Winterstick Snowboards will begin making its custom boards in house for the first time since the mid-1980s thanks to an investment by Scott Wescott, a former pro snowboarder who began designing boards for the company last fall.
The company announced last week that Westcott had recently joined the company’s ownership group by investing an undisclosed sum, which Winterstick will use to develop a custom snowboard workshop at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, ME. Winterstick has already secured machinery for the shop and plans to transform an old barn on West Mountain at Sugarloaf into a state-of-the-art, solar-powered custom snowboard shop. The shop, located within walking distance of the West Mountain chairlift, will make handcrafted boards featuring Maine-sourced lumber.
The company plans to make all its boards for the 2016/17 Season at the new workshop. Until then Wagner Skis of Placerville, CO will continue to manufacture its boards.
One of the most accomplished pro riders in snowboard cross history, Wescott has focused significant time as a professional athlete and backcountry enthusiast to designing and shaping his own boards that combine world-class performance with an infusion of freeriding style. He began working with Winterstick last fall to design his signature pro model Seth Wescott which debuts this season. “The opportunity to be an owner of a snowboarding company has been a lifelong goal of mine, and to do so with Winterstick is an absolute dream come true,” said Wescott. “As a snowboarder, the heritage of the brand, the innovation in developing specialized boards for people, and the commitment to freeriding is reflective of my personality and desires for the continued progression of the sport.”
Winterstick’s product line features the Swallowtail, the quiver of one ST Series, and signature pro models from Tom Burt and Wescott. The company was founded by engineer and snowboarding enthusiast Dimitrijie Milovich, who began developing snowboards in the Wasatch backcountry and patented the first modern snowboard, the Swallowtail, in 1972. The success of the Swallowtail led to the launch of Winterstick in Salt Lake City in 1976.
A three-time U.S. National Champion, nine-time Winter X Games medalist, four-time World Championships medalist, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Wescott is one of the most accomplished riders in snowboarding history and is widely regarded as an international ambassador for the sport. A native of Farmington, ME, he graduated from Mt. Blue High School, attended Carrabassett Valley Academy, and is a member of the Maine Sports Hall of Fame and co-owner of the popular restaurant “The Rack.”
He is a spokesperson for Maine’s “Take it Outside,” “Huts & Trails,” and “WinterKids” programs, serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Maine, and is an ambassador for Protect Our Winters and Level Field Fund. Wescott, a long-time Sugarloaf Mountain ambassador where he resides and trains, serves as host and course designer for the annual Sugarloaf Banked Slalom event, is a product testing and design partner for L.L.Bean, as well as a spokesman for Bern, Bolle and Norway Savings Bank.
