About thirty-three years ago, Dale Sanford's father, Bobby, gave him an old one-piece recurve. This simple but symbolic father to son tradition ignited a lifetime quest that started Dale on a series of bow hunting adventures that began on the trails of Texas, led through the timber of Michigan and Wisconsin, and up and down the mountainous terrain of New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and Canada. Just as every oak flat, ridge top, and wind swept mountain beckoned Dale, so has the ever-mounting challenge of traditional archery beckoned him.

In 1993 the thought of building and hunting with his own longbow intrigued Dale. After a few years of trial and error, and after both success and failure in the field, in the spirit of those far away winterish, windswept haunts that we all dream of bow hunting, Winterwind Archery Traditions was created.

Winterwind longbows were born through an effort to create a longbow that is unique among longbows. Laminations of hand-selected natural core woods in the limbs, along with a laminated phenolic-impregnated riser wood has proven to be a combination that provides not only lasting beauty, but durability and stability as well.

These materials coupled with a unique deflex-reflex limb design (enhancing speed, smoothness, and stability) along with a dished grip (ensuring exact hand placement and reduces wrist torque on every shot), produces a longbow that is a work of art, that will perform every time in the field.

(Stag capped optional) Micarta limb tip overlays, a hand sewn leather grip, and a satin finish to reduce glare are all finishing touches that join together to make the Winterwind longbows not only durable, beautiful, and stable, but also a pleasure to shoot.

In 1997 , the Winterwind recurve was created to closely match our longbow. We have incorporated many of the same materials used in our longbow into a small framed, 50's style recurve.

The Winterwind recurve is designed to be smooth, quick, and have a comforting feel of old time tradition. Our traditional style recurve has action wood limb cores for stability and natural wood veneers for beauty, joined with a dished grip that closely matches the grip in our longbow. With this in mind, you can shoot both our longbow and our recurve and maintain a sense and feel of familiarity.

So, whether you prefer a longbow, a recurve, or both, a Winterwind custom crafted bow will be a partner to you in the field that will perform when the shot really counts. And remember, at Winterwind Archery Traditions we craft every bow with not only performance in mind, but also with old time tradition, craftsmanship, and integrity, and that is, "As It Should Be".