Competition season is underway.  We have put together a prelimary schedule of the competitions that our athletes will be competing in this season.  Going to be a big winter for the team!

January 4 – 8, 2012: Freeskiing World Tour, Revelstoke, British Columbia

• Alex Blais
• Richard Small

January 11 – 14, 2012: The North Face Junior Canadian Open Freeskiing Championship, Red Mountain, British Columbia

• Jon Whelan

January 14 -15, 2012: Gatorade Freeflow Tour, Vail, Colorado

• Danny Arnold
• Bryan DePauw
• Mike King

January 18 – 21: The North Face Canadian Open Freeskiing Championship, Red Mountain, British Columbia

• Richard Small

January 21 -22, 2012: Gatorade Freeflow Tour, Mountain High, California

• Danny Arnold

January 26 – 28, 2012: Freeskiing World Tour, Moonlight Basin, Montana

• Richard Small

January 28 – 29, 2012: Gatorade Freeflow Tour, Okemo, Vermont

• Sam Zahner

January 27 – 29, 2012: Whitewater Jr Freeski Open, Nelson, British Columbia

• Matt Ruta

February 3 – 5, 2012: Kimberley Junior Freeski, Kimberley, British Columbia

• Matt Ruta

February 4 -5, 2012: Gatorade Freeflow Tour, Brighton, Utah

• Danny Arnold

February 9 -12, 2012: North Face Park & Pipe Open, Northstar at Tahoe, California

• Danny Arnold

February 23 – 26: Aspen Open, Aspen, Colorado

• Danny Arnold
• Mike King

March 1 – 4: Lake Louise Junior Big Mountain Challenge, Lake Louise, Alberta

• Matt Ruta

March 1 – 3, 2012: Sprint U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth Mountain, California

• Danny Arnold
• Mike King

March 8 – 11, 2012: North Face Park & Pipe Open, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

• Danny Arnold

March 12 – 16, 2012: Revolution Tour, Mount Snow, Vermont

• Danny Arnold

March 17, 2012: Carinthia Open, Mount Snow, Vermont

• Danny Arnold

March 18 – 19: Wrangle the Chute, Kicking Horse, British Columbia

• Matt Ruta

March 22 – 24, 2012: Dumont Cup, Sunday River, Maine

• Danny Arnold
• Mike King

For more information on recommended mounting points and construction details for Epic Planks Skis and Snowboards, please refer to the following document:

Epic Planks Technical Specifications and Binding Mounting Information

We are stoked to be the title sponsor of the new webisode series “Family Vacation” on Newschoolers.  There will be six episodes of Family Vacation dropping this season, so stay tuned.  The first episode was posted on Friday and you can check it out here: Newschoolers Family Vacation Episode 1.

Danny Arnold just hit us up on text to let us know that he got 2nd place today in the Arapahoe Basin Rail Jam on his Epic Planks Spinners. Blue bird conditions and a blind switchup to kfed on a railbonk to down flat, got Danny to the podium.  Congrats Danny!

Photo by http://arapahoebasin.blogspot.com/2011/11/locals-day.html

Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 2, 2011—Founders Brewing Co. and Epic Planks announced the release of their collaborative skis and snowboards today.

“Founders and Epic Planks have so much in common,” says James Barber, one of the owners of Epic Planks. “We’re both about enjoying life and being more than just a couch decoration.”

“We really respect what these guys are doing,” adds Founders Brewing Co. President and CEO, Mike Stevens. “We only use the best ingredients in our brewery, because we know that’s what’s going to make the best beer, and Epic Planks has the same philosophy with the materials they use to make their boards and skis. A quality product takes priority over profitability and efficiency for both of our businesses.”

Founders has been committed to supporting innovative and unique active lifestyle initiatives for years. They have sponsored a local bike team for years; donated $20,000 in 2010 to jump start the efforts of Grand Rapids Whitewater, a local nonprofit looking to restore the Grand River to its natural state; and helped kicked off the inaugural Grand Rapids Urban Adventure Races held earlier this year. They saw this as an opportunity to support winter sports nationwide.

“The partnership just made sense,” says Founders Vice President of Marketing and co-founder, Dave Engbers.

The snowboard in the new Founders line comes in the Stash Park and Stash AMP models and incorporates artwork from Founders’ winter seasonal Imperial IPA, Double Trouble ($425 retail for both boards, including tax). The skis come in either Epic Planks’ first model and flagship, the Crop Duster, or the Vaporizer, and are designed based on Founders’ newest year-round beer, All Day IPA, which will be released in February 2012 ($745 retail for Crop Duster, $690 retail for Vaporizer; both include tax).

The first round of pre-orders must be turned in by November 15 for delivery in January 2012. Orders will be accepted at the Founders company store and their online gear site. Other stores may carry the skis in the future—so be on the lookout for further announcements. Those who are in the greater Grand Rapids area are invited to the taproom on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at 6pm, to pick up their skis and/or boards, snag some giveaways, and enjoy a one-of-a-kind, yet-to-be-announced, winter-sports-themed Founders beer on tap for a limited time only.

We have finished production on our 2012 Stash handcrafted snowboards and will begin shipping next week.  Now, on to pressing skis, which will start shipping in the next month or so.

The Epic Planks Stash is a snowboard that is handmade with attention to detail. This board comes in two distinct flavors: Stash AMP & Stash Park.

The Stash AMP is our reverse camber all-mountain snowboard.  With the Stash AMP, you get a stiffer flex than the Park model and triaxial fiberglass, which will float in powder, bounce off pillow lines like Super Mario, slay the trees, and carve up groomers. The Stash AMP is available in lengths of 157cm and 165cm.

The Stash Park is our reverse camber park snowboard. The Stash Park core and biaxial fiberglass provide a consistent buttery flex that shines on rails, pipe, urban, and booters.  The Stash Park is available in lengths of 148cm, 152cm, and 155cm.

For more information on handcrafted Stash snowboards from Epic Planks, check out: http://www.epicplanks.com/snowboards/

Here are a few photos of the Stash (shrinkwrapped and ready for shipping):

Heli skiing. Amazing.

Heli skiing in British Columbia. Unreal.

Heli skiing in British Columbia with a group of pro riders, film crews from Dendrite Studios and B4Apres Media, and writers from Untracked Guides? Un-freakin-believable. Sign us up for numero tres. Last season we had just such an opportunity at TLH Heli Skiing in Gold Bridge, BC, about 4 hours drive north of Whistler.

After getting lost in Vancouver as usual (“where is that effing Lion’s Gate Bridge?!?”), we made our way to Whistler-Blackcomb for a warm up, where Epic Planks team riders Jon Whelan and Danny Arnold made a day of putting their handmade Crop Duster powder skis through the paces, playing in the park, some blown out bumps, and leftover freshies in the trees. We’d missed a blower powder day by one day…. bummer, but not really that big of a deal when you’re going to be ogling 830,000 acres (100 times bigger than Whistler) of vast, powgasmic, thigh shredding, mind numbing terrain the next day.

Following Whistler, we met up with the rest of the group to make the trek to TLH Heli Skiing, including Epic Planks athlete Alex “Blazer” Blais, who caught our eye with his sweet segment in Dendrite Studio’s award winning ski film “Out Of The Shadows.” (buy Out Of The Shadows here) Throughout the trip, Alex kept us laughing by yelling “SHOWTIME!” just before dropping in on each run. Why? Most times when riding you can (and should) check out your lines more thoroughly than a quick pass-by with the heli. Here though, when dropping in with little recon, he thought each run could be a shit show. No matter. Throughout four days of exploring TLH Heli Skiing’s awesome terrain Alex shredded it, sending the Crop Dusters over pillows, off cliffs, and through blower powder that only heli skiing, snowcat skiing, or a lot of hard work can regularly get you too. His helmet cam footage was later shown in the lodge, Crop Dusters dancing though some seriously exposed terrain before stomping a 50-foot air that had everyone gasping. Good times.

Danny and Jon also had good showings, skiing big lines, running off cliffs with a bit more gas than necessary, and just enjoying hanging out with and learning from the other Dendrite athletes, including Maxim Arsenault and Matt Elliot, who are some very cool guys and amazing skiers.

Each day ended with Alex, Jon, and Danny lovingly caressing their Crop Dusters before tucking them into bed next to them. Just kidding. It was more a matter of dumping the skis in the gear room before killing dinner, and then Alex putting the hurt on Danny in a game of fooseball. It was an all around great time, more than contributing to the Epic Planks goal of putting our products to the ultimate test to make sure we’re providing the best quality product for your money. Get on some Crop Dusters this year and see why the guys in the ski movie industry are riding them.

Later,
Brian, Bill, and James

For those of you out there that are or want to make your own pair of handmade skis or a snowboard, we are selling off some of our surplus materials. These are some of the leftover ski building materials that we have on hand.  Head on over to the products section of the website and take a look at the selection.  If you have any questions, just comment on this blog post and we would be happy to help.  Here is a quick run-down on the surplus ski and snowboard materials that we currently have for sale:

Base Material:

• Blue Durasurf™ sintered base material. High quality, fast, and durable. 1.2mm thick by 345mm wide. Sold per meter.
• Get your 1980s on with some Fluorescent Green Durasurf™ sintered base material. High quality, fast, and durable. 1.2mm thick by 335mm wide. Sold per meter.
• Sand-colored Durasurf™ sintered base material. High quality, fast, and durable. 1.2mm thick by 330mm wide. Sold per meter.
• Yellow Durasurf™ sintered base material. High quality, fast, and durable. 1.2mm thick by 335mm wide. Sold per meter.

Steel Edges

• High quality steel edges, sandblasted for your maximum bonding pleasure.

UHMW P-Tex Sidewall Material

• White PTEX sidewall material. Each stick measures about 2.25” high x 0.5” thick x 65” long. Sold per stick.

Fiberglass

• Vectorply E-TLX 1900. Precut to 12.5″ for building your snowboard, kiteboard, or skateboard! With 0°/+45°/-45° strand architecture, this fiberglass is engineered for great torsional stiffness. Sold per meter in 12.5″ width.
• ectorply E-TLX 1900. Precut to 6.25″ to save you the extra step of cutting your glass lengthwise for your ski build! With 0°/+45°/-45° strand architecture, this fiberglass is engineered for great torsional stiffness. Sold per meter in 6.25″ width.

Tip and Tail Spacer Material

• White or black Durasurf™ tip and tail spacer material. White is 2mm thick by 328mm wide. Black is 2mm thick by 343 mm wide. Sold per half meter.

Epic Planks presents an evening of ski films and fun at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 26, 2011. The night will open up with Mitten Media’s film: One gLove, followed up with After Dark by Level 1 Productions.

To purchase tickets: http://www.grcmc.org/index.php?page=events&event_id=2969&tickets=1

RSVP and invite your friends to our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120913337993826

More information about Mitten Media’s One gLove:

The majority of the film was shot in Michigan, featuring mainly Michigan-based riders. Mitten Media is a collaboration featuring filmers: Judd VanMelle, Adam Milbocker, Thomas, Hollman, Mike Kvackay, and Frank King. Featured Riders include: Spencer Milbocker, Bryan DePauw, Jay Cook, Mike King, Ty Wellman, Kelly Shaheen, Danny Arnold, Teodor Day, Regan Teat, Jon Whelan, Chris Laker, and friends. One gLove was filmed on location at: Grand Rapids, MI; Bittersweet Ski Resort, MI; Cannonsburg Ski Area, MI; Marquette Mountain, MI; Milbocker and Son’s Construction, MI; Traverse City, MI; Breckenridge, CO; Keystone, CO; Mammoth, CA; Great Northern Powder Guides, Whitefish, MT; TLH Heliskiing, British Columbia, Canada.

More information about Level 1′s After Dark:

The earth turns and the sun disappears over the horizon. Flip the switch, and the lights go out. Slumber begins and the mind awakes, taking us to places we’ve never been and witnessing things not yet seen or imagined.
From the enchanted powder forests of Japan, the historic streets of Moscow, to the unthawed mountains of Western America, and everywhere in between – Level 1 invites you into our spectrum of reality to see a succession of images, visions, sounds, and sensations quite unlike those of the conscious world.

Experience it for yourself – our dream, our vision of skiing. After Dark.

Epic Planks presents an evening of ski films and fun at Inside Out Gallery in Traverse City, Michigan on November 5, 2011. The night will open up with Mitten Media’s film: One gLove, followed up with Attack of La Nina by MSP Films. This show will sell out! Discounted tickets are currently available via presale.

To purchase tickets:

RSVP to our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189294221120095

More information about Mitten Media’s One gLove:

The majority of the film was shot in Michigan, featuring mainly Michigan-based riders. Mitten Media is a collaboration featuring filmers: Judd VanMelle, Adam Milbocker, Thomas, Hollman, Mike Kvackay, and Frank King. Featured Riders include: Spencer Milbocker, Bryan DePauw, Jay Cook, Mike King, Ty Wellman, Kelly Shaheen, Danny Arnold, Teodor Day, Regan Teat, Jon Whelan, Chris Laker, and friends. One gLove was filmed on location at: Grand Rapids, MI; Bittersweet Ski Resort, MI; Cannonsburg Ski Area, MI; Marquette Mountain, MI; Milbocker and Son’s Construction, MI; Traverse City, MI; Breckenridge, CO; Keystone, CO; Mammoth, CA; Great Northern Powder Guides, Whitefish, MT; TLH Heliskiing, British Columbia, Canada.

More information about MSP Films Attack of La Nina:

MSP’s latest triumph, “Attack of La Niña”, chronicles the deepest North American winter in recent history. This new film follows in the footsteps of “The Way I See It”, MSP’s 2010 release and the most decorated ski movie of all time. “Attack of La Niña” showcases the talents of today’s best skiers in a journey through the snowiest winter of their lives. This action-packed film – captured using the most state of the art camera equipment available – demonstrates the limit of what is possible in modern freeskiing. Featuring super steep descents, unbelievably deep powder, and giant airs, “Attack of La Niña” will transport you to Colorado, Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, California, and many other world-class destinations.

“Attack of La Niña” features the tremendous skiing brilliance of: Mark Abma, Sean Pettit, Eric Hjorleifson, Rory Bushfield, Henrik Windstedt, Cody Townsend, Jacob Wester, Ingrid Backstrom, Bobby Brown, Gus Kenworthy, Richard Permin, Colby West, James Heim, Callum Pettit, Alex Schlopy, Russ Henshaw, and Torin Yater-Wallace.