Pro Files featuring Jeremy Tofte • Snowboarder First, Brewery Founder After
Jeremy grew up in the shadow of Mt. Baker, in Mt. Vernon Washington, home of Craig Kelly, Dano Donnelly and the MBHC. Growing up in one of snowboardings' favorite spots gave him exposure to then world's best, which quickly quashed his dreams of pro rider super stardom - but Jeremy wanted to see where snowboarding could take him - so he set out in an old VW van for a road trip that would eventually take him to Jackson Hole. It was many years and odd jobs before he started the Thai Me Up restaurant in Jackson - which led to the…
Pro Files featuring Ken Achenbach • First in Canada, First in the World
Ken may be Canada's first snowboarder - if you don't believe me find someone who went riding before him. While that may be in dispute, The Snowboard Shop is not - it was the world's first snowboard specific retailer - inspiring a generation of Canadian riders. He also built the world's first twin tip snowboard - the Barfoot Twin Tip, created an early snowboard specific clothing line and started The Camp of Campions - a snowboard camp that trained aspiring riders for 25 years. To say Ken is a legend is an understatement - to say that he is still, 40 plus years on, a dedicated snowboarder, is simply a statement of fact.
Pro Files Featuring Bob Carlson • Founder of Arbor Snowboards 3.36
25 years ago the snowboard industry was a much different place. There were hundreds of brands competing for a foothold on what many people saw as a lucrative marketplace. Fast forward 25 years and almost all of those brands are gone - save for two - Never Summer and Arbor Snowboards. Over the years they have created a unique place in the market through differentiation - namely being the first environmentally oriented brand. In this interview we talk to Arbor founder Bob Carlson about the rocky road to being a major player in the sport today.