A story on bindingless riding just dropped in Canada’s finest snowboard magazine and we were kindly included in the run down of various board options. We are hyped that Snowboard Canada would be willing to work with us and spend a few days in the backcountry gathering images and memories.  We had a blast up there and can’t wait to get back up there for more.

The article gave a run-down of a few board options that exist out there and stated a few characteristics of each brand.  As with any media, things often get confused or missed in communication. We were labelled as the “skate – style” company which we suppose was fair because we make sure that our boards are the least restrictive and are designed to allow the rider to fully take advantage of not having the board attached. They also ollie better and are more agile and controllable  than anything out there and that goes a long way. What was not mentioned is how they handled any and all conditions we threw at them. When all the other boards were either unrideable in the conditions or forcing the rider to grab that dreadful rope for control, our boards were still ruling those conditions. Fully hands free and truly binding free. And that certainly deserved mention. They also produce a unique ride and feel that is much different from your typical snowboard.. much more surf-like (more so than Skate-like) and very agile.. something we are very proud of and something that has taken years of R&D to accomplish. We were a little bummed to be labeled as just the “skater dudes” here, as that is just a small part of what we are about.. but stoked to be included and honored to go powsurfing with Canadian legends that I spent my childhood idolizing.  Watch the video below that was made from the first 4 days of our trip.. and see what our boards are all about!

The Powsurf Chronicles Ep 6 – Canada! from Grassroots Powdersurfing on Vimeo.

I hate to be picky.. but the quote used in the article was very misleading..  It was taken from two quotes, and mixed together out of context, missing the entire point I was trying to get across.  I spoke about how I originally started by just taking the bindings off of snowboards to see if it was possible to ride without bindings.   What they left out were my words about how snowboards don’t make good bindingless boards! and they don’t perform well unless it is knee deep blower pow! (this is why so many noboarders use the rope)  This is the whole reason why we started shaping my own and also the reason that our boards look and ride nothing like traditional snowboards. We wanted something that had precision control in varying conditions and allowed the freedom to ollie, spin and flip the board, and have really good control in a variety of conditions.  Snowboard shape and construction did not allow for this and that is why Grassroots powsurfers are built and designed the way they are.

We pride ourselves in offering a variety of shapes to accomodate riders of any size and style. They are so incredibly “surfy” and fun.. much different than a snowboard feel.  We have spent years perfecting them so it’s a bummer when we get labelled so narrowly as simply “the skate style” guys in the article.  All you have to do is watch any of our films and see the boards in action and it’s clear that skate-style riding is only a fraction of what our boards excel at. But on that same note.. skateboarding is the most technically difficult sport on the planet and has progressed leaps and bounds beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.. We hope to do the same for powsurfing.

CHECK THE LINK TO THE STORY ON SNOWBOARD CANADA HERE

Snowboard Canada deserves a HUGE thanks for the article and efforts.  Jeff Patterson and Rob Stevens were instrumental in bringing all these riders together and making these 4 days some of the best days of the season.  Cheers amigos!!  See you again soon.

Our trip to Canada was a blast.. one of the funnest trips of my life.  The film in this article is just 4 days of riding and there is so much more to see!  We will release more footage as time permits from the rest of the trip.