Released the Original TT-model from Moss snowboards. A hybrid snowsurfboard with an outstanding carving performance on both powder and groomer, a classic outline with a “pointy nose” & a “round tail” and a high-quality finished “flat camber” system.

Released the prophase final model of the TT. Inspired by first-descents from peaks of Valdez, Alaska, numerous modifications have been performed to the original TT-model. Resulting in a high speed model with long radius sidecuts, lowered kick-tail and a “flat camber” that would naturally turn into a “continuous rocker” when one rides it.

Founded Gentemstick brand with the TT-model as its flagship.

Pioneered and developed two innovative designs. The “Accel-camber” consisting of an S shape bottom design with the camber peak located at the back foot and the “Double Pin-tail”, a tail design with shallower slit compared to a fishtail providing a great tail-torsion control performance. In year 2010, most major snowboard manufacturers are striving to develop this “new” camber system.

Released the Speedmaster mounted with the “Accel-camber” and the “Double Pin-tail”.

Released the Mantaray. The concept of this board was to propound a new way to play with buoyancy and drifted turns in deep snow and the natural features. Resulting in a characteristic design and proportion with a “Big nose” to earn floatation and a “half-moon tail” to increase the control and stalling performance.

Founded TTSS (Taro Tamai Snow Surf Design) with a series of boards using bamboo, known to be an ecological material with a characteristic flexibility. Released the “Rocket Fish”, a hybrid board with a raw carving performance on groomers although its appearance with a giant nose and a deep slit big fish tail may make it look like a sole powder use board.

Released The Snowsurf.

Released The Snowsurf.30 years worth of Gentemstick's snowsurfing technical know-how has been upheld behind the scenes of the mainstream snowboarding. Neither ski influenced, nor skateboard orientated. Radical yet classical super-short boards ready for a more aggressive riding style. THE SNOWSURF.

30 years worth of Gentemstick's snowsurfing technical know-how has been upheld behind the scenes of the mainstream snowboarding. Neither ski influenced, nor skateboard orientated. Radical yet classical super-short boards ready for a more aggressive riding style. THE SNOWSURF.

In the 70s, when snowboarding was still only a primitive “riding a sled standing up” sport, Domitrije Milovich and his “Winterstick” revolutionized the concept of snowboarding with his new designed board with flexible fins, big fish tail, its graphic and logo design, and its catalog that stated “Needs at least 30cm of fresh snow”. Everything was just striking new! As a tool to freely carve in deep snow covered natural terrain, it definitely pushed the riding ability of snowboards to the next level. From the late 70s to early 80s, Shinzo Tanuma evolved this concept with his glassfiber snow-surfboard “Moss Snowstick”. With its unforeseen board structure, it was designed to ride any snow condition, not “powder only” as Winterstick, and maneuver sharper and ideal turns in any terrain. These 2 boards was quite a unique and special existence when the general tendency of snowboarding around the world was becoming just about a skateboard-like image on the snow and the actual riding was just straight lines and drift turns. By the end of the 80s, the ski industry got into the market and introduced today’s board’s basic “ski-like” structure. In order to promote snowboarding to the non-surfer/skateboarder market, many major promotion campaigns were played up. As a result, snowboarding attracted the attention of the general public, and the snow-surfboards “Winterstick” and “Snowstick” and their riders, which were just purely committing to the core, riding the backcountry, has been pushed aside to an underground culture. By the 90s, when snowboarding became a big boom and the sports business industry, big corporate and the Olympic committee started to control the fate of snowboarding, the legendary boards and the brands that structured an era, such as Chuck Barfoot or Tom Sims, has been lost and forgotten. Taro Tamai has produced the first TT model between 1990-93, but decided to pause after selling 200 boards. Far from the madding crowd of the snowboarding boom, he was pioneering Valdez Alaska, traveling to Central Asian and South American high peaks to search for the ultimate powder and terrain, as well as adventuring to the Indian, Atlantic Ocean, or the south American coast line to find solid ground swells. In October 1998, Gentemstick started with 20 of the uniquely outlined TT-model, designed in 1989. The concept was: Making the best snowboards that would perfectly blend into the terrain miraculously made of snow and wind, just as if birds flying in the sky or fish flowing in the stream. Acquaint the quintessential and the spirit of snowboarding by relieving the “Style” from what’s now turning into a simple sports or an industrialized mass-production. Many snowsurfers and surfers often visited the Gentemstick showroom in Niseko since 2006. Many boards with a distinct outline have been made for the past 10 years, however most of the designs were actually sketched between the mid-80s and early 90s. For instance, on the sketch for the Speedmaster 172 double pin tail, it is noted “ Double Pin Tail 1991.05 at Lagundry Bay Taro Tamai”