If you've known Ottawa Valley Air Paddle mainly for kayaks, paddleboards and summer adventures, things are about to look a little different around here. This winter, we're going all in on snowboarding, and we mean it: our goal is to become Eastern Ontario's newest and best snowboard shop.

Over the past year, we've been carefully building a snowboard lineup we're incredibly excited about, bringing together some of the biggest and most respected names in the industry under one roof in Arnprior. For the 2026/27 season, you'll find CAPiTA, Union, Nitro, Lib Tech, Jones, ThirtyTwo and Salomon on our wall. And this is just the beginning.

Why Snowboarding?

Winter has already been a huge part of what we do at OVAP. Many of our staff members are snowboarders and we take the sport very seriously.

We already spend the colder months helping skiers find the right equipment, boots and gear, and as our winter shop has grown, one thing has become increasingly obvious: there is room in Eastern Ontario for a snowboard shop that takes snowboarding seriously.

Not just a small rack of boards tucked into the corner. Not just a couple of options in a handful of sizes.

We want to build a snowboard department where riders can walk in, compare brands, talk through different shapes and flexes, get properly fitted for boots and bindings, and leave with a setup that actually makes sense for the way they ride. Whether you're buying your very first board or you've been riding for years, we want OVAP to be a place where you can geek out about snowboard gear with people who are just as excited about it as you are.

The Brands Coming to OVAP

We were very intentional about the brands we chose. Here's what each one brings to the wall.

CAPiTA

One of the most recognizable names in modern snowboarding, CAPiTA has built a huge following for its combination of performance, creativity and unmistakable board graphics. From playful freestyle boards to powerful all-mountain options, CAPiTA gives us a fantastic range for riders who want something exciting under their feet.

Union Binding Company

Bindings matter, a lot. That's why we're so excited to bring Union to OVAP. Union has become one of the most respected snowboard binding brands in the world, with options ranging from soft and surfy freestyle setups to powerful bindings built for aggressive riding. It gives us the ability to properly match your binding to your board, boots and riding style rather than simply grabbing whatever happens to fit.

Nitro

Nitro has been part of snowboarding for decades and brings an enormous amount of experience to its lineup. Their range gives us options for beginners, progressing riders, freestyle snowboarders and experienced riders looking for high-performance equipment.

Lib Tech

If you've spent any time around snowboarders, you've probably heard the name Lib Tech. Known for distinctive board shapes, bold graphics and technologies such as Magne-Traction, Lib Tech has always done things a little differently, which makes it a particularly fun addition to our wall.

Jones

Jones brings a different flavour to the lineup. Built around mountain riding, freeride performance and progression, Jones boards are designed for riders who want to explore more of the mountain and push their riding further. For anyone drawn to carving, powder, freeride terrain and directional shapes, there's a lot to get excited about here.

ThirtyTwo

A great snowboard setup starts with your boots. ThirtyTwo has been a major snowboard boot brand for years, and bringing it into OVAP gives us another important piece of the puzzle: helping riders get into boots that actually fit properly. Because the best snowboard in the world isn't much fun when your feet hurt.

Salomon

Salomon brings decades of mountain experience and a deep snowboard lineup covering everything from accessible beginner setups to high-performance boards, boots and bindings. It also helps us round out the shop with even more options for different feet, riding styles and budgets.

More Than Just Selling Boards

The goal isn't simply to have a wall full of cool snowboards. We want to help you understand what you're buying.

Camber or rocker? Directional or twin? Soft or stiff? What size board should you ride? What binding flex works with it? Should your boots feel this tight? These are the conversations we want to have.

Snowboard equipment has become incredibly specialized, which is amazing when you know what you're looking for, but pretty overwhelming when you don't. That's where we come in. Our goal is to make the process approachable, whether you're shopping for your first setup, upgrading one piece of your kit, or looking for something completely different from what you already ride.

Built for Eastern Ontario Riders

We're also choosing our snowboard selection with our local riding in mind. The reality is that most of us aren't riding bottomless powder every weekend.

We're riding places like Calabogie, Pakenham, Camp Fortune, Vorlage and Mont Ste. Marie. We're taking trips to Tremblant, Blue Mountain and beyond. We're riding groomers, park laps, icy mornings, fresh snow when we can get it, and just about everything in between. That means the right snowboard for an Eastern Ontario rider might look very different from the setup you'd choose for a season in British Columbia. We want to help make those distinctions.

Something for New Riders, Too

One thing we're especially excited about is helping more people get into snowboarding. We all start somewhere. 

Buying your first setup can feel intimidating. There are board sizes, boot sizes, binding sizes, flex ratings, shapes, and an alarming number of opinions on the internet. You don't need to know all of that before you walk through our door. Come in, ask questions, try things on. We'll help you work through it.

The Shop Is Changing

Right now, OVAP is in the middle of our seasonal transformation from summer to winter. Kayaks are moving out. Snowboards, skis, boots, bindings, helmets, goggles and winter apparel are moving in.

And when we reopen in full winter mode, this will be our biggest winter shop yet. We genuinely cannot wait for you to see it.

Help Us Build This Right

We're reading every comment. The more we understand what riders in the Ottawa Valley actually want, the better we can build this.

Whether you're brand new to snowboarding or already counting the days until the lifts start spinning, come check out what we're building. Winter at OVAP is about to look very different.