Signal Snowboards was founded by snowboard legend Dave Lee five years ago and still going strong in 2009. So strong in fact that they decided to bring on an outerwear line with the help of skateboarding legend Chris Miller. Sure, Chris Miller is an avid skateboarder but he is also a sick surfer and snowboarder too. Chris's forte (other than doing sick frontside airs through square corners) is design so it was a natural fit to add outerwear to an existing snowboard company. At SIA we spoke to Dan Thorden about the outerwear line. We also spoke to Dave Lee about the new stuff from Signal Snowboards.

SR: So how it come to be that Signal decided to make outerwear?

Dan: It's kind of a unique story. Basically when Planet Earth went away, Chris Miller, designer from Planet Earth is a great friend of Dave Lee's. That kind of created an opportunity to design an outerwear line, which he always did for Planet Earth but do it under the Signal name and that's what we're launching here. It's a small launch with a lot of muted colors with accents and things to make it pop, a real basic sellable line.

  SR: Signal has been around for what 5 years, they got a good name and the boards are made in the USA, why launch outerwear?

Dan: It's a real organic fit. With Planet Earth going away and Dave and Chris being friends, it was a perfect opportunity for Chris to do what he loves to do, design outerwear and marry it up with an existing board brand. It fits organically with the team to put the marketing, boards and outerwear all within the same group of people. Much of the team came from Planet Earth; it was just an easy organic fit. The response has been really positive.

SR: What can the kids expect as far as quality versus price?

Dan: It's definitely not low end quality mid range price

Dave Lee shows off the camber in the middle of the board and rocker towards the tip and tails

After talking about outerwear we got the man, Dave Lee himself, to talk about new stuff from Signal Snowboards

SR: So what is new about the Omni board by Signal?

DL: The Omni is a camber and rocker board. It has traditional camber down the center and then light three stage rocker in the tip and tail. It was something we were designing when we designed our Park Rocker; we wanted something that had a little more control, like a camber board. Something you could take to Alaska but something you can play in the park with. Something that when you are barreling straight at a tree you could make a heelside turn and have the confidence that you were going to get around it. So this thing is amazing, it's also a directional twin, the sidecut is pulled back but it's the same width at the nose and tail, so it's not tapered and we believe this is the future of the rocker technology; you've got a little bit of both.

SR: So it has camber in the middle, basically all the power is between your feet anyway?

DL: Yea, basically you have your favorite snowboard that you've always ridden, with rocker. If you've always enjoyed your camber ride.

SR: Well, if you have ridden a snowboard, you have enjoyed a camber ride (laughter) since rocker boards practically did not exist over 2 years ago

DL: You're right, that whole rocker craze is obvious and people really love them. They're fun and easy boards to ride but I found that a lot of us that have been snowboarding a long time missed a little bit of control that you need when you're going fast. The Omni addresses those issues. Anytime you have flat through the bindings or if you have the rocker coming from the dead center you're going to lose a little control. Camber has always been sort of like your suspension of the board, like a race car. It presses your contacts to the snow. With this you get your contacts to the snow. With this you get your contacts to the snow but it's also lifted so you get your float. You can really rail this thing. It's amazing

SR: It looks sick!

DL: It was a project that came about because a few of our key accounts wanted a Signal board with all the bells and whistles for under $400 and we did it for $389.

SR: Who designed it?

DL: Myself and Daniel, our engineer

SR: And you know a few things about snowboarding!

DL: Totally (Laughter) I might have laid this one up actually

SR: What else?

DL: Well the Omni is the new technology but we are also excited that we have a new park series for women; it has narrow waist widths. The OG's have continued down the hand painted path so we are happy about that too.

SR: In a "normal" year introducing a women's park series would be a big deal but with the Omni, maybe the new line women's gets overshadowed?

DL: Well, we have gotten lot of orders on the women's park board but for interviews you push the newest technology to show you are moving forward. Then we people come in they see the rest of the line and it falls in place. I could talk to you all day about the park series (laughter) but we are proud of the fact that we different color ways in the park series for different shops

Dave Lee and the graphics of the Omni

signalsnowboards.com