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Green: Niche Snowboards
Erin Blaisdell
I got a chance to catch up with Ana Van Pelt the Co-Founder/Creative Director of Niche Snowboards. Even as a new company, Niche has been making a huge impact through innovation in board materials and construction techniques that reduce the harmful effects of snowboarding on our planet. Check out what she had to say and be apart of the green movement!
How did Niche get started?
I was working as an in-house graphic designer for an international logistics and management company, and Dustin Morrell came into the office of the company I was working for looking for investment. He had spent the previous year perfecting his board building skills, and I had a lot of ideas about what could be done with a snowboard company. I suggested that we could be the first company to be from-the-ground-up, completely eco-friendly. Dustin had been feeling that his home was being invaded by toxic chemicals that are used when manufacturing a snowboard, so our meeting was very serendipitous. Niche has definitely been a fusion of creative ideas and skillful craftsmanship that has resulted in something truly unique and fantastic.
What sets you apart from other companies with the same mission for a greener environment?
While some other companies have begun to utilize a few sustainable materials in one or two of their boards, we are the first company, from-the-ground-up, to utilize sustainable materials in every part of our construction throughout our entire lineup.
Niche Snowboards is 100% for the environment. What is your long-term vision for trying to decrease the carbon footprint and planet impact to help keep our winters longer? How are you working on this?
While we have already begun to utilize many new construction materials that have significantly lower impacts on our environment, our long-term goal is to find more construction techniques and materials that have even lower impacts on our environment. What we’re doing is most definitely a huge step in snowboard construction, but we’re not perfect. We want to continually try to improve ourselves and help further the environmental movement.
Niche has many creative materials in the construction of your boards. There are many environmentally friendly materials used in their construction that also benefit our riding just as good as companies that are using toxic materials.
What were some challenges you have faced trying to find the right materials that not only give us the board feel we need to make perfect turns, but also protect our mountains and minimize carbon footprint?
We went through many different prototypes before we came to the right combination of materials and the right board flex patterns. Admittedly, some much better than others. One of the biggest problems we initially faced was actually finding a manufacturer that was willing to work with us. Because our press time is slightly longer than other companies, most manufacturers were not willing to sacrifice their productivity. We were very lucky to get into GST. They were excited and supportive of us from day one, and most definitely share our values.
My favorite material used in Niche Snowboards is the “Hemp Hop” for pop and added stiffness. I’m sure our hippy loving tree huggers will like this one. How did you come across using “Hemp Hop” and how durable is it for our boards?
We were always interested in using hemp in some way, but my sister, Blair, was the person who first told me about BMW and Mercedes using hemp in their car door panels to replace carbon fiber. We spent many hours (days, weeks, etc..) researching the possibilities of hemp, and eventually found something that would work for use as stringers in the core.
Hemp is an awesome eco-substitute, as it is one of the most versatile, fastest growing crops in existence, requiring very little pesticides and no herbicides! The fibers in hemp are longer than most plant fibers, which make it stronger and more durable. Also, the hemp in our boards provides excellent vibration dampening! It’s a shame it isn’t utilized more often – it’s extremely versatile.
What’s your favorite board in the 2011 line?
Well, my favorite board is the Minx, which is our women’s board. What I really love about it, and the difference I’ve noticed between it and other women’s freestyle boards, is that it is much lighter than others and has virtually no swing weight. It’s awesome! Spinning is a breeze on that thing. And if you don’t happen to be the best or most consistent rider, it seems to be extremely forgiving.
Where can we find Niche?
We are very lucky to have Greg Hughes as our VP of sales. He has done a fantastic job connecting us to more places than we would have ever imagined. You will be able to find Niche at retailers across the US, Korea, Australia, Europe and Canada next season (2011/2012). However we are doing a special pre-release with Milosport, and right now you can find very limited quantities of 2 of our decks at Milosport in Salt Lake City and Orem. A lot of people were asking to buy boards from us, and we were very hesitant to sell them directly. We thought this would be a great way to get a few boards out and support our local shops.
How can our readers be apart of the movement to protect our winters and decrease their own carbon footprint?
There are so many little things you can do to help make a difference. You don’t have to be perfect – nobody is! Not even us. But doing things like recycling, shutting off lights when you can, riding your bike or carpooling can definitely make a difference!
Also, supporting companies that share your values rather than supporting companies that don’t positively contribute to our world is really important. As a consumer it has a much more powerful impact than one might think.
More about Niche at: http://www.nichesnowboards.com/
