At the risk of sounding like a hipster, we were down with vintage snowboards before it was cool. There’s really no denying that retro snowboard shapes and cambers are back with a vengeance. With brands like Burton re-issuing the original Fish a few years back and letting us get nostalgic on the Throwback surfer, or Lib Tech bringing the Retro Ripper into their lineup, or even the Wall Street Journal article about vintage snowboards coming back, I think it’s safe to say what’s old is new again.
For those who don’t know, Salty Peaks is also the proud home of the Utah Snowboard Museum, founded by shop owner Dennis Nazari from his personal collection of rare and vintage snowboards. Knowing what an incredible movement snowboarding would grow up to be, Dennis had the foresight to start collecting snowboards when snow surfing was still in its infancy. I talked to bossman Nazari the other day about the history of his collection and the boards he is currently selling:
SP: When did you start collecting snowboards?
DN: The day I got my first board in 1981.
SP: What was the first board you bought solely for the collection and not to ride?
DN: A Winterstick Swallowtail
SP: Was it hard to resist the urge to ride it?
DN: No because resort-friendly boards were the thing and the Winterstick had a 3” skeg sticking out of the bottom made for powder, not hardpack. Alta was upset with us Winterstickers when they were allowed on the hill [yeah, Alta allowed snowboarding until Christmas Day, 1984] because the ‘Stickers would not follow the rules of taking off your board and walking across hardpack runs when you came to them.
SP: You were a pivotal part in getting Utah ski resorts to allow snowboarding. What were those times like and how did you go about doing that?
DN: When Alta banned snowboards overnight on Christmas day 1984, that meant zero resorts in Utah allowed snowboarding. After getting a taste of riding lifts and then being forced to hiking for every turn on Flagstaff Bowl, it made me realize how important it was to find a way to get resorts open again. This was years before the shop was opened, and I knew without resort acceptance there would be no need for a shop. I met a guy named Mike Maynard at a contest in Purgatory, CO who had gotten his local resort in New Mexico opened using certification cards and equipment standards so resort operators would give it a try. I adopted his idea and started the Utah chapter of the Southwestern Surfskiing Association [SSSA].
I like to think I’d be “AAA”
SP: Who then was the first resort to allow snowboarding?
DN: After Alta banned it and there were none, the first resort I got to open was Beaver Mountain in Logan. I drove there every Friday night and stayed Saturday and Sunday to do certifications for all the riders that wanted to get on the hill, then came back to my bicycle Currier service business on Monday.
SP: That’s dedication! So when did you officially start the Utah Snowboard Museum?
DN: Officially is an elusive term as we have always had old boards hanging in the rafters. I think we first used the term Utah Snowboard Museum in 1997 or 1998.
SP: Any ideas as to why there is such a newfound demand for old-school style boards and unique shapes?
DN: When things get stagnant like the Popsicle-shaped snowboard, you have to spice it up and give people a reason to buy a new board other than just another graphic. What is old is new again?
When Pete [Saari] and Mike [Olson] (Lib Tech founders and snowboard geniuses) came up with Magne-traction it got others rethinking snowboard design again and in the last few years, you have seen a huge uptick in different shapes and geometries in snowboards and powder surfers.
SP: What are your thoughts on all these “vintage” shapes and cambers coming back? Do you think they are kind of gimmicky or are some pretty true to form?
DN: A bit of both. There’s some really cool stuff being made, some that are functional, others are just a cool shape on the tip or tail. Camber will always work like it has for the last 25 years, but reverse camber with patented side cut technology like Magne-Traction will always be better for many aspects of snowboarding with most benefits for beginners and lighter weight riders that can find it difficult to compress camber in all conditions, reverse camber is always better in powder and there’s never been a traditional camber board made that can compete with Magne-traction for edge hold on hard icy snow. The bottom line is it depends on what you’re using it for. I’m not a believer in one board for everything and most serious snowboarders have a quiver. The explosion of new shapes and geometries was in large part a response to Magne-traction taking off but the pow surfers and odd shapes are also creating new collectors that will buy and baby boards they know they’ll never sell.
SP: Do you see the same thing happening with boots and bindings, old becoming new again?
DN: Boots are bindings are the least changed part of snowboard hard goods. Sure boots have seen leaps and bounds in materials, heel hold, and lightweight advancements, but bindings are still just a high back, base plate, and straps. The best thing to happen to bindings in the last 20 years is the toe cap, ratchets, and a cool paint job. Then Burton introduced the Flex Hinge and Double Take ratchet system and now we have the new step-on and step-in systems from Burton and K2 which revisits the systems of 20 years ago and has real potential to grow but there needs to be some more out of the box thinking about how the boot and binding interface works. I know Burton owns two patents on the snowboard binding that are not being used on the new step-on system that would eliminate the need for sized bindings but it seems no one is listening over there.
Too many of us are lead to believe that this is as good as it gets. 20 years ago we saw the future but it was put back in the box due to corporate interference, just like the Tesla Electric car LOL
SP: Tell us about the vintage boards you are selling. What makes a board worth $19,000?
DN: Rarity and history.
The bottom line is it’s only worth what someone is willing to pay for it but there are more and more collectors that have chosen to collect or invest in vintage snowboards and expand collections.
If they made 50,000 of a model and they are still out on the market, they are considered common and not worth much. There are pro models and limited release boards that were made in small numbers that are considered rare and hard to find. Remember the Burton 50th anniversary Playboy board? Or the Stone Hut board, Jake’s first and only pro model? They can run thousands if you can even find one for sale.
Many of the original wooden boards have been increasing in value over the years as each time one is found and ends up in collectors or flippers’ hands it tends to sell for more than they paid for it. I remember when the most expensive surfboard was a couple thousand dollars now there are some that have hit 6 figures! Snowboards are in a similar place. The vast majority are common or have little collector value but there are many that will always be worth top dollar and it’s not a matter of price as much it is can you buy it for any price? The most a vintage snowboard has been paid in a verified sale was 31,000.00 plus dollars. Boards like that could be the 6 figure board of the future but don’t look at vintage boards as an investment or a quick buck, collect boards because of the history and the cool factor. That’s why most old snowboarders have more than a couple of boards laying around.
SP: Most definitely.
DN: It sold for $650 new. Today you can find them selling for $1,200 and up. A few years back, Jake Burton did his first-ever “Pro Model” called the Stone Hut. 60 were made and only 40 shops were allowed to buy them. Each shop could buy one, and the retail price was $500. The first month out, they were being resold on eBay for $1,500 to as much as $3,200. Many shops like us never even sold it or it was bought up by the shop owner. There are boards like this for sale today at Salty Peaks that are sure to go up in value in the future like the Finsanity, Rat Tail, Slippery Banana, Burton CK Nug, Danny Kass Horror Business, Rome Hammerhead, and Cheech and Chong boards. We don’t discount those because they will go up in value over time. The $19,000 board on our site sold originally for $149 but was done in a different color. The “prototype” colors were done to test color preferences for production boards. In some cases, they’d be for distribution in other countries like Japan, which at the time liked brighter colors and neon. With prototype colors, often there were only a few made. The two we have on the site are the only two I have seen of either board in 35 years. It’s doubtful you will ever find one again, much less have an opportunity to buy it. If you are a snowboard collector, you can always make more money, but you can’t always find a board you want to spend it on!
SP: Thanks a ton for the insight D-Naz! Final question; who was your favorite pro to party with back in the day?
DN: Back then when there was a party, it was a REAL party. Everyone that was anyone showed up, everyone was cool and fun to hang with. The funnest ones to watch were guys like Damien [Sanders], [Shaun] Palmer, [Shawn] Farmer, [Chris] Roach, and [Mike] Ranquet, cause once they got lit, you always knew things were about to go off and something or someone was going to get broken!
Check out the boards for sale below, and be sure to stop by and check out the Utah Snowboard Museum at Salty Peaks!
Burton Vintage 1984 Backhill Snowboard Blue Prototype Colorway – $18,950
Burton Vintage 1984 Backhill Snowboard Yellow/Navy Blue Prototype Colorway – $20,000
Burton Vintage 1980 Backhill Snowboard – $5,000 SOLD!
Burton Vintage 1984 Performer Snowboard – $4,950
Winterstick Vintage 1987 Roundtail Snowboard 170 Plus – $1,750
Burton 1989 Vintage Craig Kelly Mystery Air Custom Swallow Tail Snowboard – $4,000
Vintage 1980 Variflex Snow Slider (Rare Formica Model) – $1,500
Burton 1987 Vintage Woody Snowboard 135 – $2,200
Burton Vintage 1987 Woody Snowboard 145 – $2,000
