PHENIX 182 cm L.E. Prototype
MODULAR TAIL, offers a primary and secondary support area that emphasizes the importance of modular design flexibility.
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PLP Custom Woody Boards Snowboard was born in 2011 with the aim and need to design a snowboard with superior flotation characteristics to existing common boards, starting from the concept of “Suf da neige – Snow surfboard”.
We started creating snowboard prototypes with measurements and proportions similar to wave surfboards, reaching up to 220 cm in length and 45 cm in nose width.
In fact, the hashtag #thisisnotasnowboard was used specifically to differentiate our product from the usual snowboard, which was without foil and without p-tex, just 2/3 layers of marine plywood glued with resin and layers of fibreglass.
The process of designing PLP Custom Snowboard starts with an initial concept that is turned into reality through the construction of a snowboard prototype. This prototype undergoes a series of rigorous tests conducted by industry experts. Only after testing the new snowboard prototype on all types of snow and considering beta testers’ feedback, we release the final product for sale and make it available in the global snowboard market.
By befriending a crow, I took inspiration from its tail… so on a piece of paper, I drew the Raventail. A tail that’s new and never seen before in the world of snowboarding. The tail flexes and adapts to the snow for wide and powerful slashes. Pillow lines, jumps, slashes, and carves are the daily bread of this model.
The concept behind the Crabtail 175 is very simple: have a shorter board on the groomed slopes and a longer board on fresh snow. This snowboard is designed to offer exceptional performance both in extreme carving on the groomers and in floating on fresh snow.
The configuration of the MODULAR-TAIL is based on a modular flexibility system that maximizes overall performance and offers a better riding experience. The longer outer tails have greater flexibility, while the shorter and therefore stiffer central sections ensure optimal floatation and exceptional responsiveness, allowing for smoother transitions between turns.
A long central tail provides great directional stability to the snowboard. Additionally, there are also two small side fins that provide increased stability to the board. To further enhance performance in fresh snow, there are two powder channels positioned between the central tail and the side fins, which aid in the expulsion of snow.
Way back in 2017, with great satisfaction we won the first prize, “Vibram Factory best product of the year” at the Milano Montagna Festival with the POWDZO 210 prototype designed with Ettore Personnettaz, National Instructor and Master of snowboarding and Telemark and also qualified for disabled people .
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The snowboard that won the prestigious Vibram Factory award is the Powdzo 210 model, a board with an asymmetric shape in which the frontside and backside are not mirrored with respect to the longitudinal axis as for a normal snowboard.
The backside side, that of the heels, is shorter with a tighter curve radius as from a biomechanical point of view it is easier to curve on the forefoot.
The side frontside, that of the toes, is longer and with a greater distance between the foot and the edge of the board, this to allow the sensation of support to be prolonged during the turn in fresh snow.
The surface of the board is almost double compared to to a traditional snowboard, a real “snow surfboard” that allows it to float and remain fast even on not too steep slopes and above all in particularly powdery and light snow conditions.
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“I see snowboarding as a tool to discover nature and feel free, I design elegant boards to slide on the snow, and I let myself be inspired by the nature that surrounds me”
Ettore PLP
© Copyright 2024-25. All Rights Reserved. Ettore Barabino, con sede legale in Str. S.Martino 9 – 10090 Castiglione Torinese (TO) - Italia | P.IVA 08120580017
©Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved. PLP Custom Snowboards
©Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved. PLP Custom Snowboards