Sophomore Victor Ventura lives life on a board.

When there is snow on the ground, the 19-year-old snowboards. When there isn’t, he surfs. When all else fails, he skateboards.

And on the rare occasion when none of the above options are possible, well, he designs award-winning snowboards.

Ventura was recently chosen as the winner of the Volcom Board Design Contest, designing a deck that “resonated harder and weirder with Volcom riders” than any other, Transworld Snowboarding contributor Adam Hawes wrote.

Ventura’s winning entry, seen below, won him a limited edition Volcom snowboard, but more importantly to him, a chance to see one of his designs come to life. Volcom plans to produce Ventura’s design for its professional riders.

“They said in the entry it had to be a tripped-out design,” Ventura said. “So I just gave them what they wanted.”

Ventura said he had a good feeling about his design, a mix of hand-drawn and Photoshopped layers with a nod to natural forms.

“I appreciate the way things are naturally,” Ventura said. “I get a lot of inspiration from surfing. I like to take stuff from the water to design.”

A sponsored snowboarder and surfer for Division 26, True Snowboards and Globe Shoes, Ventura has used his design talents to help stand out in the board sport world.

“That’s what companies are looking for these days,” Ventura said. “A kid who can promote.”

And while many of his friends decided to pass on the college route and snowboard professionally out west, Ventura decided to “play it safe” and go to school.

“I wanted an education,” he said. “And it’s been working out. Hopefully I can find a little nook and do some snowboard design.”

Plus one caveat: “I really don’t want to work in an office,” Ventura said with a laugh.