Clarke Kent Hurlbut
by IJ Valenzuela
Washington has long been famous for producing a style that blends strength with uncanny smoothness. Maybe it’s the dreary weather or the heavy snow, or the fact that the riders from there have to spend so much time riding in the fog. Whatever it is, it works. Clarke lives up to these qualities and much more. Moving to Tahoe a couple seasons ago, myself along with veteran photographers Ruben Sanchez and Chris Carnel, immediately took notice of this modern day snow-superhero. This past season we nominated him the best unknown ruler around. With constant dedication to progression he keeps getting better, which is hard to believe if you witness his already finely tuned skills. Soft spoken and humble in his nature Clarke is always willing to throw down displays of unbelievable skill. Seldom seen in the spotlight, Clarke spends his time dedicated to the progression of the sport, helping kids realize their potential by being a snowboard coach for the Auburn Ski Club, and remaining the unidentifiable hero that his name stands for.

I: What was going to school like for you, early on?
C: My mom took a picture of me getting on the bus. I remember one time I peed my pants. It hurt at the time, I guess as a little kid it wasn’t too out of the norm.
I: Did you ever get shit for your name?
C: It wasn’t the coolest name in 7th grade, but I like it. It’s really different. The worst was when girls would laugh at it.
I: Yeah that’s a problem in those developmental stages.
C: I didn’t really get the comedy of it when I was younger. Hurl what?
I: But was the word that led to giggles.
C: It always made the ladies laugh, but they go crazy for it now. I have aliases like Cool Clarke and LL Cool C, but I ain’t no player.
I: What was the first way that you experienced gravity?
C I first learned about it through tree swings. Bikes, jumping off cliffs into water. Growing up in Washington, the creativity had to be put to use, especially before you were old enough to drive. I got into skating pretty young. We built a vert ramp in my backyard. I was really stoked when Mike Ranquet came over with a big posse of 20 kids from the city, came out to little ol’ Maple Valley.
I: What were the kids like growing up in Maple Valley?
C: It was very concentrated with hicks, and that just dominated the way people thought. The tendency was to not see the city much, and the trends that reigned were, well for example, you know those things that people decorate their windshield wipers with? You were super cool if you were sporting the fluorescent ones and drove a muscle car.
I: Have you ever seen an alien visitor out there?
C: I saw Chewbacca in a liquor store the other day in Washington.
I: The card-board cut out or a fur creature?
C: It was interior Washington. Some of those back-road stores there will make you believe. There are some hairy individuals.
I: When did snowboarding enter you life?
C: Back in ‘87.
I: What did you ride?
C: The splatter-paint Burton with the one-piece binding that went all the way up the back of the calf. I didn’t really get into it till I got my Sims Switchblade.
I: You came to Tahoe a couple of years ago, what’s your take on it.?
C: I really love living here. Good snow and it’s sunny a lot, which is what really separates it from Washington. Don’t get me wrong, I love Washington, but here you can see where you’re going more often. Plus the terrain is super fun. Now that I have a snowmobile I will have a chance to experience more of the back country.
I: How long have you coached snowboarding?
C: Quite a while. This past year was really cool because 6 of the kids went to Nationals. That’s cool to see as a coach.
I: So how do you coach them?
C: We go over jumps and I’ll show them how to do a trick and then help them figure out how to do it. Or in the pipe, we’ll spend time learning tricks. Whatever the kids really want to do. It’s open, not like I drill them, I more just help them become better at whatever they want to learn. It works the best ‘cause they figure out their strengths and go from there. The stoke that they get when they learn something is contagious. It actually helps me out because I get stoked to try something new, so it really feeds off their happiness.
I: So you recently joined forces with Santa Cruz Snowboards. What’s your feelings about that.
C: I’m really stoked. I think the potential is strong for something really good to occur.
I: As far as sponsors go, you’ve had some that have been with you for the duration.
C: Yeah I’m really thankful for those people ‘cause the support has always been there. Special Blend, Smith and Thirty-Two supply me with the goods.
I: Who would you say has influenced you?
C: There have been a lot of people that have influenced me and they know who they are. I’d say learning to ride in Washington is what had the biggest impact. You have to learn how to ride a particular way because the conditions vary so much. Plus there’s lots of trees.
I: I think Washingtonians are some of the strongest riders ‘cause you can’t see where you’re going most of the time, so you just learn to trust yourself.
C: That’s a big element. It definitely makes it nice when you can see where you’re headed. We ride in any condition. If it is raining it doesn’t really matter. I ride on days where a lot of people
think of it as shitty, but I’ve learned there
are no shitty days, really.