Vermont’s New Microskieries
While some ski and snowboard manufacturers come and go, these Vermont-based companies are turning out brand new breeds of skis and boards that are challenging the status quo, year after year.
Vermont has a reputation as a place that values quality over quantity. If you’re looking for the world’s best craft beer (think Hill Farmstead), an intricate $10,000 wood puzzle (try Stave) or a pair of wool socks so reliable they come with a lifetime guarantee (Darn Tough), Vermonters make them.
You can add skis and snowboards to that list, too.
You may know the story of Line skis and Burton and Rome snowboards, all born in Vermont. Now, there’s a new generation of Vermonters using innovative designs and materials to craft limited-edition, custom skis and boards. While four out of the six brands we feature here manufacture their products in Quebec, the designs, marketing and company headquarters are all based in Vermont.
The people behind these brands come from a variety of backgrounds: Jason Levinthal worked for over 20 years in the ski industry, launching Line skis before deciding to start a new venture with J; Adam Vindigni, founder and CEO of Powe Snowboards studied fine arts; Cyrus Schenck, who invented the first ski with adaptable dampening technology (Renoun), washes windows for extra cash. The one thing they all have in common is a love for the sport.
What’s more, their designs are receiving rave reviews, snagging international awards and commanding attention from some of the biggest names in the ski industry.
No matter whether they are custom-made for absorbing chatter at high speeds, dodging trees in the backcountry, running laps in the park or cruising frontside groomers, these Vermont ski and board brands may have your name on them.
But only a handful are made in a year, so act fast.
Cyrus Shenk’s Hyper-Dampening Chargers: Renoun
Jason Levinthal’s Latest Innovation: J Skis
Vermont (and New Hampshire) are turning out some genuinely innovative ski and snowboard companies in recent years, and people should give them a serious look. You can give your ski gear money to a large multi-national corporation and its network of distributors, sales reps and retailers, (getting a great ski ..no question!) or give your hard-earned money directly to the craftspeople who design and build the skis with as much performance and often much more beauty than the big-10 brands deliver. Vermont’s own ExoticSkis.com has been following the trend of small, innovative ski builders for 10 years, listing more than 350 companies around the world, and we try to test samples of these craft skis to find out how they really ski in real-world conditions. We have skied samples from Worth (R.I.P. – thanks for helping to spearhead VT’s ski building revolution), WhireRoom, Renoun (this week!), HG and hopefully J2 and let people know what they feel like. Frankly, people will be amazed at what is being built right here in our own back yard. (just like our craft beers!).
Talk to these new ski and snowboard companies. See what they are building. Visit them. Feel how their skis and snowboards ride. You will be very impressed.
Support Vermont’s small and indiependent ski and snowboard builders!
Don’t forget Silo skis! They rock.
We agree! Watch for a story in our next issue (Holidays) on Silo and DIY skis.