Often ahead of his time, Matt Cummins has been designing snowboards for nearly four decades. Some of the industry’s most iconic shapes start on his kitchen counter.
Matt Cummins has designed versatile, unique boards since the early ‘80s. For nearly four decades, it’s always been a matter of looking beyond what’s available to develop a tool that facilitates the way he wants to ride. But what Cummins wants is often ahead of its time, and this is what makes him a risk-taker in snowboard design.
1986 is when he linked up with Mervin Manufacturing. “Back then everyone wanted big swallowtails,” says Cummins. But me and a couple other guys wanted short boards with kicktails so we could ride backwards.” In 1990, he got his first pro model. You probably know it. It’s the old Lib Tech with a skeleton on it. The twin tips, the bright graphics, the punk rock aesthetic—snowboarding wasn’t there yet, which is largely why that board remains iconic to this day.
Much has changed since then, but Cummins is still snowboarding and designing boards that defy convention in the name of the feel he’s seeking. “To me, it’s a question of where I’m riding and who I’m trying to keep up with,” says Cummins. When he speaks of his process it often comes back to this search. But that is only part of it. His ability to translate this into shapes that shake things up is where his unique talent lies.
“I have a good kitchen counter,” he says. “It’s nice and flat, and I’ve got a big roll of butcher paper. So I’ll take some boards I’ve ridden, some favorites throughout the years, and I’ll trace them and measure them, just geek out, and try to remember what it felt like when I was riding it. I’ll sometimes go back 15 years looking at boards. Lately, with the Wayfinder and Snake Kink, I’ve been looking for something that rides pow well.”
Much has changed since then, but Cummins is still snowboarding and designing boards that defy convention in the name of the feel he’s seeking. “To me, it’s a question of where I’m riding and who I’m trying to keep up with,” says Cummins. When he speaks of his process it often comes back to this search. But that is only part of it. His ability to translate this into shapes that shake things up is where his unique talent lies.
“I have a good kitchen counter,” he says. “It’s nice and flat, and I’ve got a big roll of butcher paper. So I’ll take some boards I’ve ridden, some favorites throughout the years, and I’ll trace them and measure them, just geek out, and try to remember what it felt like when I was riding it. I’ll sometimes go back 15 years looking at boards. Lately, with the Wayfinder and Snake Kink, I’ve been looking for something that rides pow well.”
The Snake Kink and Wayfinder are two different creatures. The former is a traditional snowboard—sort of. The latter is not. “With wide boards, you float them and slide them around more than a regular board that you’re knifing on. They sit on the top of the snow more. It takes a while to get used to, but once you do, it’s a trip. It changes everything.” Cummins is referring to the Wayfinder, a short and stubby steed with the specific intent to surf pow. The Snake Kink, though designed with pow riding as its primary objective, functions as a multipurpose machine in all conditions.
“With the Snake Kink, the nose lifts up with a traditional radius, but at a certain height the nose goes back down. It planes in the deepest snow, but you can take an icy groomer back at your normal speed,” explains Cummins. “For me, it’s cool to do something completely new because you get these butterflies and this nervousness that it might not work. And the best feeling is when it does.”
To check out more of Matt's personal work, find him on Instagram @mc_matt_cummins
“With the Snake Kink, the nose lifts up with a traditional radius, but at a certain height the nose goes back down. It planes in the deepest snow, but you can take an icy groomer back at your normal speed,” explains Cummins. “For me, it’s cool to do something completely new because you get these butterflies and this nervousness that it might not work. And the best feeling is when it does.”
To check out more of Matt's personal work, find him on Instagram @mc_matt_cummins