Our history

I see snowboarding as a tool to discover nature and feel free, I build elegant boards to slide on the snow, and let myself be inspired by nature that surrounds me!

Ettore

Barabino

My story begins in Turin on 9 April 1963:

A passionate record collector, he works as a DJ and creates some pioneering video art installations.

At the beginning of the 90s he dealt with graphics and image processing.
He experiences the transition from analogue to digital firsthand.

Understanding the importance of the ongoing transformation, he decides to focus on the world of multimedia..

In 2012 he founded PLP Custom Snowboards, an innovative snowboard brand dedicated to the construction of handcrafted snowboards with large performance!

In love

Back in 1978, Playboy Magazine published some photos of Dimitrije Milovich, a boy who traced large snowy slopes riding a device similar to a surfboard. He was the first snowboard (swallowtail).

At the time I practiced off-piste skiing and windsurfing, but I had never seen a board for sliding on snow. A dear friend, Gian Marco Peri, accompanies me to Jimmy Sport in Turin, where I purchase a Wintersurf Pin Tail 160 complete with aluminum central fin… WONDERFUL

There were no shoes dedicated to this new sport, so I removed the inner shoe from my pair of LANGEs. I cut the toe and heel and put the shoe inside a pair of high Timberlands, the fashion of those years.

I created a first rudimentary BOOT, which I used for 8 years

He remembers well that day in Sestriere, a sunny day and snow-capped mountains, ready to try that new tool. Despite a few falls and wet jeans, a great lust!!!

That day the love for snowboarding and my story as a snowboarder was born

Original Photo is held by The University of Utah, Marriot Lbrary, in the Utah Ski Archives. “The Rock Shot” 1977

Historical pre-PLP Custom Snowboard boards

I love snowboarding, especially SWALLOWTAILS. As you can see from the photo, my board collection consists of several brands: Nitro, Winterstick, Gemtenstick and Apo. I would like to mention their exceptional shapers: Drew Hicken, Dimitrie Milovic, Taro Tamai and Regis Roland, who I consider my true “masters”.
I am a great lover of the history of snowboarding and the birth and evolution of sliding boards on the snow

I had the pleasure of trying every single board with great passion, both on different types of snow, and to understand the differences, the strengths and also any imperfections of each. The history of PLP Custom Snowboard was born from these boards!

PLP Custom Snowboards is born

The story of the birth of PLP

It was 2008, we were on one of our favorite descents, the old Grange slope on the Sestriere hill. We used 200 cm swallowtails, with a width of 32 centimeters, but we wanted something more: a 230 cm long snowboard with a 38 cm nose. Gionata Craviotto and I thus decided to create the first design of an asymmetrical swallowtail .

The goal was to design a snowboard with characteristics of superior buoyancy to existing common boards, to make the most of those splendid slopes full of fresh snow.

In 2012 with Dario Zaramella we designed a wooden press modular, which allowed us to create POWDERSNOWBOARDS with sizes from 220 cm to 160 cm, also being able to modify NOSE AND TAIL ROCKER and CAMBER.
The PLP CUSTOM POWDER SNOWBOARD was born, which subsequently
will transform into today’s PLP CUSTOM SNOWBOARD

brand

ettore e gionata barabino

After inspiration, however, it was difficult to find someone who had presses large enough to print snowboards of that size. Thanks to Paolo Nelzi who allowed us to give life to our first hand-built prototype thanks to his skateboard ramp laboratories.
We experimented with new shapes with handmade prototypes, produced in small series of prototypes , without edges and without p-tex, reaching up to 220 cm in length and 45 cm in width at the nose.

About 5 years ago we started making series of 10 snowboard performing in carving as well as off-piste (all mountain), thank you to the use of p-tex sheets and insoles.
The realization of such an ambitious project requires great passion for the mountains, for nature and for this wonderful sport.

Follow us :

©Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved. PLP Custom Snowboards

i nostri Snowboads

Skin 156cm L.E.

A perfect all-mountain snowboard, with a bidirectional shape that allows you to use it as a twin tip, with the floating ability of a directional, thanks to the elongated nose.

1.030,00 

Raventail 160 Splitboard

It’s a table for epic conditions, when the powdery snow rises at least up to the knee!!! But he shows his character even in little fresh snow and different types of snow cover.

1.500,00 

Unicorn 182

Unicorn 182 longboard – Directional Tapered Snowboard with setback camber – Fast and precise in fresh snow – Extreme carving on the slopes. Buy it now!

1.350,00 

Swallowtail 182

Swallowtail snowboard 182 longboard, the deep rear cut and its tails allow for great acceleration in fresh snow superior to any other snowboard. We wondered “can it be improved?”

1.250,00 

KINKY 156 L.E.

The directional twin shape enjoys extraordinary resistance to stress combined with an extremely reactive flex. Longitudinal torsion that allows more control in tricks. Pure Freestyle all-mountain all-snow

1.050,00 

Pingun 164 cm – fast and precise pintail snowboard

Fast pintail snowboard, precise in inverting the edge and can give great satisfaction in freestyle even to top level riders, excellent in powder

1.150,00 

Raven Tail 160

Making friends with a crow, I took inspiration from its tail…so on a piece of paper I drew the Raven Tail. A new and never before seen tail in the world of snowboarding.

1.080,00 

Fluid Love 158

The concept of the evolution of freeride snowboarding has given life to this incredible hybrid! Twin directional shape with freeride spirit! Buy it now on the website!

980,00 

Snowboads

Skin 156cm L.E.

A perfect all-mountain snowboard, with a bidirectional shape that allows you to use it as a twin tip, with the floating ability of a directional, thanks to the elongated nose.

1.030,00 

Raventail 160 Splitboard

It’s a table for epic conditions, when the powdery snow rises at least up to the knee!!! But he shows his character even in little fresh snow and different types of snow cover.

1.500,00 

Unicorn 182

Unicorn 182 longboard – Directional Tapered Snowboard with setback camber – Fast and precise in fresh snow – Extreme carving on the slopes. Buy it now!

1.350,00 

Swallowtail 182

Swallowtail snowboard 182 longboard, the deep rear cut and its tails allow for great acceleration in fresh snow superior to any other snowboard. We wondered “can it be improved?”

1.250,00 

KINKY 156 L.E.

The directional twin shape enjoys extraordinary resistance to stress combined with an extremely reactive flex. Longitudinal torsion that allows more control in tricks. Pure Freestyle all-mountain all-snow

1.050,00 

Pingun 164 cm – fast and precise pintail snowboard

Fast pintail snowboard, precise in inverting the edge and can give great satisfaction in freestyle even to top level riders, excellent in powder

1.150,00 

Raven Tail 160

Making friends with a crow, I took inspiration from its tail…so on a piece of paper I drew the Raven Tail. A new and never before seen tail in the world of snowboarding.

1.080,00 

Fluid Love 158

The concept of the evolution of freeride snowboarding has given life to this incredible hybrid! Twin directional shape with freeride spirit! Buy it now on the website!

980,00