African surfer-turned-snowboarder takes Targhee by storm - East Idaho News
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African surfer-turned-snowboarder takes Targhee by storm

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DRIGGS — Prior to Dec. 7, 2016, 23-year-old Alpha Barrie had never seen snow before. Now, he’s sending it off jumps up at “the Ghee.”

It’s snowboarding, after all, that got Barrie to the valley in the first place.

In his native Sierra Leone, four people in front of Barrie who interviewed for visas to come to the United States were denied. When it was his turn, Barrie handed the immigration officials some letters written on his behalf telling about his desire to learn to snowboard. They asked him why he would not stay in the U.S. longer than his visa allowed.

“I told them I didn’t know if I could stand the cold for that long,” Barrie said.

Two minutes later, Barrie’s visa was approved.

“I believe they saw this as unique,” said Victor resident Adam Towle, who met Barrie last spring and is responsible for getting him here. “They’d never seen someone wanting to snowboard. I couldn’t believe when he texted me and said he got his visa. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

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Towle, who many locals recognize as the manager of Victor’s Knotty Pine Supperclub, is an accomplished surfer who has taken surf trips to 30 different countries.

“Last year I wanted to go somewhere my presence would be helpful,” Towle said. “It was right after the Ebola crisis ravaged Sierra Leone. I wanted to help them.”

Towle did some research and discovered the Bureh Beach Surf Club. The club’s Facebook page says its aim is to help increase tourism to the area by offering surf lessons and board rentals as well as accommodation, food, and drinks.

“All the revenue that will be generated will be put back into the community 100 percent, in the form of wages, grants, and the purchasing of local goods and services,” the page reads.

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Towle called the club for more information and Barrie, the club’s secretary, answered the phone, and ultimately ended up meeting Towle in Sierra Leone’s capital city of Freetown when he arrived.

“We became friends,” Towle said. “We went exploring to many of the surf spots around Bureh by motorcycle, by canoe. Alpha kept me out of trouble and kept me safe.”

Towle also fulfilled his goal of giving back to the community. He painted the club’s restaurant and would buy “as big a fish as I could find” to share with the locals, who eat rice three time a day.

“Bureh Beach is a community based on a love for the ocean, and surfing is an activity that’s brought a lot of joy to a country that’s suffered so much,” Towle said. “The club gives everyone a sense of belonging. It’s a beautiful place. It’s been a vehicle of healing to a country that’s suffered a lot. Surfing is a selfish sport sometimes, and I like to be able to give back.”

“I had an amazing time [in Bureh Beach] and told Alpha about where I live and snowboard,” Towle said.

Barrie told Towle when he was leaving he’d like to learn to snowboard. Towle told him to find out what he needed to do to get a visa and he’d try to help.

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“It’s extremely difficult to get a visa to the U.S.,” Towle said. “I wasn’t sure if it was just a waste of time.”

Towle said the majority of Sierra Leoneans make less than $300 a year, and without any assets to show the U.S. government, Barrie’s chance of getting a visa were a long-shot. So Towle wrote a letter stating the experience would be very good for Alpha, who could be Sierre Leone’s first snowboarder, and for the country to be represented in snowsports.

Lance Pitman, the head snowboard coach of the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club, wrote a letter of invitation to Barrie, explaining the club has an 80-year history of supporting people in snowsports, and that Barrie’s participation would further their goal of being inclusive to everyone.

Towle also pledged financial assistance to Barrie, paying his $160 application fee.

“I wired him money to get nice clothes so he didn’t show up in board shorts and flip flops,” Towle said.

Barrie, who boarded a plane for the first time in his life to get to Salt Lake City before making Teton Valley his new home, didn’t have any trouble at the U.S. customs station.

“They told me to have fun,” he said.

Once he arrived, the valley came together to make him feel welcome and to ensure he could appreciate his chosen winter sport as much as the rest of us do. Dom Santiarese donated clothes and gear, and Watts Barden gave Barrie a few lessons to get started, in addition to brand new snowboard boots and bindings, while others donated money toward his plane ticket. Grand Targhee Resort also donated a season pass and three snowboard lessons with instructor Kate Robey.

“Because he’s a great surfer and a great athlete, he progressed rapidly,” Towle said.

On his tenth day here, Barrie boarded from the top of the Jackson Hole Tram all the way down.

“I wipe out a lot, especially when I’m practicing jumps,” Barrie said.

Towle said everyone in the community has been thrilled to meet Barrie and see him on the hill.

“He’s like a celebrity at Targhee,” Towle said. “It really shows how special our community is.”

Barrie is learning more than just how to nose butter and throw a three.

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“I made him bacon his second day here,” Towle said. “He thought that was awesome. He likes to have a cheeseburger at the Knotty, hot chocolate. He’s coming from tropical Africa to one of the winteriest winters in years. For me, it’s been a blast every day, because something is new for him every day. He’s really taken on the challenge. It’s such an incredibly different environment than where he’s from. It’s so thrilling to show him new things and new experiences.”

Barrie said sometimes when he goes outside in the 20-degree weather now, he thinks, “This seems warm!” compared to the bitterly cold temperatures he experienced when first arriving in December.

Barrie, who knows three languages and learned English in school and from surf travelers, is also learning to speak like a local.

“When we were up at the mountain, he asked, ‘Why do you guys keep saying it’s ‘sick’? Is it bad?’” Towle said.

Barrie says he’s enjoyed getting to know the community, too.

“The people are nice people,” Barrie said. “They make me feel at home. It’s a small town. I see the same people. I love seeing young kids and old people spending time together at Targhee. It’s not like that in Africa.”

Barrie said he’d love to compete in snow sports at the national level some day. His visa is good for six months, and Towle says in that time he plans to show his friend a lot more of what makes living in the valley so great.

“I’ll take him fishing, river rafting, biking, all the summer activities,” Towle said, adding he plans to take Barrie to meet his parents in San Francisco, “because it’s important for him to see a big city.”

Towle says he hopes Barrie always carries a little bit of the valley with him, wherever he goes.

“[Sierra Leone] is a tough place to live, it’s a tough life,” Towle said. “This has been a gift to me to be able to bring him here. I hope he returns a better young man and takes what he’s learned here and applies it back home.”

This article was originally published in the Teton Valley News. It is used here with permission.

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