ABOUT MAURICE
The most accurate and up-to-date snowforecasts for the Alps has its origin in a land without any mountains. And the best freeride snowboard in ages is also a lowland native. Both are the brainchild of Dutchman Maurice Mommen, WePowder on one hand and Powfinder on the other.
To many, Maurice, aka Meteomorris on the WePowder website, is the man who has brought many a freerider a broad smile on the face by guiding them to the right spot with the most fresh snow. During the winter months Maurice gives very detailed forecasts of where the most snow will be falling and where there’s the most chance of scoring ‘freshies’. WePowder isn’t only a website with snow-forecasts but it’s also a community. To many people with the same addiction (freeriding), Maurice is a god and thanks to the WePowder community you get to meet a lot of likeminded souls and you’re never really alone when you’re skiing or snowboarding in the Alps.
Now Maurice has, together with some colleagues, started his own snowboardbrand: Powfinder. And let this be the best snowboard I have ridden in years, one that goes back to the filosofy where it all began, surfing on snow. Also, the board’s shape refers to this oldschool period.
Maurice’s story started of similar to my own. Just like me, he was a passionate windsurfer and in winter his dad took him to the mountains where his love for snow grew quickly. He also discovered snowboarding in the mid 80’s en never looked back. To that Maurice added an incredible fascination for meteorology. What started out as a hobby (WePowder was non existent in the beginning, Maurice just mailed snow forecasts from time to time to a small group of people) grew out to be a fulltime job which he organises together with his powderbuddy Arjen de Graaf. By the way, Maurice studied politics, something completely diferent.
Thanks to his huge knowledge and years of experience, he is by many (rightfully) laureled, but for him it’s still all about the pleasure of making that perfect powder turn in bottomless snow. In the same regard, the development of snowboards has more to do with the search for the ultimate powderboard, than an economical model.