Who says a skateboarder living the life of the party can’t become an organized entrepreneur? Because that’s exactly what happened with Micah Desforges, founder and president of the Tribu.
In our previous articles, we explained that Tribu was a story of passion, dreams and surpassing oneself… but it’s also the story of a local youth who decided to make no concessions on his real ambitions.
Athlete : Micah Desforges
Credit : Jesse Taylor
“When I was living in my row of land in Saint-Romain, 3 hours away from Montreal by car, it all started when I saw Tony Hawk do 900 at the X Games…”
“That precise moment, those two and a half rotations with Dave Duncan shouting in the mic… that’s when it really started, says Micah, his eyes shining like a child. After seeing that, I built a ramp… eventually I created Ripper Skateboards, eventually JACKALOPE… then eventually Tony Hawk came to Montreal with Dave Duncan shouting in the mic… and I was on the ramp next to them and I was like WOW.”
Greg Lutzka – Jon Cosentino – Ryo Sejiri
Micah Desforges and Dave Duncan
JACKALOPE 2014
But JACKALOPE is far from being the only Tribu project. Over the years, the company has been able to create and organize snowboard, snowmobile and Esport events from Montreal to Shawinigan, Banff and Denver. What the Tribu team lives from day to day is the realization of a childhood dream. We live from our passion for action sports and adrenaline.
“You’re like the street version of Cirque du Soleil!” Exclaimed Arlene Dickinson during Micah’s remarkable visit to Dragons Den in 2019.
“Everything starts with an idea. If you have an idea, you can build on it. I think it’s important to do what you love.”
In this interview, Micah looks back on his first steps in the world of entrepreneurship and his past as a star salesman at the Amnesia boutique. Because yes, there is a connection. He also talks about the key events in our history, as well as the people who helped build Tribu.
JACKALOPE 2012