Jess Wegert
Occupation: Snowboard & Heli Guide for Silverton Mountain
Home Town: Gunnison, CO
Home Mountain: Crested Butte and Monarch
Snowboarding Since: 1994
Riding Venture Since: 2011
Board of Choice: 165 Zelix splitboard, 165 Zelix solid
Bio: Born in Gunnison, CO, Jess moved to Durango in 2003 and began snowboarding in the backcountry of the San Juan Range. He was eventually drawn to the mecca of ski mountaineering in the southwest: Silverton. He interned at Silverton Mountain and has been a Guide and Patroller at the mountain since 2011. Jess is committed to living more sustainably and reducing his carbon footprint by growing his own food, harvesting and producing his own energy, and working to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy within the Silverton community. When not on snow, Jess likes to spend time growing organic vegetables in his greenhouse, remodeling his 120 year old Victorian home, tinkering with solar panels, and working on converting his 1981 VW rabbit diesel pickup to run on vegetable oil. Jess is active in the community, serving as a trustee on Silverton’s town council. He is working towards making splitboard ascents of all the 14ers in the San Juan Mountains.
Best Snowboarding Memory? Linking up 14ers Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre Peaks, split mountaineering for an incredible 28-mile day in April 2014.
Why Venture? I started riding Venture when I began guiding a Silverton Mountain. I love supporting a local manufacturer committed to splitboarding and sustainability, and prefer the feel and durability of their bomber solid core board