Kingvale

Day Franzen lies motionless beneath a slate gray sky in Virginia’s bucolic Shenandoah Valley. A freshly groomed Massanutten Mountain snowboard park stretches out above him, culminating next to the top of its dedicated J-Bar style lift. The crisp air on this late ’90s winter morning is yet undisturbed by the gaggle of skiers and riders that will arrive shortly, and maybe a perfect snowflake lands just so upon his tranquil face. It would be a serene moment, if Day could witness it. He is unconscious though, unaware of his picturesque surroundings and the soon-to-be-present searing pain of a broken humerus. The bone is split the long way, and the injury will mark the beginning of the end of Day’s “sending it” era. Also, he is alone, having decided to guinea pig a sizable tabletop he’s just put the finishing touches on before his park crew is slated to show.   

That was then, this is now. Recounting the story from Kingvale’s humble ticket shack within earshot of I-80 in Eastern California, Day is pretty sure it was a backside 180 gone wrong. Between East and West, the 90s, the 2000s, and into the 2020s, Day (Daymon, if you’re cross with him or you’re his mom) has plowed a winding path through terrain park history and geography. With stints at Mountain High, Heavenly, Timberline, Mammoth, Carinthia Parks, and significant contributions to multiple Superparks, Day’s fingerprints are infused into modern park design to a degree that’s inseparable from the craft. 

If you’ve ridden a snowboard park in the last 20 years, you’ve felt Day’s influence. 

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