Aaron Dodds

You gotta know where you been to know where you’re going @thenewworlds_snow 📚 @prof_daggs 📸 thanks @jeffbrushie and @sulliphotoz for the inspo. 🏂

What a weekend of amazing SNOWBOARDING! Thank you @theplatfrm @rockstarenergy . Good energy despite some low tides. Look forward to where this takes off to!

Tee Da Tie

-Summer Dump- With the fall colors in full swing and snow on the peaks, it appears summer is truly over in the high country. Summer kicked off, not as anyone would like, with a celebration of life. If anything it set the tone to live life to the fullest, everyday. A reminder, summer is short (especially up here), such as is life. Take nothing for granted. Live with no regrets. Ready or not winter is approaching…

If Pashley had only 2 goals in life, they were to make fun of his friends (including @kujo ) and have as much fun as possible. He was an expert at both. Whether it was from behind the keyboard, on the phone, or in person, Pashley’s quick wit was ever present, and almost always used against you…in the best way possible, and the repeated beratement of insults always resulted in big laughs. Nothing was off limits and it was always full-on comedy 24/7 with Pash.

A common theme, talking to countless friends this past week, is that Pashley never had a bad day.  And if he did, he did an awfully good job at hiding it. In the two decades knowing the guy I don’t think I’ve ever seen him pissed off. If something remotely bad happened, he could turn it into a joke, we’d laugh and it was in the rear-view mirror. Running out of gas in the middle of nowhere Montana (twice), and blowing up a transmission (in his personal truck) on the same trip, was nothing more than a comical situation because of Pashley.  And yeah, that did actually happen. It would also appear that the guy never “worked” a day in his life. And I’m not saying he was unmotivated or lazy.  Quite the opposite actually. He just perfected the, if you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life mantra. And with every job he took in the snowboard industry, from his start at Salomon Snowboards, to Rossignol, to Dragon, to Smartwool and finally with The North Face, his snowboard first mentality and priority encapsulated all that.  The last thing he was gonna do was sit behind a desk to run a snowboard program. He was there only because he was a snowboarder, and to snowboard. From the first time I met him it had that insta-bro vibe (a term J2 may have coined way back). It was just on, and it was like we had already been friends for decades. Even though he was still just in the rep world for Salomon at this point, he quickly jumped into the team management dept, and things really took off from there. Continued in comments…. @unomasforever

Looking back on 2024, it was actually quite the year. It’s easy to muddle experiences over time, but taking the time to look back through all the trips, projects and photos, 2024 could honestly take the cake as best year yet! Starting out the year I worked with one of my longest running clients @gobreck for the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture completion. These sculptures are truly works of art! Next, I was honored to cover the @naturalselectionsnow duel in Durango between @victordaviet and @nils_mindnich . Returning to my home mountain to cover this after all these years was definitely a treat. The 4 feet of snow that fell while we were there was too! Lots of deep days, and bathtubs too. On top of that, we were treated to a solar eclipse in 2024. Saw @charleycrockett , twice! This was at the @missionballroom in Denver. The @bonniebellecabin . It will never get old taking in this view from bed, waking up and riding pow all day. Will literally never get old! After a long winter we jammed down to Mexico for sun, sand, tequila and tacos. Isla Muejeres has defineltey become a favorite destination. Back in the states and its bike season! Also got to witness the Northern Lights multiple times right at home in 2024. @deadandcompany at the Sphere in Vegas. What can I really say about this show? Too much to comprehend and take in. Will be back in 2025! I flew straight from Vegas to Denver, and then drove to Vail to shoot a project for @adidasterrex . Second year shooting this and it’s such a fun crew. I look forward to coming back in 2025! It was awesome having my old time friend @patmilbery as the guest artist as well! The Grand Canyon! Another one that is just hard to put into words. This was my second trip, and nothing short of life changing, best trip, best time, trip you can have. There’s something to be said about checking out on life for 3 weeks. I strongly reccommend! Back home and back at the @bonniebellecabin . So lucky to have this place as a home away from home! Closed out the year with a couple more shows including @weezer (pictured here), a lot of fall bike riding, and good times with old friends as well as new!

Nice rip to the desert for the birthday. Thanks to everyone that reached out!

Not a wedding photographer but I’ve occasionally done it for friends or non traditional circumstances. Thought this one turned out pretty bad ass, from one year ago today at Ranch Del Rio, CO. Congrats Mar and John! #wedding #weddingphotography #colorado

Wow! Where does the time go? From the early days at Academy’s “The Gathering” to Salomon team shoots, to the streets of Massachusetts and the Colorado backcountry, it’s been amazing watching @grendiesel progress over the last 2 decades. His latest progression with @thebombhole is nothing short of amazing. Congrats to 200 episodes and all your success @grendiesel . Glad I got to be around and document even just a small snippet of it. Slide 1: Out front of our hotel in Minnesota filming for “Keep talkin” (I think?), 2007. Slide 2: @academysnowboardco “The Gathering” at Copper Mountain, 2006. If you know, you know. These were just hands down, amazing times! Looking back at the team roster from the early Academy days is just insane. Slide 3-4: Twin Cities, 2007. Again, I’m pretty sure this was for “Keep Talkin”. Slide 5: The Gilman sessions. 2006. Again, I’m thinking this was most likely for “Keep Talkin”. Slide 6: Enter the @salomonsnowboards era. @no_hope_no_harm had just taken over the team role and shook things up, adding the likes of @grendiesel @latexmansion @whatelze @bodemerrill just to name a few. This was early 2007 and Java brought the team to Copper Mountain to gather some content of this new squad, ushering in a new era for many. Slide 7-10: Mission to Massachusetts, 2008. Dunkin’ Donuts everyday, street spots day and night and a sick crew consisting of @grendiesel @sleepystevens @chris_beresford @jesseburtner @austengranger with @tannerpendleton on 🎥. Oh, and the naked nose block! If you subscribed to @snowboardermag around this time you sent a card through the mail with this image on the card. Haha! Slide 11: @snowboardermag “Pro Model Challenge” at Mt. Hood, 2010. Slide 12: Salt Lake City, 2011. Slide 13-14: Switch back rodeo 7, deep in the Colorado backcountry. 2015. Slide 15-19: More Colorado goodness from spring, 2015. Fun session with @grendiesel @zakhale @sagekotsenburg @doranlaybourn @scottyarnold_ and #kyleclancy with @carlinojoevideo on the 🎥. Slide 20: Same CO session. Metadata says cab 900. What project was this? Anyone?

I ended up bringing two film cameras in addition to my iPhone to document our journey down the Grand Canyon. After my first lap through the canyon years ago, I told myself to bring the pro gear next time, but ultimately I decided against it. I knew if I brought it, I would never be motivated to take it out of its pelican case and actually use it. And I was right. For me it’s more about being in the moment down there. It was hard enough to motivate pulling one of these two film cameras out and using them. Having my iPhone in a waterproof case and on me at all times really allowed me to shoot freely without a lot of setup and breakdown (literally non) which was nice. That said, I felt like I wanted something else to round out what I came home with, photography wise. I chose a 120 format Holga, an old Canon Sure Shot point and shoot camera and a bunch of expired film. I pretty much had zero expectations. Having never tested the Sure Shot, In the end, I was really stoked how the images from that camera turned out and will definitely use this camera again in the future. In no particular order, here’s the selects. #grandcanyon #arizona #coloradoriver #rafting #film #holga #canonsureshot

Day 16-18 (July 5-7, 2024) Grand Canyon National Park. Slide 1: @junk_show_bob with a levitating backflip. Slide 2-7: After pushing almost 30 miles this day, we rolled into Travertine Canyon in the late afternoon heat. Not a bad spot to wait out the sun and enjoy more shade at camp! Slide 8: Sunset from Opposite Travertine Camp. Anyone accusing the Diamond Down section of not being worthy, isn’t worthy to me. Slide 9: Slowly watching our boats beach on the rocks from the comfort of bed. Not much to do about until daybreak at this point. Slide 10: This was the only camp we got into a bit of trouble with the fluctuating tide. Pretty much every boat was severely beached the next morning. With the help of the rising tide and a bit of muscle we were all floating freely again. Time to rig one last time. Slide 11: The views are no less “grand” on the lower stretch. Slide 12-13: Sunset at Mile 252. Slide 14-15: Last light at our last camp. Slide 16-18: Sandbar Alley Slide 19: The Official Grand Canyon Waterfall Tour concludes at Columbine Falls (Mile 275). Well worth the short hike. Slide 20: That’s it, that all! We were treated to an epic sunset as we floated into Pearce Ferry, allowing for reflection into the last 18 days on the river. It’s an understatement to say I’m ready to go back! #iphonephotography #grandcanyon #coloradoriver #rafting #adventure #arizona #waterfall #sunset #hike #backflip #travertinecanyon #diamonddown #sandbaralley #columbinefalls #pearceferry

Day 13-15 (July 2-4, 2024) Grand Canyon National Park. Slide 1: Deep in the canyon. Slide 2: Approaching Havasu. Slide 3-5: The mouth of Havasu Canyon is a place of beauty. We were lucky once again to have it all to ourselves. Slide 6: Hiking a little ways up the canyon ain’t too shabby either. Upon departure of Havasu, I took a couple miles of rowing relief from @mathis_mike down onto Tuckup Camp. Slide 7-8: Pano of Tuckup. Slide 9-10: Happy Hour on the boats is just good livin’! Slide 11-13: Tuckup wins the “best light” award for camp. Both at sunset and sunrise! Slide 14: Chef @junk_show_bob . Slide 15: Glorious morning light at Tuckup and @ch3f_cali homemade scorpion tequila. Breakfast of champions. Slide 16: Scouting Lava. Slide 17: Birdseye view of me and my crew (@prof_daggs , @caryncordero and @thebonniest ) running Lava. Thanks for the 📸 @ch3f_cali ! Slide 18-20: 4th of July shenanigans at Two Hundred and Two Mile Camp. #iphonephotography #grandcanyon #coloradoriver #rafting #adventure #arizona #waterfall #sunset #sunrise #havasucanyon #tuckup #scorpiontequila #tequila #lavafalls #lava #4thofjuly #twohundredandtwomile