This snowboard is strange, just like our friend Keegan, and that’s what makes it so awesome. It started as most things likely do- a joke over some beers.
Who wouldn’t want to ride a shorter, wider board with a psychotic looking nose and tail?! To do it right, we would have to made it super wide and at 27 cm that's pretty damn wide.
Now for the nose and the tail- we had to make it as crazy as possible! Keegan had just the answer for that- he brought in his bitchin’ pin tail surfboard (a favorite from his quiver), and we recreated the snowboard version of his surfboard.
The graphic was the most special collaboration of it all. Keegan’s artwork runs the spectrum of mediums. Graphite, colored pencil, acrylic painting, cut paper collage- basically anything that can be altered he has a unique perspective on making it his own. In that vein, he brought in a cut paper collage that was simultaneously strange and unique from old books and newspapers he had found, in addition hand drawn logos and a Jefferson Airplane poster. We scanned what he had to offer and started composing variations. The result? The Wampeater topsheet you see today.
So why the Wampeater? What's up with that name? Well Keegan is a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut’s work, Cat’s Cradle, and this was the best way to pay homage to that.
The best part of this board is that it rides unlike anything you’ve ever strapped into. The bend is flat between the feet with some mellow rocker in the nose and tail making it playful and loose. It turns on a dime, so easily that we often describe the feel as being like riding a skateboard with really loose trucks. The width, coupled with an insane sidecut makes it feel like you are riding a board that is 8-10cm longer than it actually is, so size down on this bad boy!
It was incredibly fun pairing Keegan’s creative vision and our engineering to create one of the most unique boards you'll ever ride. True to the Gnarly spirit, we only made this a limited run so do yourself a favor and add it to your quiver before its gone for good!
