Snowboard Saga Chapter 1: First Ride, Last Frontier
By Alex Andrews, FOW
Kenai Fjords, AK. Photo: Sean Black (@seanblack.seanblack, @blackkoles)
Hello fellow earth surfers! Thanks for joining us in this journey. I’m excited to share some insights on the process of developing WNDR Alpine’s first splitboards and snowboards. When I started this adventure, I didn’t know much about using materials derived from microalgae and what benefits they might have. I did know that science was rad, and that using renewable resources is more beneficial for the planet and playground we all love. Below is my first interaction with the first splitboard prototype from WNDR Alpine. I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more to follow.
April 1st, 2021
Alaska bound with the first WNDR Alpine Prototype Splitboard, hand made here in SLC, Utah. Coincidentally, this trip lined up perfectly with a boat excursion in Alaska that my closest friends and I had planned to Surf and Snowboard on remote islands. I couldn’t think of a better place and time to test out a new split-board. Despite being a bit nervous to step on a board I had zero history with, I still had faith knowing Daniel Malmrose had hand built this board. Daniel is a snowboard building legend and industry veteran.
From the start we knew that we wanted a split board that would tour as good as it rides. We want performance in big terrain while maintaining a surfy ride. This first prototype has a unique shape and wider waist width than most boards in the 156 cm size range. Also, this is the first time I got to see microalgae in action! This was extremely exciting since I was curious how it looks, feels, and performs. The crew let me pour the first core with the Algal Tech palette of materials currently used in skis. At this point, the science is way above my head on how they can take a colony of cells to make an oil, then turn it into a polymer…It’s mind melting and really cool. The core consists of cross blocks between the feet with 4mm of camber and early rise, followed by 2 layers of triax glass for responsiveness and stability riding bigger terrain. The crew hustled to get this done for the trip and I appreciated their hard work!
Salt Lake City, UT. FOW: Alex Andrews // Photo: Pep Fujas (@pepfujas)
Salt Lake City, UT. Dane Weister, Daniel Malmrose, Garrett Witmer, and Mouse Joice // Photo: Alex Andrews (@therealfrothpuppy)
April 4th, 2021
Here I am in Alaska, on a boat in the middle of the open sea. I just got done surfing some fun waves with my best buds off a remote island with snow covered peaks in the distance. After a quick chat with captain Mike, of the Milo surf boat, we dropped the tender and made our way towards an untouched snow capped island in the middle of the Kenai Fjords. The plan was to ride a face we spotted from the boat which entailed bushwhacking our way to the ridgeline hoping to avoid large furry creatures. I was immediately impressed as I started my first strides on the board. It was well balanced under foot in tour mode and made smooth kick turns. I also noticed it was lightweight yet stable during my climb. Grimaces and surprised looks spread across the faces of the crew after testing the snow on the aspect we planned to ride. What looked like fresh pow was actually sun baked wind affected crust. This wasn’t necessarily bad news for me because I was stoked to ride the board in variable snow conditions to get a true feel for how it performs across the spectrum it was designed for. I was first to drop our line, and was pleasantly surprised. The first few turns felt nice and smooth but due to the boards width it took a bit more effort to get on edge. About half way down the slope the sun had taken effect making for some really fun corn to surf where the board thrived! All in all, my first ride on the split was responsive, and held well on the crusty aspect at higher speed. After a long journey back to the boat for dinner, I wrote down my initial thoughts and possible tweaks I’d like to make.
Kenai Fjords, AK. Photo: Alex Andrews (@therealfrothpuppy)
Kenai Fjords, AK. FOW: Alex Andrews // Photo: Sean Black (@seanblack.seanblack, @blackkoles)
Kenai Fjords, AK. Photo: Alex Andrews (@therealfrothpuppy)
Day two in Alaska, we sailed across the sea in hopes of finding some other terrain with better snow. To my knowledge, we were headed into uncharted territory for snowboarding. After a fair bit of choppy seas and an upset stomach we reached a beautiful fjord and immediately spotted a 1,200 vert couloir that went right to the ocean floor. I spoke with captain Mike and next thing I know we are on the tender again getting shuttled to the bottom of this beauty. Again the snow wasn’t ideal but it was a really unique and fun looking line. A little bushwhack and some Verts, we made our way to the top of the line. The entrance was tight and the snow was funky. I thought for sure I was going to ping pong down this line! As I entered the tight chute, I was yet again surprised with how the board handled the really tight turns. Especially in the less than ideal snow conditions. Again, the waist width of the board required some effort to get on edge, but I ended up making my way down without a tomahawk. I took more notes for tweaks we need to make, specifically the waist width which felt a hair too wide. I also felt that it could use a little more camber for snap in and out of turns. As far as the turning radius, length, and shape I was really hyped on it. Especially for a first snowboard out of the WNDR Alpine HQ I was frothing! A few more laps in Alaska then it was time to come home to Utah where I got to sneak in a few last minute powder days in the Wasatch!
Kenai Fjords, AK. Photo: Alex Andrews (@therealfrothpuppy)
Kenai Fjords, AK. Photo: Alex Andrews (@therealfrothpuppy)
Kenai Fjords, AK. Photo: Alex Andrews (@therealfrothpuppy)
Day two in Alaska, we sailed across the sea in hopes of finding some other terrain with better snow. To my knowledge, we were headed into uncharted territory for snowboarding. After a fair bit of choppy seas and an upset stomach we reached a beautiful fjord and immediately spotted a 1,200 vert couloir that went right to the ocean floor. I spoke with captain Mike and next thing I know we are on the tender again getting shuttled to the bottom of this beauty. Again the snow wasn’t ideal but it was a really unique and fun looking line. A little bushwhack and some Verts, we made our way to the top of the line. The entrance was tight and the snow was funky. I thought for sure I was going to ping pong down this line! As I entered the tight chute, I was yet again surprised with how the board handled the really tight turns. Especially in the less than ideal snow conditions. Again, the waist width of the board required some effort to get on edge, but I ended up making my way down without a tomahawk. I took more notes for tweaks we need to make, specifically the waist width which felt a hair too wide. I also felt that it could use a little more camber for snap in and out of turns. As far as the turning radius, length, and shape I was really hyped on it. Especially for a first snowboard out of the WNDR Alpine HQ I was frothing! A few more laps in Alaska then it was time to come home to Utah where I got to sneak in a few last minute powder days in the Wasatch!
Stay tuned for my next update where the WNDR Alpine crew heads to MT Hood, Oregon for some sun burns, record heat, and good times dissecting our second batch of prototypes for the WNDR Alpine snowboard division! Cheers, and I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!
- Alex Andrews, FOW
Become a snowboard development insider! Get updates on our progress, perks, and special offers before the public does.