Snowboarding
Five snowboard pro models that helped shape the identity of our sport.
Without graphics, snowboarding would be just another boring sport. As the sport’s popularity exploded during the early 1990s, snowboard graphics evolved rapidly: from cheesy ski and windsurf-style patterns into creative statements inspired by the trashy, disposable art of skateboard graphics. At the forefront of this was the pro model: blank canvases for the stars to express themselves, and a laminated masterpiece for their adoring fans to cherish.
So, of the dozens of memorable pro models we’ve seen over the years, here are five that we think deserve a place on any collector’s wish list.
1995-2016 Jamie Lynn/Lib Tech There are iconic snowboards, and there is the Jamie Lynn pro model. Jamie’s hand-painted artwork has been gracing Lib Tech snowboards for over 20 years now: no other snowboard series is as instantly recognisable, or inspires such passion in the nerdy souls of vintage collectors. Here, Jamie’s 2005-06 Phoenix pro model features the voluptuous blue-skinned lady, who is, unsurprisingly, one of his most popular recurring themes.
2005 Travis Parker UNorthodox/CAPiTA Back in 2005, CAPiTA was the coolest brand in snowboarding, and Travis Parker was the coolest nerd in snowboarding, thanks to his a) insanely stylish and creative snowboarding in the Robot Food movies and b) love of Rollerblading. For his debut pro model, Travis created the funnest graphics ever: hand-drawn diagrams of all the important grabs, along with clearly marked no-grab zones and an accompanying manual. Not only that, the UNorthodox featured the world's first-ever double Swallow Tail – putting CAPiTA ahead of today’s trend for funky shapes by at least five years.
1994 Haakon Air/Burton The mid 1990s were the golden age of snowboarding: that legendary bubble where the sport’s biggest stars signed million-dollar contracts, hung out with famous musicians and won inner-city big air contests with Backflips and 540s. Burton were the top dogs, producing a steady stream of huge-selling pro models. In 1994, a young Norwegian halfpipe prodigy by the name of Terje got his first pro model, turning his proud Viking heritage into one of the most memorable snowboard graphics of all time.
1993 Noah Salasnek/Sims Sims were the OG skateboard company-turned-snowboard brand, and Noah Salasnek was the pro vert skater who crossed over into snow, so this base graphic featuring a scraped skateboard deck was a seriously legit graphic. Launched at the peak of the ‘new school’ freestyle revolution, Noah’s smooth skate style and radical butter-and-bonk moves made him one of the biggest stars of the era, and this board remains one of the most sought-after by collectors.
1989 Craig Kelly Mystery Air/Burton In the late ‘80s the legendary Burton-Sims war was in full swing, with Jake and Tom battling for control of the booming and lucrative new industry. Craig Kelly was the sport’s biggest star, and when he jumped ship from Sims to Burton it signalled the beginning of the end of the war. Sims sued for breach of contract, and Craig was forced to spend his first winter on Burton riding an unbranded board. Unfazed, Burton proceeded to market the hell out of it as the ‘Mystery’ Air… game, set and match, Burton.
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