A conversation with Tronna
FUCK IT, LET’S GO
A Conversation With Tronna From Vimana Snowboards
Interview by: Axel Frost
“Some snowboard brands chase growth. Others chase feeling.”
Vimana’s always been about the latter — quiet obsession over loud marketing. Clean graphics, honest design, and a pure love of turning sideways.
After more than a decade of keeping snowboarding simple, founder and creative lead Tronna has stripped the line down to just two models — and made the call to sell only direct to riders.
Not out of spite, but because it’s the next natural chapter for a small, rider-run brand that wants to stay free.
We caught up with him to talk clarity, craftsmanship, and why sometimes the best move is to stop overthinking and just say: fuck it — let’s go.
“I just wanted to strip it back to what mattered.”
Axel: You’ve been doing this a long time. What was the moment where you said, “I need to build my own snowboard brand”?
Tronna: I was in the shop game for years. I saw everything — the good, the bad, the hype cycles. At some point, it all started to feel like noise.
I just wanted to strip it back to what mattered: good boards, good people, good days on snow. No corporate layers, no gimmicks.
So I started Vimana as a small rebellion against that — but not against snowboarding. Just for it.
“That’s when we realized — for our size, going direct made the most sense.”
Axel: The Whitelines piece on your COVID years showed how close it came to collapsing. What did that moment teach you?
Tronna: That we’re tougher than we thought.
We had shops that couldn’t pay, production on pause, and a brand that suddenly looked fragile. But we pulled through because we believed in what we were building.
That’s also when we realized — for our size and setup — going direct made the most sense. We didn’t want to put stress on the shops we love, and we couldn’t keep taking hits on payment terms.
This way, we stand on our own two feet. The shops keep doing what they do best — building local scenes — and we keep doing what we do best: making damn good boards.
“Two boards, all in.”
Axel: You’ve now trimmed the line down to just two models. That’s a big statement.
Tronna: It’s the most honest thing we could do.
The industry loves to overcomplicate — endless options, overlapping models, different versions of the same idea. We’d rather go all-in on two shapes and make them perfect.
Those two boards are everything we’ve learned over the last decade, distilled. Same construction every year, refined, tested, and tweaked by riders who know exactly what they want.
It’s less about limiting choice and more about removing confusion.
“Most riders don’t want ten boards — they want one they can trust.”
Axel: Do you ever worry that riders will want more variety?
Tronna: Maybe. But we’ve learned that most snowboarders don’t actually want ten boards — they want one they can trust.
We built these two to cover everything — park laps, pow days, carving groomers, spring slush. It’s like having two tools that do the job better than five half-decent ones.
We’d rather master less, and ride more.
“We still love snowboard shops — that’s where the culture lives.”
Axel: So, why go fully direct-to-rider?
Tronna: Because it fits who we are right now.
We still love snowboard shops — that’s where the culture lives. I grew up in them, I owe them everything. But for Vimana, going direct gives us freedom.
It means we can control quality, storytelling, and pricing — and it lets us talk directly to the people riding our boards. We get instant feedback, we see the stoke firsthand.
It’s not about cutting out the shops. It’s about running lean so we can survive and stay authentic.
“We don’t have marketing armies. We have snow time.”
Axel: Vimana keeps scoring great feedback in board tests — even against big-name brands. How?
Tronna: Because we ride our own stuff into the ground.
We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel every season. We just refine. Small tweaks, better materials, tighter tolerances.
When Whitelines said the Continental Directional “gives you proper power out of turns despite not being super stiff” — that nailed it. That’s what we were chasing: energy without punishment.
We don’t have marketing armies. We have snow time. That’s our R&D.
“The mountain is already loud enough.”
Axel: The boards all share that clean, Nordic look. How intentional is that?
Tronna: That’s our identity. Scandinavian design runs deep — functional, minimal, timeless.
Our art from Shallowtree brings in this mystical, slightly surreal world, but still stripped back. The idea is: don’t scream. Let the riding be the statement.
You can spot a Vimana board from across the lift line — not because it’s loud, but because it’s calm.
“Keep it small. Keep it real.”
Axel: What’s next for Vimana?
Tronna: Keep it small. Keep it real.
Maybe a new shape someday — but only if it truly earns its place. Maybe experiment with materials, more sustainable processes.
Mostly, just keep building boards that make people fall in love with snowboarding again. That’s the goal.
If we ever lose that feeling, we’re done. But right now, the fire’s still there.
“Two boards. One mission. Ride more, talk less.”
Axel: One line to sum up Vimana in 2025?
Tronna: Two boards. One mission. Ride more, talk less.