Board designer Blake Startup interviewed by co-worker Nate Schumacher

Where did the inspiration for the design of the Chinook come from?
It was designed as an updated and shrunk down Evo. The idea was to have a shorter tighter foot platform with less drop and less aggressive angles in order to work better with modern truck design.

What are the boards key features?
It has tight foot space to help hold you on the board and make for a nice compact tuck, Minimal drop to give good leverage over the trucks for better performance and more grip. 10° wedging on the nose and -10° on the tail to give the board performance, stability and grip. These angles make the board prime for downhill but still allow for excellent performance slashing down the street to the grocery store. We have also used a new style of concave called, "W Bowl" concave, it offers arch support and cups the ball of your rear foot from 3 sides for optimal control. Two drill hole patterns in the tail for wheelbase options.

How long has this board been in design?
It all began at Maryhill in 2009 with the dream of riding a shorter, tighter Evo that sat a bit higher off the ground.

What went into the design process?
The first step was a high tech process involving a sheet of cardboard, a sharpie and our team riders tucking stance. We mapped out the different "ideal' tuck stances of a handful of riders and compared them all. Then Landyachtz's in-house engineer, Aaron Brown computerized and mocked up a mold based on my specs to press the board. A mould was then milled on our CNC table. After pressing and testing the mould we decsided to tweek and change a few aspects of the concave and fine tune the W bowl concave. The changes where made and after pressing the first board in the new mould we knew we had it right.

What is W bowl concave?
Blake draws a picture of it.

Whats your ideal setup for this board?
I would set it up on the tighter wheelbase, 40 degree Bear Hybrid trucks, blue 78a Hawg Mini Monsters and whatever bushings I feel like playing with that day and I would then slap on some super grip.

How big was the Largest fish you ever caught?
12 pound dogfish caught while in a canoe with a foot long piece of wood, 3 pound test line and a baitless hook...true story.

Luck or skill?
All skill man