If you’ve spent anytime at Cannonsburg, it’s likely that you have seen people in the terrain park going off of a jump, flying into the air doing a 360, then land it. If you’ve witnessed this, odds are that you were watching Joe and John Bolea.

For brothers Joe Bolea ‘17 and John Bolea ‘19, skiing and snowboarding has become a hobby that they are very passionate about. Although, they aren’t just interested in downhill skiing and snowboarding, they spend their time in the terrain park trying out new tricks.

Their love of the sport emerged when they were invited to go on a ski trip by with their family friends when Joe was in seventh grade and John was in fifth.

“We went to Boyne Mountain and learned how to ski and snowboard for the first time and instantly loved it,” Joe said.

In the fall, the name Jobo is quite recognizable as the student section cheers his name while he kicks field goals at the football games.

But in the winter, Joe finds another sport to occupy his time with, which is snowboarding.

“When I was younger I had one of those toy snowboards and loved it, so when I had the chance to learn to ski or snowboard I decided to go with snowboarding,” Joe said.

His love for snowboarding has been growing ever since. Joe is a member of the ski club, and although the club has yet to go to Cannonsburg, he tries to make it out for a couple hours after school.

Now, snowboarding is more of a hobby but when Joe was younger he would enter in competitions.

“My freshman and sophomore year I entered some contests at cannonsburg,” Joe said. “I think I only made finals once, but it was still fun.”

Out of the two brothers Joe is more likely to try new tricks.

“I tend to take more risks than John, but there is a better chance that he will land the trick,” Joe said. For Joe it doesn’t take a lot for him to work up the courage to try a new trick. “When you know it’s soft snow you just kinda have to go for it,” Joe said. “As I go off of a jump I just thinking to myself, ‘don’t land on my head!’”

With the risks that Joe takes, it isn’t unlikely that injuries will follow. Now that he has been doing tricks for so long, his body has gotten use to the falls, but in the beginning it was common for him to get hurt.

“One time in middle school I landed pretty badly and cracked a little part off of my back but it wasn’t too bad,” Joe said.

Snowboarding has become an outlet for Joe and is a way for him to relax and also have fun with his friends. In the fall, Joe will be attending Kenyon College and will be playing lacrosse. Although he is trading in a snowboard for a lacrosse stick, he wishes to continue snowboarding and keep doing tricks for as long as he can.

While Joe has acquired the nickname Jobo, John is known as “Skier John”. Just like his brother, John is also a part of ski club. John’s passion for skiing leads him to Cannonsburg every single day. Along with being an avid skier, John also videotapes his tricks and posts them on social media.

“When we learn something new my friends and I film it on our phones and put it on Instagram,” John said. “My favorite trick is a 360 probably.”

Skiing practically everyday while performing or attempting dangerous tricks comes with some injuries. Luckily in John’s case he hasn’t experienced too many injuries

“This fall I separated my shoulder,” John said.

Injuries, however, do not stop John from continuing to try new tricks everyday. It’s hard to imagine performing these dangerous tricks and working up the courage to attempt them, but the feeling of finally landing one is a feeling like no other.

“It’s exciting like a sense of accomplishment,” John described. “[In the future] I would like to ski a lot but still as a hobby to keep the fun in it.”

Clearly, the Bolea brothers have a true passion for skiing and snowboarding; the thrill of landing new tricks and the excitement of getting out on the slopes is something they will continue to pursue. If you can’t catch the Boleas in action be sure to check out John Bolea’s instagram @johnbolea_ to see some sweet videos.