Jan Vaterlaus
I am a husband, dad, and grandfather as well as an outdoorsman, bladesmith, artist, and craftsman. As an Idaho native I have had the great fortune to hike, hunt, and fish the remote areas of the state. I love the high country and spend time in The White Clouds, The Seven Devils, The Centennial Range, The Pioneers, The Wind Rivers, and The Big Horn Crags. When I was a few years younger, I expanded my horizons as a part time hunting guide in Alaska where I assisted on Dall sheep, Grizzly, Moose, and wolf hunts. My experiences have taught me valuable lessons in what works and what does not work in the high country. I refined my “self-taught” skills by attending a blade smithing school (New England School of Metalwork) in Maine taught by Mastersmith and ABS Hall of fame member Jim Crowell. All of my knives and fishing rods are beautiful enough to be showcased on a shelf but built to perform at the highest standards in the roughest conditions. Broad Canyon Customs is named after the canyon where Idaho’s highest named lake (Goat Lake 10,400 ‘) is located. It is framed by rocky peaks, scree slides, boulders, mountain grass and flowers, and requires a tremendous amount of energy and stamina to climb to its remote beauty. Mountain goats, elk, mule deer, and moose are frequently spotted on the cliffs or on the timbered slopes. It is the spirit of this wild and rugged canyon that I attempt to capture in each of my creations