| Industry | Skiing, Snowsports, Creativity, Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | New York, USA (1995) |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Website | www.lineskis.com |
Line Skis is a rider driven ski company dedicated to building quality skis and skiing equipment (poles, clothing, accessories) that pushes the sport of freeskiing to levels that inspires skiers to be more creative and expressive with their riding.
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Line Skis was founded in 1995 by Jason Levinthal. Unsatisfied with the skis being produced at the time, Jason set out to design a ski that veered away from the conventional design of the mid nineties (straight edged, flat tailed, heavy, stiff). He took inspiration from early snowboard construction that featured side cut and up turned tails (twin tips) for riding backwards and created a ski that was shorter, wider, and included the progressive aspects of the snowboard.
Jason Levinthal was decided that the ski industry wasn't providing the progression the sport needed to compete with the versatility and creativity of snowboarding. For a senior project at the University at Buffalo, NY, Levinthal utilized the school's wood shop to create a pair of skis that shared all the aspects of his snowboard. These included the deep side cut and equal height tip and tail. After college, Levinthal took over his parents' garage and by the end of the summer of '95 he was able to produce one pair of skis in an 8 hours.
Eric Pollard first met Jason Levinthal in the 90's. They met while skiing and Levinthal told Pollard that he should send him a video of his skiing because he made twin-tips that would interest him. Pollard did just that and since then the partnership has changed the way we perceive skiing. Eric Pollard has been leading the way in the progression of backcountry freestyle skiing with his style and creativity off the slope. Since partnering with LINE, Pollard has helped engineer some of the most radical advances in off-piste ski construction and design. He has had a hand in creating his own pro models which have become the go-to skis for people who want to be able to ski backwards and land tricks in powder that normally would be difficult without groomed terrain. His skis tend to be very wide and feature reverse camber, these allow for technical tricks to become more realistic in powder. Pollard not only designs the shape of a lot of Line's skis, but he also creates graphics for the topsheets. His unique designs have become a symbol of backcountry freestyle and creative expression throughout the freeskiing world.
Line Traveling Circus was formed in 2008 to bring the freeski community an expense free look at the adventures of Line Skis athletes Andy Parry, Will Wesson and videographer Shane McFalls as they travel the globe skiing every kind of terrain from actual resorts to back country to urban landscapes. The Traveling Circus is a monthly webisode that focuses on showing a stripped down side of professional and newschool freeskiing. Big production movies of freeskiing depict pros on extreme features usually set up solely for these high budget film companies. The average freeskier will rarely get the opportunity to ski these features. Line Traveling Circus dedicates their videos to showing their skills in situations any average freeskier can easily duplicate or get inspired by.
The 1260 was the first one hundred percent symmetrically shaped ski. This meant that it was the same forwards as it was backwards. It was a freestyle machine made for spinning and landing backwards. The equal height tip and tail also aided in the reverse landings and carving. Equal height tip and tail means that the tails are exactly the same height off the ground as the traditionally upturned tips. The twelve sixties also featured symmetrical flex which is equal flex in front of and behind the boot. This allowed the ski to bend and pop back into shape for easier popping and carving. The 1260s name refers to a 1260 degree rotation (3.5 spins).
In 2001, Line Skis and Eric Pollard got together to talk powder. They wanted a powder ski that broke away from traditional powder ski design. Most powder skis were only 105 mm underfoot at the time. The 130 is, believe it or not, 130 mm underfoot. This makes it one of the widest skis available. However, Pollard's idea of a powder ski did not stop at just powder. He wanted to be able to perform his tricks without being weighted down by heavy skis. A ski as fat as the 130 was an unheard of concept at the time. To help people get use to the idea, Pollard and Line designed the 130 to also be useful on not only deep powder, but on groomers and in the trees as well. It was lightweight so it surprisingly easy to manage and responsive to quick turns. Fat skis where never perceived the same again.
The Invader showcased a new concept that inspired a new way of riding in and out of the park. The Invader's progressive "Butter Zone" construction featured a thinner ski in front and behind the boot that allowed the rider to lean forwards or backwards to playfully "butter" around in most any condition. Buttering is the act of spinning around on ones tips or tails, picture butter being spread on toast. The ski tips or tails act as a slippery pivot point. Buttering opened up a new world of technical tricks. People began buttering off of jumps and onto rails and even using the technique to continue tricks after they landed them, a similar concept of reverting on a skateboard.
Eric Pollard was happy with the creation of The 130 and it became his implicit pro model. Not until 2007 did Pollard get a ski named after him. The EP Pro is a cornucopia of innovative features. First, they have Early Rise. Early Rise is describing the way the camber of the ski is reversed near the tip and tail. The skis have conventional upturned tips, but they are made higher off the snow by the actual flex of the ski being turned up gradually as it goes from binding to tip. This makes skiing forwards and backwards in deeper snow much easier to control. Another aspect of the EP Pro that helps the skiers control in the powder is the Early Taper. Traditional ski designs make the widest part of the ski at the tip, making it the last part of the ski to touch the snow before it upturns to the tip. Early Taper brings the fattest part of the ski back toward the boot and away from the tip. This gives more control and quick response from the ski in the deep powder, making turns more creative and free, rather than relying on the harsh curve of the side-cut to whip you into a turn.
(1) http://lineskis.com/our-story
(2) http://linetravelingcircus.com/about/
(3) http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog/_/post/5519963/eric-pollard