Man isn’t meant to stay indoors — our weekly “Trekking” column can attest to that. It’s a column dedicated to the adventurer inside of all of us, the one pining to ditch the office humdrum for a quick surf session or seven-week jaunt in the Grand Tetons. One day we may highlight an ultra-light stove and the next a set of handmade canoe paddles. Life doesn’t just happen inside the workplace, so get outside and live it.
Snowboards have come a long way since Michigan engineer Sherman Poppen first crafted the “snurfer” for his daughters in ’65. There’s been an onslaught of notable pioneers since then — Tom Sims, Dimitrije Milovich, Jake Burton, etc. — all of which have shaped both the way we snowboard and the medium on which we do it. Still, when it comes to the subtle art of crafting boards, it’s rare we see the kind of precision and dedication showcased by the folks behind Igneous Skis and Snowboards.
Based out of Jackson, Wyoming, the small company has been handcrafting custom boards for more than 30 years. The small team builds the high-performance wares layer-by-layer, without the additional aid of computers or even a pneumatic press, sourcing materials from local vendors and the nearby region. The exact design of the board is more-or-less based on your specifications, taking into account your desired shape, camber profile, and a flex pattern to match your riding style. You then choose the hardwood topsheet, each of which is combined with a high-performance epoxy and designed to capitalize on the responsiveness of the hard maple and white ash cores. Black sintered graphic bases and hand-filed, hardened steel edges add to the appeal, providing speed and tuning longevity on the slopes, while multiple layers of stitched triaxial fiberglass and bulletproof Kevlar endow the boards with enhanced rigidity and elemental protection.
Related: This board + backcountry powder = pure joy
Igneous boards don’t come cheap, though. A standard offering, whether you opt for the Wolfman, Straightline, or Dark Star design, will set you back a cool $1,200. Moreover, each board takes anywhere between two and four weeks to properly build and ship, so plan ahead lest you want to be left out in the cold with no board on which to rip. Few things in life can taunt you more than fresh powder and a little bit of time to spare.
Check out Igneous Ski and Snowboards online to place an order or for more info. The company also provides tuning services and instruction, if requested.
