I met a snowboarding instructor in Whistler who represented the Prior brand - until then, I had never heard of the name at all. So I did some research at the time, but the company hadn't made a women's board. Then last winter I saw a Prior split board at REI and did a little research to find out that not only do they offer a women's all-mountain board (in addition to a fantastic line of offerings), but also factory tours! Yes, that's right: You can see how they make snowboards and skis!
The tours are offered twice a week, and luckily for us, we were able to get in on Saturday afternoon. The tour was about 45 minutes long, where they go over the history of the company then through the factory where you get walked through the entire assembly process, from the selection of the core to the bending of the edges, pressing, and final finishing. If you're a junkie like I am to learn how things are made, this is the tour for you.
The showroom is located above the factory in a loft-space. It's not a very large showroom, but it carries every product item that Prior sells, in a variety of sizes. If you're willing to "settle" for a snowboard or pair of skis that has a superfacial scratch, you can save yourself $50-100. All the items in the showroom are also priced below what the online prices are, but are all given the same hand-crafted quality and attention.
The company does several types of "customization" for their boards. You can pick from the top and bottom sheets that they already have (at not additional charge), or you can pay an additional $300 to have your own artwork placed on the board (the charge is for the custom screening process). In the off-season, true enthusiasts (with a lot of money) can have their equipment made to spec - smaller nose, wider base, etc. - you just have to hand over your "blueprint" to the guys at Prior, and they will make it to that spec. Pretty awesome if you ask me! They can also make any of their existing boards into a split board for all you backcountry hiking types.
I am definitely coming here for my next snowboard - the prices were reasonable (Women's board: $499/CAD) and the option to "build your own" is pretty tempting. I haven't heard a single bit of bad press from a Prior rider, which is also another plus. read more