Kemper

Snowboards Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

is an American

snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

manufacturer. The first Kemper Snowboards were handmade in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

by David Kemper in 1983 and the company became officially incorporated in 1987. Kemper Snowboards went out of business in the mid-1990s. As of 2018, Kemper Snowboards was relaunched in Park City, Utah by former pro snowboarder, Jib Hunt. Kemper Snowboards produces freestyle snowboards, park snowboards, powder snowboards, and splitboards.

History

Kemper Snowboards was officially founded in 1987 by David Kemper who built the first boards in his garage in Ontario, Canada dating back to the winter of 1984/85. Once the brand started to gain momentum, Kemper moved its board production to a snowboard factory in Montreal, Canada for the 1988/89 snowboarding season. In 1989/90 the snowboard production moved to Austria. Kemper Snowboards quickly rose in popularity in snowboarding brands in the industry. The Kemper brand was best remembered for fully embracing snowboarding’s neon period in both their snowboard graphics and their incredible range of funky outerwear. David Kemper eventually partnered with a windsurfing distribution company in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

called the Romney Group who added Kemper Snowboards to their portfolio of brands. During that time, David relocated to California to help oversee the business, team management, and the growing product line. In 1992, David sold his remaining shares of the company to focus on his college education. By 1994 the company was sold to an in-line skate company on the east coast. A couple of years shortly after, Kemper Snowboards officially went out of business. In the winter of 2018, Jib Hunt, a former professional snowboarder, relaunched the Kemper Snowboards brand. In the summer of 2019, Hunt moved Kemper’s headquarters from the east coast to Park City, Utah to better position the snowboarding brand for growth and exposure within the Utah snowboarding scene. Kemper Snowboards original professional snowboard team consisted of Mike Basich,

Tina Basich Tina Basich (born June 29, 1969) is an American snowboarder, originally from Sacramento, California. Career Basich began snowboarding in 1986, when the sport was still new. She is noted for winning a variety of competitions from the 1980s on ...

, Dave Dowd, Martin Gallant, Kurt Heine, Andy Hetzel, Brett Johnson, Adam Merriman, George Pappas, Nick Perata, J.D. Platt, Rich Varga, and Jay Quintin (Smokin' Jay).

Marketing and Promotion

In order to attract rider interest, Kemper Snowboards sponsors professional riders and events. The current Kemper Snowboards professional snowboard team consists of Kurt Heine, Martin Gallant, Kevin Jones, Ryan Flaska, Seth Hill, Aiden Chmura, Derek Henderson, and Jonat Ste-Marie

References

External links

Kemper Snowboards official website

Kemper Snowboards Instagram
{{authority control Clothing companies of the United States Privately held companies based in Utah Snowboarding companies Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States 1987 establishments in Utah American companies established in 1987