TOTAL TRASH
Nelson Locals Know Best
“Film this guy,” River says. “He’s the Trash Man.”
We can’t see the Trash Man, but we can hear him patting down a takeoff next to a lone dead tree. His name is Coleman. Some call him the Trash Man, others the Trash King, or the King of Trash. Whatever you call him, the dude rips.
Coleman’s atop Trash Chutes, just outside the boundaries of Nelson, BC’s Whitewater Resort. A half-dozen other folks are stretched out across the same ridge, while a dozen more linger at the bottom of the bowl laughing, snacking, in no hurry to get anywhere. A few others make their way up the bootpack for another round. We’re with a cross-section of Whitewater regulars, a loose crew ranging from their teens to their 40s, and hardly anyone else.
It’s Saturday afternoon and we’ve been in Nelson nearly a week now, riding the resort daily. With me are Austin Smith, Mary Rand and Ben Poechman, filmer Liam Gallagher, and erstwhile Smartwool Marketing Manager Michael Casarrubia. For the past couple days, we’ve also been cruising with 14-year-old River Slootweg, a member of the Whitewater Freeride Team, and local nursing student Evangeline “Eva” Van Vugt.
Subscribe for access to this article plus the entire archive of The Snowboarder's Journal content—and receive a discount on all products. Subscribe Now