The Yearning For Turning series really is the heart and soul of Korua Shapes. It began with a bunch of friends carving on experimental boards in Europe and has evolved into an anticipated film series with a cult following. The original videos were simple in nature, and embodied a refreshing change of pace compared to what the rest of the snowboard industry had become in the early 2010’s. Fast paced surf-style carving, slapping euro-synth music, and a group of friends enjoying themselves and exploring new terrain around the globe. The series has played a large part in the resurgence of the art of the turn and has helped Korua carve out a unique niche in the snowboarding scene. Over the years the series has transformed and gotten larger in scale, but our trip up the West Coast of America felt like it had the potential to be an ode to those original videos. Loose plans, meeting up with friends, road tripping dirt bag style, and enjoying a shared love of turning on a snowboard.

Words by Matt Foley

The inception of this trip was simple enough; I was freelancing at the time when the Korua guys hit me up to film for a few weeks in April of 2025. The original goal was to road trip up the west coast through California and Oregon, with Nicholas Wolken in my old Bigfoot truck camper. Our only objectives were to stack footage, visit some shops, and attend the Gerry Lopez Big wave challenge. For some context I’ve known the guys at Korua for a few years now; their approach to riding plus the Yearning for Turning series changed my relationship with snowboarding. I grew up as a jib kid in the Midwest, and after a series of injuries in the park and falling in love with surfing, my love of snowboarding was reignited after riding a Korua, where I was able to draw new lines and blend that surf style into my snowboarding.

Our trip started at my house in San Diego, California, where we loaded up my truck camper with as many snowboards, surfboards, and food as it could fit. We headed north to Mammoth Mountain, with a quick cheeky stop in Santa Barbara to score some surf. After a few shop visits along the way, we made it to Mammoth. Conditions were a bit bleak, but we got wind of a big storm coming that was supposed to nail Tahoe from our friend and Korua Ambassador Blake Hunter. We changed plans and raced up north before the storm closed the roads. The storm provided and then some… as we woke up to three feet of fresh powder and an ongoing blizzard, we got ourselves properly over caffeinated and headed to the legendary Palisades Mountain in North Lake Tahoe, where we had ourselves a classic storm boarding day. While filming on the mountain we ended up running into another friend, Danny Kearn, who came bearing great news. Danny had a hookup the following day for a CatSki operation at Pacific Crest Snowcats, and he had a few extra seats in the cat. The snow continued unloading overnight, and the following day was about as glorious as it comes. Of all my years living in Tahoe I don’t know if I have ever seen snow quite like we got. The storm came in right side up, and was particularly cold by Tahoe standards, especially for a storm in early April. It was probably the best day of my whole year, bottomless powder and hot lapping a catski with friends, you can’t ask for much more. The snow continued overnight and cleared at dawn as we headed out to spend the day sledding and filming with Danny, Blake, and crew an hour north of Lake Tahoe. So far, the trip was everything we could have wanted. Having loose plans allowed us to be flexible and chase snow, and we never knew what the next day would bring.

After an insane few days in Tahoe we headed north up to Oregon where we linked with a bunch of Korua Ambassadors at Mt Bachelor outside of Bend, Oregon for the Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge. Our crew (Aari Howarth, Sonja Mijatovic, Chase Burch, Jack Stevens, Gweli Torriani, and Adam Evarts) came together from British Columbia to Switzerland all with the common goal of getting to ride the famous event. The community the event draws is incredible and it’s really a melting pot of alternative or surf inspired board design. The whole day is one big expression session; awards are given out for the best turns and style rather than how many spins someone does. It was a perfect opportunity to try out a range of shapes, film with our ambassadors, and meet like-minded folks in the snowboard community.

Sonja Mijatovicad, Oregon / p: Adam Evarts

Our cups were full from the event as we then headed to the coast of Oregon to camp out and hunt some waves. We spent a few days skating, surfing, and enjoying what the Oregon coast has to offer. We heard the Big Wave Challenge course got left up after the event, so we headed back to Bachelor for another few days of spring shredding and filming with the crew. Our final stop of the trip was at the Snake Run Rally at Mt. Hoodoo outside of Sisters, Oregon where we ended our year on a high note. Camped out in the lot, racing the bank slalom course, and hanging with the PNW community.

Overall, it was my favorite trip of the year and really represents what Korua Shapes is all about; Getting together with your friends, drawing new lines on the mountain, and experiencing new places. I couldn’t be happier with how the video came together as it truly has been an honor to create a new installation in the Yearning for Turning Series, especially considering the impact that those original videos had on my life. This trip presented an opportunity for me to work full time at Korua as an in-house creative/filmer, which is a dream come true! I can’t thank everyone at Korua enough as we really are one big family, and I am very grateful to be a part of it. Huge shoutout to everyone in California and Oregon that made this trip possible, and for the hospitality along the way.

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