SnoPlanks Academy

SnoPlanks Academy

Bring your stoke

Are you passionate about mountain culture and the outdoor industry? Do you have a creative eye and an entrepreneurial mindset?

SnoPlanks Academy is for students ready to put learning into motion. Gain real-world experience designing, testing and launching products alongside industry professionals while completing your degree.

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Become Part of Snoplanks

We’re looking for the next generation of brand builders and operators. SnoPlanks Academy thrives on a diverse range of skills and perspectives, and students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Here, you don’t just learn about business — you help run one.

2026 Cohort

•    Term: April 2026 – April 2027
•    Run in season business 2026    
•    Sell 2027 snowboards
•    Design 2028 snowboards

Job applications are now open. Apply by February 20th. 

*There are two job postings for SnoPlanks on Benny Hire. A resume and cover letter are required. Please apply to the team member job posting first. If you are interested in helping project manage, you can apply to the lead position as well.

Apply Now 

Run a snowboard company while EARNING YOUR DEGREE
 

In 2023, SnoPlanks founders James Nicol and Ryan Holmes made an extraordinary move. Wanting to give students the truly hands-on opportunity of running an outdoor products company, they donated their Bend-based snowboard company to OSU-Cascades.

SnoPlanks Academy at OSU-Cascades was born.

Snoplanks is in your hands

At SnoPlanks Academy, you and your fellow students will have the chance to take charge of various aspects of the SnoPlanks snowboard company, including:

  • Product Design
  • Marketing and sales strategy
  • Financial Decision making
  • Market and Sales Execution
  • Content creation
  • Industry Events

The world-class business faculty and staff at OSU-Cascades will guide and support you every step of the way.

And running an outdoor products company as a college student? Now that stands out in a job interview.

The product


When SnoPlanks was founded in 2012, they crafted snowboards by hand using lightweight bamboo, which resulted in sustainable and high-performance powder boards. SnoPlanks snowboards have been sold by national retailers like Tactics and Backcountry, and have been featured in publications such as Outside Magazine, Snowboarder and Teton Gravity Research.

The next chapter is up to you.

Powered by Collaboration


At SnoPlanks, students, faculty, and industry mentors work side by side — each bringing different skills, perspectives, and lived experience to the table. It’s this mix of creative, technical, and strategic backgrounds that allows SnoPlanks to grow, adapt, and thrive.

 

OSU-Cascades Faculty

  • Academic Program Director
  • Advisor for Marketing and Sales
  • Advisor for Product, Finance and Operations

Student Leadership Officers

  • Project Manager
  • Product Lead 
  • Marketing Lead
  • Sales Lead

Business Functions

  • Product and Supply Chain
  • Marketing and Graphic Design
  • Sales and Events
Snoplanks Academy is a partnership between OSU-Cascades and Oregon State University's College of Business.
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