Jon Roth: The original "Boy Man." All of these descriptive words could be added to his resume: pro snowboarder, skateboarder, team manager, musician, buyer, barber, blue collar, tatted beyond recognition, dancer, Blue Mountain local, trick innovator, simultaneously you're favorite snowboarders protégé and inspiration, PBR drinker, subject of bidding wars, naturally talented in every aspect of life, lazy yet extremely motivated, greeted with a hug from icons such as Chris Miller and Jamie Lynn, member of Dave Lee's wedding party, and best friend.

His life story may read like that of a middle-aged man, but at just 27 years of age (while many with twice the drive but a quarter of the talent are still chasing the snowboard dream) Jon can fondly look back on both his successes and failures. Few careers in Canadian snowboarding history have been as prolific as his. Read on and be amazed, because ladies and gentlemen, he is just getting started.

1986: Obtained first skateboard, a Firefly.

1988: First real skateboard; a Jason Jesse "King Neptune". Started skating with Jesse Fulton and others.

"In my little town of Meaford, Ontario, skateboarding was illegal and quite frowned upon. I bought this Santa Cruz Jason Jesse King Neptune off of a cop's son. His father made him get rid of it because of its legal implications. That was where it all began, I would say."

1989: Went snowboarding on a Mogul Monster.

1990: First real snowboard, a Legend SE (Steel Edges) from Black Snow.

1991: Quit skiing to shred full-time.

"I made the ‘commitment' that would shape my future, quitting skiing occasionally and going straight to the board. I think [Jesse] Fulton and I decided together this was the best thing we could possibly do to be cool. I bought a used Santa Cruz from Too Rad for Mom and Dad, a local shop in the Collingwood area, along with Planet Earth jeans cut off at the cuffs, a flannel, and a straight brimmed Alien Workshop trucker. I was ready for it! I rode, in those days, at Talisman Mountain. I would follow the locals around, like Dave Wright, Kraig Kinsmen, Jimmy Corvese (RIP), Vince Jorgenson (RIP), Marcello Centurione, and Scott Birke, who was my hero at the time. When it rained out they used to put garbage bags on and shred around due to the flannels of the time not being waterproof."

1993: Started competing in snowboard contests.

1994: Moved to Collingwood from Meaford. Started riding with Kale Stephens, Mark Manistersky, Kris Wilson, Jesse Fox, and Jesse Fulton over the next few years.

"This is when it all turned into a real lifestyle for me. I moved ‘to the mountains'... [laughs] Anyway, I couldn't get over how easy it was to go to the hill and to spend every waking second of my life at the skatepark during the summer. So I started following people like Jesse Fox, Mark Manistersky, Spencer Ridding, Kale Stephens, The Wils, and a few others around.

1994: Started first band.

"Jon Sutton was in a band with some of the other dudes at our school... Keep in mind I am in grade seven at this point. So I asked who was singing and they said, "no one really," so next thing I know I am the front man. Shocker, I know! Anyway, we geared up to do the school talent show where we covered "All Apologies" and "Polly" by Nirvana. I came out in drag! My mother was a teacher at this school, so I'm sure she was thrilled when her son came out in a dress shaking his ass for all of her fellow staff to see. So we carried on with our little group until our guitar player quit. It was at this time I felt Jesse Fox and I should be life long friends and associates. So Sutton and I get all amped up and I looked Fox's name up in the phone book... there it was: Jesse Fox. Remember children, he was a myth, a legend even. He was sponsored and in the local punk rock act Gurfetti. So I call him and flat out ask him to be in our band. He reluctantly accepted my offer to come to one of our jams. This lead to the formation of Blonde at the Roots which rose to local fame playing pop punk songs, and opening for such critically acclaimed acts as MXPX and SNFU.

1995: First snowboard sponsor, Nidecker.

1996: Got sponsored by Option snowboards and NFA outerwear through Mark Strang.

"I had recently been sponsored by Option and NFA. Mark Strang got me my start and I thank him for being so wonderful through out my life. Anyway, it was an SBC Jam Tour stop at Blue Mountain and I ran into Daryl "Trini" Trinidad. At this point he was only someone who I had read about in magazines and looked up too. So he rolls up to me and introduces himself. ‘Yeah, hey dude, I'm Jon... looks like you got the good outfit," I said to him, referring to the NFA suit he had on at the time. There were only two outfits for the team, one for Trini and one for me. ‘Yeah, I wanted the red one but looks like you got to it first.' Keep in mind I'm 13 and so pumped to meet this guy, and that I'm sponsored and the whole deal. Anyway it is something that neither of us will ever forget, as it forged a heterosexual life partnership that to this day withstands the test of time and distance. I still get embarrassed thinking about that introduction."

1996: First snowboard photos published in SBC. Had a trading card, Full Tilt ad, and another ad.

1997: Blond at the Roots breaks up due to Jesse Fox's emerging snowboard career. Start riding for Salomon Snowboards.

"So Fox at this point was at the peak of his career in the snowboard world... I was in the ninth grade and he says he needs to talk to me... ‘Rothy I gotta quit the band, bro. I'm sorry to leave you guys in the lurch but I just don't have the time it is going to take to really get this band off the ground.' So just like that, he quit. I felt as though my life had just hit an all time low!"

1997: The "legendary" O.G.C. (Ontario Ghetto Children) is formed with Jon Roth, Mikey Scott, and Brad Parker.

"This is one of those parts in your life maybe you weren't the most proud of... it was a very fun time but in hindsight it was atrocious! We "gangsters" wore our goggles cocked to the side, camo, and used to write rap songs. That's what happens when you are 15 and very impressionable."

1998: Entered Junior Worlds in Switzerland. First Olympic Trials on the Blackcomb glacier.

"I went to Europe for my first time and thought that I had made it in life to be doing what I was doing at that point. This was right around when I started to really get to know Trevor Andrew and Chris Dufficy. You can imagine my ego at this stage in the game. Oh, I placed fifth in the world, so yeah, not so bad for a "ghetto child" from Ontario. [laughs, then gags]

1999: Start riding for Billabong. Salomon falls through, so no board sponsor.

2000: Made the big move west out to Whistler. Sponsor negotiations: Capita versus Supernatural; Jason Brown versus Dave Lee.

"I had two of my heroes trying to convince me to ride for their respective new brands. Dave Lee was asked by Mervin to start up Supernatural snowboards. The team was Matt Hammer, Matt Labelle, myself, and yes, Jesse Fulton! Later John Jackson would join the team before the brand went away. On the flip side, Jason Brown was starting Capita, was a very inspiring artist and did all this weird shit that I thought was cool. I hope I see Jason again in my lifetime, because I want him to know the impact he had on my life for those few months. Thanks buddy. In the end, Dave, Kellie Talbot and I just seemed to fit... that combined with the team, which was also really tight. Dave and Kellie would turn out to be life-long friends and people who I have looked up to and will continue to for the rest of my life.

2001: Californication.

"After riding for Supernatural for a few months, and since the two Matt's and I were literally inseparable, I spent most of my time in California where I could ride park and still get things done. I ended getting sponsored by Active Ride Shop, which is a California staple. Note: I was the first Canadian on their team...paving the way for many others to come. I also picked up some other sponsors of note down there, like Etnies and ThirtyTwo.

2001: Started riding for Volcom.

"Although this was one of the harsher things I have done in my life, I felt no one turns Volcom down when they come knocking at your door. I had just agreed to join Billabong's pro team and they had just submitted my ad to Transworld Snowboarding that said "Welcome to the team". It was published two months after I started riding for Volcom. I must say this would have to be one my largest regrets. I wish I had handled that situation better than I did, but alas I was a kid being fueled by pro stardom and all of its garnishes."

2002: Filmed for the Active video.

"Active released its first and only snowboard team video, containing my first ‘full' video part. In its entirety, my part was filmed at Snow Summit, but it was something I was proud of. My sponsors on the other hand, were wondering why the fuck they paid me to snowboard.

2003: Making Jon Roth, Jon Roth.

"I worked with all the greats really, like Scott Serfas, Dano Pendygrasse, Derek Kettela, Embry Rucker, Chris Owen, and the list goes on and on. I seemed to excel at the ‘still life' portion of being a pro snowboarder because I couldn't land shit in the back country, and liked getting my portrait taken. What a vain prick I was! Around this time I felt like it was time to get over myself. One person who really helped shape the man I am today would have to be Dano Pendygrasse. This man used to curse my name for good reason and all of a sudden something changed and we became the best of friends. I moved into his home in Whistler, allowing us to talk, eat, and play music every day together. He made a huge effort to try and salvage my snowboard career the last couple years that I really tried to ‘go for it.'

2004: Supernatural goes under. Rode for Forum before signing with Sims.

"Quiksilver decided, after three years, that Supernatural wasn't the cash cow they had anticipated and pulled the pin on its financing. This was the beginning of the end. It was at this time that I was getting some flow stuff from Forum and still riding for Volcom. Travis Wood at Sims called me up and offered me pesos to ride for them. They were the only ones out there who would pay me to essentially watch Sex and the City reruns. I had just come back from knee surgery and knew that I had one last season to prove myself. So I signed with Sims and for the first time felt like I actually worked hard for my sponsors after taking it all for granted earlier. This was a year that I can actually look back on and say I did a good job, all things considered. But alas it was too little too late for my faithful sponsors. For right reason too, I have no qualms with their decisions at this time. Sims went under and Volcom dropped me. It was really tough at the time but it was probably the best thing for me. It's funny: the first time I met Mark Landvik he was really drunk and wanted to ride for Volcom. He asked me to put in a good word for him, which I did. He told me in a drunken stupor, "Roth, I should have your job." Six months later, his wish came true: he had my job! The guy deserved it, that is for sure... he's one of the best snowboarders to grace the slopes.

Late 2004: Started dropping into tattoos.

"I had always wanted tattoos, growing up being fascinated with skaters like Jason Jesse and Eric Dressen, plus snowboarders like Jamie Lynn, Dave Lee, and Wes Makepeace. All these guys were tattooed and cool as fuck! I was also in love with music since a very young age and most of the bands I had gotten into earlier on in my life were heavily tattooed also. So I had thought about what I would do for my first tattoo for about 10 years. I decided I would get two swallows on each of my wrists and in the banners they carried get the names of my two brothers, Andrew and Owen. That was the start of a life long commitment. I didn't think I would necessarily go this far, but alas I have gone that far! It started with a few here and there up to now, where I have both arms almost done, plus my chest, back, collar, shins, thighs, and so much more. This was the first thing that I felt like I was doing by myself. Everything else I had gotten into in my life was with friends and so on. This was just for me, and that is all that mattered."

2005: End of pro snowboarding career. Started working at Wick Winder.

"It was the beginning of 2005 that I decided my snowboard career was officially done. I had grown from a sponsored am to a washed-up pro over 10 years, and I was fine with bowing out. I didn't ever want to be one of those guys that kept riding for whoever would take them just to be pro still. I thought that I would just take the high road and get on with my life. Looking back, that was probably one of the best calls I have made in my life. My good friends at Wick Winder Distribution said I could go pack boxes in their warehouse.

Fall 2005: Hired at Option snowboards/NFA outerwear as team manager.

"Andrew Sayer and I were working at this skate/snow boutique in Vancouver called Vital, when we heard that Option Snowboards were going to be revamping their program and wanted the right guys to make them cool. Since Sayer was my boss at Vital, it was only natural that we pitched Option on that very dynamic. So we went after the jobs of international marketing manager and team manager, respectively. They hired us to rebrand and make the company relevant again, and we took it on with full force. Beside us was another man, who will always be a dear friend of mine, Mr. Gareth Knocker. Anyway, we worked very hard for two years to revamp the Option/NFA program, and given the restraints and confines we were faced with, did a great job. But in the end it was too little too late again... noticing a theme here?"

2007: Moved to Montreal.

"In March of 2007, I made up my mind: I was a drunk and needed to change a few things up in my life. Sayer had left to work for Red Bull, and I had a girlfriend in Montreal. So I packed up my belongings and moved to Montreal for a fresh start. From there I would still handle the team for Option, which lasted about two months before they let me go. Montreal was a great city to live in, and we got our dog Amy. I would still be there now if it wasn't so hard to get a job in the industry there.

Fall 2007: Moved back to work for Boardzone.com.

"That fall I was offered a couple of jobs in Toronto, and I ended up taking one with West 49's online snow/skate business, Boardzone, as a buyer. This was something I had never thought I would end up doing, but I am glad I did it. It was very interesting to work for them and learn how the big boys of retail work. I will take many things away with me from that job. I was employed by Boardzone until a few weeks ago when I was laid off. What now?"

Present Day: New things.

"These days you can find me barbering gentlemen's hair all over the city of Toronto and abroad. About three years ago I became fascinated by the old school barbershop aesthetic. So about a year ago I started to cut my friends hair, then in the fall of last year I met Roger at this local barbershop called Blood and Bandages' I bugged him enough to show me the ropes until one day he finally caved and has been showing me the ins and outs of barbering ever since. I am well on my way to being a full-on barber here one of these days soon. I have a 1940's barber chair on my porch, which is where I've been doing most of my work these days. If you are in Toronto and need a sweet fade or pompadour, then track me down. I am also in a new band called Matheson, check us out! All in all, I am happy to be back in Toronto for now. I am really close to my family whom I owe everything to. I am one of the luckiest men on earth to have the family, friends, lady, dog, cats, and everything that I have these days.

So on that note, I will end this drawn-out affair. My life these days is the happiest I have been in a while. I am working toward a whole new career, have amazing friends, family, and girlfriend, and even got on Face Book after talking shit on it for five years. And with that, I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. Sorry to those I have offended... it has been a good run, but now I think its time for something new."

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Related:
The Next Step with Jesse Fox
The Royal 'We': Daryl Trinidad On Making Moves In The Industry
Sponsor Me! Part 4: What Not To Do
When To Call It: Rob Dow