Words by Taro Tamai, Founder
Terrain, snow conditions, and the size of a mountain. Every board has a unique riding experience -- even on the same slope. Your individual style influences your approach to a line. In the 1990’s snowboarding became an industrialized sport and we lost this sense of the unique approach. The media, globalization, and the mass production of boards… now all snowboards look alike.
Regardless, the true meaning of snowboarding has stayed the same. There will always be mountains, where the wind blows and the snow falls. We are still in search of undiscovered lines, and no one can take that away. Gentemstick sends out each of its boards with “distinct characteristics”, in an effort to provide the true potential of riding, and to bring back the lost values of snowboarding.
The boards are created from an unframed, freedom searching mindset, that is Gentemstick.
The shaping is the most essential factor in board design. The beauty of snowboard design is to create an ideal three-dimensional curve resulting from a harmonizing outline, bottom-line and the actual warping of the board when riding it. Gentemstick's commitment is to create a shape that allows a smooth and stable ride in powder or packed snow. In order to realize this concept, we have adopted classical designs, such as swallowtails, which were already established in the '70s, and modern designs driven by our own experiences.
The wave and the snow. These two elements are similar in that they're a high-purity contact point between the human being and the Earth.
For the past 25 years, I have been experimenting with a theory that ″surfing and snowboarding are mutually elevating their own evolution.″ The people that got interested in my boards were equally curious to see me going out surfing mirthfully in the middle of winter. Friends were first coming along in doubt, but it didn’t take long for them to fall in love with this activity as they experienced the powerful northern swells, beautiful breaks, and deserted line ups.
These phenomena are equally tranquil but fierce, sincere, and live in a world flooded with Love. From this natural world, I have learned and been inspired to a great extent. Yet, the best opportunities hide behind trivial events, and would slip through the fingers without a cautiously honed sensitivity.
I pay extreme attention before taking action and carving my own tracks, and infuse all I have in me to manufacture the boards.