LINE Skis Launches its First Snowboard

LINE Skis has led the freeskiing wave for over three decades. Jason Levinthal, the brand's founder and current owner of J Skis, admitted that he was inspired to create twin tip skis to replicate the tricks and airs snowboarders were pulling off at the time.

Now, seemingly out of nowhere, LINE has released its first snowboard ever— The Lateral . Watch below as LINE pro skiers Tom Wallisch, Will Wesson and more show off their riding skills on the new Lateral.

Pretty impressive that these pro skiers know their way around a board. That backflip over the hot tub by Tom Wallisch was nice, very nice.

It's quite odd that such a popular ski brand like LINE would produce a snowboard, but one must take the broader picture into mind. LINE is owned by Elevate Outdoor Collective which includes brands like Ride Snowboards and K2, which produces both skis and boards. Jason Levinthal sold LINE Skis to K2 Sports back in 2006, but it seems, at least based on a recent social media comment, that Levinthal isn't thrilled that LINE is making a snowboard.

He left a simple yet telling, "F*ck you" comment on the first post announcing the board. The brand responded in the next Instagram post with a lengthy reply:

"Idk what your snowsports company is doing and frankly we don’t really give a shit. Our team was always snowboarding at team shoots and beyond anyways so we just wanted to bring that energy out with a board of our own. Ride it - don’t ride it. At the end of the day this boards for everyone, and you’re all welcome to join ski or board."

LINE seems to be marketing The Lateral for skiers who also want to snowboard on occasion. It's a bold move, but one that has been tried before. Brands such as Salomon, Lib-Tech, and K2 have all bridged the ski and snowboard gap.

It's clear that some folks aren't thrilled that LINE is making boards, but as the company said in their comment, they, "don't really give a shit." That sounds like snowboarding to us, at least on paper.

The LINE Lateral is available in 148cm, 152cm, and 156cm. It's been given a 3 out of 10 rating on LINE's Board Flex scale, and is geared towards groomers, rails, and park features.