Meet JJ Exton

Around that same age, my friends and I spent weekends disappearing into the woods, building mountain bike trails and jumps with little more than shovels, wheelbarrows, and imagination. I had no idea then that I'd spend my life doing both. I grew up in a small village in Herefordshire, England, in a house that had stood since 1642. My father was the village gardener, so I spent my childhood outdoors helping maintain gardens and learning to appreciate well-built landscapes. My first job was on a local farm, driving tractors, mowing fields, operating equipment, and doing whatever needed doing—usually in the pouring rain. Looking back, those early years shaped the work ethic I still carry today. Outside of work, Scouts became a huge part of my life. I later became a Scout Leader, cycled across Holland, and joined one of the UK's first international Scout expeditions to South Africa. Those experiences gave me a love for adventure, leadership, and exploring places I'd never seen before. That curiosity took me to Queenstown, New Zealand, in 2007 to train as a snowboard instructor. I later spent a season teaching in the Alps before returning to New Zealand. It was there that I met one of the people who would have the biggest influence on my life and career: Tony Macri. Watching Tony teach wasn't just inspiring—it gave me something to chase. I remember thinking, One day I want to be that guy. For years, that became my goal.

I studied Outdoor Experiential Education and Recreation Management while teaching snowboarding at Sugar Mountain every winter. I also worked as a climbing guide, cave guide, zipline guide, climbing wall supervisor, and route setter. After nearly four years at Appalachian State, I realized something important. The career I wanted wasn't waiting for me after graduation—it was already happening. I had one semester left, but I knew my education wasn't coming from a classroom anymore. It was coming from the mountains, from teaching, from guiding, from solving problems every day, and from thousands of hours of real-world experience. So I packed everything I owned and moved west to Big Sky, Montana. That decision changed my life. I continued teaching snowboarding, trained instructors, and eventually became an AASI Snowboard Examiner. Years earlier, I'd watched Tony Macri and thought, One day I want to be that guy. I got closer than I ever imagined. I earned the opportunity to try out for the AASI National Team and made it to the Final Cut. Although I didn't make the team, it remains one of the accomplishments I'm most proud of—especially because it happened while I was navigating one of the hardest chapters of my personal life. What I took away wasn't disappointment. It was confidence. I proved to myself that if I committed completely to something, I could compete with the very best. That lesson changed how I looked at everything. While living in Big Sky, I immersed myself in every corner of mountain life. I taught snowboarding, trained instructors, worked in snowboard and bike rentals at Big Sky Bike & Board, landscaped during the summers, and spent every spare day exploring Montana by snowboard, mountain bike, dirt bike, side-by-side, snowmobile, hiking, and Onewheel. I'll never forget the first time I saw a diesel truck with two snowmobiles sitting on a sled deck. I remember thinking, One day that'll be me. Today, it is. It's funny how life works like that. Looking back, I realize my life has been a series of those moments. Seeing something that inspired me, deciding it was possible, and then quietly getting to work until it became reality.