Gettin to know Smokin' Snowboards

Shift'D Union recently had the pleasure to hit up Smokin' Snowboards Founder, Jay Quintin and ask him some questions regarding his company and himself.  If you've been paying attention then I am sure you've seen their name mentioned within categories such as "Good Wood" winner or "Platinum" picks, etc.  We are a HUGE fan of Smokin' and we appreciate everything they represent in snowboarding, from their core values to their high quality boards.  Smokin' Jay is a super cool dude and an OG in this industry!  We are honored he would take the time to answer some questions.  From one company to the next, to you!

So here you go, get to know Smokin' Jay Quintin and his company Smokin' Snowboards:

 

1)    Yo Jay, when and where did Smokin' Snowboards originate? 

Jay:  I pressed the first Smokin’ Snowboard in a garage in Truckee Califonia in 1994.  I had designed my pro model from Black Flys with Jason Caines who at the time was already an established board designer.

2)    What made you want to start making snowboards and how difficult was it to start?  Did you already have experience with making boards or were you learning as you went?

Jay:  What made me want to was a desire to own my own destiny and be able to take my new found knowledge from my first board designs and translate that into multiple shapes.  I had learned to design shapes with the creation of my first board so the whole thing was a learning process.

3)    Was Smokin' started by just you or were there others involved?

Jay:  Smokin’ was originally started by me (Smokin’ Jay Quintin) and to this day is still solely my company.  I have many dedicated employees that take pride in the company as if it were theirs and we all share in our victory’s - big and small.  Smokin’ Snowboards has never been for sale or open to investors so it remains to this day a completely independent brand. We have turned down offers.

4)    How did you come up with the name Smokin Snowboards?

Jay:  In November of 1990 International Snowboard Magazine published an article written by shred photographer Trevor Graves titled “A Smokin Jay”.  It was my first article in a magazine and instantly the nickname was born. When it came time for me to start making my own snowboards in ’94  it only made sense to give it the namesake which had become my trademark.

  

    5)     Give us a little background info on you, Jay Quintin, Founder/CEO of  Smokin'  Snowboards?  Like where you from, what mountain is your home town  mountain, how many years have been riding, riding style, etc..?

Jay:  I was born and raised in Montgomery Center, Vermont.   My home town is right down the street from Jay Peak so growing up in that environment had a huge influence on my  involvement in winter sports, I started skiing at two. I was THE first snowboarder to ride Jay Peak and am actually named after the resort.  My dad was the first ski patrol at Jay, and my family still owns and runs Grampa Grunts Lodge.  I first stepped on a snowboard 27 years ago at a trade show in Toronto at age twelve. Since day one I have always been about riding everything on the mountain and looking at it like a giant skatepark.

6)    Today, Smokin' is a real contender in the snowboard world.  You guys have fans all over the world and recently were one of the competing brands on Snowboarder Magazine's Battle of the Brands.  Did you ever think that it would go this far for you?

Jay:  Wow.  Thanks for the compliment.  We love our fans from everywhere and appreciate the support.  We were honored to be a part of the Battle Of The Brands this year and were pretty happy with how everything turned out.  Capita put together a solid edit and deserved the win for sure but we gave them a good show with a great turnout of votes.  I’m not sure how far I thought this would go for me.  I know the brands success is up to me and all I want to do is create the best product I can for snowboarders world wide.  With our growth has come new opportunities and possibilities and we definitely are doing our best to grow and improve with them. 

7)    Smokin' Snowboards is one of a handful of brands that makes boards here in the US.  What's your factory like and how many people work for you?

Jay:  Our factory has grown with us.  We started out in a garage and then moved to a basement. From there we went to a Quanza hut from WW2, but the one we are in now is amazing.  We have a 5,000 square foot factory stuffed with our entire production facility where raw materials go through every step to becoming snowboards.  All of our office facilities are in the same place as well which makes for a pretty efficient chain of communication between all 12 employees.

8)    Magne-traction is the real deal!  How did you guys work it out with Mervin to use their patented masterpiece?  You and Mervin are the only ones right?

Jay:  Magne-Traction is the business for sure.  Mag changed snowboarding forever and we are beyond stoked to have the technology licensed to us by our good friends over at Mervin. I rode for Lib-Tech in the 90’s and have always had a great relationship with Mike and Pete.  Mervin started out as a garage brand way before Smokin’ so they appreciate the love and effort it takes to be a presence as a US manufacturer, and I think that is the link that brought us together with the Magne-Traction deal. 

9)    You guys also make skateboards.  When did you get into skateboard production?

Jay:  The Smokin' Street Slayer skateboard program came about a little over a year ago at our annual event “The Gathering” in Vermont.  Manufacturing skateboards came up in a discussion and it was literally a holy shit moment when we realized what we could do.  It’s almost impossible to find snowboarders that haven’t ridden a skateboard and I am no different. I grew up skateboarding but had become so submersed in snowboard manufacturing that I didn't realize I had not only built a snowboard factory full of stuff to make snowboards but I had inadvertently also built a skateboard factory full of stuff to make skateboards. The rest came pretty naturally.  What skateboarder or snowboarder wouldn't want to make their own of both?

10)    Out of all the boards that you have made, which one means the most to you and why?

Jay:  I can’t answer that question with a definitive model.  Everything new and old is so exciting to me.  I love the time tested performance of models like the Vixen, KT22 and SuperPark but I get equally stoked on new stuff like the Awesymmetrical.  It’s tough, I have ADD you know. 

11) Graphics on a board is a big deal and you guys have some super dope graphics!  Any artists you would like to shout-out?

Jay:  We have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Joe Fontaine, Pinky Taylor and Dave Doman for years now. Our new creative director is RV, and he doing an incredible “ face lift” we have been needing as we continue to grow the brands. We are adding some new artists to the mix as well as keeping with the existing guys and things are looking fresh as usual moving forward.

12) Biggest accomplishment to date at Smokin' Snowboards?

Jay:  That as a private and rider owned brand we have become a legitimate player in the snowboard industry and we are still growing.

13) How many riders do you guys currently sponsor? 

Our Pro Team consists of:

Lane Knaack

Deadlung

Kyle Clancy

Max Weinberger

Jeff Kramer

Colin Langlois

Corey Noble

Joakim Rasmussen

Sakari Lahdesmaki

Jordan Wells

Jake Rose

Our Am Team is:

Devin Allen

Bryce Salazar

Matty Mo

Ryan Arrington

Matt Busedu

Cody Potter

Alex Dos Santos

Kaleah Opal Driscoll

Jay Britton

Grey McCalla

Austin Visintine

Taelor Mattingley

Hailee Mattingley

We also have regional riders who work with our reps, and distribution partners worldwide.

14) Who's Buck Ferton?  I have his board and it's fucking dope!

Jay:  I don’t want to talk about Buck. He went missing this last spring.  Nobody has seen him but we keep getting cryptic emails from him and a graphic was submitted for his model for next year and it looks like he may have gotten mixed up in some black magic or zombie type stuff.

15) Plans or goals for the future of Smokin' Snowboards?

Jay:  We just want to continue to grow organically and produce better product each year.  We are constantly cooking up new shapes and designs and each new technology and idea always meets or exceeds our expectations.  With the addition of Smokin’ Street Slayers and our new Square Wheel Co. we are creating new and exciting possibilities.

16) Your 2014 boards have just been released.  Tough question here... out of the lineup, which one is your favorite?

Jay:  That is a tough one.  I am always excited about every board in the line but the new Awesymmetrical is amazing and the SuperPark with our new TTX is off the hook as well.  Those two boards have been my main rides all winter.

17) Ok Jay, last question...  Who's your favorite rider and why?

Jay:  Jamie Lynn.  He has hands down my favorite style.   I remember his parts in Roadkill and the Volcom vid. Alive We Ride and they would still hold up today and forever.  Jamie’s style is timeless. He is a great person as well as a great rider.

Alive We Ride teaser:

Jay, as always, thank you so much for your time!  Keep on that grind and we'll keep reppin you the best way we can!  

To support Smokin' Snowboards connect with them at:

Website:    www.smokinsnowboards.com
Facebook: facebook.com/smokinsnowboardsusa
Facebook: facebook.com/smokinstreetslayers
Facebook: facebook.com/SquareWheelCo
Twitter:     @smokinsnowboard
Instagram:  @smokinsnowboards

Eminem - Survival

Yoooo, here's new Eminem song called Survival! Supposedly, this song will be on the Call of Duty video game as well as Eminem's upcoming album. Check it out and be on the lookout for more from Eminem!

Shift'D Mid-Summer Collection Video

We thought we should start putting some videos together of our Drops.  In this case it's the Mid-Summer drop.  We also threw in some other images in the video that went down this Summer.  Enjoy!

Snowboard on the Block

We are sooo stoked for this block party!  If you are in any way as much a fan of the sport of snowboarding as we are, then you need to go!  It will be beyond epic!  Here's the low down directly from the good folks of Snowboard Colorado:

Just a little over a month out for Snowboard on the Block on Saturday, 9/14 in Denver, Colorado. This is going to be an all day inside/outside event with three stages of bands and brand new snowboard videos showing all day long from Absinthe Films, Videograss, Think Thank, Burton Snowboards, Never Summer Industries, YES.,and so many more! We'll also have a core shop super sale, photography gallery and a competition featuring some of the best riders in the world! Don't miss it! Get your tickets now through Ticketmaster or TicketWeb http://www.blockfestival.com/tickets/

Battle of the Brands Dispute

Ok ok, so I am sure you have seen us post updates throughout this competition regarding the Battle of the Brands.  If you haven't then let's sum it up real quick:

Every year, Snowboarder Mag puts on a contest pitting the biggest known snowboarding brands against each other. The brands participating in the 2013 BOTB are: Burton, Bataleon, CAPiTA, Never Summer, DC, Nitro, Giro, DAKINE, Mervin Manufacturing, Arbor, ThirtyTwo, Quiksilver, Ride, Volcom, and Airblaster.  These fifteen brands will fight to the finish in a three day, bracket-style elimination rounds until a winner prevails at the end of the summer. Viewers will be able to vote for the video they like the best, however, voters will only be able to cast one ballot in each round, so they must choose wisely.

Now fast forward to today and we are in the final round.  It's Never Summer vs. Arbor!  Both of these brands are real legit, solid brands.  Never Summer has always prided themselves on making extreme quality boards right here in the good ol US of A, head quartered out of Denver and not focusing on excessive promotion and hype.  They have a very solid fan base and dub themselves as the NS Army.
Arbor prides themselves on using Eco-consious materials and being more Eco-friendly when making their boards.  They always have killer graphics and super dope wood veneer top sheets.  Their boards are great quality and have been known to be poppy and very playful.  They also have a solid apparel line!  Arbor makes their boards in Dubai but are head quartered out of Cali. 

Since the start of this final competition between these two, NS has been all about how they manufacture their products right here in the homeland with very little or no focus on the video or the riders involved (Seems like they are sticking to their guns on not focusing on excessive promotion & hype for the riders).  Their marketing campaign is strictly USA production and they also are really quick to share that Arbor is not manufactured in the USA, but in Dubai.  See image below from NS and their recent FB post:

Arbor on the other hand has been focusing on what the main point of the competition is, by voting for the best video! Here's an example of what they have been posting on their FB page:

Now, this is a contest regarding who has the better video, not who is made in the USA.  NS has made this a political movement of sorts based on roots and has strayed away on focusing on the core of the competition, which is the video.  All of a sudden, Never Summer's faithful is starting to get.... upset.  See their comments below:

 Wow, this is getting interesting, but, let's break this down a couple of ways.

1) This is a contest called Battle of the Brands.  What this means is that regardless of the video content people are going to vote for the brand they love most, right?  If you ask yourself, why do people like NS/Arbor?  The answer could be because they make great quality boards, or they are from Rado, or they are eco-friendly, wood veneer boards, whatever.. The brand that wins will take it due to their faithful and the product they stand behind, generally speaking.

but...

2) Being that this is a video contest, maybe it should be called Battle of the BEST Edit and not Battle of the Brands..  This way companies like NS can really start this project with the end result in mind, this being a solid video edit.

This will be interesting to see who wins.  They both are neck-in-neck and looks like Never Summer has just regained the lead.  However when Arbor tied it up, they started feeling pretty confident in themselves.. (Notice they are even calling it "Best Video"):

 
Here at Shift'D Union we are fans of both brands, and yes, we do ride both brands boards, but I do have to say that Never Summer may want to rethink their marketing campaign as it's very obvious they are killing off some of their fan base.   A lot of people don't care if they manufacture in Colorado, they just care about the quality of their boards.  If Never Summer loses, this could have a play in it.  However, if NS wins then they are smarter than everyone else by really engaging the brand core & values into their campaign, which no other brand did..  In a sense, NS is being different and doing something nobody else is doing...

An alternative marketing strategy for NS is really think about what the main point of the competition is, that being a solid, creative video edit, and yes, using excessive hype and promotion for their riders and not just where they are from.  The "A vote for NS is a vote for America" slogan and slamming Arbor because they are manufacturing in Dubai is something people aren't thinking to highly of.

On the other hand, Arbor is saying "Vote for the Best Video" which is the premise of the competition, and they are marketing as such.  But again, it's called Battle of the Brands. 
Regardless of the best video, you are voting with your heart and who you love more based on the brands products.

So what do you say, are you voting for best video edit or best brand?  Is Never Summer smarter than everyone else here??  We will find out Sunday night at midnight...

Watch both videos below and then VOTE HERE if you haven't.  I would say watch both video's to decide, but you will probably vote for the brand you like the most regardless of the video edit.  And if not, good for you for sticking to what the competition is about.  After all that is what this is about, or is it??
*Voting ends Sunday night at 11:59 AM.  




Battle Of The Brands 2013: Arbor from Snowboarder Magazine on Vimeo.


Battle Of The Brands 2013: Never Summer from Snowboarder Magazine on Vimeo.

35% off all Lids!

Yep, it's that time to freshen up and replace that crusty ol lid with some fresh and crispy Shift'D Union snapbacks or 5 panels.  All you have to do is enter in discount code: LIDS35 at checkout.  Enjoy and as always, thanks for reppin Shift'D Union!

We also have our popular Shift'D Union Camo'd 5 Panel in the mix:

If you haven't already done so follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

Team Shift'D!

Non-English Speaking Help

So this is really random but we need your help!  Here is what's going on.  Shift'D Union Clothing Co. is a part of a competition against over 500 other brands to be one of the featured brands at the largest fashion show convention in the world.  Yeah yeah, I know, we are not "fashion", we are "style" but whatever.  This event is for clothing brands!

We entered the brand in Skillshare under the tutelage of Jeff Staple (clothing brand icon and owner of Staple Designs).  Jeff's company will review our brand and everyone else and make the decision on 8/22/13 and determine who is #1.  One of Jeff's requirements is to have 5 people who are naturally non-english speaking to say your wordmark logo out loud and video record it.

So we need your help!!  

If you have a family member or a friend, or know someone who knows someone, hold up our logo and ask them to read it out loud all while video recording it.  (The goal here is to see how they pronounce it and how close or far off they sound.)  When you record the video, introduce yourself and the person who will say the logo out loud, then ask them to say it out loud and that's it.  Lastly, upload the video to You Tube or Vimeo and send us the link.  We only need 5!  Once you send us the link, we ship you out a free Shift'D Tee!

Side Note:  We feel that we have a really great shot to be the featured brand here.  We are the only real shred threads clothing brand out of all these other brands.  Everyone else is either hip hop or street wear similar to so many brands that already exist.  We feel we are the one of a kind, unique brand that can make a very LARGE impact and Staple Design team should recognize this.

THANK YOU for your help.  Stay Shift'D!