Meet two extraordinary local chargers who make the adventure playground that is Bend, Oregon, their home. While these seasoned snowboarders have traveled to the ends of the earth, exploring the empty peaks of Antarctica together, there鈥檚 always a reason for them to keep pushing when it comes time to return home. With the help of the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter, we nudged them even further, daring this duo to stack multiple high-action activities on back-to-back days of deep powder and wooly winter swell. Can they line up the conditions for an all-time wild Oregon rally? It鈥檚 time to Return to Sender.
Meet Austin Smith
is drawn to a certain kind of exploration. Call them sufferfests if you will, but don鈥檛 discount the intent behind a winter camp mission in the Cascades or a season spent in a converted 1953 fire truck parked at Mount Bachelor. Even a sleepless trudge through a four-day Oregon wilderness race reflects a drive beyond discomfort and around norms.
鈥淚’m most comfortable in these uncomfortable circumstances,鈥 Smith says of the uncertain outcomes on trips that factor new experiences and 鈥渞equire intentional decisions and solving problems.鈥
For nearly two decades, that hard-nosed approach to adventure has vaulted Smith to the forefront of professional snowboarding, both for his award-winning video segments and his off-mountain ventures. In 2021, he launched Season Eqpt. on the idea that ski and snowboard gear should not be purchased annually. When it comes to standard sales expectations for a hardgoods brand, that can be a contrarian stance.
But that鈥檚 Smith: idealistic yet pragmatic, taking uncommon paths, and always with a metered dose of blunt humor. Last summer, Smith and Curtis Ciszek traveled to Antarctica to film , an all-analog movie with a release limited to in-person interactive events. Oh, and they wore penguin suits to blend in (briefly) with the locals鈥攋ust another atypical adventure that鈥檚 always worth the sometimes uncomfortable effort.
Meet Curtis Ciszek聽
At age 12, had sponsors; by junior high, his first coverage in a snowboarding magazine. What鈥檚 even more of a testament to his natural ability in the mountains? He was raised on a sailboat through grade school.
鈥淚 guess we鈥檙e all creatures of our environment,鈥 he says, 鈥渁nd my parents made my environment the outdoors.鈥 Only two seasons after his family took to the mainland, Ciszek entered the pro leagues鈥攁nd he鈥檚 stayed there ever since. Credit an effortless style backed by propulsive power that鈥檚 evident in more than a dozen celebrated video parts. In summer, he moonlights as a fly-fishing guide, having co-founded Lower Deschutes River outfitter . Whatever the season, Ciszek accelerates toward ambitious, perhaps semi-quixotic challenges.
Fortunately, he brings others along for the ride while casting the unconventional into relief: sailing from Oregon to Alaska with snowboards and fly rods in tow or exploring the southernmost continent by splitboard. Earlier this season, K2 Snowboards awarded Ciszek his first pro model, acknowledging his steadfast forward momentum. When the road opens, Ciszek knows how to drive. His lightning-fast wit helps, but there鈥檚 also the innate guidance earned from a life of adventure that values an unknown journey ahead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the people you surround yourself with,鈥 says Ciszek. 鈥淲hy go on an amazing adventure if you don鈥檛 have anyone to share it with?鈥
The all-new delivers trail-dominating power, legendary capability and captivating style. Time to make all your off-roading dreams come true.