Created: 30 October 2020
The hand built, custom crafted Winterstick line up shines below the vintage Winterstick classics of the 1980s.
Photo: Courtesy of Winterstick.
Winterstick Snowboards has a long legacy in the history of snowboarding. In the mid-1970s before snowboarding became mainstream or was much more than a kids’ toy, Dimitrije Milovich dropped out of Cornell University, moved to Utah, and started Winterstick. This was 5 years before Jake Burton Carpenter launched Burton Snowboards, making Winterstick the first snowboard company in history.
In the nearly 50 years since its inception, Winterstick and snowboarding have weathered my changes, but the dedication to building perfectly crafted boards that Dimitrije fostered is still at the heart of Winterstick. Today, Winterstick has returned to its roots of making custom-built snowboards for every rider on the mountain swapping its Utah home for a Maine mountain factory at the base of Sugarloaf. Winterstick hand presses every board in Maine, contrary to the industry trend of outsourcing to other countries.
“Making a handmade snowboard is like making a panini with multiple layers of materials and epoxy,” Rob Lu, Winterstick’s Head Engineer, and President explains, “big companies make molds overseas but since we’re not limited by a one-size-fits-most molds or size runs we can change our press for every single board we do.”
Winterstick's head engineer and president, Rob Lu, doing a little backcountry research and board testing.
Lu, who spent six years working on nuclear submarines before landing his dream job at Winterstick, knows the ins and outs of hand-crafted snowboards and takes pride in knowing that Winterstick can offer every rider the board of their dreams. Literally. “We can build boards from cocktail napkin sketches or old specs from boards no longer in production.” Rob says, “It’s fun to see people’s dreams come through and build them into a reality that they love to ride.”
Where dreams are made. The Winterstick factory in Sugarloaf, ME.
Most customers aren’t sending in napkin doodles thanks to Winterstick’s Demo to Build Program which allows riders to demo any of Winterstick’s stock boards anywhere in the world. The way it works is, Winterstick sends a customer boards to test, and then Rob and his team work with them to tweak the flex, sidecut, shape, etc. based on their feedback creating a custom board suited for each customer's specific needs. Which is essentially what Winterstick has been doing for their pro and paralympic athletes from the beginning.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Sugarloaf hometown hero, Seth Wescott, is one of the owners of Winterstick and has been instrumental in the drive to offer all riders a board that works for their needs. At 6’1 with size 11 feet, Wescott spent his competitive snowboarding career squeezing his feet into smaller boots to reduce toe-drag on the one-size-fits-all snowboards of his time. Thanks to collaborating with riders like Wescott, Winterstick now offers all their boards in any width, meaning that toe-drag is a thing of the past. Lu and Seth also collaborated to make the Winterstick Wescott pro model which is one of their top-selling boards and has landed Seth on top of the podium two years running at the Legendary Banked Slalom at Mt. Baker, WA.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of Winterstick's owners, Seth Wescott maximizing the banks and product testing his Wescott Pro Model.
Along with Wescott, Winterstick is proud to be creating boards for para-athletes like Noah Elliott. “We’re able to make fine-tuned boards for the US Paralympic Team to enable them to put as much power to the ground based on their unique set of needs.” Lu said, “It’s been so fun and so rewarding to work with para-athletes to truly customize their experience and give them exactly what they need.”
“The opportunities are endless, which is what I love about my job” Lu continues, “USASA coaches come to us, with specific needs for their athletes, and we work with them to design a board for the way they ride. Looking at a rider’s video and getting feedback from the rider and the coach.”
Endless opportunities are a welcome attitude in the uncertain times of COVID-19 and Winterstick is poised and ready to deliver. Every board they make can be made into a splitboard so whether you’re riding lifts or skinning up Rob Lu and the Winterstick team are ready to make snowboard dreams become a reality.
Click here to learn more about Winterstick and shop their entire collection here.
Created: 03 November 2020
USASA North Tahoe Series rider Cole Valles joins SNU's Snowboard Team making it one of the largest in SNU history.
Sierra Nevada University is gearing up for winter with one of its largest ski and snowboard teams in the university’s history. Twenty-six athletes will make up the 2020/21 SNU Snowboard and Freeski teams with sixteen snowboarders and ten Freeskiers. SNU’s alpine team has seventeen athletes, fourteen of whom are international students. “We are a well-known school in Europe,” SNU Head Alpine Coach and Slovenian native Mihalea Kosi said. “SNU offers athletes from all over the world an amazing opportunity to study while also continuing their competitive careers,” Mihaela, an SNU alumni who graduated in 2018 with a degree in environmental science and global resource management, speaks from experience. SNU is a well-known supporter of student-athletes in the World Cup ski and snowboard communities. 2014 Olympic gold medalist Maddie Bowman is a recent SNU graduate.Current US Ski Team member Lila Lapanja is pursuing her Global Business Management degree at SNU while balancing the FIS World Cup circuit's demands.
Created: 20 October 2020
Meet Ali Sacash-Johnson and Leslee Schader, USASA’s newest Series Directors of the Mt Hood Series. 
USASA is a family affair! Leslee Schader and family ready for comp day (left) Ali Sacash-Johnson maximizing some Northwest sunny ski days with her daughters (right).
Ali Sacash-Johnson and Leslee Schader met when their kids who are about the same age (9-12) were a part of the Mt. Hood Meadows Freeride Team. Ali’s kids freeski, Leslee’s kids snowboard. Soon enough they were spending their weekends standing at the top of USASA event courses or taking laps between heats with the whole gang. So when long time Mt. Hood Series Directors Mike and Jen Fitzsimons decided it was time to move on Leslee and Ali swooped in and volunteered to take the wheel.
Created: 21 September 2020
Big Mountain West freeskier Bennett Balogh is making big moves on and off the hill. Photo: VAST 2019 Nationals.
Jackson, Wyoming is known for its natural terrain and elite pedigree of big mountain snowboarders and freeskiers which is exactly why 15-year-old freeskier Bennett Balogh grew up dropping cliffs and hitting jumps versus doing cruiser laps through a mini-park. It wasn’t until he was 10 years old that a USASA Big Mountain West event came to Jackson Hole and his view of what freeskiing was forever changed. “I didn’t think competing in freeskiing was a thing you could do,” Bennett said. But once his eyes were opened by his first USASA competition Bennett set his sights on the competitive path.
Created: 02 October 2020
Three-time Olympic Coach and owner of BK Pro Progression Camps, Bud Keene chipping in support of USASA.
The 1st Annual USASA Golf Classic presented by Devil’s Head Resort and Alpine Resort teed up at McHenry Country Club this past Friday with a star-studded cast of Olympic athletes who raised over $20,000 for USASA. Olympians Kelly Clark, Justin Reiter, and Tricia Byrnes were on-site to support USASA’s continued fundraising efforts along with Bud Keene, three-time Olympic coach and owner of BK Pro Progression camps. “It is so great to come out and support USASA, and have a little fun at the same time”, said Keene, adding “USASA is such an important part of the development of athletes on their journey through sports and life, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Created: 09 September 2020
Join USASA for our VIRTUAL golf fundraiser that everyone can play in and support USASA and its efforts in the grassroots development of US snowboard and freeski athletes.
Between now and Sept 25th, purchase your ticket, get your tournament code for the 18Birdies App and play a round of golf at your local course to participate in USASA's virtual golf tournament and fundraiser. Golfers participate in individual stroke play at the golf club of their choice and compete against other virtual USASA tournament players. 18Birdies will weigh each courses' difficulty using their customized algorithm creating a virtual leaderboard that lets you know where you stand throughout the event period (Sept 2-25). Prizes will be awarded to the top golfers.
Created: 19 August 2020
The longest-standing New Hampshire Series member, Dave Paulger, sends it in Methuselah Division slopestyle for the 2019 USASA National Championships in Copper.
Hailing from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USASA Methuselah, Dave Paulger is a true pioneer of snowboarding. In 1973, when snowboarding wasn’t even a thing, Dave was climbing local hills and riding down them on a Snurfer he bought at the hardware store. Forty-years later you can still find Dave standing sideways as the longest-standing member of the New Hampshire Series bringing his A-game and positive attitude to every weekend event.
