Snowboarding Old Hand Danny Davis Has All But Retired From Contests—But Dew Tour Holds Special Place

When it comes to snow, Danny Davis can ride it all. Halfpipe, slopestyle, big mountain…Davis is a rare breed of snowboarder who excels anywhere he takes his board.

For many years, Davis channeled his talent and drive into competitions, earning multiple halfpipe medals and an Olympic bid (including winning the first-ever Dew Tour SuperPipe event in 2008), and impressing judges and viewers alike with his impeccable style and huge airs.

But around 2010, halfpipe snowboarding began to take on a new look, led in large part by Shaun White and his double McTwist 1260, which upped the ante from the 1080s that had dominated halfpipe riding in the years leading up to Vancouver 2010. Davis still preferred the stylish switch methods and backside rodeos that have come to define his runs, and though his legend status has never faltered, the halfpipe contests began to demand a style of riding that just doesn’t fill Davis’ cup.

The Truckee, California, resident and Michigan native began spending more time riding the abundant powder of the backcountry than the icy walls of a 22-foot halfpipe.

Going hand-in-hand with all that time spent riding big mountains is Davis’ filming career, including parts in 2019’s Joy, 2020’s Blank Canvas and One World and 2022’s Fleeting Time, the latter of which was directed by fellow snowboarder and good friend Ben Ferguson. Also in 2022, Davis served as an executive producer on full-length snowboard film ARK.

But there’s one competition that still holds a special place in Davis’ heart—aside from his own Peace Park event—and that’s Dew Tour.

Not only is MTN DEWDEW
Davis’ longtime sponsor, but among major snowboarding competitions, Dew Tour places a heavy emphasis on progression and creativity—and it leans into those goals outside the Olympic cycle, given the event’s status as an Olympic qualifier, which comes with its own set of rules and regulations.

So while you won’t find Davis in a 22-foot pipe too often these days—he prefers to ride powder whenever he can—you will see him in the eight-rider final in the men’s SuperPipe event at Dew Tour on Sunday at noon MT. To get back in the saddle, he spent three days at Mammoth Mountain recently riding the pipe there.

For however much the halfpipe discipline progressed between 2010 and 2018, it’s gone into hyperdrive in the last five years. White’s double McTwist 1260 has been left in the dust in favor of double 1440s spun every direction—frontside, backside, Cab (switch frontside) and switch backside.

And at December 2021’s Dew Tour, which served as an Olympic qualifier, Japan’s Ayumu Hirano landed snowboarding’s first-ever triple cork, a trick that went on to help him claim gold in the Beijing Olympics.

Davis won’t be attempting a triple on Sunday. He may not even be looking at degrees of rotation above 900. The 34-year-old has come to accept that his purpose in the few competitions he does enter these days isn’t to win. It’s to continue to serve as one of snowboarding’s greatest ambassadors and show the audience some tricks that they perhaps don’t get to see all the time.

Davis told me Dew Tour 2023 is probably the “second or third contest” in which he’s operated under this new mindset.

“I’m like all right, I’m not trying to compete so much against [the rest of the field],” he said. “Taylor Gold’s gonna have an amazing run, Ayumu’s gonna have an amazing run, Raibu [Katayama] too…and I’m going in there to blast some airs, do some of the tricks that I really like to do and do well.”

“No one wants to watch me try a front 12,” he added with a laugh. “I would, but those kids do it much better, so I’ll do the slower-spinning tricks, and I’m just having fun in there.”

His fans, for their part, are here for it. They love that Davis supports the core community and ethos of snowboarding and that he hasn’t changed his riding style to play to the judging whims of the sport.

When Davis learned the format for the men’s SuperPipe competition this year—an eight-rider final—he took pause. “I was like, “Should I give my spot to some kid who’s up and coming and has the potential to do well?” he said.

But Dew Tour has always been a signature contest for Davis, and organizers told him, “You should just ride and do what you like to do.” Many of the world’s top halfpipe riders are also in Bakuriani, Georgia, this week for the FISFIS
world championships.

Davis will also compete in the SuperPipe High Air & Best Trick Jam immediately following the men’s final—and that’s a contest where he could clean up.

In a unique twist not seen in many other contests (Kings & Queens of Corbet’s comes to mind), skiers and snowboarders and men and women will all compete together in one field in what’s essentially a cash jam, with the skier and snowboarder with the highest air each earning $2,500. One MVP award will also be awarded to the rider the judges deem a standout.

Davis had glowing praise for the ladies of halfpipe, whose final ran on Saturday, with 14-year-old Gaon Choi taking first place and 11-year-old Patti Zhou coming in second. “The ladies looked great,” Davis said. “It’s been great to see some new faces.”

It was his first time seeing Choi in particular, who is coming off an X Games win and whose heavy-hitting run included a switch backside 900 Indy, Cab 720 melon, frontside 1080 melon and Cab 900. “She’s super good,” Davis said.

Davis’ newest film, ARK, will also be screening at Copper Mountain’s Center Village at 4 p.m. Sunday. And ultimately, filming has become the most rewarding aspect of snowboarding for Davis. He’s also a new dad to daughter Posey and is enjoying life being a bit more unstructured these days.

“The level of riding has just gone up across the board,” Davis said. “I don’t get the invites to like X Games; I could probably jump in and do some Grand Prix, but I’d rather be out filming.”

“But I’m always down to come to Dew Tour,” Davis added. “It’s a fun one; my folks always come. Copper’s a great little home in Colorado for it.”