Winterstick Snowboards welcomed pro snowboarder and entrepreneur Seth Wescott to its ownership group and unveiled plans to develop a custom snowboard workshop at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, ME.
The “Original Snowboarding Company” has secured its own manufacturing equipment and will continue their proud tradition of producing American-made boards in their first workshop in the spring of 2016.
Winterstick will transform an old barn on West Mountain at Sugarloaf into a state-of-the-art, custom snowboard shop that will serve as the epicenter of their signature designs and handcrafted boards, featuring Maine-sourced lumber and rooftop solar panels to deliver clean energy to the shop. Winterstick’s new base of operations will also feature access to West Mountain chairlift from the shop, becoming the only snowboard or ski manufacturer to have direct, mountain-lift access.
“The history of Winterstick is long and storied, and we believe Seth is a great addition to our ownership group as we enter the brand’s next chapter,” said Tom Fremont-Smith, president, Winterstick. “We share a passion for snowboarding and Maine, and the opportunity to combine our knowledge to develop our own facility at Sugarloaf Mountain is personally rewarding for all of us. We look forward to helping drive economic growth in Franklin County and the state of Maine for many years to come.”
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 that received immediate fanfare during the 2014-15 testing phase.
“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. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I am well aware of the tremendous resources that the people and businesses of Maine have to offer, and I believe the collective potential with the shop at Sugarloaf will be a beneficial endeavor for all of us.”
“Sugarloaf has been home to many of snowboarding’s pioneers, including Seth, so a partnership like this makes perfect sense to us,” said Karl Strand, Sugarloaf GM. “We’re excited to be working with Winterstick, and about the opportunities it will provide to our guests and to snowboarders around the globe.”
Winterstick’s product line features the Swallowtail, the quiver of one ST Series, and signature pro models from Tom Burt and Seth Wescott. All boards are hand-crafted and made in the U.S. Boards are available for order online at www.wintersrick.com.
Winterstick was founded by Engineer and snowboarding enthusiast Dimitrijie Milovich Swallowtail, 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, Seth 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.
