Board Brands to Watch: Public Snowboards

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from on my humble blog. What better way to kick off the new season than with the final chapter from last season with Joe Sexton of Public Snowboards, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity.

How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?
I would hope that someone stumbling across our brand for the first time would be intrigued by the graphics, we are trying to do something a little different and its fun to take chances with patterns, colors, and overall layout of the snowboard. If said person was interested enough to look into the personality of the brand, I think they would see a brand that was started by someone who truly loves snowboarding, and a company that is genuinely having fun making snowboards. Everyone from the team to the artist and contributors are passionate about everything we do.

Courtesy of Public Snowboards

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?
It had always been a dream of mine to start a snowboard brand. It always felt so hard to accomplish though, like a "where do I even start " kind of mentality. As time went on and I started to learn more about the "business" side of snowboarding, I helped start the apparel brand 1817 and learned so much from that. From there all the pieces just fell into place to start a board brand, we had some amazing help, the timing was perfect and PUBLIC was born.

What separates Public from other brands on the market?
I don't really want to "compete" with other small brands, I look at all them as allies in this. I guess the main thing that would separate us is the fact that if someone is interested in the brand or has a question about it, I write back, I think that is cool that as an owner I can have that connection.

Where or what do you draw inspiration from?
EVERYTHING !!! haha I feel like we are inspired by so much, and it is changing all the time. Its always movies, tv, music, art, internet, old stuff, new stuff.

What is essential to snowboarding for you?
SNOW ! first off, you need snow to snowboard, so I hope we get a lot of it this winter :) Another thing that is essential to snowboarding at least to me, is friends to share the experience with.

Where and how are your boards made?
We have a great factory. The people who work there have a great attention to detail, and really work hard to make a great product.

How can Joe Public (pun game strong) get their hands on your boards?
HAHA ! I like that. The boards will be available exclusively at the local snowboard shop. We will not have an online store selling boards, we are doing this because we still believe in buying snowboards from a snowboard shop, go to the shop, pick it up, flex it, stand on it. Make sure it works for you, ask the shop worker questions. For our first year we did a smaller run, with limited quantities and size run. We are excited to grow the company and the line in the future. If someone wants a board and is having trouble finding one they can email publicsnowboards@gmail.com and we can do our best to find them a shop!

Seriously, Joe sent this picture to me himself.

Is there any chance they can ride one before they buy?
We will have some on hill demos at some resorts and events !

What do you see in the future for Public?
Hopefully just more fun, this has been such an amazing experience so far. The company is not even 1 year old. Already it has been a blast to start and work on!

What else would you like people to know about Public?
That we are truly grateful for any body that buys a product from us !! I know in this day and age what some kids are going through to buy a snowboard, if a kid is working hard all summer to buy a snowboard, and he buys a PUBLIC that is amazing!! We want to make sure that kid is taken care of

Do you have anything else to add or any questions for me, you know, since I've been doing all the asking?
Thanks a lot for this opportunity, thanks for giving me the time to rant about something I care so much about. I am excited to bring the boards and everything to the PUBLIC !!!

Board Brands to Watch: Gentemstick

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from here on my humble blog. Here is part six with legendary Japanese shaper Taro Tamai of Gentemstick, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity.

How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?

Once you try a Gentemstick, it may change your whole snowboarding experience in the future. To be interested in our boards means that you’re already thinking out of the box. We are challenging ourselves to find the essence, or the core, through the art of snowboarding that we love.

The man himself, Taro Tamai

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?

The snowboarding culture started with the birth of Winterstick and has branched out to various styles, all of them growing and evolving at a very high speed. All ski resorts would accept snowboarding and it even became an Olympic sport. The gears also evolved at a great speed, thanks to the popularity of the sport, but it seems the essence was lost in the path and there was no real answer to what snowboarding really is. Snowboarding used to be the symbol for freedom, and board design that used to play an important role in maintaining that culture lost its identity, became standardized and ended up being a marketing tool for business purposes. It lost its appeal. In these times, I was trying to focus myself on the riding, but when I realized the limit of the boards’ performance, but still craving for a board that would allow me to draw the lines I was tracing in my mind, I found myself having no choice but having myself involved in the board designs. That was in 1990.

What separates Gentemstick from other brands on the market?

I keep telling people that Gentemstick are not powder boards. I make boards that let people ride and make great turns on hardpack, groomers and deep powder in the same balance, stance or weight placement. I don’t know what other brands are thinking, but I simply focus on the rider and the ride.

I shape boards for the riders, not for marketing or business.

What do you draw inspiration from?

I get inspiration from Nature, fish in the streams and birds in the winds. I look close to the movement of their fins and feathers tips.

That glide

How does having different boards for different days change the experience?

The same rider can ride the same snow, same slope in a various way by changing the gears. Changing gears means changing perspective, or even changing your consciousness for the ride. Every board is different, gives you a different experience, and makes you realize that he potential of snowboarding is unlimited.

What is essential to snowboarding for you?

Staying true to its essence. To be committed to its core.

How or why do you think Japanese riders kept a more surf-inspired approach while much of the industry followed skateboarding?

Most riders in Japan have been heavily influenced by the American standard as well. The media’s influence is universal in this market economy. Although they became a minority, there always has been surf-inspired styles in the US and in Europe, and that was the same in Japan. I was simply believing that the glide itself was the essence that would allow me to keep riding all my life. I was riding and making boards every day with that in mind, and I believe many of my friends have been influenced by that ethos. Alpine style, free style, they all are branches of the same tree. People are not only excited by jumps and spins, but get exhilaration from the glide itself. It think the glide itself is the trunk of that tree. I didn’t create anything, I was just a mediator that stayed true to the essence, and was urged to propagate this thinking. I tried to tell the story not only through the riding but also through photos, footage, words. I just happened to be Japanese and living in Japan, that’s all. 

Where and how are your boards made? 

I draw sketches of what inspires me. I repeat the same drawing until I can draw the same lines with my eyes closed. I start imagining the outline and use this image to shape a board out of wood. A bit similar to making a concept car. From that image, I use a computer software to draw out the outline and pass it on to engineers to reproduce it into numerics. The drawings are matched and made sure they correspond to the original image. Depending on the design, we use different factories that suits best for the concept of that particular board and start making the mold. Each model has its own name, each board is not the same board in different length, they all have their own characteristics and we changes shapes to accentuate each board’s character.

On to the next one

How can the public get their hands on your boards? Is there any chance they can ride one before they buy it?

We’re not a big brand. Our boards may still be hard to find. But we also don’t think that it should be sold in every possible shop. We think it’s also important that our dealers have a good understanding of what we do. You can find the list of dealers on our website. We’ve been creating demo centers in Japan and some shops have demo boards too. We’re working on building the same system in US. We’ll organize demo events in the US and planning to have some demo boards at our dealers too.

What do you see in the future for Gentemstick?

I am not sure. But, what I want to see is a hybrid. The present mainstream snowboarding is about pretty much going straight, getting speed and hitting a jump. Only turns to speed-check. I call this riding two-dimensional. The classic riding that riders like myself have been doing is to try to make use of the natural terrain to turn and draw lines three-dimensionally. I think that talented future riders will combine those two aspects into one and make it a hybrid. I think that’s the ultimate phase for snowboarding and makes my heart beat just thinking about it. 

Board Brands to Watch: United Shapes

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from on my humble blog. Here is part five with United Shapes' shaper, Steven Kimura, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity.

Gray Thompson, just chillin' at the shape shack.

Yak: How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?

Steven Kimura: United Shapes is an independent snowboard brand producing innovative, cleanly designed, fun snowboards to make your time on hill even more enjoyable. Whether you are a seasoned backcountry rider, park rider, carver, or are just finding your groove in snowboarding, we offer a range of boards with a finely crafted aesthetic that will help you find your rhythm in the mountains. 

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?

Teaming up with rider Gray Thompson brought years of R&D and board testing; knowing what works and what doesn't. We knew what type of boards we could develop for the market that would fill a void in the directional, freeride/freestyle niche. What came next was a leap of faith and full commitment to enter the marketplace. We pooled our resources together and worked hard to find the best factories to partner with. 

What separates US from other brands on the market?

Unlike many shaped snowboards in the market today, United Shapes boards are thoughtfully shaped and designed to ride in a unique way. We offer the consumer a new look at the way they ride, for instance, take the directional 153 Voyager out to the park - hit rails, hit jumps, and still be able to rip turns like you're on a race board. This kind of experience all on one board can change your whole perspective on snowboarding for the better. That mission, to experience the whole mountain in a new way - on one snowboard - is very rare in a market where brands try to differentiate their product into many complex categories. Our boards are more than fun shapes slapped on generic twin geometry. We seek to change the way you ride for the better.

Where or what do you draw inspiration from?

We draw inspiration from those pursuing exploration and a life of adventure in the natural world. Out of exploration has come so many amazing innovations and ideas - take space exploration for example and the shuttles and rockets that are beautifully and perfectly crafted. The great ocean, arctic and high elevation explorers, their motives, processes, gear, and feats are very inspiring. We aim to make the snowboard a vessel for anyone's exploration or time in the mountains. 

What is essential to snowboarding for you?

The experience of being out in the mountains, in the natural world is the essential part of snowboarding for us. No matter where you are, if you're outside, experiencing what nature has to offer - you are having a good time!

Where and how are your boards made?

It all starts sketching down ideas on notepads, fine tuning the lines, the vibe and purpose of the shape. It then becomes an intricate computer file that is sent to our factory to craft, while sourcing high-end materials. Once we receive prototypes from our state of the art factory in Asia, our team hits the slopes vigorously testing the shape in every and all conditions. We develop all of our own geometry and constructions, and will have our prototypes built in several different layups, each with tweaks to core flexes, carbon placements, and core profiles. From there, we've got a diverse network of riders and friends that put them through the paces to determine what goes into the final line. It’s a long road from concept to production, but you’ll feel the difference. Our boards are always undergoing subtle upgrades and refinements to make them as great as can be.

How can the public get their hands on your boards?

United Shapes snowboards will be in select retailers this fall, available all over North America and Asia. You can find a list of awesome shops carrying our shapes on our website - UnitedShapes.us. 

What do you see in the future for US?

We see many mountain ranges, thousands of pow turns and countless adventures in our future. To keep fine-tuning our product and our process and to collaborate with those who inspire us.

Board Brands to Watch: Korua

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from on my humble blog. Here is part four, Korua shape maker and turn yearner, Nicholas Wolken, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity.

In their natural habitat.  Photo: Filip Zuan

Yak: How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?

Nicholas: I usually start explaining how we build surf inspired shapes and try to put a new spin on vintage designs like swallowtails for example. Then I would tell them that we focus on building boards that are fun and easy to ride in specific types of snow. 

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?

Me and Stephan have been strongly involved in board building with our previous sponsors so it came pretty natural with time. 

What separates Korua from other brands on the market?

I think it’s the combination of things and not one single trait. First off we offer relatable snowboarding. We build really good boards that anyone will have fun doing turns on, as a whole we are dedicated to this. 

Secondly we use extremely minimalistic design. Funny enough that draws more attention than huge logos everywhere and we think it looks way better too. The design (graphic and form) of a shape stays the same over multiple seasons. That means our shops and we have no need to get rid of leftover boards at the end of each season. This is more sustainable in a environmental way, but it also keeps us and our partners safer and the market „cleaner“.

Gang's all here.  Photo: Aaron Schwartz

Where or what do you draw inspiration from?

As far as product goes it’s often surfboards and vintage snowboards, but also random crazy ideas that pop up here and there. Lately we also started to integrate a lot of ideas from our ambassadors and customer feedbacks. I think its important to keep an open mind and follow up fun ideas even if they first seem a bit out of place or senseless.

What is the secret to great carving?

I think it’s conscious riding and trying different things. Think about the way you are moving and how you use your body. Try to feel what works for you. Try positive stance on your back binding and give it a chance to change your riding style. Keep your shoulders a bit more diagonal to the board and for the start, just try and keep your body as close to the edge of the board as possible when you’re turning. 

What is essential to snowboarding for you?

I think it’s the freedom to do things the way you want to. A bit like I imagine freestyle was in the beginning, before a certain style was almost mandatory and they actually created „bad style“ which meant that free style wasn’t so „free“ anymore. This might not be true for all but something I experienced. Its essential for snowboarding not to lose that uplifting feeling you had when you first started simply linking some nice turns on your home mountain. Back then you were not expected to perform a certain way and purely driven by the search for more fun. 

Operation shred elation.  Photo: Nicholas Wolken

Where and how are your boards made?

After GST closed their gates, we found a really cool setup with some very creative heads at the Nobile factory in Poland. They share the same love for innovation and prototyping as we do so its a perfect match. 

How can the public get their hands on your boards?

We are trying to establish a network of shops, so go and ask at your local shop about us, maybe they can order a board for you. If they won’t help you we have our online store on our website: www.koruashapes.com

Is there any chance they can ride one before they buy?

Some new shops in the US are also planning to carry some demo boards. There will be more info on our website this autumn considering demo points. [Yak: If you're in the European Alps, you're in luck. Find a Korua demo now.]

What do you see in the future for Korua?

Our goal is to build a sustainable brand who continues to be cutting edge as far as innovation and design goes. Difficult to say were we will be heading in the future.

What else would you like people to know about Korua?

We are working on releasing some late models and new episodes of our movie series „Yearning for Turning“ this fall [now!], so stay tuned for that! 

Board Brands to Watch: Hightide Mfg

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from on my humble blog. Here is part three, industry old-timer and all-rounder Akasha Weisgarber, founder of Hightide Mfg, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity.

Yak: How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?

Akasha: It's a small snowboard company that is designed, tested and handmade with machines in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It is owned by three BC snowboarders who have lived the lifestyle for decades, Gabe Langlois, Tyeson Carmody and myself. Every board is shaped and built by me with a focus on mountain snowboarding.

Akasha and The Usual Suspects

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?

I've wanted to shape and build snowboards for a long time as I've always had a renewing vision of what my perfect board would look like. Eventually I ended up going back to school for architectural technology that taught me how to use computer-aided design software which allowed me the skills to shape snowboards down to the micro millimetre. With the help from some industry friends - Johnny Quattro, Alex Warburton and Sean Johnson - I started to shape and draft boards on the computer for a few different snowboard companies. With so many other shapes in my head and no outlet to bring them to life I brought up the idea of building snowboards to Gabe one night and he was down to help make it a reality. We built a two ton pneumatic heat press from scratch and I started to press some prototypes back in the winter of 2013-14. Even the first blank prototypes rode really well and the mayor of Whistler, Rube Goldberg started riding them. Then Tyeson jumped on the first Hippy Slasher proto and liked it so much for the deep Kootenay pow that he refused to give it back so Gabe asked if he'd like to join the cause. We weren't exactly planning on starting a snowboard company, we definitely didn't have a business plan, more of a desire to build boards to ride and Hightide Mfg evolved from that. I like to think of it as an evolution of a lifestyle.

What separates Hightide from other brands on the market?

The board shapes and how they ride. The craftsmanship and the unique resin tint topsheet colors. I don't know, however you perceive it to be different from other brands. We're just trying to have fun with it and do our own little thing in the saturated snowboard market.

Where or what do you draw inspiration from?

Mostly from time spent snowboarding in the mountains of British Columbia. Growing up living the snowboard lifestyle in Whistler for decades with thousands of days spent on snow brings a lot of experience to draw inspiration from. Riding so many different boards over the decades I've learnt to understand the minute details in snowboard design that I believe make boards ride really good. Of course I also keep up to speed with the snowboard and surf industries as there's a lot of progressive board shaping happening especially in the last five years or so to draw inspiration from.

What is essential to snowboarding for you?

Pure and simple enjoyment. Snowboarding is so enjoyable that it has been the biggest driving force in my life since the first day sliding sideways. Riding with friends, powder days, adventure, the snowboard community and being outside in the mountains and feeling connected to nature all intertwine to make it a highly enjoyable lifestyle.

Where and how are your boards made? Is it really a little shop in BC like the video on your site?

I build and press all of our boards in a small shop on Gabe's property in Pemberton, BC. The board materials are sourced internationally for the highest quality components and the cores and base material are CNC machined to a tenth of a millimetre tolerance to my CAD files by a couple outsourced companies as those machines are too expensive to own at our current production volume. The boards are stone ground and pro tuned on the best machines by our friend Adam Levitt at a local shop in Whistler. Hopefully we will have all these very expensive machines in house one day as we grow.

Bane brings a board into existence.

How can the public get their hands on your boards?

They can be purchased at www.hightidemfg.com with shipping to many countries and at Showcase Snowboards in Whistler, BC.

Is there any chance they can ride one before they buy?

If you are in Whistler you can arrange to try a demo board for a day or two by emailing info@hightidemfg.com. We will also be doing some on hill demo days this winter mainly in British Columbia.

What do you see in the future for Hightide?

Being focused on flexible manufacturing to be able to prototype and produce boards at low volumes so that new board shapes can be put to market often. Coming up with new shapes and testing them out is the fun and creative part so look for new shapes in the future. That and working to grow the brand to maintain the company and lifestyle.

What else would you like people to know about Hightide?

The name comes from us saying it's "lowtide" in the early season meaning there's not much snow. We don't really say it's "hightide" when there's lots of snow but that's what it means. That or maybe we were just high? ha. Anyway who doesn't want a hightide (powder) day.

Board Brands to Watch: Franco Snowshapes

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from on my humble blog. Here is part two, master crafter Mikey Franco of Franco Snowshapes, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity.

Yak: How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?
Mikey: Franco Snowshapes was started to represent what snowboarding means to me. It's been my life for over 30 years and I wanted to create boards for myself and others that represents our lifelong passion and commitment to riding.

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?

First, I was in Japan doing work for Burton. I was injured and couldn’t ride. The president of Burton Japan at the time felt bad so to cheer me up he took me to meet Taro Tomai of Gentem. It just so happened that my best buds from high school ran Igneous Skis in Jackson. They encouraged me to come in and make a board. My injury ended up taking me out for the season so that was a needed uplift. Combining what I learned from Igneous and what I saw at Gentem, I felt there was a missing link between the two: The functional, aesthetic shape of Gentem with the beauty, craftsmanship and hand-made aspect of Igneous needed to meet. That's when I chose to start Franco Snowshapes.

Mikey Franco at work.

What separates you from other brands on the market? 

There are so many great brands on the market and I have great respect for all of my mentors and inspiration. What separates me from most is that I look at building boards much like an organic farmer looks at growing produce or a craft brewer brews beer. My first priority is not cutting costs. It is using the best possible ingredients, the best possible methods and most important of all, listening and truly understanding each and every client I shape a board for.

Where or what do you draw inspiration from?

I draw inspiration from so many places! One board was designed from a radical fairing I saw on the front of a vintage Harley. It looked sort of like a cobra, elegant yet deadly in an instant! I also get inspiration from surfing, from the snow conditions and terrain features a client is intending to ride on. I get inspired from so many of my peers in the snowboard industry as well. Design inspiration is everywhere if you look!

What is essential to snowboarding for you?

Style. Beauty. Fresh air. Being a part of a community. Knowing that what you are riding was built with intention. It was built with passion and with pride.

Where and how are your boards made? Are you seriously the only guy involved!? You must have a team.

Its just me! I wish I had a team… I make my boards from scratch at my shop in Jackson Hole. I order materials like base material, edges, etc. from various suppliers but I also handcraft parts as well. I harvested a couple of beetle-killed whitebark pine trees from Casper Bowl within the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and sliced them into super thin veneers for top sheets (each board made with the whitebark pine top sheets comes with a GPS code on it so you can go find the spot where your board's topsheet was harvested). I have some beautiful ash stock for core material I harvested from my brother's property in Pennsylvania. The trees were killed by the emerald ash borer. I then had a nearby Amish farm mill them into core material and will then make custom cores out of a mix of ash, hemlock, maple, etc. And I do have a guy, Patrick Shehan, that does my website and helps me a ton with PR stuff. He has been a great help.

Where, here!?

How can the public get their hands on your boards?

Right now, direct sales are the only way, unless you are in Jackson Hole. I have a small showroom in Teton Village during the winter months we call “The Shack”. Its the only rustic, tiny log cabin at the base of the Tram. There you can demo boards.

Is there any chance they can ride one before they buy?

Yes and no. They can ride a few here in Jackson, but in reality a custom board will not ride like any board you’ve ever ridden before. Your board is something that doesn’t exist yet therefore a demo will only provide a certain amount of feedback. It will certainly give you a sense of feel but most of my customers rely on a great deal of trust in me and my experience.

Ultimately, this board will be the greatest snowboard you’ve ever ridden because it was specifically made for YOU, from scratch. From your head down to your toes. These boards are designed with every millimeter of your soul considered. We want to know what scares you, what makes you scream with excitement, where you ride, how you ride, and everything in between. I developed something called the Rider Genome Profile. It is a way for me to get to know you as if we have been riding together for years. Based on my 30 years of teaching, guiding, and training clients and instructors all over globe, the RGP has become an invaluable tool for me to fully understand who you are.

What do you see in your future?
I see expanding out from Jackson Hole in a slow, purposeful way. Having a small showroom in three to five special mountain towns in the near future is my goal. Just like the one in Jackson, it is meant to be more of a gallery, a place where you come in for a coffee in the morning and grab a board or come in after riding and grab a craft beer in the afternoon and admire some beautiful snowboards surrounded by equally beautiful photography. A place to be fully inspired to ride, not a place to be bombarded by 45 different brands, products, and POP displays. I also see creating some limited release lines - maybe one or two each season - that are limited in series like 20 per season. I know there are folks out there that have difficulty conjuring up a custom shape and this might be a way for them to ride something unique without the stress of going through the design process.

What else would you like people to know about Franco Snowshapes?

That when you call, email, or text Franco Snowshapes, it is ME you will talk to! And it is ME that will design, build and finish your dream ride.

Board Brands to Watch: Interior Plain Project

Sometimes I get tasked with a job that requires me to distill the essence of a thing into not nearly enough words to do that thing justice for not as much pay as I would hope for. Recently, Transworld Snowboarding gave me just such a task and it was published on their site as Eight Board Brands to Keep an Eye On.

Transworld graciously allowed me to share the interviews and pictures that I drew from on my humble blog. Here is part one, Interior Plain Project's Pete Harvieux, edited sparingly for spelling and clarity. Keep up with them at www.theipproject.com

Yak: How would you explain your brand to someone stumbling across it for the first time?

Pete: It’s a snowboard brand focused on participation and culture. 

How did you get into the whole snowboard manufacturing game?

Well, having worked in skate/snow retail for a decade with a large passion for our region (Midwest) and a strong team of shop riders, as well as starting and running our own skateboard brands, inspired me to believe a snowboard line from the Midwest was needed. It took me repping another 10 years and a major life change (birth of a daughter) to decide to make it happen, which I'm grateful for because I learned, helped, and passionately pursued linking our territory which was an amazing time. All those parts added to what The Interior Plain Project is today. 

What separates IPP from other brands on the market? 

Personally, I think a snowboard is simply a vehicle of expression/energy, a conductor if you will. We’re focused on great riding boards that the pilot can operate at a high level in whichever environment the day has provided. I feel like all snow conditions are prime conditions to ride with the proper want to, and that action is the output. So our boards are shaped and laid up with that ideal, a strong conductor of energy. We then conceive new collection aesthetics each season and reach out to different artists to keep the boards feeling unique collection to collection.

Pete and some new friends. Photo: Erik Schleicher

Where or what do you draw inspiration from? 

Forever inspired by riding. That is what informs and eases me as a person. I find artists, unique personalities, new places, followed-through ideas, brainstorming, magazines, photography, moving pictures, story, and intention very inspiring.

What is essential to snowboarding for you? 

Participating. 

Where and how are your boards made? 

Made in Austria by passionate people who produce boards with the least amount of possible impact to our environment. They are made with love and passion near amazing mountains using some of the most advanced and unique processes.

How can the public get their hands on your boards? 

The key to where snowboarding stands today is the culture. Much of that culture has been born from the shops that choose to sell the goods to those interested in doing it. Our focus is doing business with specialty snowboard shops around the world. We hope the end riders also choose to support our culture by supporting the shops that help cultivate it. If there isn’t a shop close to you that you wish to support, I’d implore you to find one that aligns with your vibes and support them by purchasing through their online site. All our retailers can be found on our shops page at theipproject.com/shops-2/

Is there any chance they can ride one before they buy? 

There’s always a chance although we haven't done many consumer demos. I guess that’s why I think shops are key; they can help the end user get on the right board. They do all the leg-work and you don't have to surf the web and get tossed. 

What do you see in the future for IPP? 

New collections, new models, and more snowboarding. 

What else would you like people to know about IPP? 

We're focused on “premium medium” boards with the ideal being like your favorite skate deck shape. It's good - maybe even great - and we're not changing it just to change. You can ride it and switch to something else. Just know we'll be here with that deck you want to get back on. 

Do you have anything else to add or any questions for me, you know, since I've been doing all the asking? 

We couldn’t do it without the support from all the contributors which helps make our collections happen season to season. I am truly grateful for all the contributions of energy, talent, and input. They help create the plains in which is the Interior. Also our full length film titled SHAPESHFTR will be releasing this Fall, new teaser drop soon [Ed. It's out now, check the IPP blog for some parts and other news]. 

Every time I type 'IPP' I think, "You down with IPP? Yeah, you know me." If that makes me a dork, I'm OK with it. 

Me too. Bridges yelled that at me once in the Hood parking lot as we drove off. Been meaning to make him a custom shirt since. I'll add you to the list.

The crew. Are you down? Photo: Dan Mullins

Neverland Portland Premier, Words with MFM

Absinthe always makes great movies and when September finally rolls around, I'm always looking for that premier more than any other. Something about a big mountain and pow-heavy video on the big screen gets me shred ready faster than seeing the first flakes on the mountain webcams. My buddy Colin over at ESPN beat me to the writeup (actually a bunch of people did) and he's a far better writer than I (actually plenty of people are), so you might as well check out his article.

But, before I drop that link on you, here's something to listen to while you read it, an interview I did with Marc Frank Montoya after the show. Unfortunately my camera (yeah, I use a video camera to record audio, it's what I got) ate the first half of the interview, so I'll recount that to you now to the best of my ability. We talked a little about how long he's been filming with Absinthe and agreed it had been a long damn time. He bounced around to Kingpin and KidsKnow for a bit but always came back. Why? Because they have the backcountry (especially Alaska) scene on lockdown. He wasn't actually going to film with them this year because he's doing his own thing (or joint thing with FODT) with another crew. If you haven't heard, it's called Hard to Earn check for it later this fall. One thing that's easy to see if you look below the surface is that Marc's into all kinds of different business ventures. Trying to make money for himself instead of making other people rich, as he says it. Is it hard to keep up the businesses and have time to ride? He said he never really looked at snowboarding as a business, just something he did for the love. He never let the businesses get in the way of snowboarding or his snowboarding get in the way of his business ventures. And that's where the following video picks up. The question posed to him was: Your name is on a lot of products, was there ever anything that you wanted it on that you never got?

Yeah, some kid had Marc sign his smelly shoe.

Now, while you're listening, go over here and read about the video.

Points of emphasis: Dan Brisse comes through (in his Absinthe debut, by the way) with one of the best sections I've ever pointed my retinas at. Evel Kenievel ssized airs, stomping the cityscape like his name was Godzilla, the crowd went bananas and Brisse earned every decibel.

Seeing as much powder as Nicolas and Wolle rode is the sort of thing that almost had me looking for plane tickets to New Zealand. I'm counting down the days now.

Cale Zima flat out destroys himself. When he's 40 and can't get out of the recliner anymore at least he'll have some of these handrail hammers to look back on. The dancing is hilarious also.

Travis Rice. Yeah, forget about him? Going huge as always.

The list goes on. Just buy the movie. Reviewing Absinthe videos should just come down to that from here on out. You didn't need me to tell you that. Just go buy it. You'll never regret it.