Your Cart is Empty
It’s amazing how stoke drives innovation. For years, we chased perfect rides across endless landscapes, tweaking boards and fine-tuning our gear, all in the quest to keep that fire burning. I can still remember the moments that fueled our journey at Elevated Surf Craft—those little moments of pure connection between rider, board, and mountain.
Back in the early days, we found ourselves riding in an area that had been mostly forgotten. People didn’t have the right gear to access it, but we did. We started carving this untouched terrain and, in doing so, formed our little niche group, the “Chair Four Crew.” It felt like discovering hidden treasure, something incredibly special born out of simplicity and Stoke. It wasn’t about reinventing the wheel; it was about tweaking existing designs just enough to unlock a new level of experience.
Those boards we made back then are still being ridden, with the original design—the “Soul Rider”—standing as a testament to our pursuit of bliss. A board made for effortless powder glides, it became the go-to for the crew that just wanted to cruise in their own personal heaven.
As the seasons and conditions changed, we had to adapt, just like any rider does. At the time, twin-tip all-mountain freestyle boards were dominating the market, because they could handle a variety of terrain and riding styles decently well. But they didn’t excel at anything in particular. We, however, were seeking something more—a board that could master the powder.
Initially, we poured our energy into wide, deep-swallow powder boards. But by the end of January that year, the snow stopped falling. Weeks passed without fresh powder. We soon realized that while those boards were phenomenal in deep snow, they became a bit much on groomers. So, back to the shaping bay we went. We pared down the width while maintaining enough room for our boots and tweaked the design so it could carve groomers as well as float in powder. We weren’t designing for one condition anymore—we were designing for an experience.
When you lock into an edge and carve groomers from heel to toe, it’s like finding the perfect rhythm, not necessarily going fast but riding with momentum, precision, and flow. Spring came, and we were still riding groomers, having as much—if not more—fun than we had in the powder. It felt almost blasphemous to admit, but could groomers be just as fun as powder?
Before long, I realized something important: we didn’t need to ride all day. By nailing those pristine morning sessions—whether it was carving fresh corduroy or surfing fresh powder—we’d fill our cups by midday. We’d get that perfect ride in just a few hours and call it a day, leaving the bumpy, choppy, overpopulated terrain for others. That realization became a game-changer in both our design philosophy and how we approached our days on the mountain.
But, as conditions grew choppier, we faced another challenge—broken tails on those deep-swallow powder boards. Some of the crew wanted to ride them all day, even in mixed conditions, and the boards just couldn’t hold up. It was then that I realized we needed something that could handle more than just ideal conditions.
That’s when the next evolution came. We started researching older designs—what was Tom Sims doing back in the day? How did guys like Terry Kidwell transform shapes from swallowtail boards into something freestyle riders could use to jump and jib? We drew inspiration from these legends and soon started blending old-school elements with modern needs. That’s how we developed the Hawk, later known as the Red Tail Hawk.
The design was inspired by nature, by biomimicry. Like a hawk adjusts its tail to shift in the wind, our boards now could adapt to dynamic movements. The Red Tail Hawk wasn’t just a directional powder board anymore—it was versatile, playful, and solid for freestyle maneuvers too. This was no longer about finding one board that did it all; it was about creating different boards for different conditions, just like a golfer uses different clubs for different shots. Our boards became like an artist’s toolkit—each shape with its unique purpose.
As we continued shaping, our designs expanded. It wasn’t just about snowboards anymore—it was snow-surfing craft. This is where Elevated Surf Craft truly took off. We embraced the mindset that snowboarding, like surfing, should be about adapting to the environment and conditions with the right tool for the job. Each board became an expression of that vision—a finely tuned instrument designed to surf the mountain.
The more we pushed into this creative realm, the more we connected with others who shared our stoke. The DIY movement grew around us, with people crafting their own boards, searching for something that reflected their unique style. It reminded me of the backyard shapers from surfing’s early days, when mass-produced longboards dominated the scene until radical riders started making their own boards to fit their needs. They went smaller, faster, more dynamic—and the sport transformed.
Now, we’re in a similar golden age for snowboarding. There’s a board for every taste, every rider, and every condition - a snowsurf quiver. And the best part? You don’t need to convince anyone else of what’s right for you. You ride what works for your style, your terrain, your experience.
The future’s wide open, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.