You may have noticed the “different” looking snowboards in the shop – they are Moss Snowstick SnowSurfboards.
Here is some background / history on these amazing boards.
Moss founder Shinzo Tanuma was raised in a Japanese surf town. During his high school years he began to shape his own surfboards, and he went on to open the first surf shop in the area featuring “Moss Custom Surfboards”.
Shinzo’s passion for surfing evolved into a dream: to bring the joy of riding waves to the snowy mountains. In 1971 he crafted the first ever Moss Snowstick prototype, using construction techniques similar to surfboard shaping, thus sparked the birth of the world’s oldest snow surfing brand.
In 1979 the first snowboards were launched under the Moss Snowstick name. They featured a fiberglass construction and shapes designed to “surf the snow”.
Moss was also the first company to use “plate bindings” adapted from skis to be used with modified ski boots. This binding / boot combination enabled riders to achieve true carving turns on the mountain.
In 1982 Moss released the V-1 model which was the precursor to their signature U – Series boards, which remain relatively unchanged to this day.
In addition, in 1983 Moss developed the first “channel mounting system” that allowed riders to adjust their stance to fit their size and riding style.
There have been many other “firsts” in the past 50+ years.
By the late 1980’s Moss had incorporated current ski construction methods and also introduced alpine and freestyle models to the line up.
In the early 1980’s Moss also established the Japan Snow Surfing Association to help promote snowsurfing to the world. This included organizing many events and nurturing many talented riders, including Taro Tamai (who would go on to later found Gentemstick).
Since Shinzo Tanuma first envisioned it in 1971, they have been driven by the same passion to share the joy of snow surfing around the world. Moss crafts boards to gracefully paint the mountain with every turn and their dedication lies in perfecting the turn. Their distinctive approach and spirit shape each snowstick into a meticulously crafted, premium, all terrain snowsurfboard – revealing the best waves the mountain has to offer.
Easy Rider has become one of the largest Moss Snowstick dealers outside of Japan and we try very hard to honor Shinzo’s vision of furthering the stoke and excitement of Snowsurfing.
– Information from moss.com/History
