Armada Launches -- Freeskier.com

from Freeskier.com
By: Cody Raisig
First Appeared: October 2002


When a premier skier leaves his ski company because he's not happy with that company's dedication to the sport of freeskiing, it's a big deal. When six premier skiers leave their respective ski companies to form their own, it's a huge deal. This month, six skiers did exactly that.

J.F. Cusson, J.P. Auclair, Tanner Hall, Boyd Easley, Anthony Boronowski and Julien Regnier-Lafforgue have joined forces to form Armada, a brand-new, rider-driven ski company, and in doing so have made what could be the most powerful statement in freeskiing's short history.

Armada's focus is simple and direct: The company, which is based out of Costa Mesa, Calif., is fully devoted to making skis for freeskiers. "We are the most core company out there," says J.P. Auclair. "We are the people who are willing to drop everything else to make sure there's a company that's doing exactly what the sport of freeskiing needs. With Armada, we [the riders] are able to do whatever we want. We know where to take things, and we know what to do with them."

This year Armada is making two different skis, the AR5 and the ARV. The AR5 is the terrain park, halfpipe and jib-specific ski. The ARV is the big-mountain, powder and backcountry booter-specific ski.

French new-school pioneer and former Olympic Mogul skier Julien Regnier-Lafforgue is a major influence in the design of Armada's skis. His resume includes being responsible for the rider-input/testing of Rossignol's Scratch BC and Pow-Air.

Armada's ski design is basic, yet deliberate and functional. "We didn't want any bullshit on the ski that you don't need — just super-good performance," Julien says. "So, we went with a sandwich construction, [which has regular sidewalls — no cap construction]. It has a wood core because it's the best. It's not the lightest, but it's tough. Everybody wants a ski that can handle a lot of crashes and impact."

As far as quality goes, the team riders are praising the Armada skis. "I've been riding Armada prototypes since last February or March, and I haven't broken a pair yet," says Anthony Boronowski. J.P. explains the power of Anthony's words: "Anthony tests skis more hardcore than anybody. If you give him a pair of skis, and they last a couple of months, then you know the skis are gnarly enough to last forever with normal people."

Although dropping their former ski sponsors to start Armada was the perfect opportunity for these athletes, it was a difficult decision that took a lot of thought and was influenced by complex issues.

For J.P, his switch to Armada marks a new era in which he can continue to influence and progress the sport. "I had great times with Salomon, but it was logical for me to leave," says J.P. "It was kind of hard for me to get things done at Salomon. The company is so big, and I couldn't influence it any more. Back in the Teneighty days, it was a lot of fun to make things happen and change the industry. But, now that they're happy with their numbers, they don't seem to care so much anymore. They are coasting and just happy with it. I need more action again."

There's no doubt that the Armada crew will be getting action and bringing the action. As Tanner Hall states, "Skiing is for the riders, and Armada is going to bring it to the riders. There's no way anybody can deny it."

source: http://www.freeskier.com/skiers/article_display.cfm?refid=734

For more information on Armada, go online to www.armadaskis.com. Skis will be available for purchase on the web and in various retail shops throughout the country.