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Shaping Dreams
Surfing is not just a sport, it's a way of life and for lifelong surfer Aaron Lebowitz it's also his passion. He has dedicated his life to perfecting the art of building surfboards, skateboards and snow surf boards. Aaron set out with a vision to take the snow surfing experience to new heights and to replicate the experience by shaping his ownsnow surfing quiver. This dream was inspired by a perception-changing trip to Hokkaido, Japan.
"When we were in Japan, we saw riders moving in this way... and it looked like they were surfing."
Elevated Surf Craft Snowboards are best described by Aaron as, “Snowboards tailored to the trim line for high-altitude surfing. Each one is shaped to approach the wave of the mountain a little bit differently, and they are a type of exploration in vessels moving across water.” Aaron designs boards to inspire riders to find harmony between the terrain, the conditions, the board, and the rider.
Shaping is not merely a profession for Aaron, it all began with a dream, a seed of inspiration that took root and grew throughout his lifetime. In the following letter, Aaron shares the role of shaping as a means of expressing his vision, of attuning to nature's momentum and transcending beyond the boundaries of time and space. We delve into the lineage of shaping, from the early pioneers to the present-day craftsmen and the future of the shaping industry.
A Shaper’s ethos is imbued with a certain lineage. A form of cultural heritage passed down from one generation to another- be it directly or through collective consciousness.
It all began in a dream when I was about 10 years old. A recent transplant from the beaches of Malibu, I went from spending my days in the ocean to the snowy slopes of the Montana mountains. When I closed my eyes at night, crashing waves were replaced by a cascading creek, the visuals and feelings of the environments overlapped. Massive waves reeling across the bowls, open faces and gullies. An awe inspiring and terrifying display of nature’s raw power.
As if I had been plunged into the Pacific, I would half-wake — drenched in a saline sweat — and the dream world would persist upon my waking life reality.
The specialist called it night terrors —I now resolve it as a sort of divination— a prophetic vision devoid of time or space which plants a seed of inspiration, takes root and grows throughout one’s life.
I continue to have those types of dreams, less frequent and much less intense, but they will slip in like a rising tide and wash over all that used to be and lay a fresh pallet across the sand. Rather than fear and fight the uncontrollable, I have learned to lean in and participate lucidly, by hitching a ride on nature’s momentum.
Many shapes are derived from this place. In the dream there is a snowy slope pulsating and developing continuously as a wave of a certain pitch and speed, and I am moving along with it at a harmonious rate. The adaptive attunement happens through style and approach, along with the board underfoot. The flick of a thought shaves and sculpts the vessel to appropriate maneuverability and to best fit the pocket. The imagination is a parameterless space where design can flourish.
These dreams now occupy both my sleeping and waking life. In venturing to create a physical manifestation —in the workshop and at the mountain— to comprehend and fine tune the hydrodynamics of physics, while avoiding the hubris of recreating the wheel.
Herein lives the ancestral veneration of previous generations which continue to ring true. In our recent history, 50 years of snow sliding designs from Dimitrije Milovich to Tom Sims, Craig Kelly, Pete Wurster and Mikey Franco, Taro Tamai, Shinzo Tanuma and Eric Luthardt. 100 years of ocean surfing craft from Tom Blake, to Bob Simmons, Greg Nolls, George Greenough, Gerry Lopez, Al Merrick, Marc Andreini and Ryan Lovelace. We are developments of multi millennia of plant and animal evolution.
Yet there is still plenty of room to explore into the future. It is said that there is nothing new under the sun, just innovative combinations for alternative applications for creation.
Dreams are shaped by realities. Realities of surfing the snow have been presented to us through history of innovation. Thanks to these pioneers and their dreams, Elevated Surf Craft and our snow surfboards are what became of these innovative combinations of creativity. By simply dreaming, the master shapers and riders of these creations continue to inspire progression in all wave riding.
A shaper’s ethos is not just about creating a physical object. It is a connection to something deeper, a cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation. As Aaron continues to evolve and explore new designs, he remembers to honor and respect the past. Our dreams and imagination are powerful tools that can help us create innovative designs, but must always be mindful of the ancient wisdom that came before us. Carry the torch passed on by our ancestors, and continue to shape the future of board design with reverence and respect.
Aaron's love for surfing, combined with his talent for crafting unique and high-quality snow surf boards, inspired him to start Elevated Surf Craft. For Aaron, it's about offering a different approach and expanding the way riders see the sport of snow surfing.
“This is a continual ride whether or not you are actually on the wave, it's about being in motion and having a tool that best fits your motion. This great cycle of momentum starts with building something from imagination and tapping in before you access it. This is all about perception. How people view changing perspectives can be challenging because you have to re-envision what it means to interact with the mountain and the terrain. Working with equipment to focus the mentality and tap into the universal truth of how water moves helps to shift the mental perceptions.”
