Wow! Thanks for all the entires, you guys. We had over 75 people send in essays — yes essays, even during the summer! I’m impressed — telling us who their favorite Dakine athlete is and why. With so much love out there for the Dakine team, it was hard choosing two winners. So we didn’t, we scrounged up another backpack and chose three.

And the winners are…. (drumroll, please)…

David Chilton from Toronto, Ontario
Casey White from New England
Blake Van Heyningen from British Columbia

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to write in and your stories will be shared with the respective athletes for a little inspiration. They were all very honored.

Here are the winning essays:

David Chilton on John Symms

My favorite Dakine athlete would undoubtably be John Symms. While many other athletes possess skill and are breathtaking to watch, they leave you with a sense of wanting more. Watching him ski reminds you of why you love the sport. Everything he does is stylish yet fun, and like a day out on the hill with your friends, any of John’s film segments will leave you with a smile on your face and an urge to get back on the hill the hill the next day, even if its 90 degrees out and raining. It is because of his genuine love for the sport and not to mention total abundance of skill that John isn’t just a great skier, but is also and inspiration to watch. If everyone carried a little more of his spirit onto the hills, well there just wouldn’t be any reason to do anything but ski.

Casey White on Eric Pollard

My favorite Dakine athlete would have to be Eric Pollard. Eric portrays a different perspective on skiing and what is possible in the backcountry. He does this through his innovative ski designs and films, and also through his art, and lifestyle. When I watch him and the nimbus crew have a killer time sessioning a hip that they just built, and are camping right next to; it makes me want to grab my skis and friends and find some place here on the East Coast to build a grimy jump into a mud puddle. And while I might not be able to nose butter 540 off a 40 foot cliff into 4 feet of blower powder he shows me that being a skier isn’t all about the skiing, it’s about the great time you have doing it. As he pushed the limits of what’s possible in skiing, he pushes me to do the same, and that is why he is rad!

Blake Van Heyningen on Dan Treadway

Dan Treadway out hikes, out hucks and out hunts nearly every skier on the planet. But its his love for the sport and not the fame that makes him over all gnarly. He went from getting kicked off Whistler Mountain to getting paid to send some of the same drops he got kicked off for. The reason Dan makes the cover of almost every magazine isn’t because he just tosses his body around. Treadway is a true skier and has actual talent that could have only been given to him by some gipsy redneck or the ski gods themselves. He may not get as much media attention skiing insane lines in the back country opposed to skiing straight off jumps and twirling around in the air, but he stays true to his love of the sport. In conclusion Dan Treadway is the greatest big mountain back country skier ever to grace the snow cover mountains with his god like presence.