Alex Hannigan
Calgary, Alberta
Designer of the Cheese Grater, downhill freeride wizard, culinary genius, and he’s from the flatlands of Canada? Not sure how that works out but Alex makes it happen. This guy has a unique ability to make his board do just about anything. Give this man a hill and he will give you a thrill. That’s not a promise, but a guarantee ?
“CHEESE GRATERS ARE DESIGNED TO DO ONE THING: SHRED.”
My personal favorite board in this category, unsurprisingly, is the Cheese Grater. A freeride extravaganza that can definitely hold its own on the race course. It is designed to have the maximum possible surface area between your foot and the grip tape so that you will have maximum control. This board feels extremely comfortable under your feet whether you are riding switch or regular.
The subtle features in the concave allow you to keep track of where your feet are positioned on the board without ever looking down. Blast a 100kph run and then go straight to alley slashing, this board has the ultimate versatility. You can do anything with this board because of the different wheelbase options and fully functional kicktails. Great for Ollie’s and tight technical free riding on the short wheelbase. The longer wheelbases are great for high-speed sliding, hands down or no hands. Go with a short wheelbase in the front and the long wheelbase in the back for a directional racing-oriented setup. This board really does conquer all types of terrain with ease.
A couple of other boards I love are the Gambler, Evo and Switchblade. The Gambler is the exact opposite of the Cheese Grater 😉 directional board, very nice taper, great concave, Dex has truly put this thing through its paces. True downhill topmount!
There’s a reason the Switchblade is still in the lineup. Designed by Prince Dillon, it truly is a street slasher that will keep you rolling no matter where you are, what size you are, or what type of riding style you have. An ultimate freeride go to.
The timeless design of the Evo still holds its own, even in the modern-day. The locked-in feeling is always really fun and is also a little bit of a throwback. Multiple size options are nice to have, so depending on how you want your board to behave, you can have stability at the expense of responsiveness or vice-versa. And it looks cool as hell.
