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:
Colin Langlois
Jake Rose
Our Am Team is:
Bryce Salazar
Matty Mo
Matt Busedu
Alex Dos Santos
Kaleah Opal Driscoll
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
Shift'D thanks for the interview. I felt like I was sitting right there with you and what a cool experience to meet someone like Jay and feel that passion that he has for what he does.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to more interviews like this that really bring the sport to life.
Sweet. I want one.
ReplyDelete