw inspiration from many others but all the riders in the Bend community have had the biggest influence on me. Growing up watching their clips from Bachy gave me something to relate to and definitely influenced my boarding. They’ve all been cool to me as I’ve gotten older which I’m grateful for. I’ve been lucky to grow up in a place with so many good riders/people.
Tell us about your setup. What board(s) are your favorite right now?
The Lib Tech Rig 159 And TRS 157 are my go-to boards. The Rig is my top pick for pow/freeride. It just goes. It is playful but still stiff enough to handle pretty much anything and it's a combination of both the Dynamo and BRD which are some of my favorite boards pre Rig. And the TRS is tried and true, it goes really well in the park and I love it on backcountry booters. It's a twin so easy to ride both normal and switch and it has every attribute you want in a board. As far as bindings, I'm a big fan of the Bent Metal Transfers. The flex is perfect and they are overall a super comfortable binding. You can throw them on any board and they feel good.
Describe a perfect day?
Wake up early, it snowed a bunch the night before. Maybe hike the cone for a pow surf lap before the mountain opens. Meet up with the homies at Bachy for some storm day riding. Rip pow and trade-off stacking phone clips on all the classic side hits. It's midweek so it's empty, the tracks refill every run, and everybody is frothing. Ride until about 1 or two, then drive to the snowpark and take the sleds out to the kicker you put up the day before, dust off the fresh snow off the booter and get the session going. Ideally, me and all my friends get something sick and everyone is hyped. Get back to the truck at dark, cruise home, and have a dinner cooked by mom with the fam.
Let’s talk last winter. Describe a day going out and shooting with Pete Alport.
A day shooting with Pete often starts with a mad early wake up probably around 5 or earlier. We meet in the snowpark typically still in the dark, warm up the sleds, and get everything ready for the day. Click into the split around sunrise, we chat on the tour about what we are going to shoot and come up with a plan, along with some banter mixed in. When we get to the zone we transition into a boot camp-like jump build. Very organized and efficient. I'm usually cutting blocks and he puts them in place and shapes the jump. It's pretty much non-stop until the kicker is up and it's kinda just routine at this point. After the jump is built we typically talk tricks and angles and take a minute to get ready for the session. I'll hit the feature until the landing is dust then it's onto the next. It's common for us to bang out 3-5 features in a day depending on the zone. By the end, we’re both pretty hyped on what we accomplished and we cruise back to the snowpark around sunset.
Any other highlights from last winter worth mentioning?
In the latter part of the winter, I was lucky to get the opportunity to go on a few pretty sick trips. Curtis and Austin took me to the Idaho Backcountry to shoot, then to Baldface for Estelle Pensiero’s Low Maintenance event, and I went to Holy Bowly with Mervin in the spring to cap the season. In Idaho, I hit one of the biggest cliffs of my life. I was kinda looking at it from the moment we got there as I recognized it from movies in the past. I knuckled it on the first hit which was harsh. I went back up, laced it on the second hit, and got a clip that I was hyped on. For me, the whole Baldface experience was a highlight. Just a week of ripping with a bunch of sick people.
How was your last trip to the Holy Bowly?
My last Holy Bowly was awesome. I drove up from Bend and met a few from Mervin halfway in Idaho. We built a jump at Schweitzer and caravanned the rest of the way to Banff. It was my first time staying at the Mervin house which is different from the last Bowly I went to. I'm a pretty shy person and not the best at meeting new people. As soon as I got there everyone was super welcoming. Some of the best moments from that trip are from hanging and getting to know everyone in the house. The friendships made at the crib led to a super fun week of boarding. Bowly ended up being the cap to my season as I broke my wrist on the last day. I remember being sad to leave and I look forward to the next.
What are your winter goals for this upcoming season?
I just want to ride and shoot as much as possible. I'm hoping to get on some trips and will definitely get up to Baker for a bit. I would love to put out some sort of video next fall.
Any shoutouts?
Definitely, shout out to mom and dad for being my support team from day one, my brother Ryder for always being there for me and being my best homie. Thank you Ryan Davis for always treating me like family and thanks Pete for getting me in the backcountry to shoot.
Photo & Video By Pete Alport
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