Legendary Rider Tom Burt Steps into Owner Role for Winterstick Snowboards 08:26:2008
Telluride, CO – August 26th, 2008 – Winterstick Snowboards, long known for high-quality, high-performance big mountain boards, has tapped legendary rider athlete Tom Burt to promote and bolster the brand’s presence nationwide. Burt has been the face of Winterstick since 2002, and now steps into a role as part-owner, dedicated rider, and stake-holding brand ambassador.
Now in its second season of manufacturing with Wagner Custom, just outside of Telluride, CO, Winterstick is holding strong with a line of boards that are better than ever before, with Burt’s design input and Wagner’s hand-built to-order process.
Winterstick continues to focus on its core competency in big mountain riding, with the 2008-09 season line-up featuring the Swallowtail – the ultimate powder board- and the popular ST and Tom Burt models, optimized for steep, technical big-mountain riding through the professional rider’s feedback.
With Burt at the helm as rider/owner, Winterstick stays true to its mountain riding roots established 35 years ago, when Dimitrije Milovich, a displaced surfer living in Utah, shaped the first Swallowtail in an effort to carve some snow. Burt intends to raise the profile of the Winterstick brand, one that has been indelible despite its challenges before the 2001 acquisition by its current owners, Bigelow Mountain Partners, LLC of Freeport, Maine.
“Winterstick has always been the premier mountain ride board, and the brand has always been about backcountry and big mountain freeriding,” said Burt. “Since I joined Winterstick in 2002, we’ve been developing and improving a select line of boards true to the sport of mountain riding, and its growing market. As an athlete-driven owner, I’ll be transferring my strong connection to the brand as a rider to an even stronger connection to design and product, and refining our boards for optimal performance.”
Burt will work closely with Pete Wagner in Wagner Custom’s “micro-factory”, where each board is built by hand, allowing for Burt’s input and tweaks to make an immediate impact on board performance.
In the start of last season, Wagner Custom acquired a worldwide licensing agreement for the marketing, manufacturing and distribution of Winterstick snowboards. Wagner Custom produces Winterstick’s select 2008-09 season line, all produced on-demand and shipped direct to consumer. Winterstick snowboards are available exclusively through www.Winterstick.com.
Winterstick and Wagner Custom 08:31:2007
Freeport, Maine (July 30, 2007) - Bigelow Mountain Partners, owner and operator of Winterstick snowboards, and Wagner Custom, leader in custom ski fitting and design, are proud to announce a worldwide licensing partnership. For the coming 2007-2008 riding season, Wagner Custom will manufacture and distribute a select line of Winterstick products, including the grandfather of all snowboards, the Swallowtail. Wagner Custom, located just outside of Telluride, CO, produces high-tech skis and snowboards based on personalized fit and design, built from the finest materials and finished by hand in a clean and green shop powered solely by wind and sun.
“Winterstick is an incredibly durable brand with a fanatical following, and this partnership is an ideal way to build ultra high-quality boards for those who love the brand and the sport,” said Bigelow Mountain Partners Vice President Tom Fremont-Smith. “We’re very excited to have this season’s Wintersticks built right in the mountains of Colorado, just a few hundred miles from the Wasatch range in Utah where the very first Stick’s were built in 1972. This relationship represents a significant shift from the traditional OEM relationships Winterstick has maintained in the past, to a manufacturing partnership with shared costs, responsibilities and royalties, ensuring the health of the brand and a superior ride for its dedicated fan base. For the first time in our stewardship of the brand, we have a manufacturer with mutual interests and the dedication to build the highest quality snowboard available.”
Wagner Custom will begin pressing new Wintersticks this fall. To pre-order a board please visit www.winterstick.com
