http://www.angrysnowboarder.com/brucey-visits-crispy-whips/
BRUCEY VISITS CRISPY WHIPS
After pulling into a rail yard in Guliford, CT, I found myself at the Crispy Whips Warehouse. I rolled up to door number 4 and before I could open it, team rider Collin Smith popped the door open and began blasting me with a Nerf gun in my face. Now that I had paid the entrance fee I walked into the Crispy Whips workspace which is half skate park half art gallery a shredders paradise.
Nerfed
Before we get too far into the Q&A. I really need to explain more of what I saw in this building basketball hoops, multiple couches, and loose drawings/paintings everywhere. On the tables were casino slot machines, toasters, TV’s, power tools, and the largest stack of toy guns that I have seen since middle-school. Needless to say the warehouse was a product of good times and hazy nights.
Slots, Dogs, Brews, Kids, Couches, and Shrimp!
I also ‘just happened’ to visit on their Shrimp and Skate contest night. This is where they cook lobster tails and shrimp, while leaving an open door to any skaters in the area to come down to feast and jam. So far I could tell that the Crispy warehouse was constantly full of life, hard work, talented riders, and lots of good food. This is one place I would like to frequent daily.
Jimbo the shrimp. See what I did there.
After meeting the crew I finally got to sit down with Jim in his hiding hole of an editing dungeon. I’ve ran into Jim a few times at local mountains and contests but this was the first time we actually formally talked. Knowing little to nothing about Crispy Whips other then they run Mount Snow and have a solid crew of local heavy hitters on their team. I wanted to know what made them work and how they’re currently expanding.
Being on the shoreline of CT doesn’t make it a happening spot for shred heads to meet up and go ride. Knowing this, in 2006 Jim Marino and Steve Anderson the founding fathers of Crispy Whips used this set back not as a deterrent to snowboarding but made it into a goal to “create a family to ride with and let people know who they are”. With a band of friends coming together they started from the ground up.
Skate madness.
The Crispy Whips name was born from the crew using this name to reference their snowboards. Starting simple with getting their stickers out wherever they found an open spot and flinging t-shirts with their new born logo a buzz started to form. “Smoking Trees Doing Threes” has become a shred head household saying around these parts and these t-shirts have been seen all over on all types of people. Not to mention Halldor Helgason has been wearing one since Jim flung it his way at Dew Tour. “Everyone
rocks those tees, basketball players who burn and shoot 3’s, hoes think it’s about threesomes so I guess it’s whatever people want it to be.” [Colin] Started in on a story about a skate trip to NY were they had a sketchy run in with crack whore, who tried to get Colin to join a threesome, due to his shirt. What???…Anyways…
Moves started to really be made when the Crispy Whips Crew met the Buck 90 crew at Mount Snow. (The Buck 90 Crew ran Mount Snow and produced a bunch of videos in their higher education years on the east, peep their latest work and Ben Wachowiak in the Nike Chosen contest under Buck 90 Ham Squad.) Buck 90 and Crispy Whips became one in the same with most of the B90 members repping Crispy shirts and stickers, creating a huge following and demand on the east for their gear. The buzz was created and the next season they began making snowboards since their skate decks had taken off during the off season.
The Buck 90 crew became part of the family and the team. Jim says “Without Buck 90 I don’t know where we would be! Without Stu (Steve Lauder former team rider and still in Crispy Whips family) and crew showing Mount Snow who we are, we wouldn’t have gotten this far.” The rest is the same story as every other company starting small in a niche market at various mountains and creating demand for their product.
Crispy Whips are well on their way as a home brewed local company to expanding across the states. Currently they have 4 boards out in their line with graphics done by local artists including Mekowhy (aka Beast aka Nick N.), Maruno design, and Sket One. They currently have a jib rocker board called Smile, a park crusher known as Trippin Out, a mid wide called Smokin’ Trees & Doing Threes. Under Jim the company has been able to keep charging with new board plans, “next year a flat camber will be coming out along with a fish for powder, because our riders have been asking for it.”
Their current snowboard team is a solid crew of local, west coast transplants. Jon O’Doherty, Ben Wachowiak, Braedon Bellavance, Luke Mohr, Steve Anderson, Timmy Sullivan and Dillon Wilson.
During our conversation of all that is Crispy, a mother walks into pick up her son that was still skating as we drank and feasted on the crustaceans. This Catholic looking mother I thought for sure was going to scream and holler at her kids for being here. When actually it went quite the opposite, she sat down amid the sweaty skate rats, empties, and particles of sea food flying out of Scotties mouth. I decided to approach her and get her opinion of her son hanging out with the Crispy Crew. (Keep in mind that I’m possibly one to many deep at this point).
“Mom how do you feel about the CW crew and your son being around it?” The mother gladly stated that she was proud of her son for being part of the scene, “It gives him motivation and makes him more confident when he’s around the Crispy Whips guy, I have no problem letting him come here I know it’s a positive and Jim looks after him.” This coming from a high school freshmen’s mom at a 20+ year olds skate party, I was blown away at CW’s connection with the community. While Jim was still talking with the mom the dude that cooked this awesome meal approached me and said, “I’m telling you this because Jimmy will never tell you this, he’s too modest. Honest and truly Jim has done so much for community.” The CW has sponsored a local community basketball league, sent boxes of shirts to a refugee camp in Rwanda, and they gets countless emails from parents about how their children had met a rider or member at some point who had a positive reflection on their children.
Smokin Trees and Doing Threes while playing slots.
I left that night with a complete new mind set on Crispy Whips, that they really truly are a family. Taking care of what they feel is proper and that it’s not always about business. Since they were sold out of decks this year giving me nothing to take photos of, I feel their 2012/2013 season will be just as good with the plans Jim has for the family.
“If you ain’t crispy your soggy” – Jim
If you want to peep their hats, shirts, hoodies or boards check out their website or stop by local shops like Channel One, Eastern Pulse, Cutting Edge or Ramp Page.
