Jess Kimura

Snowboarder

Squamish, BC, Canada

Ask Jess

If you could spend a day with any other SMITH athlete, who would it be and why?

Brandon Semenuk, just to watch him ride his bike but I would be too scared to talk to him.

What is your biggest fear or achilles heel?

Dark water….looking at it, swimming in it, imagining having to swim in it…

If you weren't an incredible athlete, what would you be?

A wannabe surfer and full-time filmmaker.

What are 5 things you can't leave home without?

Keys, phone, water bottle, fanny pack, headphones….pretty boring. I guess it depends on the mission.

If you could have 1 super-power, what would it be?

I’d love to be able to go back and visit people who are no longer with us.

Favorite Smith Performance Eyewear Product?

Squad XL goggles for riding. The Barras for fishing, Smith makes the absolute best polarized lenses and all the professional guides know it. I also love the Wildcats for biking.

One of the most influential action sports athletes of the past decade, Jess Kimura transcends all boundaries. Known for pushing herself to the absolute limit both mentally and physically, she redefined what women were capable of doing on a snowboard and changed plenty of perceptions along the way. Her video parts from 10 years ago still stand up to the most progressive segments of today. She holds more awards and accolades than anyone else in her category, but that’s just a side note. Jess has dedicated the past 5 years to helping launch multiple careers for female athletes who were without a platform to showcase their talent on. She has mentored dozens of up-and-coming riders, and her wildly successful Uninvited all-girls film trilogy is a testament to what girls can do when given their chance to shine. A filmmaker, producer, and athlete, Jess is also an advocate for mental health awareness. She has publicly shared her own struggles with the goal of helping people feel less alone.

Accolades

Creating, producing, and editing 3 award winning all-girls snowboard films (The Uninvited 1-3)
Co-Producing and starring in the award winning documentary film “Learning To Drown”
4x Women’s Video Part of the Year awards, TransWorld SNOWboarding
2x Women’s Rider of the Year awards, TransWorld SNOWboarding
The only female athlete in history to be nominated in 2 men’s categories for the TransWorld Riders Poll awards (Rookie of the Year and Standout Performance)
4 top 3 Rider of the Year placements, Snowboarder Magazine
Top 50 Most Influential People in Action Sports, ESPN
Silver medal, X Games Real Snow, 2013
Jess Kimura Pro board, Capita Snowboards