Summing up Basich: Drive and determination at core of local snowboarder's journey

Jun 21, 2023

As the most visible women’s pro snowboarder in the world for nearly 2 decades, Tina Basich is a pioneering athlete whose impact was not limited to her domination of the competitive side of the snowboarding, but also has created a lasting effect on its culture and equipment that still drives snowboarding forward today.

Tina first stepped on a snowboard in 1985, at a time when the fledgling sport was just starting to find its footing, and was predominantly dominated by males. As she progressed, Tina was always told she was “pretty good… for a girl”.

That phrase drove Tina to take inspiration from her hero, Nadia Comaneci, and become one of the most accomplished and influential figures in the history of snowboarding… of any gender.

Tina’s drive and determination powered her throughout her 20+ year journey of making her mark and proving that the mountains are a perfect place to show this world what women can do.

Tina’s competitive resume is the most complete and dominant starting in the earliest years of snowboard competition, competing in her first contest at the age of 17 in 1986. From then on, the thrill of competing would take her to the greatest heights in snowboarding.

While it was compulsory to compete in all snowboarding disciplines in the early days, (Tina has a lot of race wins… even moguls), it was Tina’s love of airtime that proved she was one of the world’s best through her dominance of halfpipe contests, winning or placing at nearly every competition she entered, including becoming a two-time US Halfpipe Champion.

Tina’s snowboard obsession evolved from Halfpipe contests to the newly created competitive disciplines of Big Air and Freeriding, capped by another first: landing the first 720 in women’s competitive snowboarding and winning an X-Games Gold Medal. This represented the absolute pinnacle of competitive achievement at the time, since snowboard Big Air and Slopestyle events were not yet in the Olympic Games.

Fueled by her love of freeriding, Tina also focused heavily on new challenges in other frontiers of snowboarding: pioneering big mountain riding. She began filming in the backcountry with leading film crews, stepping up to the biggest lines any snowboarders were doing at the time. Next stop, Alaska, where she placed 2nd at the King of the Hill big mountain freeride contest.

Tina’s accomplishments go far beyond just those on snow. Tina worked closely with her sponsors to create one of the world’s first women’s pro model snowboards, leading to a long line of pro models specifically created to support progress on the women’s side of the market.

Together with Shannon Dunn, she helped to create the Prom and Tuesday women’s brands, bringing technical women’s apparel to the snowboard world. Tina is also a founding member of Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC), a non-profit foundation dedicated to educating young women on the importance of self-exams and early breast cancer awareness and prevention.

Today, she remains a visible figure in the snowboard world, a supporter and ambassador for B4BC, and also uses her creativity to raise awareness of scoliosis through her artwork, and her snowboard graphics.

A true pioneer and competitive tour de force on and off the snow, Tina Basich is well beyond “pretty good”, because “good” doesn’t get you into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Only the best are considered to have the level of accomplishment necessary to join the ranks, and Tina Basich is one of the best, and most visible role models to ever ride a snowboard.

--------------- —

Tina Basich Competition Highlights

1986-87

3rd Halfpipe 1986 Raging at the Ranch CA

1st Halfpipe 1987 California Series CA

1st Slalom 1987 California Series CA.

1st Overall 1987 Donner Ski Ranch CA

1st Halfpipe 1987 Shasta CA

1st Slalom 1987 Shasta CA

6th Halfpipe 1987 World Championship Breckenridge CO 1988-89

1st Overall 1988 California Series

4th Slalom 1988 US Time Trials Purgatory CO

6th Halfpipe 1988 World Championship

4th Halfpipe 1989 US OPEN VT

7th Downhill 1989 US Open VT

1990-91

1st Halfpipe 1990 US Champion

2nd Halfpipe 1990 World Cup

1st Halfpipe 1990 OP Pro Tour Squaw Valley CA 1st Slalom 1990 OP Pro Tour Squaw Valley CA 1st Halfpipe 1990 OP Pro Copper Mt CO

1st Halfpipe 1990 Vaurnet Vertical Air Show

1st Halfpipe 1990 California Championships

1st Slalom 1990 California Championships

1st Halfpipe 1990 US OPEN VT

2nd Overall 1990 US OPEN VT

1st Moguls 1990 OP Pro Canada, Lake Louise 1st Halfpipe 1990 Op Pro June Mt. CA

2nd Slalom 1990 Op Pro Canada, Quebec

2nd Halfpipe 1990 World Cup CO

2nd Halfpipe 1990 OP Pro Canada, Lake Louise 2nd G.S. 1990 OP Pro Canada, Lake Louise 3rd Obstacle Course 1990 Vaurnet Vertical Air Show 3rd Halfpipe 1990 OP Pro Canada, Quebec

1st Halfpipe 1991 US Halfpipe Championships

2nd Halfpipe 1991 World Cup Overall

1st Halfpipe 1991 OP Pro June Mt. CA

7th Slalom 1991 OP Pro June Mt CA

1st Halfpipe 1991 PSTA Mt. Bachelor OR

3rd G.S. 1991 PSTA Mt Bachelor OR

1st Overall 1991 PSTA Mt Bachelor OR

2nd Halfpipe 1991 World Cup Breckenridge CO

2nd Halfpipe 1991 OP Pro Copper Mt. CO

10th G.S. 1991 OP Pro Copper Mt. CO

9th Slalom 1991 OP Pro Copper Mt. CO.

2nd Halfpipe 1991 US OPEN VT

1st Overall 1991 US Open VT

2nd Halfpipe 1991 PSTA Eldora CO

2nd Halfpipe 1991 PSTA Arapahoe Basin CO

7th G.S. 1991 PSTA Arapahoe Basin CO.

3rd Halfpipe 1991 World Cup Japan

4th Halfpipe 1991 PSTA Snow Summit CA

3rd G.S. 1991 PSTA Snow Summit CA

1st Overall 1991 PSTA Snow Summit CA

5th Slalom 1991 Mt Baker Banked Slalom, WA

1991 Transworld Snowboarding Rider of the Year Award

1991 Transworld Snowboarding Reader’s Poll Winner

1992-93

1st Halfpipe 1992 USA Champion

1st Obstacle 1992 TWS

1st Halfpipe 1992 PSTA Snow Summit CA

1st Halfpipe 1992 PSTA Snow Summit CA

3rd Halfpipe 1992 PSTA Squaw Valley CA

3rd Halfpipe 1992 OP Pro Copper MT CO

3rd halfpipe 1992 PSTA Snowmass CO

3rd Halfpipe 1992 World Cup Snowmass CO

3rd Halfpipe 1992 World Cup Japan

3rd Halfpipe 1992 PSTA Big Bear CA

3rd halfpipe 1992 US Open VT.

3rd Halfpipe 1992 PSTA June Mt. CA

1st Obstacle 1993 West Beach Classic, Whistler Canada

1st Halfpipe 1993 OP Pro June Mt. CA

3rd Big Air 1993 TWS

3rd Halfpipe 1993 World Cup Japan

1994-95

2nd Freeride 1994 King of the Hill AK

7th Halfpipe 1994 World Cup

4th Halfpipe 1994 Mt Hood OR

4th Halfpipe 1994 Squaw Valley CA

6th Halfpipe 1994 World Cup Japan

3rd Halfpipe 1994 Rocky Mt Series Snowmass CO.

2nd Halfpipe 1994 Mt St. Anne Quebec Canada

2nd Halfpipe 1994 US Open VT

3rd Halfpipe 1994 World Cup CO

2nd Halfpipe 1994 World Cup Sweden

1996-97

3rd Big Air 1996 ESPN X Games, Snow Summit CA

4th Slopestyle 1996 ESPN X Games, Snow Summit CA

1998-99

1st Big Air 1998 Airwalk Aspen CO

1st Big Air 1998 ESPN X Games

1st Big Air 1998 ESPN Freeride

2nd Big Air 1998 ESPN Summer X Games CA

1st Big Air 1999 MTV Snowed In

2000

2nd Big Air 2000 Sims World Championships, Blackcomb Canada

Tina Basich Media — Selected Highlights

Throughout her career, Tina was by far the most visible female snowboarder, featured in well over 100 print publications, books, TV, and videos. Today, she is still featured in any new content related to legendary snowboarders through appearances in snowboard films

and podcasts, and remains a leading role model and inspiration for most current female pro riders.

PRINT Editorial Coverage

• COVER — USA Today with Tiger Woods, 2000

• Featured Story — Transworld Snowboarding, November 1999

• COVER + Story — Sara Magazine, Japan1995

• Featured Articles — Snowboard Magazine, 1999

• Featured — Snowboarder Magazine Photo Annual, 1995

• Featured — Warp Magazine, 1995

• Featured Story — Bikini Magazine, 1998

• Featured — Fresh and Tasty Women’s Snowboarding, April 1995

• UHF Style magazine, 1994

• Feature article in Foam Magazine, October, November 2008

• COVER + Story — Snow Style Magazine Japan 1995 vol 26

• COVER + Story — WIG Magazine, issue seven, 1998

• Featured Snow Style magazine Japan volume six 1992

• Featured article Transworld Snowboarding, February 1994

• Feature article in Sierra Heritage magazine February 2006

• 100+ photos published in magazines throughout her career

PRINT AD Campaigns

• Game Face Exhibit, Smithsonian Institute – 2001

• Hurley Clothing1996-2001

• Airwalk Shoes 1999-2000

• Nixon Watches 1996-2000

• Sims Snowboarding 1995-2002

• Prom Women’s Clothing 1994-1996

• Twist/Tuesday Clothing 1994-1996

• Smith Goggles 1990-1999

• Kemper Snowboards 1988-1994

BOOKS + Mentions

“Pretty Good for a Girl”

Tina wrote her Autobiography “Pretty Good for a Girl” in 2003, published by Harper Collins. Telling her story of being a pioneer of snowboarding and the struggles she pushed through to make her mark and establish a permanent place for women in snowboarding.

Tina is mentioned or featured in the following Books:

o Snow Beach by Powerhouse Books

o Extreme Cuisine Cookbook by Harper Collins, 2002

o The Way of a Snowboarder 2002

o Game face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like, 2001

o Decorations of Independence, 2001

o Hey Ladies! by Kennedy, 1999

o Sick, a Cultural History of Snowboarding, 1998

TV Appearances

o FUEL TV Series — Host of GKA – Girls Kick Ass – 2003, 35 episodes o The Montel Williams Show — 2003

o The Sharon Osbourne Show – 2003

o NBC Sports — On-Air Reporter for US Snowboarding Olympic tryouts, 5 event series, 2001-2002

o The Mandy Moore MTV Show — featured guest

o MTV Icy Plunge – featured rider segment

o MTV Road Trip with Dan Cortez — featured guest

o Extensive competition TV coverage includes ESPN, NBC, FUEL TV

VIDEO + VIDEO Games

• First Decent — Feature Interview, MD films -Theatrical release, 2005 • Full Moon — Featured Rider segment, 2016

• ESPN X Games ProBoarder — Video game, Playable Character, PlayStation & PS2, 2000-02

• Evolution Snowboarding — Video game, Playable Character, PS2, Konami, 2002 • Keep Your Eyes Open – extreme sport documentary film, Tamara Davis, 2002 • Transcendence — Featured Rider segment, Absinthe Films, 2001

• Black Box — Featured Rider segment, Absinthe Films

• Mac Dawg Volume Four — Featured Rider segment, MacDawg Productions • Color and The Gift — Featured Rider segments, Twist/Tuesday promo film • Hips That Rip — Girls snowboard film, Pow Productions, 1996

• Masters of Gravity — Featured Rider segment

• Pocahontas — Mac Dawg Free Films, 1992

Live scanner feed here:Your browser does not support iFrames.