Ambassador Profile: Josh Malueg

Traveler, snowboarder, and overall adventurer Belong Ambassador Josh Malueg understands the value of hard work and even harder play. Josh’s drive to teach others about the beauty of the outdoors as well as his epic travels are inspiring and teach others to follow their passions and find where they belong.

Name: Josh Malueg

Instagram: @joshjoshite

Born: Glenwood Springs, Colorado

When I first started my sport: My older brothers taught me how to snowboard when I was 13. I was the little guy so I was consistently trying to prove myself. Looking back on those days, none of us were very good at snowboarding but we were having the best time ever! We used to drive 6 hours from our house in Hooper, CO over to Telluride, CO and I remember being so excited that I couldn't sleep the night before going out to the mountains.

Superhero: Too many to choose, but I'd say a top one would be Captain America. He's a natural leader that shows initiative and steps up to the plate with solid morals and values.

My favorite place in the world: Right now I'd say the San Juans Mountains in southern Colorado (Silverton, Ouray, Telluride area). The mountains down there are just epic and there is so much to do. Awesome snowboarding/skiing in the winter and just about everything in the summer mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and off-roading to name a few. However, I still have a lot of traveling to do so I might be getting a new favorite soon!

My favorite places in the world:

• Juneau, Alaska. Spent a summer there and it was incredible
• Breckenridge, Colorado. They have the best jumps for snowboarding
• Keystone, Colorado. Super fun mountain biking in the summer and great shredding in the winter.
• Moab, Utah . Great off-roading and mountain biking.
• Telluride, Colorado. The most epic mountains!

My perfect day: Shredding at Keystone or Breck on a warm sunny spring day. Lapping the park ideally with freshly salted jumps and soft slushy landings. Followed by some disc golf or skateboarding. Ending off with board games and a big dinner with friends and family.

Greatest Accomplishment: Getting my whole family out skiing and snowboarding. Growing up we couldn't really afford to go skiing. But after my older brothers got hooked we found a way to save up and get the gear and season passes. We did all sort of odd jobs from seining fish or sorting potatoes on a farm to selling homemade beanies door to door. My siblings and I always earned our own money to go snowboarding, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Earning our way really made us appreciate the sport and love it even more! We started making videos just for fun and ended up getting some sponsors that help us to get the whole family and even some friends the gear we needed. Getting to explore the mountains with my family and friends is the best feeling ever!

What does it mean to follow my passion and find where I belong: Simply put, enjoying the outdoors. Whether it be floating through powder and dropping cliffs on a snowboard, or walking through an alpine meadow of wildflowers I love being outside enjoying God's creation. I enjoy finding peace and quiet in the woods. There is nothing like watching a good sunrise with a hot cup of coffee! There is a time for solo adventures but when I experience the pureness of nature I can't help but want to share that feeling with others. I love taking people out in nature and showing them the joy that can be found in the outdoors. Getting to teach someone how to link their first turns on a snowboard, or how to clip draws on their first lead climb is super rewarding to me. I've always taken pride in hard work and wherever I am I want to do the best I can and set an example to those around me.