Young snowboarder at Mammoth Mountain
Seby Buchner’s snowboard progression.
I'm Seby Buchner, a 12-year-old freestyle snowboarder who rides with the Mammoth snowboard team. My first day on snow was November 23, 2024 — I couldn't link two turns. This is the full road since then: the real numbers, competition results, falls, and next goals.
Hi
I'm Seby. I'm 12. I ride at Mammoth.
My first day ever on a snowboard was November 23, 2024. I couldn't link two turns without falling. My dad started filming everything anyway — the falls, the run-ins with the snow, all of it. That turned into this site.
I'm not pro. That's kind of the whole point. This is what it actually looks like to start from zero and try to get there, one season at a time.
Season One / 2024–25
157 days at Mammoth. Zero to 540.
Mid-November to mid-May, basically living on the mountain. It started ugly — falling on flat ground ugly. Then turns clicked, and after that everything started stacking.
- Linked turns first. Then 180s.
- 50-50s on tubes, then real rails and boxes.
- First 360 — then I took it to Forest Trail, an actual jump.
- First 270 off a rail (the Snowboard Addiction setup at home is why that worked).
- Spring: my first 540, at Mammoth.
Season One / The bridge
Hood, then Japan. 720s — and one 900.
After the Mammoth season: six days on snow at Mt Hood plus seven on their airbags. Then Japan — eleven days on airbags. That's where the 720s came, and one 900. On the bag, not snow. I want to be exact about that. But now I know it's in there.
The stuff that doesn't look like snowboarding mattered too: an hour on the trampoline four days a week for months (that's where air awareness comes from), the Snowboard Addiction jib setup in the yard, and 26 days on the jib my dad built. It was pretty homemade. It helped anyway.
Season Two / Right now
The fight to get it back.
Season Two started with no snow. For months the park was rails and jibs and exactly one hip jump. Real jumps didn't show up until January — and by then, after barely touching snow since May, my 540 was just gone. Getting a trick back is its own grind. Nobody films that part.
It came back. And then some — 169 days on snow this season so far:
- All four 540s, on snow — regular and switch, both ways.
- My first 720 on snow.
- Rode Nationals at Copper Mountain — 8th in halfpipe.
- Switch rail tricks got strong: 270s on and off, pretzels.
- Front boards feel solid. Everything looks way more natural now.
- Current favorite: switch back blunt, 270 out.
The training log
Two seasons, in real numbers.
Every number below is real and current. They update as the season keeps going.
Season One — Nov 2024 to fall 2025.
| Where / what | Days / result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mammoth Mountain — days on snow | 157 | Mid-Nov 2024 to mid-May; first turns to first 540 |
| Mt Hood — days on snow | 6 | Summer laps |
| Mt Hood — airbag days | 7 | First bag sessions |
| Japan — airbag days | 11 | 720s landed + one 900 (bag only) |
| Backyard jib — days | 26 | Homemade rail setup |
| Trampoline | 4 days/week | About an hour a day, for months — air awareness |
| Season One — total days on snow | 163 | No contests yet that year |
Season Two — progression and competition results.
| Where / what | Days / result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Days on snow so far | 169 | Mammoth (now closed) + Nationals at Copper — no more snow until Austria in late October |
| Season start | Rails only | Lack of snow — jibs and one hip jump until January |
| Jumps returned | January | Then the fight to get the 540 back |
| 540s — on snow | All 4 | Regular and switch, both directions |
| 720 — on snow | 1 | First one |
| USASA Nationals — halfpipe | 8th | 2026 Snowboard Menehune boys at Copper Mountain |
| Mammoth USASA Unbound Series | 3rd slopestyle | 2026 Menehune boys standings: 3rd slopestyle, tied 3rd rail jam, 4th halfpipe |
| Rails | Technical | Switch tricks strong, 270s on/off, pretzels, front boards; favorite: switch back blunt 270 out |
2026 USASA competition results
I placed 8th in halfpipe at USASA Nationals at Copper Mountain. In Mammoth's Unbound Series, I finished 3rd in the season slopestyle standings, tied 3rd in rail jam, and 4th in halfpipe, with two slopestyle podiums and a rail jam bronze along the way.
Official individual podium results:
- 3rd — Unbound Series Rail Jam 1, Dec. 7, 2025
- 3rd — Unbound Series Slopestyle 1, Feb. 14, 2026
- 3rd — Unbound Series Slopestyle 3, Feb. 15, 2026
Every linked result above is an official USASA LiveHeats record.
Still ahead — same season.
| What | When / plan | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Japan — airbag block | Aug – Oct | Roughly 64 days on bags planned |
| Austria — on snow | Late Oct – Nov 18 | Last day on snow of the season |
| Two years on snow | Nov 23, 2026 | The official mark — five days after the season ends |
| Goals by then | 5s / 7s / 900 | Consistent 540s, all four 720s, at least one 900 on snow — goals, not promises |
Season Two isn't over
Japan. Austria. Then the two-year mark.
My season ends November 18 — my last day on snow in Austria. Five days after that is my official two years on snowboarding. Between now and then: Japan from August to October, around 64 days on airbags. The goals for the rest of the season: consistent 540s, all four 720s, and at least one 900 on snow. Goals, not promises. That's the sport.
The current target has its own running chapter: Road to 900 — all four 720s first, then the 900 on snow.
FAQ
The questions people actually ask.
Who is Seby Shreds?
Seby (full name Sebastian Buchner, the one on the comp start lists) is a 12-year-old snowboarder based at Mammoth Mountain, California, riding with the Mammoth snowboard team and documenting his progression from his very first day on snow toward his dream of one day riding in the Olympics.
How long has Seby been snowboarding?
His first day on snow was November 23, 2024 — so he hits two years on snow on November 23, 2026. He's currently in his second season (in his family's counting, a season ends when he returns to Mammoth each winter). Career total so far: 332 days on snow.
What tricks can Seby do?
On snow: all four 540s (regular and switch, both directions), his first 720, and technical rail riding — 270s on and off, pretzels, front boards, and his current favorite, switch back blunt 270 out. On airbags in Japan he has landed 720s and one 900.
How many days has Seby trained?
Season one: 157 days at Mammoth plus 6 at Mt Hood on snow, 7 airbag days at Mt Hood, 11 airbag days in Japan, 26 days on a backyard jib, and trampoline about four days a week for months. Season two so far: 169 days on snow total (Mammoth, now closed for the season, plus Nationals at Copper Mountain). Career total: 332 days on snow in under two years.
Has Seby competed?
Yes. In his second season on snow he competed in Mammoth's USASA Unbound Series and finished the season ranked 3rd in slopestyle, tied 3rd in rail jam, and 4th in halfpipe in the Menehune (11-12) boys division, with two slopestyle podiums and a rail jam bronze along the way. He also rode USASA Nationals at Copper Mountain, placing 8th in halfpipe. Season standings are public on the Unbound Series LiveHeats page.
What's next for Seby?
Japan from August to October for roughly 64 days of airbag training, then Austria until November 18 — his last day on snow this season, five days before his official two-year mark. The goals by then: consistent 540s, all four 720s, and at least one 900 on snow. Season Three begins back at Mammoth.
Follow along