{"id":1858625,"date":"2026-04-01T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T04:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1858625"},"modified":"2026-04-01T07:00:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T04:00:34","slug":"armada-goes-100-snowboarding-discontinues-ski-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1858625","title":{"rendered":"Armada goes 100% snowboarding; discontinues ski line"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Following its surprise move into snowboarding<\/a> last year, Armada, the iconic freeski brand, has just taken things a big step further: As of the 2027\/28 winter season, Armada will produce only snowboards, while the ski side of the brand will be phased out entirely.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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In an odd twist of fate, the ski company founded in 2002 to embody \u201cwhat skiing will become\u201d has now, in fact, become a snowboard brand.<\/p>\n

The shocking decision by Armada\u2019s parent company, Amer Sports, follows what sources describe as a \u201cstrategic realignment\u201d within the family of brands, with increasing focus on growth opportunities in snowboarding and changing market dynamics across the winter sports industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith other brands under the Amer umbrella like Atomic and Salomon already flagships in the freeski space, we felt it was best to set Armada on a new path,\u201d a representative told Downdays. \u201cArmada has already proven its legitimacy in snowboarding. So it\u2019s time to take the next logical step.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have led skiing into the future, and now is the time for change,\u201d an Armada representative told Downdays. \u201cAs the freeskiing community ages, more riders are turning to the simpler pleasures of snowboarding. Board sports are growing faster than ever, and this is our chance to seize that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n We are what skiing will become: Snowboarding. <\/div>\n
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From two planks to one<\/b><\/h2>\n

After years of secretive development, the news about Armada Snowboards<\/a> first broke last fall. Already more closely connected to the snowboard industry than other ski companies, Armada quietly recruited a who\u2019s who list of influential riders, boardmakers and managers to shape their move into the sport.<\/p>\n

Armada Snowboards will release a nine-board collection in fall 2026, with boots and bindings reportedly to follow. That rollout will now accelerate as the company\u2019s full attention turns to snowboarding, and the skiing side of the brand is powered down.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Longtime members of the Armada ski team like Henrik Harlaut, Sammy Carlson and Quinn Wolferman have reportedly been delivered an ultimatum: Either start snowboarding, or find a new sponsor.<\/p>\n

Some have jumped at the unexpected opportunity. \u201cHey, Sean Pettit already did it years ago,\u201d Carlson told Downdays. \u201cAnd seriously, let\u2019s face it. Snowboarding has always been cooler.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA pow turn on a snowboard will always be better than a pow turn on skis,\u201d Carlson continued. \u201cWho were we kidding? Any skier with half a brain will recognize the truth, and follow us over to where the grass is greener.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tanner Hall is reportedly the sole skier who will remain on the Armada team, with a limited run of skis to be produced for his exclusive use. \u201cTanner is already more of a snowboarder than most snowboarders,\u201d a company insider explained. \u201cHe\u2019s so much a snowboarder that he rides two of them at once\u2014one one each foot. And just calls them skis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The AR2-1<\/b><\/h2>\n

With thousands of skis still on their balance sheet, Armada has devised a revolutionary method of repurposing them. The AR2-1 is a negative-space insert that fits seamlessly into the space between a pair of skis, allowing them\u2014with minor adjustments\u2014to be re-pressed as snowboards. It\u2019s a novel approach that allows the brand to transform its existing stock for a different market.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cDo you recall the timeless 1996 Spice Girls ballad 2 Become 1<\/a>?\u201d asked a company spokesperson. \u201cThat\u2019s the energy that we\u2019re channeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pioneers of splitboarding sawed their boards into two,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe\u2019re doing the same thing, but in reverse.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to refurbishing the entire existing stock of Armada skis, the AR2-1 will be marketed directly as an aftermarket modification, allowing skiers to turn the skis that they already own, from any brand, into snowboards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are what skiing will become,\u201d the company spokesperson concluded. \u201cSnowboarding.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAlways get<\/strong>
\nfirst tracks
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Following its surprise move into snowboarding last year, Armada, the iconic freeski brand, has just taken things a big step further: As of the 2027\/28 winter season, Armada will produce only snowboards, while the ski side of the brand will be phased out entirely. In an odd twist of fate, the ski company founded in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,279],"class_list":["post-1858625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-downdays-eu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1858625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1858625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1858625\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1858625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1858625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1858625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}