One great thing about being a small-batch shaper is having the ability to be agile with ideas, design and materials. It has always been my mission to keep things interesting. Incorporating cool stories, unique material sources and funky, functional shapes into a snowboard is what makes a Franco Snowshape a Franco Snowshape. This fall will be no different!

Last year at this time we harvested beetle-killed whitebark pine from the slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The pine beetle infestation was an unfortunate consequence of consistently warm winters throughout the Rocky Mountain West. Millions of standing dead trees now wait to burn. We harvested trees situated near valuable structures, assisting these structures to avoid potential future catastrophe. The trees were then shaped into beautiful top sheets, each one unique and handmade. It was this idea that sparked this fall’s mission…to fabricate snowboard cores from Amish-harvested ash trees.

I was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a city where most of my family still calls home. Altoona is nestled in a valley between the Allegheny Mountains, and is surrounded by every hardwood imaginable. I have always wanted to connect my old stomping grounds (the place where I first fell in love with snowboarding) to what I'm doing today.

When I visited Altoona earlier this summer, my brother Joe told me about the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle that is killing millions of ash trees along the entire eastern US. He told me about three beautiful ash trees in his backyard, one was nearly gone and the others were infested with disease. Joe asked me if I could use any of the wood if he chose to harvest the trees. I realized that we could, again, take a very bad environmental disaster and create something beautiful. But since I didn’t have the time to return to Pennsylvania to harvest and mill the trees, I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

During our visit, my wife requested a tour of some nearby Amish farms. The Amish communities always fascinated me, with barn raisings, perfectly made furniture, fine quilts and remarkable craftsmanship. As we drove from one Amish farm to another getting delicious baked goods and fresh organic veggies, we passed an Amish wood mill. BAM! I now had an idea of how to solve my milling issue, by enlisting some of the finest woodworkers in the world! Now I needed to find an Amish mill willing to work with me. After some time and negotiation, my brother Joe managed to find a willing mill about 10 miles from his house. Joe felled the worst tree in his backyard and brought it to the mill.

This is how the beginning of the Amish-milled, brother-harvested, backyard-sourced ash cores for Franco Snowshapes was started! All I need to do now is travel back to Pennsylvania to pick up the wood. Mom, Dad and the rest of the family, I will see you this fall! Here's to new adventures and another great winter!

Sincerely,

Mikey