posted on: November 16th, 2021

What is it and why do we love it?

    Powsurfing; aka "powder surfing", or "snurfing", and "noboarding" for our Canadian friends, is in its simplest form, snowboarding without bindings. The original expression of sliding sideways on snow. Whether it was Sherman Poppen's snurfer from 1965 or the wooden "Petranboard" ridden by Turkish villagers 300 years prior, the original boards were designed without bindings.

    We have come full circle then, and have arrived back at the roots of snowboarding. After the introduction of bindings from Jake Burton, the progression of the sport was unstoppable, reaching heights unimaginable to the original innovators with quad cork rotations and Olympic recognition. So why remove the bindings, the key element to snowboarding's success, at the pinnacle of its progression?

    Only because we've benefited from snowboarding's advances over the last 30 years could we have arrived at this point. The metal edges, the bindings, the ski area access, have all provided a foundation of skills for us that was unavailable to the pioneers. The level of powsurfing we're achieving today, is a result of the comfort acquired from 20 years of riding strapped in.

The progression continues, only not in the direction of quad twisting triples or Olympic glory, but towards the timelessness of the powder turn.

    So why do we love it? It's hard to explain. It feels so damn good; the binding-less powder turn!! Neil and I will never go to the Olympics, and our triple cork days are long in the rear view. But through powsurfing, those satisfactory feelings of accomplishment, of risk and reward, of progression, run deeper than ever before.

    You see, powsurfing demands a level of intimacy with the mountain, with the snow, with your board, with your body, not found in traditional skiing or snowboarding. With it comes a heightened level of danger, enhancing those aforementioned feelings tenfold. The snow has to be right. In fact, it should be nearly perfect. This limited window of opportunity, combined with those enhanced feelings, leads to an appreciation for the moment that is as invigorating as it is refreshing.

Frozen crystals of ice drifting through the ether carry with them words from the cosmic mind. A wooden board, translates them into signals which travel through the body and into the brain, guiding the movements. It's a message from the trees... "We've been preparing this path for you. It has taken thousands of years and today it is ready. Come, make your turns here"

 From an early October storm, my brother rides a hand cut swallow tail snowboard with car mats glued to the surface for traction, producing a wave of snow.

One of those days...

Powsurfing is inclusive. You can sit, stand, use two paws or four.

High avalanche danger days are perfect for wiggling through the aspen groves

Certainly one of our powsurfing highlights thus far; filming for a Warren Miller movie. Together with Jeremy Jensen, founder of Grassroots Powsurfing, and our buddy Scotty Arnold, we spent 7 glorious days at Mustang Powder in the stunning Monashee mountains of British Columbia. Cat surfing and fine dining on Uncle Warren's tab was a dream come true!