Words by: Sam Kimmerle | Photography by: Dan Cardon
Words by: Sam Kimmerle | Photography by: Dan Cardon
Words by: Sam Kimmerle | Photography by : Dan Cardon
"I think that building our skis at this factory is a real plus for 4FRNT. The Builders continue to explore our ideas and develop our innovations."- Bob Boice
With our skis in production and winter rapidly approaching, the 4FRNT family decided that it was time to head North to visit our Canadian production facility. Team rider and ski developer, Thayne Rich, and 4FRNT's head ski engineer, Bob Boice, packed their bags and flew to eastern Canada to meet with the crew at Utopie MFG. Introducing our in-house engineer and builder/developer to the people building our skis day to day was a necessary meeting of minds we couldn't miss out on. With production in full force, Thayne and Bob were able to observe production, discuss prototyping opportunities, and continue to scheme on what is next in the world of 4FRNT development.
"The trip to the Utopie Ski factory was a very informative and satisfying visit. They are situated about 6 hours North of Burlington, Vermont and close to the mouth of the St Laurence River. It was great to get to know the owner JF and his engineer, Matheiu, these are two extremely hard working guys. They were very open and willing to work with us and show us their entire factory. Utopie's product is extremely well engineered and finished with precision. Our trip to the factory solidified my confidence that Utopie can continue to build our skis to perform the way we intend. I look forward to continue building a relationship with Utopie." -Bob Boice, 4FRNT Ski Engineer
"I felt like a kid in a candy store! The factory is so efficient and the skis were coming out great. Really one of the radest experiences I've ever had."- Thayne Rich
"I've always lived out West and have never visited the East, so to go check out our ski factory and get to check out a new place was super cool. After landing in Vermont, we took off to Quebec. It was such a beautiful drive and I was super anxious to see the factory where my pro-model and much of 4FRNT's skis are being made . It was amazing to see what these guys had done with such limited space. First we started with graphics and screen printing. They have the only digital top sheet printing set up in North America, and have an epic sublimation press. It was wild to see the amount of clarity and sharpness they can get onto the top sheet of a ski. Then there was a base assembly line, where builders were working together to get the bases, edges, cores, and sidewalls ready to be pressed. Then came the pressing stations, where the materials were sandwiched together and set into the press. It was so inspiring to come from a one press shop here in Salt Lake, having watched our warehouse process become so much more streamline and dialed. Then you visit a place like this and you realize how much more efficient and dialed you can become. I remember in the beginning of my ski building career everything seemed so hard and slow, but as I continue to do it and see how others do it, I am learning skills and techniques that continue my evolution in the process. As I continue to develop skis and prototype new designs I look forward to using the crew at Utopie to help me transform my concepts into production skis. This was really one of the raddest experiences I've ever had!"- Thayne Rich, 4FRNT Team Rider and Ski Builder/Developer
2 comments
I just bought 4FRNT ski and to know that they work with a shop from Rimouski, QC is pretty exciting. Félicitation UTOPIE MFG et je vous souhaite ben de la neige !!!
Yeeaaa! If you two are happy, I’m happy! Now we just need to get to our favorite mountains with some fresh snow and enjoy’em!