The Road Bananas Built

Lib Tech has long alluded to the location of its factory. “Built near Canada,” the company advertised during the George Bush era, which is either a humorous way to distance themselves from that era or, perhaps, just a bit un-American, depending on your point of view. For some reason, the company never went as far as to advertise its Washington location.

This may change. Last week, Mervin Manufacturing, parent company of Lib and Gnu, was recognized by the community of Carlsborg, Wash., with its own road, dubbed “Banana Way.”

The new road name is an acknowledgment of the 2006 creation of Banana Technology and for the company’s “positive contributions to the community,” according to a press release. The name of the road is a tip of the hat to the reverse camber design — snowboards that don’t have the ski-mirroring shape of camber, but instead are almost like a “U” underfoot — that sparked a revolution. It has forced almost all manufacturers to follow suit and offer reverse-camber boards.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Oct 29. It included the official mayor of Carlsborg, Phillip Hergash, the “unofficial mayor” of Carlsborg, Daylin Mitchell, and a slew of Mervin [in]dignitaries like employee Ryan Hollis who said, “Pot holes, gravel and mud never looked better! “www.mervin.com

—Stephen Krcmar lives and works in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.