My friends and I spent the 2010 Thanksgiving break surfing the powder in the northern Utah backcountry on our handmade powdersurf boards. Shot and edited by Jeremy Jensen with help from Dave Smellie and Mike Kerkman using my Canon 7d.
Tag Archive for: noboard
We thought our powsurfing season here in Utah was over a couple of weeks ago but mother nature insisted on one more day. A fresh 18" of snow made for pow turns in the early morning and mush slashing by early afternoon. Another testament to the versatility of Grassroots Powdersurfers in ANY kind of soft snow. Not quite a "Powsurf Chronicle" but worth a watch!
9 boxes shipping out to 7 different countries.
After deciding a few years ago to test the waters for the public’s acceptance of this thing we call “powdersurfing” we couldn’t be happier with the results so far. We made a big push this season to spread the word in whatever ways we could. Having limited time and few resources or connections, we decided the best thing to do was to let the riding and the concept speak for itself. We did this thru the creation of a few short films (The Powsurf Chronicles) and repurposed some of our existing video content. The power of social media was our biggest ally. People saw something that sparked their interest and it opened their eyes to something familiar but new. The parallels within powdersurfing and other forms of self expression such as skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing are an obvious connecting force for like minded people. Videos were shared and word spread rapidly all over the world.
Emiliano was one of the first of a number of Italians to see the light. -Italian Alps.
Ready for action in Hokkaido Japan
There seems to be a mixed bag of reasons for the acceptance of powsurfing. Some people seem to view powsurfing as a refreshing departure from the overly plastic and manufactured state of “snowboarding” today and a return to the essence of riding pow. Some see the potential and freedom inherent to a sport where the rider and board are independent of each other. Perhaps it becomes more legit in their eyes because they are actually balancing (riding) on a board rather than having it strapped on, acting as an extension of their body. Others may have noticed that the ski industry that looked down on snowboarding for decades now owns 80% of it, and they want to get away from that. Some people are just surfers and skateboarders at heart and they know a good thing when they see it. There is a clear connection to the true soul of snowboarding and of riding boards in general. Others may be intrigued by the fact that we choose to offer limited runs of an environmentally friendly handmade product rather than mass producing huge runs of disposable boards made from toxic chemicals in sweatshops overseas. Whatever the reason, we are stoked that people are digging what we are doing here.
We think that the biggest factor in powdersurfing’s acceptance is the fact that it is pure. Driven by a personal quest for fun and a passion for self expression. You don’t need a ski lift or a $1,500 kit of snowboard, boots, bindings, and matching clown suit. You just need a board, warm clothes and some inner drive. Once you have tasted the sweet nectar that is powsurfing, you will be back for more, by whatever means necessary.
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| Bryan Iguchi – Tasting the nectar . |
WORLD WIDE
Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and this positivity has no borders. Our boards are now spread all over Europe. Italy, Spain, France, Austria, Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, and the UK. The Japanese embrace the concept of powsurfing and are perhaps the most enthusiastic and accepting of all. Canadians of course are into it, some stick with a pad and a rope on a snowboard deck (noboarding) while others are taking the next step and ditching the rope and snowboard for a board that is shaped and designed for a true bindingless experience.
Big Thanks to Go Insane specialty shop in Hokkaido Japan for keeping its shelves stocked with powsurfers this winter season.
Hokkaido Japan – These guys brought the whole quiver!
If you’re not falling down, you probably aren’t learning. These guys know the drill. –Japan
USA
It seems that we have shipped more boards out of the US than we have shipped within the US. Within the US, the East has come up surprisingly tough … Conneticut, Rhode Island, New York, Vermont, and North Carolina to name a few. The wester states have been surprisingly weak considering the ample powsurfing conditions that exist. Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Montana… pretty much every state west of Colorado has bought at least a board or two. We would have expected a lot more in these areas, but it has been a relatively dreary winter season across much of the US.
It could be the combination of a lot of factors.. a poor US economy, the “Americans are lazy” stereotype, the “Americans like cheap plastic crap” theory, maybe it looks to hard, or maybe people are just content without the extra challenge or unbeatable feeling that comes from powsurfing. We think that they just need a little more exposure to powsurfing and a chance to give it a try. Everyone that has set foot on our boards in the right conditions has been instantly sold on it. People just need a little taste… So as we grow, we will make it a point to make sure that people get that opportunity.
Colorado shred Bob Aubrey lost his powsurf virginity on a trip to Japan. He caught right on and he’s never been the same since.
Edred repping Colorado
It seems like people don’r realize how easy it can be to find great powsurf terrain and stashes. It is so scalable either way, small and easily accessible terrain can be really fun and a breeding ground for creativity. You can get more “skate-like” in the smaller stuff and take advantage of any bump or log. Big terrain is just epic, just like with snowboarding, this is the dream terrain… high speed – high consequence big wave powsurfing. We aim to educate and open the world’s eyes to what powdersurfing is all about. If we get them to experience even for a few seconds the feeling we get from riding these boards then our job is done, and powdersurfing can live or die within them.
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| Skylar G had no trouble getting his first turns in on some slushy wet sierra spring pow |
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| Chris G from Splitboard.com getting his feet wet for the first time in the Sierras. |
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| It pays to have a sled to get you up to where the pow is at in the late spring. The Cheetah Factory Racing racks are rigged up here to make it work. |
Grassroots Powdersurfing is stoked to be working with ex pro snowboarder Dave B at Cheetah Factory Racing this summer to create a rack designed to carry powsurfers and snowboards.
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| Jason H. getting in touch with his inner sledneck for the first time. |
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| Take note of the shit eatin grin on Jason’s face….. thats what we are talking about! |
SIBERIA!
As I was typing this Russia was added to the list. Ivan is the proud owner of the first Grassroots powsurfer in Siberia. (Thanks for your help Sergey)
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| Sergey and Ivan taking the dogs for a walk to some remaining patches of snow in Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk krai, Siberia |
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| Ivan couldn’t wait for next years powder to arrive, he went right out and found something slidable. |
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| The Guch is one of many snowboard legends that have caught the bug. |
We are stoked to get boards in the hands of snowboard, skate, and surf legends. Their credibility is huge and this will really help people see the light. A little taste is all it takes and if people have even a fraction of the amount of fun we have riding these decks then this could really blow up.
Here’s to the future.
Technical difficulties have created a bit of a delay on the release of our Chronicles Episodes but with the purchase of a new computer combined with severe sleep deprivation and blood shot eyes.. we are getting things back on track.
“Goods in the Woods” is a flashback to last years epic la nina winter season. We didn’t see many sunny days for a few months there but the snow stacked up like never before. Stormy days forced us into the woods where the visibility improved and the snow was epic. Enjoy a few minutes of virtual faceshots on us!
Grassroots came up big in the latest issue of Starfish Snowskate Magazine with the cover, a full page ad, and an 8 page interview with Jeremy Jensen – Founder/Owner/Designer/Shaper/Builder/Cinematographer/Photographer/Web Designer/PR Guy/etc.. of Grassroots Powdersurfing. Jeremy is obviously a very busy man (which would explain the lack of blog posts this year) but he (I) found some time to sit down and answer a few questions about surfing powder, videography, photography, and Grassroots Powsurfers.
Peep it.
And finally, our ad. Please help us keep the dream alive and Buy a Grassroots Powsurfer today!
I had watched many interviews with top snowboarding pros over the years on Buoloco.com and I was stoked to get the call from Eduardo for a quick ichat and story.
Check it!
http://www.buoloco.com/web6/content/powdersurfing-jeremy-jensen
The local paper here in Cache Valley caught wind of the recent publicity we have been getting and jumped on for a ride. A quick interview and photo shoot produced a pretty nice article. Thanks to the Herald Journal for giving us a full page of love in sunday’s paper.
Read the article here.
http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_HERALDJA&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=THJ/2012/01/08&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar01704&PageLabel=C1
We were super stoked when the writers for ESPN.com contacted us for a story. We provided them with a grip of unseen photos and some very detailed answers to a list of questions about what we are about and why we do what we do. They decided to start the new year off proper by running our story on the first day of 2012.
Check the story here. Titled “The Powsurf Chronicles take snowboarding back to it’s bindingless roots”
While the photos did not make it into the story (??) and many details were left out of the responses, we were pumped to have a story ran on such a major media outlet. Editing is necessary… especially when someone like me is rambling on and on about this obscure activity that is foreign to most people (powsurfing)… but it’s a bummer when points get missed or lines are used out of context. Journalism is a double edged sword.. Things can get pretty twisted around and the readers of these stories don’t realize this.
The response to our product, the films, and powsurfing in general has been overwhelmingly positive and it feels good to know that we are spreading stoke and opening minds in the world of snow sports. The few negative reactions we have seen are mostly due to misunderstandings. Dealing with the media is a funny thing.
The solstice usually comes on the 21st of December but this year it fell on the 22nd. I was delighted by this news because I had to work the day of the 21st and I wanted to celebrate properly. Mother nature dropped 7 inches of the lightest and driest cold smoke she had to offer and served that up sunny skies and cold temps. Perfect timing for an epic celebration.
We keep getting holiday e-cards sent to me from anyone and everyone… so we hopped on the bandwagon and made a quick little e-card from today’s session.
It has been nearly a month since a significant snowfall and this seems to be the case across much of the US. So the conditions are still low tide and the spots with good coverage and no old tracks are difficult to find but luckily we know just where to find them.
The attitude across the country seems pretty bummed on the conditions but honestly I have been enjoying the hell out of it. Logged at least 20 good powder days so far and I have only felt the need to strap in once. Until the big lines fill in.. I just don’t see any reason to snowboard.
These early season conditions are a big part of what spawned Powdersurfing in the first place. Being able to take advantage of the smaller features and maximizing the fun and the challenge keeps things interesting and fresh. This is just one of the many advantages of Powdersurfing. If you are not enjoying the season so far, you should probably consider investing in a Grassroots Powdersurfer. It will change your life.
One hell of a good write up on the biglines.com homepage today!
Big thanks to the fellas up north for tracking me down and doing the leg work on this story. Really well written and spot on. I was sold at the first paragraph:
“Ok, picture this: you’re surfing a pow line, slashing turns and letting the sunshine light up your roostertails. Out of the corner of your eye, you peep a poppy little pillow and you know the landings perfect. You line it up, adjust your feet and BAM.
Kickflip.
Your feet catch the board and your face catches an updraft of pow as you stomp your landing and set up for your next turn…
Sounds impossible, right?
For Jeremy Jensen, it’s anything but.”
That updraft of powder in your face is what makes powsurfing (or any type of powder riding) truly awesome. The guys at biglines.com obviously know whats up.
http://biglines.com/articles/one-man-machine-and-his-powsurfing-dream-jeremy-jensen-profile
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