“Nelson was undoubtedly one of the most talented snowboarders on the British scene. He rode with incredible edge control, had a real spatial awareness, skill and bravery. Some of his early video footage is just incredible. But despite how amazing he was, he was so underrated because of his humble personality.
“He undoubtedly was, and I’m not over-exaggerating here, probably the most popular chap in British snowboarding for all of those reasons. Both for inspiring so many people with his talent and with his humility. When he died it was a huge shock to most people because of how loved and how talented he was.”
We’re talking to Marcus Chapman, the best friend of the late snowboarder Nelson Pratt.
Nelson was one of the most talented snowboarders to come out of the UK. He had a lengthy partnership with K2, coached bronze-medallist Jenny Jones and more as part of the Team GB set up in the lead up to the Sochi Winter Olympics and is described by everyone who knew him as one of the most down-to-earth, friendly guys on the scene.
Nelson had everything going for him, but in 2012 at just 33-years-old he tragically took his own life.
“His popularity was second to none, so it was a real shock,” Marcus continued. “Personally, I knew Nelson struggled with ups and downs. We talked a huge amount about his ups and downs because I’ve had ups and downs as well and we had a real kinship because of that. We lived together for a long time, but none of us ever thought – myself, his brother, his family – that he would ever go as far as taking his life.