ABM 2022 FULL PART

Brand overview and significance

Auclair is a Canadian glove specialist with roots that go back to 1945, when René and Mathieu Auclair started a small factory in Loretteville, near Québec City, making fashion gloves. As cheap imports reshaped that market in the 1960s, the company pivoted toward functional winter gloves, eventually focusing on skiing, mountaineering and other cold-weather sports. Eight decades later, Auclair is still best known for one thing: building gloves and mitts that work in real winter, not just in catalogue photos.

The brand’s identity is tightly linked to the Canadian winter experience. Marketing lines like “Proudly Canadian since 1945” and “built to endure” aren’t just slogans; they reflect a product range shaped by long, dry cold snaps around Québec and the kind of storm days that define a ski season. Auclair’s catalog spans alpine race gloves with advanced impact protection, freeride and touring models built from robust leather and technical textiles, nordic ski and run gloves, and casual styles for everyday city use. All are designed around warmth, dexterity and durability rather than fashion cycles.

In competition, Auclair has supplied gloves for national teams and programs including Alpine Canada and pools linked to the U.S. Ski Team, and more recently became an official supplier to professional instructor organizations. Those relationships, along with a steady presence in North American race rooms and freeride crews, have helped cement its reputation as a trusted accessory brand. For the skipowd.tv audience, Auclair is not a “flashy” name but a familiar one: the logo you see stitched on the cuffs of race mitts in the start gate, and on the hands of park and freeride riders from Québec segments to emerging junior talents on the FIS circuit.

Product lines and key technologies

Auclair’s range is organized by discipline: alpine race, ski and snowboard all-mountain, freeride and touring, cross-country, and lifestyle. Within each, models are tuned for specific mixes of warmth, dexterity and protection.

On the race side, the flagship Race Fusion models epitomize the brand’s technical approach. Built with full-grain leather shells, articulated fingers and an external D3O® impact shell across the back of the hand, they are designed to absorb repeated gate hits without turning the glove into a rigid shield. That design has been recognized with major industry awards and sits under the A.R.T. (Auclair Racing Technology) banner, a shorthand for the brand’s race-focused R&D work. Other race and frontside gloves use strategic padding, pre-curved fingers and high-grip palms to keep poles locked in through aggressive carving.

For resort and freeride skiers, Auclair’s ski and snowboard collection covers everything from relaxed all-mountain days to storm laps and sidecountry hikes. Many models use the proprietary Auclair-Dry membrane, a waterproof and windproof insert designed to remain breathable, paired with synthetic insulations such as Mirafil®, PrimaLoft® Eco or 3M™ Thinsulate™. The combination aims to keep hands dry and warm without excessive bulk, and it is supported by a brand-wide warmth chart that helps buyers match insulation levels to climate and circulation.

Freeride and backcountry gloves often lean into tougher outer materials—goatskin or cowhide leather, robust nylon and canvas blends—and details such as utility pockets on the back of the hand, removable leashes, powder cuffs and reinforced palms. Nordic and cross-country models, like racing-focused XC gloves, trade bulk for breathability and pole feel, using softshell fabrics and lighter insulations to keep hands warm while managing sweat during high-output sessions.

In recent years, Auclair has also invested in eco-oriented product stories. The Eco Racer family, for example, combines chrome-free or veg-tanned leather with recycled insulation, recycled linings, hemp stitching and plant-based YULEX® foam as an alternative to conventional neoprene. These models aim to deliver the same fit and performance as classic leather race gloves while reducing environmental impact through material choices.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Because Auclair makes gloves, not skis, the “ride feel” shows up in how your hands experience the mountain. In the race collection, the sensation is firm and precise: a snug, anatomical fit with strong wrist support and enough pre-curve that your grip around the pole feels natural, not forced. The D3O® padding on Race Fusion–type models stiffens on impact but remains flexible otherwise, so hitting gates feels muted rather than jarring while you retain fine control for timing and pole plants.

All-mountain and freeride gloves are tuned for skiers who spend full days outside in mixed conditions. In the lift line and on the chair, the warmth is immediately obvious: leather that softens with use, liners that feel plush rather than spongy, and insulation thick enough to handle storm cycles. On snow, especially when you’re skating through flat spots, poling in chopped snow or scrambling over rocks at a bootpack, the gloves are meant to disappear into the background—no cold spots around the fingertips, no floppy cuffs catching on jacket sleeves, and enough dexterity to adjust buckles or zippers without stripping your gloves every time.

Tourers and ski mountaineers who choose Auclair tend to prioritise reliability. For this crew, the ideal glove system might be a warmer, leather-based pair for the descent and a lighter, more breathable glove for skinning and transitions. Auclair’s touring-friendly models provide good pole grip and range of motion, but the brand’s core bias is still toward solid downhill performance: a glove that won’t collapse when you’re swinging tools, arresting on firm snow or dealing with icy, wind-scoured ridgelines.

In everyday winter use—from shovelling, commuting and watching races to pulling cameras and tripods in the parking lot—the same features translate into a sense of calm. If you ride in climates similar to Québec, Scandinavia or interior Canada, Auclair’s warmth levels and materials are tuned for exactly that kind of long, dry cold that can make lesser gloves fail halfway through a season.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Auclair’s reputation in skiing was built first in race culture. Generations of skiers remember seeing its logo on gloves in alpine race photos from the 1960s onward, and the brand has served as official glove supplier to Alpine Canada and as part of the supplier pool for U.S. national programs. Modern race gloves like the Race Fusion, recognised by trade shows and industry awards, continue that tradition by pairing race-room performance with technology borrowed from impact sports.

Beyond gates, Auclair is a quiet but consistent presence in freeride and park. Canadian athletes in slopestyle and big air, including emerging names on Nor-Am and FIS circuits, ride with Auclair gloves as part of broader kits that might mix skis, outerwear and helmets from other brands. On skipowd.tv, you’ll see Auclair mentioned in connection with young Canadian slopestyle riders who represent the next wave of park skiing, underlining the brand’s relevance beyond pure racing.

The brand is also active with instructors, guides and working pros. Becoming an official supplier to major ski instructor associations signals a focus on durability and day-in, day-out comfort—if a glove can survive hundreds of teaching days per season, it will likely handle a committed recreational skier’s use as well. Among shop staff and bootfitters in cold climates, Auclair enjoys a reputation as a solid, value-conscious choice: not the most hyped name on social media, but reliable stock that customers return for once they’ve worn through a first pair.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Auclair’s story starts just outside Québec City, one of the most winter-hardened urban environments in skiing. The region’s long, snowy seasons and consistently cold temperatures are baked into product testing and design. Gloves that work for commuters, snowmobilers and ski racers around Québec tend to translate well to other harsh winter zones. In the skipowd.tv ecosystem, the brand feels naturally linked to locations like Québec, where street skiing, night shoots and frigid temperatures demand dependable hand protection.

From that base, Auclair has built a strong presence across Canada and the northern United States, with distribution through specialty ski shops and outdoor retailers. Race clubs in eastern Canada, resort communities in the Rockies and nordic centres all form part of the brand’s informal test network. Feedback from World Cup athletes, nordic skiers and freeride crews helps refine fit, insulation balance and durability details between seasons.

Internationally, Auclair appears in European shops that specialize in gloves and accessories, particularly in markets that value robust leather construction and straightforward design. While it doesn’t yet have the global ubiquity of the very biggest glove brands, it occupies a respected niche: a North American-born specialist that understands genuine cold and offers products that feel at home wherever winters are serious.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Construction is where Auclair’s decades of experience show most clearly. Many of its ski gloves and mitts use leather shells—often goat leather for a balance of softness and durability, or cowhide for maximum robustness—combined with nylon or canvas panels where flexibility and weight savings matter. Palms are reinforced with textured overlays or double layers in high-wear zones, and outseam stitching is used on some models to reduce pressure points inside the glove and improve tactile feel.

Inside, the Auclair-Dry membrane provides a waterproof, windproof and breathable barrier in many models, backed by insulations chosen to match specific warmth targets. PrimaLoft® Eco, 3M™ Thinsulate™ and in-house fills like Mirafil® are layered with brushed Bemberg linings that wick moisture away from the skin. Designs are generally practical rather than experimental: over-cuffs to seal against snow, neoprene or elastic wrists for secure fit, removable leashes, nose-wipe panels and reflective accents for night missions.

On the sustainability front, Auclair has been steadily shifting materials. Eco-focused models incorporate chrome-free or vegetable-tanned leather, recycled polyester insulation and linings, hemp stitching and plant-based foams such as YULEX® instead of traditional neoprene. Some gloves use cuffs made from recycled bottles with dye processes that reduce water and energy usage. Retail partners highlight the brand’s move toward chrome-free leather and recycled content as a key part of its current identity, framing warmth and durability as compatible with lower environmental impact. For riders, that means you can choose options that align better with long-term sustainability goals without giving up the warmth and feel that define the brand.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing the right Auclair glove starts with three questions: how cold is your home mountain, how hard do you ski, and how much dexterity you need. If you’re a racer or spend most of your time carving hard on pistes, look at the alpine race and frontside collections. Here, you’ll pick between glove and mitt constructions, levels of D3O® protection, and different warmth ratings. A snug, low-profile glove will suit high-intensity training days and milder climates; warmer, more heavily padded options make sense for long, frigid race days where you spend time standing in start pens.

All-mountain and freeride skiers should start with the main ski and snowboard collections, paying attention to Auclair’s warmth scale and whether a model prioritises durability (more leather, heavier insulation) or lightness and mobility (more textiles, lower bulk). If you ski mostly on storm days or in very cold regions, look for higher warmth levels, long powder cuffs and leather palms. If you tour or bootpack frequently, consider slightly lighter gloves paired with a high-quality liner, or run a two-glove system with a breathable pair for the climb and a warmer pair for the descent.

Nordic skiers and runners will be happier in the brand’s XC-focused gloves, which are explicitly designed for high-output movement and fine pole feel. These gloves sit lower on the warmth scale but manage sweat better than a heavy alpine mitt, helping you avoid the freeze–thaw cycle that comes with soaked liners.

Across all categories, fit is critical. Auclair tends to offer a fairly anatomical, slightly snug pattern out of the box, designed to break in with use. When in doubt between sizes, try on with the underlayers you actually wear mid-winter and aim for a fit that allows full finger extension without compressing circulation. For skiers who care about sustainability, look for “Eco” or chrome-free leather cues in model names and descriptions; these lines pack the brand’s most advanced material choices into recognisably Auclair designs.

Why riders care

Riders care about Auclair because it feels like a glove brand built from winter outward. The company’s origins in cold, snowy Québec, its long service to race programs and its focus on gloves and mitts rather than a sprawling product catalog all contribute to a sense of trust. When you slip on a well-broken-in leather Auclair glove, there’s a reassuring familiarity: seams where you expect them, warmth that lasts more than a couple of seasons, and details that make long days easier rather than more complicated.

For the skipowd.tv community, Auclair sits at the intersection of performance and real-world utility. It shows up on the hands of juniors learning to bash gates, freeriders hiking for one more shot in bitter wind, and filmmakers holding cameras in urban spots around Québec. The brand’s newer eco models add another reason to care: you can choose race-ready, award-winning gloves or all-mountain workhorses that also reflect more thoughtful material choices. In a market crowded with generic winter accessories, Auclair stands out as a specialist brand that has earned its place one cold day at a time, making it an easy name to trust when warm, functional hands are non-negotiable.

Brand overview and significance

Blank Collective Films is a Sea to Sky–based ski film collective led by Canadian skier and filmmaker Alexi Godbout. Operating out of the Whistler–Pemberton corridor in British Columbia, it has become one of the most respected modern freeski production houses, sitting in the space between small DIY crews and big legacy studios. The collective’s films are defined by a mix of cinematic polish, athlete-led storylines and a decidedly human tone—lots of humour, real decision-making and the kind of downtime mountain life always includes.

Blank started as a tight-knit crew of skiers who wanted to tell their own stories about life in big mountains rather than simply slot into existing film brands. Over the past decade they have released a steady run of features and shorts: early projects like “Before Blank” and “The 7 Stages of Blank,” the storm-chasing anthology “Follow the Forecast,” the Cascadia love letter “Tales From Cascadia,” and more recent titles such as “Feel Real,” “Fortune Hunters,” “Camp Blank,” “Cold Calls” and “One Step Ahead.” Each project refines the same core idea: skiing is as much about the people, conversations and place-based memories as it is about the biggest line in the segment.

Supported by partners including Salomon, Rockstar Energy and a rotating cast of technical brands, Blank has carved out a clear identity within contemporary ski media. Their work appears on film-tour circuits, at festivals and online premieres, and is widely shared within core freeride communities. For the skipowd.tv audience, Blank is the crew you watch when you want modern big-mountain skiing filtered through honest storytelling rather than pure stunt reels—a reference point for what a skier-led film collective can be in the 2020s.

Product lines and key technologies

Instead of skis or boots, Blank’s “product line” is a catalog of films and tours that cover the full spectrum of freeride storytelling. Their core output consists of feature-length movies released each fall, backed by shorter web segments, festival cuts and tour edits. Projects like “The 7 Stages of Blank” and “Feel Real” focus on the inner rhythm of a ski season—anticipation, frustration, creativity, exhaustion and satisfaction—while “Tales From Cascadia” and “Fortune Hunters” lean into geographic storytelling, using a specific region as the through-line for a winter of travel and filming.

Technically, Blank leans on high-end digital cinema tools and a consistent group of directors, cinematographers and editors, but the “technology” that matters most is their narrative approach. They blend long-lens big-mountain shots with follow-cam, drone perspectives and intimate on-the-road scenes to build a sense of continuity through an entire season. Instead of stitching together disconnected banger clips, each film is structured as a journey: a sequence of trips, storm cycles and crew decisions that gradually reveals who the riders are and why these objectives matter to them.

Brand partnerships are integrated into that storytelling rather than bolted on. Salomon’s freeride and touring products, for example, appear as the tools the crew actually uses day after day, not as forced product placements. Likewise, support from lifestyle partners, breweries and magazines tends to show up in the texture of the trip—road stops, après sessions, premieres—rather than in heavy-handed logo segments. The result is a product line that feels cohesive: whether you are watching an early classic like “Before Blank” or a recent premiere like “Cold Calls,” you recognise the same mix of humour, commitment and place-based skiing.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Blank doesn’t sell hardware, but their films have a distinct “ride feel” in how they portray skiing. If you gravitate toward big faces, complex snowpacks and the culture of road-tripping with a small crew, this is your lane. Their segments often feature fall-line lines, natural airs and pillow stacks in deep snow, but they almost always keep at least one eye on context: radio chatter, avalanche forecasts, sled shuttles, missed windows and the laughing arguments that happen in parking lots and cabins when plans change.

For viewers, that makes Blank especially appealing in a few scenarios. Pre-season, their films work as a realistic hype tool: they remind you how much effort and patience sit behind every dream shot. Midwinter, they are natural fuel for big-mountain and backcountry skiers who want to see lines that look like the terrain they aspire to—technical, committing, but recognisably part of the same world most dedicated riders inhabit. And for park or resort-focused skiers, Blank movies are a gateway into the wider freeride and touring universe, showing how strong fundamentals and creativity translate when the rope drops beyond the boundary.

The tone is also a draw. Blank’s edits leave room for awkward falls, strange weather and jokes that only barely make sense outside the group chat. That balance between serious terrain and non-serious people keeps the films approachable: you can admire the level of skiing without feeling like you are watching superhumans on a different planet.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Blank’s athlete roster has evolved with each project, but a few names recur: Alexi Godbout himself, Stan Rey, Josh Daiek, Chris Rubens, Cole Richardson and a rotating crew of heavy hitters such as Sam Kuch, Cody Townsend, Aaron Blunck, Anna Segal and Alex Beaulieu-Marchand. Their more recent projects pull in a younger generation and a wider geographic spread, with skiers from Canada, the United States, Japan and Scandinavia sharing segments.

Many of these riders have serious competitive résumés—World Cup slopestyle medals, X Games appearances, Freeride World Tour wins—yet Blank films generally treat contests as background rather than main plot. The focus is on what those skills enable in the backcountry: big airs into clean landings, technical spine riding, creative use of natural features, or ski-mountaineering objectives tackled with a freeride lens. The crew’s collective experience shows up in the way lines are chosen and executed, even when the tone of the voiceover is light.

On the industry side, Blank’s films regularly appear on major festival programs and film tours. Projects like “Follow the Forecast,” “Tales From Cascadia” and “Cold Calls” have run at events such as the iF3 Festival and quality ski film tours across North America and Europe, often alongside long-standing players. That visibility, combined with consistent brand backing, has given Blank a reputation as one of the core modern freeski collectives: big enough to anchor a film tour, small enough to still feel like a crew of friends.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Geographically, Blank is anchored in the Sea to Sky corridor of British Columbia. Mountains around Whistler-Blackcomb provide the home base: lift-accessed alpine bowls, stormy tree zones and easy access to touring terrain make it a perfect test lab for both athletes and cameras. From there, the crew ranges out along the spine of the Pacific Northwest to familiar Cascadian playgrounds such as Mt. Baker, whose deep, stormy snowpack and sculpted natural features have long been a magnet for film projects (see the official resort pages at Mt Baker Ski Area and Whistler Blackcomb for a sense of the terrain they work with).

Interior British Columbia is another recurring character. Towns and mountains around Revelstoke BC feature prominently when the crew wants huge vertical, complex avalanche terrain and long, glade-filled descents that keep the cameras rolling for entire songs. Those trips often blend lift-served laps with sled-access and touring, showing how modern film crews stitch together different tools to unlock big canvases.

Beyond Canada, Blank has filmed extensively in Japan and its snow-sure zones, reflected in projects where deep storm cycles around Japan meet the playful style of their athletes. Other trips have explored Norway’s coastal ranges, Alaska’s large-scale faces and select European venues. Cold Calls, for example, strings together storm skiing in British Columbia, deep tree days in Japan, big terrain in Norway and rare high-pressure windows in Alaska. That global reach means Blank’s films double as an informal map of modern freeride hotspots, useful inspiration for anyone planning their own destination list.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

For a film collective, “construction” is about how projects come together over multiple seasons. Blank typically builds each movie around a loose concept—emotional stages of a winter, a specific bioregion like Cascadia, or a simple directive to follow the forecast and see what happens—then lets actual weather, logistics and injuries shape the final story. That approach creates films that feel durable over time: they are less about a single trend or new trick and more about how committed skiers navigate whatever a winter throws at them.

The crew works repeatedly with the same cinematographers, editors and sound designers, which shows in the consistency of colour, pacing and audio. Long, honest line shots sit next to carefully composed lifestyle sequences and voiceover passages that give context without slowing the film down. That consistency also extends to how they present risk: avalanche conditions, missed calls and close margins are not hidden, which makes the films a more realistic reference for aspiring backcountry riders than purely “heroic” edits.

On sustainability, Blank does not position itself as an environmental NGO, but its work increasingly acknowledges the long-term relationship between riders and landscapes. Cold and snowy winters are treated as something precious rather than guaranteed, and many films linger on local communities and the non-skiing fabric that keeps mountain towns alive. From a viewer’s perspective, the most sustainable element of Blank’s catalog is its rewatch value: segments built around character and place tend to stay relevant long after specific gear setups or trick lists have moved on.

How to choose within the lineup

For new viewers, the best entry point depends on what you want from a ski film night. If you love the Pacific Northwest and big, stormy terrain, start with “Tales From Cascadia,” which is essentially a six-part love letter to the region’s volcanoes, watersheds and coastal storms. It shows the crew at home in their preferred environment and is a good barometer of whether the Blank style resonates with you.

If you are more interested in the emotional arc of a season than in geography, “The 7 Stages of Blank” and “Feel Real” dig into the mental side of winter: the anticipation before snow arrives, the mid-season grind, the doubt after crashes or close calls, and the satisfaction of lines that finally come together. These are ideal for pre-season gatherings or for evenings when you want something more reflective than a pure banger reel.

Viewers drawn to personal stories and resilience should look toward “One Step Ahead,” which follows Norwegian skier Bernt Marius Rørstad as he returns to big lines after a life-changing injury. It is less about stacking the heaviest tricks and more about the process of rebuilding confidence in serious terrain. For a global road-trip feel and a sample of Blank’s most recent aesthetic, “Cold Calls” is a strong choice: the film hops between British Columbia, Japan, Norway and Alaska, piecing together a winter from spur-of-the-moment ideas and phone calls.

Once you know you like the crew’s approach, it is worth working backward through earlier titles such as “Before Blank” to see how the group has evolved—from more straightforward action edits to today’s polished, narrative-driven projects that anchor full film tours each fall.

Why riders care

Riders care about Blank Collective because the films feel close to the way modern freeskiing actually happens. The mountains are serious, the lines are real and often high-consequence, but the people in front of the lens still argue about coffee stops, laugh at bad decisions and admit when the weather or their own nerves shut a plan down. For many viewers, that mix of honesty and excellence is more relatable than purely aspirational projects where everything seems to go right.

For the skipowd.tv community, Blank films are also a reference point for where and how to ski. Watching a Blank project before a trip to Whistler, Revelstoke or Japan gives you a mental map of terrain types, snowpacks and the pace of days in those zones. At the same time, seeing athletes with Olympic medals or Freeride World Tour experience treat conditions with respect helps reinforce good habits: checking forecasts, talking through options and knowing when to back off. In a crowded landscape of ski content, Blank Collective stands out as a brand that makes you want to go skiing with your closest friends, take the mountains seriously, and still remember that the whole point is to enjoy the ride.

Brand overview and significance

Dalbello is an Italian ski boot specialist founded in 1974 by Alessandro and Giovanna Dal Bello in the town of Asolo, in the Veneto foothills of the Dolomites. From the start, the company focused on one thing only – ski boots – and still produces its boots in its own factory in Italy. That tight focus and local manufacturing are a big part of why Dalbello has become a reference name for all-mountain, freeride and freestyle skiers who care about fit and flex as much as pure stiffness numbers.

The founders learned their craft in Swiss boot factories before returning to Italy to build boots under their own name, moving from stitched leather uppers into modern plastic shells as the sport evolved. Over the decades, Dalbello helped popularise three-piece “cabrio” boot architecture for aggressive skiers, and today the brand is known for combining progressive flex patterns with comfort-oriented fit solutions. As part of the wider Elevate Outdoor Collective alongside Marker and Völkl, Dalbello remains an independent boot specialist with the backing of a major winter sports group.

For skiers browsing shop walls full of generic overlap shells, Dalbello stands out as a boot-focused brand with a clear identity: Italian-built, anatomically shaped, and tuned for skiers who actually push their gear – from carving pistes to dropping into freeride faces or park lines.

Product lines and key technologies

Dalbello’s collection is organised more by skier type and terrain than by abstract marketing names. At the race and frontside end, the DRS and related models bring World Cup–derived shells and precise, low-volume fits to hard-snow specialists who live on groomers, gates and high edge angles. The Veloce and Veloce Space BOA® families build on that heritage for strong resort skiers, wrapping a more accessible fit around powerful shells and, in some models, a BOA® lower closure for even pressure over the instep.

The brand’s signature, though, is its cabrio (three-piece) design, now grouped under the Cabrio and IL Moro banners. These boots use separate shell, cuff and external tongue pieces to deliver a very progressive forward flex with strong support at the end of the range. Models like the Cabrio LV/MV and park-focused IL Moro aim at freeride, big mountain and park skiers who want shock absorption and smooth feel without harsh shin bang. For all-mountain and freeride skiers who want walk modes and more versatility, lines such as Panterra and Lupo blend cabrio architecture with hike mechanisms and GripWalk soles.

On the touring and “freetour” side, Quantum boots target uphill performance with lightweight shells, efficient walk modes and tech inserts, while still keeping a recognisably Dalbello stance for the descent. Across the range, technologies like Contour 4 (pre-shaped shell zones around common pressure points), customizable MyFit or ID thermo-mouldable liners, and GripWalk soles recur in different combinations, giving bootfitters tools to fine-tune comfort without sacrificing precision. The result is a catalog that runs from beginner-friendly resort boots to highly specialized big-mountain and backcountry models, all built on the same fit and flex philosophy.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

On snow, Dalbello boots generally feel more progressive and reactive than their pure flex index might suggest. In the DRS and Veloce families, the emphasis is on direct power transfer: strong heel hold, precise ankle wrapping and a supportive cuff that encourages you to stand in the middle of the ski and trust the boot when you roll the edge. These boots suit advanced and expert skiers who like carving high-speed arcs on groomers, running gates, or skiing hard snow where even small inputs at the cuff are amplified into the ski.

Switch into a Cabrio, Panterra or IL Moro, and the character changes. The three-piece design and external tongue tend to give a smoother, more elastic flex that many freeride and park skiers appreciate when absorbing landings, slashing wind lips or buttering rollers. The boot progressively stiffens as you move deeper into the flex, helping protect against harsh bottom-outs while keeping the initial movement supple enough to move with variable terrain. This makes cabrio boots popular for riders who mix park laps, side hits and off-piste sessions in the same day.

Touring-oriented shells in the Quantum and lighter Lupo/Freetour bracket prioritise range of motion and lower weight on the way up, but the brand’s bias still leans toward confident descending. They suit skiers who value real skiing performance on the way down more than the absolute lightest uphill setup, whether you are linking powder bowls above treeline or threading technical couloirs.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Dalbello boots have been under the feet of World Cup racers, freeride standouts and freestyle specialists for many seasons. In racing, green-accented DRS shells are a familiar sight in the start area and on European podiums, a sign that the brand’s fit and flex philosophy holds up at the highest pressures of alpine competition. The company highlights Olympic and World Cup successes in its own communications, using those results as proof that its shells can handle the forces of modern race courses.

In the freeski world, Dalbello gained a strong following when its cabrio-based Krypton and IL Moro boots became favourites among big mountain, park and slopestyle athletes who wanted smoother flex and better shock absorption on landings. That reputation has carried into newer Cabrio and Lupo lines, which you’ll spot in contemporary film segments and competition footage from big air, slopestyle and Freeride World Tour venues. For riders who spend their winters deep in park crews or filming in natural terrain, Dalbello is often the “boot brand” in otherwise mixed gear setups.

Among bootfitters and core skiers, Dalbello enjoys a reputation as a brand that listens to feedback from athletes and shops, iterating shell shapes and liners rather than chasing trends for their own sake. That gives the brand credibility with both aspiring racers and creative freeskiers who care more about how a boot skis than about the marketing copy on the box.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Dalbello’s roots in Asolo place the company in one of Italy’s historic footwear and sportsgear clusters, within reach of the Dolomites and major Alpine passes. Proximity to steep, varied terrain and a dense network of ski resorts has always been a practical advantage: prototypes can be tested on real snow, in real conditions, without crossing continents. That blend of workshop culture and mountain access is central to how the brand tells its story as “real Italian boots for real skiers.”

From a market perspective, Dalbello is strongly present across the Alps – Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and neighbouring regions – where both racers and freeriders demand precise, serviceable boots for long seasons. Through the Elevate Outdoor Collective’s global distribution, Dalbello has also built out a significant footprint in North America, Japan and other key ski regions, with dealers and bootfitters trained specifically on its shell shapes and molding systems. Whether you are lapping big-mountain terrain in North America or stacking days in central European parks, it is relatively easy to find a shop familiar with Dalbello fit.

For travelers visiting the Veneto and Dolomite areas, the brand’s home region is also a reminder that many of skiing’s most influential boots are born in small northern Italian towns where shoemaking and sport have been intertwined for generations.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Dalbello places a lot of emphasis on building every boot in its own Italian factory rather than outsourcing production. That control over materials, moulds and assembly allows the brand to keep a consistent “house feel” across different flexes and price points. Shells use polyurethane, polyamide or other engineered plastics matched to the boot’s category and intended flex character, with thicker-walled, denser compounds in race shells and tuned mixes in freeride and touring models.

Fit and durability are supported by features such as Contour 4 shell shaping around typical problem zones like the ankle and fifth metatarsal, heat-mouldable liners (from MyFit to high-end ID foam and wrap liners), and widespread use of GripWalk soles for better traction when walking on snow and in parking lots. Many models include replaceable toe and heel blocks or lugs, extending boot life for skiers who spend a lot of time on rock, stairs and resort pathways.

On the sustainability side, Dalbello participates in regional projects in the Veneto sports-system district that focus on comfort, safety and more efficient product development. While ski boots are inherently complex plastic products, the brand’s approach – centralised Italian manufacturing, longer-lasting shells, and serviceable components – aligns with a move toward gear that can be used and maintained for multiple seasons rather than rapidly discarded.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing the right Dalbello boot starts with an honest assessment of how and where you ski. If your winters revolve around groomers, carving, and perhaps some amateur racing, look first at the DRS and Veloce lines, paying attention to last width and flex index. Narrow, low-volume shells with higher flex ratings will appeal to strong, technically solid skiers who want maximum response, while medium-volume options and slightly softer flexes suit aggressive intermediates and advanced riders who still prioritise comfort on long days.

All-mountain, freeride and park skiers should focus on the Cabrio, IL Moro, Panterra and Lupo families. Here, the key decisions are flex target, presence or absence of a walk mode, and how much time you expect to spend hiking, touring or bootpacking compared to riding lifts. If you mostly ski lifts but like natural terrain and bigger features, a stiffer Cabrio or IL Moro with GripWalk soles can be ideal; if you mix in touring and longer approaches, a Lupo or Panterra with a functional walk mechanism will make life easier without sacrificing too much downhill power.

Dedicated tourers and weight-conscious big-mountain riders can look to Quantum and lighter freetour models, checking range of motion and how the boots feel in a neutral, slightly forward stance. In all cases, working with a good bootfitter is crucial: Dalbello’s shells and liners are designed to be moulded and punched where needed, so the out-of-the-box feel is only the starting point, not the final word.

Why riders care

Riders care about Dalbello because the brand has a clear personality in a crowded boot market. For many, it is the combination of Italian craftsmanship, progressive cabrio flex and real-world comfort that makes these boots memorable. Park and big-mountain skiers appreciate how a well-set-up Cabrio or IL Moro absorbs landings and encourages playful skiing, while strong frontside and race users trust DRS and Veloce shells to hold up under the pressure of steep ice and high-speed arcs.

Equally important is the sense that Dalbello is built by people who think about boots first, not as an afterthought to skis or outerwear. Its ongoing presence in high-level racing, freeride and freestyle scenes, plus its continued commitment to Italian manufacturing, signal that the brand is invested in long-term performance rather than short product cycles. For skipowd.tv viewers watching edits from parks, big mountains and backcountry lines, Dalbello often appears in the background as the quiet constant: boots designed to let skiers focus on their line, not on their feet.

Brand overview and significance

Legs of Steel is a ski film production house and creative agency based in Innsbruck, Austria, born from a tight crew of European freeskiers who wanted to tell their own stories on snow. Originally formed around 2009 by Bene Mayr, Tobi Reindl, Thomas Hlawitschka and Paddy Graham, the crew started out as housemates and training partners, then quickly evolved into a full-fledged film company. Early on, they described themselves as a “rock band” of skiing rather than a traditional production company: four friends with a shared obsession for big features, heavy lines and loud soundtracks.

Their early full-length movies—“The Pilot” (2010), “Nothing Else Matters” (2011) and “Hurt So Good” (2012)—put Legs of Steel on the global freeski map. These projects showcased huge park builds, Austrian glacier sessions and big-mountain trips with a Europe-first perspective, at a time when much of ski media was still North-America-centric. Later films such as “The LOSt,” “Same Difference” and the award-winning travel epic “Passenger,” co-produced with Red Bull Media House, cemented the brand’s reputation for big production value without losing the feeling of a close-knit crew.

Today, under the banner of Legs of Steel, the company works as both a film production house and a creative agency. Their portfolio stretches from core ski movies to sports documentaries, commercial campaigns and cross-discipline projects, including headline works like Markus Eder’s “The Ultimate Run” and the Dennis Ranalter documentary “Descendance.” Both projects won Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Camera Work, a rare achievement for ski-focused films and a clear sign that Legs of Steel has crossed from niche freeski culture into the broader world of sports storytelling while staying rooted in the mountains.

For the skipowd.tv audience, Legs of Steel represents the European big-mountain and park scene at its most polished and imaginative. Their films are where you see Austrian glacier jump lines, Innsbruck-based street and park segments, and multi-continent trips stitched together with a cinematic eye and a rider-led perspective.

Product lines and key technologies

Instead of skis or boots, Legs of Steel’s “products” are films, shorts and campaigns that map out the evolution of modern freeskiing. The early era is defined by classic feature films: “The Pilot,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “Hurt So Good,” followed by projects like “The LOSt” and webisode series that circulated heavily on core platforms. These films combined big-budget park builds—such as the famous Kaunertal triple jump—with backcountry sessions and urban segments, anchored by a recurring cast of riders including Mayr, Graham, Hlawitschka, Reindl, Sven Kueenle and a long list of European and international guests.

The mid-era is dominated by “Passenger,” a two-year global project that followed the crew across four continents in partnership with Red Bull Media House. With a cast that included Paddy Graham, Bene Mayr, Thomas Hlawitschka, Sven Kueenle, Fabian Lentsch, Joss Christensen and others, the movie won multiple industry awards for cinematography and powder segments. More recent titles in the Legs of Steel catalog include shorts like “Action Men,” “One Two One,” “Long Days” and “Beauty Full Send,” plus special projects like “The Ultimate Run” and “Descendance,” which blend high-level skiing with documentary-style storytelling.

On the technical side, Legs of Steel’s “key technologies” are less about hardware and more about how they design and capture ski action. They are known for ambitious feature builds in parks and on glaciers, meticulous line-scouting for big-mountain sequences, and a rotating team of cinematographers and drone pilots chosen specifically for each project. Long-lens cameras, stabilised follow-cams, aerial shots and POV angles are combined to make sequences that feel fast and immersive without losing clarity. Partner brands—whether ski manufacturers, outerwear companies or drinks sponsors—are woven into this framework as functional parts of the trip, not as distracting product placements.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Legs of Steel doesn’t sell physical gear, but their films carry a strong “ride feel” that resonates with a specific kind of skier. If you are drawn to big faces above treeline, deep powder in steep trees, and the kind of snowpark features that only appear for a few days each season, you are squarely in their target audience. Their segments typically balance large-scale jump lines, spine walls, natural hits and pillow fields, with a constant undercurrent of speed and power.

For big-mountain and freeride fans, Legs of Steel movies show what it looks like when technically polished skiers bring competition-level skills into real terrain: stomping big airs into tracked-out snow, linking huge GS-style turns down exposed faces, and mixing tricks into natural transitions. If you lean more toward park and street, the earlier films—especially “Nothing Else Matters” and “Hurt So Good”—offer heavy park and urban segments that still hold up today, with a distinctly European flavour in spots, architecture and feature design.

For everyday resort skiers, the films act as inspiration and a kind of informal masterclass. You see how strong stance, speed control, sluff management and terrain reading play out when the stakes are high, and you also see the quieter parts of the day: digging in a landing, rebuilding a takeoff after a bomb hole, or backing down from a line when conditions aren’t right. That mix of high consequence and honest process makes the “ride feel” of Legs of Steel content both aspirational and grounded.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

The original Legs of Steel roster—Bene Mayr, Paddy Graham, Tobi Reindl and Thomas Hlawitschka—set the tone for the brand: competition-proven skiers with strong personalities and a shared home base in Innsbruck. Over time, the crew expanded to include riders such as Sven Kueenle, Fabio Studer, Sam Smoothy, David Wise, Joss Christensen, Markus Eder, Dennis Ranalter and many others, giving the films a mix of slopestyle champions, Freeride World Tour riders and pure film specialists.

Many of these athletes arrived with serious competitive résumés: Olympic golds in halfpipe and slopestyle, World Championship medals, Freeride World Tour titles and long careers on the contest circuit. In Legs of Steel projects, those credentials serve as a foundation rather than the headline. The focus is on using competition-grade skill to unlock complex lines, integrate freestyle tricks into big-mountain terrain and push what’s possible in one continuous run, as showcased in Markus Eder’s “The Ultimate Run,” co-produced with Red Bull.

Within the industry, Legs of Steel enjoys a dual reputation. In the core freeski world, they’re seen as one of the most influential European crews of the last decade, responsible for a string of films that helped define modern big-mountain and park aesthetics. In the broader sports-media space, their Emmy-winning camera work on “The Ultimate Run” and “Descendance” has positioned them as a go-to partner for brands and broadcasters who want high-end storytelling and cinematography rooted in authentic mountain culture.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Legs of Steel is anchored in Innsbruck, with the Austrian Alps functioning as both daily training ground and visual backbone. Classic Tyrolean venues—Stubai Glacier, Kaunertal, Nordkette, the Arlberg and surrounding valleys—show up repeatedly in their work, whether as park hubs for early-season jump lines or as stormy freeride zones later in the winter. It’s no accident that Austria, a country already profiled in depth on skipowd.tv at Austria, is one of the crew’s key canvases: dense resort networks, reliable lift access and serious terrain within a few hours’ drive make it ideal for fast-moving film schedules.

At the same time, Legs of Steel’s films rarely stay confined to one region. “Passenger” is built around a multi-continent itinerary, following storms to Japan, North America, New Zealand and beyond. “The Ultimate Run” brought the crew into Markus Eder’s home region in the Alps, threading one continuous line through couloirs, glaciers, cliffs, street-inspired features and resort terrain. “Descendance” tracks Dennis Ranalter from his home valley in Austria to Ghana, tying skiing into a wider story about identity and heritage.

For viewers planning their own trips, the geographic spread of Legs of Steel films doubles as a dream list of destinations: Tyrolean glaciers and sidecountry zones, deep Japanese forests, Canadian pillow fields and Italian freeride faces all appear as recurring characters. The crew’s long relationship with these places—rather than one-off film stops—adds an extra layer of insight into how winters unfold there over time.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

In the context of Legs of Steel, “construction” describes how a film project is built from concept to final cut. Typically, each major release starts with a broad idea—document a full winter with a tight crew, follow the forecast, explore a specific bioregion, or tell the story of a single skier—and then evolves as weather, logistics and injuries intervene. That flexible structure means the films feel robust and relevant years later, because they capture what a real winter actually looked like rather than chasing short-lived trends.

Durability also shows up in how the crew manages risk and portrayal of the mountains. Their films are not avalanche courses, but they regularly show avalanche bulletins, terrain assessments, digging, hiking, winch-cat operations and the many days when lines don’t happen. This honesty about conditions and decision-making helps keep the skiing grounded in reality, and it has become one of the reasons freeriders and guides respect the crew’s work.

On the sustainability side, Legs of Steel is not branded as an environmental NGO, but recent projects like “Descendance” foreground deeper human stories tied to place, community and identity, rather than treating mountains as a disposable backdrop. Practically, many of their largest projects focus on the Alps and nearby regions, which reduces long-haul travel compared with older models of constantly chasing exotic locations. The real sustainability contribution, however, comes from making films that people rewatch for years—content that doesn’t feel obsolete after one season and therefore justifies the resources used to make it.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing where to start with Legs of Steel depends on what you want from a ski film night. If you’re into classic, high-energy freeski movies with big jumps and a heavy soundtrack, go first to “Nothing Else Matters” and “Hurt So Good.” These are the projects that defined the crew’s early style: massive park features, Austrian glacier sessions, urban segments and a deep roster of European and international pros skiing fast and big.

For a more modern, travel-driven narrative that still keeps skiing at the centre, “Passenger” is the obvious pick. It combines multi-continent storm chasing with strong character moments and award-winning cinematography, and it does a good job of showing what a two-year, big-budget film project looks like from the inside. If you want a compact, mind-blowing hit of what’s possible in a single line, watch Markus Eder’s “The Ultimate Run,” co-produced by Legs of Steel and Red Bull—a concentrated edit that strings together more terrain variety and trick diversity than many full-length movies.

Viewers who care about deeper stories and identity in skiing should move “Descendance” to the top of their list. It uses Dennis Ranalter’s life as a lens to talk about race, belonging and creativity in a predominantly white sport, earning major film-festival recognition and a Sports Emmy in the process. Once those pillars are covered, shorter pieces like “Action Men,” “Long Days,” “Beauty Full Send” and earlier webisodes provide extra context and show how the crew applies the same production values to smaller, more experimental formats.

Why riders care

Riders care about Legs of Steel because the crew has managed to grow from a four-rider house in Innsbruck into a globally recognised production company without losing its original DNA. The skiing is consistently world-class, but the people on screen still look like a crew of friends figuring winter out in real time: arguing about weather calls, rebuilding takeoffs after crashes, laughing in cramped vans and backing off lines when conditions don’t line up.

For the skipowd.tv community, Legs of Steel offers a reliable compass for where the sport is heading. Their projects map out key destinations, showcase how competition-proven skills translate into complex terrain and demonstrate that ski films can tell bigger human stories without sacrificing action. Whether you watch their classics on repeat before early-season laps in Austria or stream their latest documentary on a rest day, Legs of Steel has become one of the reference points for what high-level, rider-led ski filmmaking looks like in the modern era.

Brand overview and significance

Marker is one of skiing’s defining binding makers, founded in 1952 by Bavarian engineer Hannes Marker and built around a single idea: reliable, predictable release that lets skiers push harder with confidence. From the first safety-release concepts to modern freeride and touring solutions, Marker has been at the center of how power is transmitted to the ski—and how that power lets go when it should. The brand’s heritage is German alpine engineering; its imprint is global, visible on World Cup courses, the Freeride World Tour, and in everyday resort lines across the world.

Modern Marker covers the spectrum: resort carvers and park skiers rely on the “Royal Family” of alpine bindings; freeriders and hybrid tourers choose convertible or tech-based systems; gram counters head for minimalist pin bindings; junior and rental fleets run dialed versions for lighter or progressing skiers. The through-line is consistent mechanics and elastic travel tuned for real snow, making Marker a benchmark for skiers who value both retention and a clean, timely release.

Product lines and key technologies

Royal Family (resort/alpine): Squire (lightweight, lower DIN), Griffon (the all-mountain workhorse), and Jester (higher DIN, metal-reinforced) are the bindings most skiers recognize on lifts and in park lanes. Shared DNA includes a gliding AFD (anti-friction device) under the toe for reliable lateral release, wide mounting patterns to spread forces, and toe/heel architectures tuned for elasticity: Triple Pivot Light/Elite toes and Hollow Linkage or Inter Pivot heels keep the ride solid yet progressive. These bindings accept modern boot soles (alpine and GripWalk) and are offered in brake widths to match common ski sizes.

Race: Xcomp and WC-focused platforms emphasize torsional stiffness, razor-quick power transfer, and controlled elasticity so edge hold doesn’t chatter away on injected surfaces. Plates and interfaces are designed to reduce vibration, drive strong pressure into the shovel, and keep the ski tracking through ruts at speed.

Hybrid freeride/touring: Duke PT is Marker's convertible solution for skiers who split days between lifts and skins. The toe transforms: in “Hike” mode, a lightweight tech toe engages pin inserts for efficient uphill travel; in “Ride” mode, the alpine toe locks down for full-resort performance. Underfoot frames and heel pieces borrow from the Royal Family feel, so downhill behavior is familiar.

Freeride touring: Kingpin blends a tech toe with a powerful downhill-oriented heel, aimed at riders who want real touring efficiency without giving up jump landings, straight-line composure, or tracked-snow bite. M-Werks editions trim weight with premium materials while preserving the stout underfoot feel that freeriders expect.

Fast-and-light touring: Alpinist targets minimal weight and clean ergonomics for long approaches and technical objectives. Adjustable vertical and lateral release, practical riser heights, and simple, secure crampon interfaces make it a dependable tool when efficiency matters as much as turn quality.

Junior & systems: Marker rounds out the line with junior DIN ranges, demo/rental systems, and integrated-binding skis. The focus is the same: predictable release values, durable hardware, and interfaces that keep the ski flex natural.

Platform features you’ll see across the range: Sole compatibility for alpine and GripWalk boots; a range of DIN offerings that correctly match skier weight/ability; wide, low-stack interfaces for leverage on today’s broader skis; and serviceable parts (AFDs, brakes, heel tracks) so a binding can live multiple seasons with proper care.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

If you’re a daily resort skier who mixes groomers, trees, bumps, and side hits, the Griffon sits in the sweet spot: ample elasticity for hard landings and afternoon chop, with crisp step-in and consistent release. Park and pipe skiers who need predictable take-off/landing behavior often choose Griffon or Jester for the stronger heel feel and durability; lighter riders gravitate to Squire for the same mechanics in a friendlier package. Big-mountain skiers who duck gates or tour for steeps will appreciate Duke PT’s downhill authority with real uphill function, while Kingpin caters to freeriders who prioritize a tech toe’s efficiency without accepting a nervous descent. When objectives demand long skin tracks and precise ski control at minimal weight, Alpinist is the logical move.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Marker’s credibility is earned on timing sheets and in film parts. World Cup racers lean on the race program’s edge fidelity and measured elasticity; freeride athletes trust Royal Family heels and toes to absorb hits without pre-release in rough landings. Across the Freeride World Tour and major film projects, you’ll see Marker under skiers who value retention at speed and a consistent, toe-side release when falls get complex. That visibility matters to everyday skiers because it compresses development cycles—feedback from contest venues and filming windows flows quickly into toe springs, heel kinematics, and AFD materials.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Marker’s roots are in the Bavarian Alps—founded in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and engineered with the kind of repeatable, variable conditions that the region delivers all winter. The brand’s European footprint keeps testing loops close to high-mileage venues in Austria, Germany, and Italy, from early-season glacier surfaces to mid-winter storm cycles and spring hardpack. In North America, teams and partner brands put mileage on Royal Family and touring platforms at big, mixed-snow resorts and on classic touring corridors, ensuring behavior translates across continents.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Marker bindings feel “sorted” because the mechanics are: gliding AFDs that stay smooth under pressure; toe designs with purposeful ramp and spring curves; heels that emphasize vertical elasticity and controlled return so skis track instead of chattering. Materials vary by intent—composites for weight savings in Squire, metal reinforcement and magnesium hardware in Jester and race platforms, carbon-enhanced parts in M-Werks editions—but the goal is the same: keep mass where it adds strength and longevity, trim it where it doesn’t.

Durability is as much layout as material. Wide heel tracks resist slop over time; protected AFDs reduce contamination; brake arms are shaped to avoid hang-ups on modern sidewalls. Proper mounting and periodic service (checking forward pressure, toe height/AFD contact, and brake alignment) extend life and preserve release accuracy. While details differ by region, a clear, published warranty and the availability of service parts signal the brand’s intent for long, multi-season use—a sustainability win that matters more than any single material swap.

How to choose within the lineup

1) Start with where you ski. Mostly lift-served? Pick from Squire (lighter riders or lower DIN) → Griffon (most advanced/all-mountain skiers) → Jester (heavier or more aggressive riders, higher DIN). Racing gates or carving hard on ice? Look at Xcomp and race plates for the highest edge fidelity.

2) Decide if you’ll tour. Want “real” resort performance and occasional skins? Duke PT converts between pin-toe touring and full alpine toes. Want tech-toe efficiency with strong downhill manners? Choose Kingpin (or its lighter M-Werks sibling). Counting grams or linking big traverses? Alpinist is the minimalist pick.

3) Match DIN honestly. Use weight, ability, and style to land in the correct DIN range. Higher is not “better”—it’s just stiffer. Properly set bindings release when they should and hold when they must. If in doubt, consult a shop and bring your boots so toe height/AFD and forward pressure can be set correctly.

4) Size your brakes right. Aim for a brake width that matches your ski waist or sits just a few millimeters wider; avoid arms that flare far beyond the edge (hang-ups) or sit narrower than the sidecut (drag/lockups).

5) Consider soles and standards. If you swap boots, choose models that accept both alpine and GripWalk soles. Confirm compatibility before mounting, especially for mixed touring/resort setups.

Why riders care

Bindings are the most invisible part of your setup—until they aren’t. Marker’s value is making retention and release feel predictable so you can focus on line choice, edge angles, and speed. From Squire to Jester, Duke PT to Kingpin and Alpinist, the catalog maps cleanly to how skiers actually ride: park laps, storm-day chop, spring chutes, and big traverses. Add a long history of engineering around real snow and a present-day athlete pipeline that keeps the mechanics honest, and you get a brand that earns trust on the chair, in the start gate, and halfway down a no-fall zone.

Brand overview and significance

Orage is a Canadian ski apparel brand founded in 1989 in Montréal by UQAM business student Evelyne Trempe, later joined by Eric D’Anjou. From the start, the company’s identity blended technical mountain performance with a street-influenced style that resonated with freeskiers. Decades on, Orage remains headquartered in Québec and has expanded its footprint in Europe—including a 2024 flagship in Chamonix—while keeping product development tightly focused on skiing. The brand’s catalog spans three-layer shells, insulated resort pieces, midlayers, base layers, and accessories, all dialed for cold, wet winters and high-output days. On Skipowd, the curated hub for Orage gathers edits and athlete projects tied to the label’s history in freeski culture.

Orage’s cultural contribution is tangible. The brand helped define the freeski aesthetic in the 2000s and 2010s (including the irreverent Orage Masters “anti-comp”) and today backs progression through series partnerships like the FWT Challenger by Orage. That mix of credible tech and authentic scene presence makes Orage a consistent choice for skiers who want gear that performs in harsh storms yet still feels at home in the park and on spring booters.

Product lines and key technologies

The pinnacle collection is MTN-X: big-mountain, touring, and storm-day outerwear built around three-layer Dermizax® laminates with 20k/20k waterproof/breathability ratings, fully taped seams, and articulated patterns for mobility. Orage also uses hybrid 3L designs—pairing tough Dermizax® panels in high-wear zones with lighter, air-permeable Prime Alpha panels in the torso and underarms—to shed heat on long climbs without sacrificing weather protection. Many MTN-X pieces are available for both men and women with bibs, pants, and shells tuned for deep days.

For resort mileage and cold snaps, Orage’s insulation story centers on Gilltek™—a breathable baffle concept that integrates mesh “gills” to dump excess heat—often combined with high-loft synthetic fills such as PrimaLoft® ThermoPlume. The result is a puffy that feels warm on the chair but won’t swamp you on traverse pushes or hike-to shots. Across the range you’ll also see practical fabric choices like C0 DWR finishes and OEKO-TEX®-listed textiles on select styles, plus durable face fabrics that resist abrasion from packs and sled decks.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

If your winter alternates between storm cycles and technical terrain, MTN-X shells deliver a quiet, protective ride with dependable sealing and venting. Hybrid MTN-X pieces are purpose-built for high-output freestyle touring, ridge laps, and sled-access missions; they breathe better in the torso and move easily when you’re side-stepping, skating, or booting. Resort-first skiers who chase bell-to-bell laps will appreciate insulated jackets using Gilltek™ for that warm-but-not-clammy equilibrium during cold mornings, lift holds, and windy chairs.

Park and slopestyle riders tend to gravitate toward the brand’s more relaxed fits and durable face fabrics that hold up to rail seasons and repeated falls, while all-mountain skiers in colder climates get the core promise that built Orage’s reputation in Québec: weather protection that still feels comfortable and mobile when temps plunge and snow goes through thaw-freeze cycles.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Orage’s legacy in freeskiing runs from iconic riders (including long-time ties with Québec style leaders) to events that shaped the culture. The Orage Masters became a cult-favorite team showdown that prioritized creativity and showmanship, cementing the brand’s playful credibility. Today, the partnership with the Freeride World Tour Challenger circuit keeps Orage visible in venues where real snow, speed, and consequence stress-test outerwear. The through-line is consistent: hands-on athlete feedback and projects that feed directly back into patterning, vent placement, and fabric choices.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Montréal roots anchor the brand’s cold-weather DNA, and Québec resorts like Mont-Tremblant remain a natural testing ground for eastern conditions—wind, humidity, fast temperature swings. For deep, high-relief terrain and spring shoot weeks, teams and friends of the brand rack up mileage in British Columbia—from lift-served laps at Whistler-Blackcomb to storm cycles and sled-access zones around Retallack. In Europe, the new flagship presence in Chamonix reflects a long history of athlete trips and late-season alpine testing where weather can flip from sun to spindrift in minutes.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Under the hood, Orage leans on robust three-layer laminates (Dermizax®) with clean interior backers for easy layering and long-term comfort. Hybrid MTN-X pieces strategically place Prime Alpha panels to balance breathability and protection, while resort-focused jackets and pants use mapped insulation and tough face fabrics that shrug off chairlifts, glades, and repeated pack carry. Many garments specify C0 DWR and OEKO-TEX®-listed materials; Gilltek™ styles incorporate recycled shell fabrics and synthetic fills to reduce reliance on virgin inputs. The company also signals longevity through a practical warranty and repair stance—favoring repair when possible—so a well-chosen kit can run for multiple seasons with proper care.

Fit and patterning are part of durability: articulated knees and elbows reduce seam stress, and higher denier reinforcements appear at cuffs, hems, and shoulders to manage edge contact and pack abrasion. Hardware is serviceable (snaps, zips, hem cords), and bibs feature sturdy suspenders and functional pocket layouts that don’t interfere with beacon harnesses or hip belts.

How to choose within the lineup

Match environment first. If you ski deep storms, mixed alpine weather, or tour regularly, start with MTN-X 3L shells for maximum sealing and durability. If you spend equal time skinning and riding lifts—or tend to overheat—look to hybrid MTN-X shells that blend Dermizax® with Prime Alpha panels for extra airflow where your body runs hot.

Decide on insulation. For cold resorts, Gilltek™ puffies slot cleanly under a shell or stand alone on dry days: they’re warm on the chair yet vent during traverses. If you run hot, use a lighter, air-permeable midlayer and save heavier insulation for genuine deep-freeze weeks.

Dial fit for your skiing. Freeride and park skiers often prefer slightly roomier cuts for range of motion and style; all-mountain skiers prioritizing speed and trees may choose trimmer silhouettes to reduce flapping and snag risk. In bibs, choose a rise that clears your beacon harness and verify cuff openings against your boot buckles and walk-modes.

Think long-term use. Prioritize three-layer shells if you’ll repair and keep gear multiple seasons; they age gracefully with re-proofing and seam care. Resort-only skiers who value warmth and simplicity can lean into insulated jackets and pants, adding a light shell for spring.

Why riders care

Skiers choose Orage because it feels built for real winters and real riding: shells that stay quiet and sealed in sideways snow, insulated pieces that warm up the chair without boiling you on the traverse, and patterns that move naturally whether you’re skinning, spinning, or smashing chop. Add a heritage rooted in Montréal, a present-day presence from Québec to British Columbia and the Alps, and visible support of competitive and creative freeskiing, and you get a brand that balances credibility with comfort. If your season ranges from icy night laps to storm-day trees and spring couloirs, Orage’s clear, skiing-first lineup makes it easy to put together a kit that works—without overthinking it.

Brand overview and significance

Rockstar Energy Drink is an American energy drink brand launched in 2001 in Los Angeles, California. It was created by Russell Weiner and grew rapidly by offering bigger 16 oz cans and a marketing message aimed squarely at people with “active lifestyles” – from touring musicians to motocross, skate, surf and snow athletes. By the late 2000s Rockstar had become one of the three biggest energy drink brands in the world by market share, alongside Red Bull and Monster, and today its products are sold in dozens of countries.

Ownership has evolved as the energy category has matured. In 2020 PepsiCo purchased Rockstar in a multibillion-dollar deal to anchor its global energy strategy. In 2025, Celsius Holdings acquired rights to the brand in the U.S. and Canada, while PepsiCo retained international ownership and continues to distribute the portfolio in many markets. For consumers, that corporate backdrop simply means Rockstar is well resourced, widely available and deeply integrated into mainstream beverage distribution, from gas stations on mountain passes to big supermarket chains in the United States and beyond.

Within snow sports culture, Rockstar sits in a specific lane. It is not a hardware or outerwear brand but a lifestyle sponsor that brings cash, media, music and visibility to action sports. Over the years Rockstar logos have appeared on freeskiers, snowboarders and snowmobile athletes, at rail jams and film premieres, and more recently at dedicated events like the Rockstar Energy Open snowboarding competition. For the skipowd.tv audience, Rockstar is part of the backdrop of modern ski and snowboard culture: on helmets and hoodies, in event banners and in the cooler at the end of the day.

Product lines and key technologies

Rockstar’s product line revolves around carbonated energy drinks built on a familiar base: caffeine, sugar (or alternative sweeteners in zero versions), taurine, B-vitamins and a rotating cast of flavorings and functional ingredients such as guarana or herbal extracts. The original flagship was a full-sugar citrus blend in a 16 oz can, positioned as “twice the size” of early competitors. Over time, the family expanded into sugar-free and “zero” options, fruit-forward flavors, coffee-inspired variants and limited editions tied to music or action-sports themes.

From a skier’s perspective, the “technology” here is mostly about format and function. The standard 16 oz can fits in a cup holder or lodge table, delivers a clear hit of caffeine, and is shelf-stable in typical shop and bar fridges. Zero-sugar lines target riders who want the stimulation without the calorie load, while some variants emphasize lighter carbonation or different taste profiles for people who find classic energy drinks too sweet. Recent rebrands under PepsiCo have leaned into cleaner, more minimal graphics and simpler flavor naming, making it easier to identify sugar vs. zero vs. specialty versions at a glance.

It is important to remember that energy drinks are not performance nutrition in the technical sense. They provide caffeine and simple carbohydrates (in sugared versions), but they do not replace water, electrolytes or a balanced meal. For most skiers and snowboarders they are a convenience product: something to grab on the drive, during a break between laps or when editing footage late at night, rather than a primary fuel source for a big day in the mountains.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Because Rockstar is a drink, its “ride feel” shows up in how different types of riders fold it into their days rather than in flex charts or rocker lines. Early-start road trips, night drives through snowstorms, and long days working or filming on the hill are the classic use-cases. A can might come out while loading gear in the dark, around lunch when the crew is fading, or back at the rental house while clips are transferring and skis are being tuned.

Park and street crews often gravitate toward energy drinks because their schedules skew late and their sessions can involve long periods of waiting broken up by intense bursts of focus – hiking a rail, resetting a feature, taking turns on a step-down. In those environments, a shared tray of cans is as much a social signal as a functional one: the session is on, the cameras are out, and no one plans to call it early. For contest riders, Rockstar appears more in the branding than in pre-run routines, but the association with “high-energy” scenarios is similar.

Responsible use matters. High-caffeine drinks can contribute to jitters, poor sleep and dehydration if overused, especially at altitude where your body is already working harder. Most product labels include guidance on maximum daily intake and warn that they are not intended for children, pregnant people or anyone sensitive to caffeine. For skiers and snowboarders, Rockstar makes the most sense as an occasional boost layered on top of solid basics: water, food, rest and realistic expectations about how much energy you have left in the tank.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Rockstar’s core strategy has long been to focus on action sports and music rather than traditional mass-media campaigns. In winter sports that has translated into a roster of sponsored athletes across freeskiing, snowboarding and snowmobile racing, alongside partnerships with national teams and event series. In the freeski world, riders such as Keri Herman and Alex Beaulieu-Marchand have listed Rockstar among their sponsors, appearing with the star logo on helmets, outerwear and in film credits. In snowboarding, the brand backs athletes including Olympic champion Red Gerard and a broader crew who feature in Rockstar-branded edits and event promos.

On the institutional side, Rockstar has partnered with governing bodies and event organizers. In the past it has appeared as an energy-drink partner of U.S. freeskiing programs and as title sponsor or presenting sponsor of grassroots freeride and park events. The Rockstar Energy Open, expanding into snowboarding with an event at Breckenridge, is a clear example: a multi-day festival with a rider-designed course, invited pros, video qualifier winners and a full layer of music and fan activations wrapped around the contest. That type of investment adds another major stop to the winter events calendar and gives up-and-coming riders a new pathway to ride alongside established names.

Within the broader action-sports world, Rockstar’s reputation is shaped by how integrated it is into “core” channels. The brand funds web series, segments in snowboard movies, grassroots video-part contests and rail jams, and it helps underwrite prize purses and travel budgets. For many athletes and crews, that support is what makes certain projects or trips possible. For fans, the Rockstar logo has come to signal a particular flavour of high-energy content: big music, heavy tricks and a focus on the party around the riding as well as on the lines themselves.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Rockstar’s roots in Los Angeles give it a West-Coast, entertainment-centric heritage: touring bands, surf and skate scenes, and desert motorsports all fed into its early growth. As the brand scaled under major beverage partners, its geographic footprint expanded rapidly. Today it is widely available across North America, much of Europe and other key markets, which is why it shows up in both core mountain towns and highway gas stations far from any resort.

Winter-specific hubs are defined more by events and athletes than by physical testing labs. Summit County, Colorado – home to Breckenridge and a dense cluster of parks and slopestyle training venues – is a central node thanks to Rockstar-backed snowboarders and the Rockstar Energy Open. Snowmobile and snowcross circuits in Canada and the northern U.S. are another cluster where Rockstar branding is highly visible through team sponsorships and co-branded gear. Across the Pacific, the same riders who spend winters chasing North American storms may carry Rockstar into Japan or other filming destinations, but the brand’s official snow focus is still strongest in North American resorts.

For skipowd.tv, that means Rockstar is one of the energy drink names most likely to appear in North American park edits, behind-the-scenes road-trip clips and sled-access backcountry sessions, while European resorts and events often skew more toward other beverage partners.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

As a beverage brand, Rockstar’s “construction” story is about ingredients and packaging rather than textiles or composites. The drinks are produced in large-scale bottling plants under PepsiCo and partner systems internationally, and under Celsius-linked structures in the U.S. and Canada. Recipes vary by flavor and market, but they follow consistent templates with defined caffeine content, sugar levels (where applicable) and vitamin blends. Quality control is focused on taste, carbonation, shelf life and regulatory compliance around caffeine and labeling.

Packaging is dominated by aluminum cans, a format that is light, robust and highly recyclable when local systems are in place. From an environmental perspective, the most positive angle is that aluminum can be recycled repeatedly, but that benefit only materialises if riders actually pack out empties and use available recycling streams in resorts, parking lots and home towns. Larger corporate sustainability initiatives come through PepsiCo’s and Celsius’s broader climate and packaging commitments, which aim to reduce virgin plastic use, cut emissions and increase recycled content across portfolios; Rockstar is one piece of those wider programs rather than a standalone eco-label.

For individual skiers and snowboarders, the practical takeaway is simple: if Rockstar is part of your kit, treat the can like any other piece of gear. Don’t leave empties in lift lines, terrain parks or backcountry zones, and be conscious of how often you rely on high-sugar, high-caffeine drinks compared to water and longer-lasting nutrition.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing a Rockstar drink for ski days starts with three questions: how sensitive are you to caffeine, how much sugar do you actually want, and when in the day are you drinking it. Full-sugar, full-strength options deliver a noticeable jolt but also a fast carbohydrate hit that may not be ideal if you are trying to avoid energy spikes and crashes. Zero-sugar or reduced-sugar flavors can be a better match for riders who want the taste and caffeine but prefer to keep calorie and sugar intake down.

If you are drinking Rockstar in the morning before skiing, consider how it fits with breakfast and hydration. Having some food and water alongside any energy drink is generally a better idea than relying on caffeine alone, especially at altitude where dehydration is already a risk. Later in the day, think about sleep and recovery: stacking high-caffeine drinks into the afternoon and evening can make it harder to rest, which matters if you are stacking multiple big days on snow.

Finally, treat the label seriously. Stick within the suggested maximum daily serving, avoid mixing large amounts of energy drinks with alcohol, and remember that they are not intended for children or people with certain health conditions. On a typical trip, many riders find that using Rockstar sparingly—on long drives, big shoot days or special sessions—keeps it feeling like a useful tool rather than a habit that gets in the way of performance.

Why riders care

Riders care about Rockstar because it is woven into the stories, events and crews that shape modern ski and snowboard culture, even if it is rarely the focus of the shot. The brand helps fund contests, pay prize money, cover athlete travel and give younger riders a path from local edits to bigger stages. Its presence on helmets, bibs and banners at events like the Rockstar Energy Open turns what might have been a small grassroots contest into a festival with real infrastructure, media coverage and career consequences.

At a personal level, Rockstar is part of the texture of long winters: cans on dashboards during storm chases, in lodge fridges on lay days, or on tuning benches while people swap stories deep into the night. For the skipowd.tv community, that makes Rockstar less a technical “ski brand” and more a cultural signal—a high-energy badge that sits next to boards, skis and outerwear in the mix of things that make a season feel alive, as long as it’s used with the same respect and awareness riders bring to the mountains themselves.

Brand overview and significance

Völkl is one of skiing’s defining names: a Bavarian manufacturer that has been building skis in Straubing, Germany, since the early 1920s and today stands as the country’s last large-scale ski factory. What started as a family workshop making wagons, boats and sleds evolved into a dedicated ski operation, with early models sold under the name “Vöstra,” a contraction of Völkl and Straubing. A century later, the company is still designing and pressing skis in the same town, now as part of the Elevate Outdoor Collective alongside Marker and Dalbello, but with a distinctly German engineering identity and a “Made in Germany” stamp that still means something to many riders.

Over that hundred-year arc, Völkl has helped shape multiple chapters of ski history. The brand played a prominent role in the carving revolution on-piste, in the rise of powerful all-mountain skis and, more recently, in athlete-led freeride and freestyle development. From Racetiger race skis to Mantra and Katana freeride platforms and the Revolt freestyle series, Völkl has earned a reputation for precision, edge grip and high-speed stability. At the same time, it has built a strong presence in park and backcountry culture through its Built Together program, where engineers, artists and athletes co-design skis from the ground up.

For the skipowd.tv audience, Völkl is the rare brand that genuinely spans World Cup race rooms, Freeride World Tour podiums and street-film back alleys. Its skis show up under top-tier racers, big-mountain chargers and park specialists, but they also anchor the kits of everyday skiers who simply want trustworthy tools for steep groomers, storms in Austria or rail sessions at urban-style parks. That breadth, backed by a century of continuity in Straubing, is why Völkl sits in the absolute top tier of global ski brands.

Product lines and key technologies

Völkl’s lineup is organized around clear families that speak to different types of skiing. On-piste and race performance live mainly in the Racetiger and Deacon lines. Racetiger models borrow heavily from World Cup construction, with full sidewalls, multilayer wood cores, metal laminates and technologies like UVO 3D, a visible vibration damper mounted near the tip that helps calm chatter and keep the edge locked in on hard snow. Titanal Frame constructions and 3D Glass laminates wrap the core to balance torsional stiffness, power and a surprisingly smooth ride for such serious skis.

For directional all-mountain and freeride, the Mantra family is the backbone. Modern versions (including women’s Secret models) use Völkl’s 3D Radius Sidecut, which blends a longer radius in tip and tail with a shorter one underfoot. The idea is simple: you can roll big, fast arcs when the ski is laid over at speed, but still pivot more tightly when you stand centered and reduce edge angle. Paired with metal frames and strong cores, Mantra and Secret skis are known as precise, confidence-inspiring platforms for steep groomers, chopped-up freeride lines and mixed conditions.

Where things get lighter and more playful, the Blaze series comes in. Blaze skis sit between classic freeride and touring: weight-conscious constructions that still ski with backbone. They are designed for skiers who mix resort and backcountry or want a nimble, surfier feel without sacrificing too much stability. The touring-focused Rise line then completes the human-powered side, with models like the Rise Above 88 built around Hybrid Tourlite or Hybrid Multilayer wood cores, 3D Radius Sidecut and Smart Skinclip systems that make skins quicker to handle on transitions.

The most visible story in modern Völkl is the Revolt family. Revolt 90, 96 and 104 cover park and all-mountain freestyle, while Revolt 114 and 121 push into big-mountain and backcountry trick territory. These skis are the result of the Built Together process: long development cycles where riders such as Markus Eder, Ross Tester, Sam Smoothy and others work directly with engineers to tune outlines, flex patterns and mount points. 3D Radius Sidecut, light swingweight cores and carefully tuned rocker lines are designed to make these skis stable enough for Freeride World Tour venues yet playful enough for butters, switch takeoffs and creative lines in soft snow.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Across the range, Völkl skis share a clear family feel: they reward good technique, offer strong edge grip and tend to prefer being driven rather than passively steered. Racetiger and Deacon pisteskis suit skiers who enjoy carving clean, high-edge-angle turns on hard snow. On a cold morning in Austria, pointing a Racetiger or a Deacon down a freshly groomed red piste feels direct and precise: the ski holds without flinching, tracks through ripples and snaps from edge to edge in a way that appeals to technically minded riders.

Mantra and Secret models target advanced to expert skiers who want one pair that can tackle steep pistes, tracked-out freeride faces and variable snow. They thrive on terrain where you need to feel the edge bite even when the surface is rough—wind-buffed ridges, refrozen chop, afternoon crud. For many skiers based in Alpine hubs like Austria, a Mantra-type ski becomes the default daily driver: stiff enough to stay composed when the throttle is open, yet versatile across conditions.

Blaze and Rise skis speak to those who tour or move lightly across the mountain. Their ride feel is more agile and forgiving, especially at lower speeds or in tighter terrain. Think of skinning to a couloir, navigating narrow tree lines, or making hop turns down technical exits: 3D Radius Sidecut helps them switch between short, reactive turns and more open arcs as slope angle and snow density change.

Revolt models are the choice for skiers who read the mountain as a playground. Revolt 90 and 96 feel at home in parks, on handrails and in urban features, with balanced swingweights and twin tips that invite spins, swaps and switch landings. Revolt 104, 114 and 121 open up freeride and backcountry trick lines: they want bigger airs, deeper landings and enough space to draw expressive shapes in soft snow. Under a confident skier they still feel very “Völkl”—supportive, stable and precise—but their flex and rocker make them more forgiving and creative than the brand’s classic directional skis.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Völkl’s competitive footprint stretches from World Cup race gates to Olympic slopestyle podiums and the Freeride World Tour. In alpine racing, Racetiger models have carried generations of athletes through European Cup and World Cup calendars. The brand’s race department has historically prioritized strong edge grip, energy out of the turn and consistency on injected surfaces, and it continues to support athletes from multiple nations even as budgets and technologies evolve.

In freestyle, Völkl’s impact is easier to see on highlight reels. One of the brand’s most talked-about moments came at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, when Øystein Bråten, Nick Goepper and Alex Beaulieu-Marchand stood together on the men’s slopestyle podium, all riding Völkl skis. That podium sweep crystallized years of investment in comp-focused twin tips and signaled that the Revolt line had arrived as a serious weapon for big-stage park skiing.

On the freeride side, Markus Eder’s Freeride World Tour title and iconic film projects have become almost inseparable from the Revolt 121. The ski itself was developed through Built Together with Eder and a stacked roster of team riders and has since become a visual shorthand for powerful, trick-friendly big-mountain skiing. Other athletes use different widths—Revolt 104 and 114 in particular—to match their terrain and style, but all share the same co-designed DNA.

Beyond podiums, Völkl has invested deeply in culture. The Built Together project deliberately blurs the line between athlete, engineer and artist, and the brand appears frequently in modern freeski media, from web series and street projects to invitational events and creative contests. On skipowd.tv, you’ll see Völkl skis under riders in films, halfpipe edits and park sessions—an indication that the brand’s reach now extends far beyond traditional “race or freeride only” stereotypes.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Völkl’s home is Straubing in Lower Bavaria, a few hours’ drive from major Alpine passes and resorts. The factory’s proximity to Germany and Austria’s mountains makes it easy to move prototypes quickly from presses to snow. Historically, the brand tested and refined skis in the Bavarian Alps and neighboring Austrian regions; that pattern remains, with many models seeing early days on the kind of varied all-mountain terrain that everyday European skiers know well.

For freeride and freestyle development, the brand’s radius has expanded worldwide. Built Together projects have seen riders test shapes in New Zealand, North America, China and across Europe, reflecting how modern teams chase winter and diverse snowpacks. Big-mountain shapes like the Revolt 114 and 121 are refined on steep, exposed faces where stability and predictability matter more than pure looseness, while park and all-mountain freestyle models are dialed on glacier parks, urban spots and resort jump lines.

In the skipowd.tv ecosystem, you can imagine Völkl prototypes and team setups moving through hubs such as Sölden, with its early-season race and park infrastructure, or the cross-border region of Oberstdorf–Kleinwalsertal, where German and Austrian terrain meet in one lift pass. These kinds of venues—high, snow-sure, with a mix of groomers, natural lines and park facilities—are exactly where directional Mantras, playful Revolts and lighter Blaze or Rise skis make the most sense.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Völkl’s construction philosophy blends traditional sandwich layups with modern materials and thoughtful details. Multilayer wood cores, often combining denser species underfoot with lighter woods toward tip and tail, are paired with metal laminates in skis like the Mantra and Racetiger lines for power and damping. 3D Glass, where fiberglass wraps vertically over the sidewalls in key zones, increases edge hold and rebound without making the ski unmanageably stiff. Sintered bases and robust edges complete a package designed to handle high speeds, hard snow and seasons of heavy use.

Freeride and freestyle models in the Revolt and Blaze families tweak that formula for their missions. They may use lighter core constructions, less or differently placed metal, and more pronounced rocker to encourage slashing, butters and soft-snow performance. At the same time, sidewalls and edges are reinforced to handle rail impacts, rocky entrances and deep landings in mixed snow. 3D Radius Sidecut appears across categories, giving many skis the ability to switch personality depending on how and where you pressure them.

On the sustainability side, Völkl has been progressively tightening its manufacturing footprint through initiatives sometimes grouped under “Völkl Cares.” The Straubing factory operates with an ISO 50001-certified energy management system and has cut water consumption significantly by recirculating grinding water in production. Hazardous substances such as dichloromethane have been phased out from key processes to reduce environmental and worker exposure. As part of Elevate Outdoor Collective, Völkl also sits under a broader climate roadmap that targets steep reductions in emissions by 2030 and long-term net-zero goals, supported by investments in cleaner energy, more efficient logistics and more circular packaging.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing the right Völkl starts with an honest look at where and how you ski. If your winter revolves around groomers and you love carving, Racetiger and Deacon models are the logical starting point. Shorter-radius versions feel lively and quick edge-to-edge for skiers who enjoy snappy turns, while longer-radius or more race-inspired builds cater to those who value speed and stability above all else.

For advanced skiers who want one ski to handle steep pistes, chopped-up freeride lines and trips to snow-sure Alps, the Mantra and Secret family is the classic answer. Pick a waist width that matches your terrain—narrower for primarily on-piste with occasional off-piste; mid-90s to low-100s for true all-mountain use. If you like a more forgiving, lighter feel or spend time touring as well as riding lifts, Blaze models soften the flex and lighten the construction, straddling freeride and “freerando.”

Touring-focused skiers should look at the Rise series. Skis like the Rise Above 88 deliver a balance of low weight on the climb and dependable performance on the descent, with Smart Skinclip systems simplifying transitions. Here, width is a trade-off between uphill efficiency and soft-snow support; around 85–90 mm is the versatile middle ground for long, mixed-condition tours.

Park and creative riders will gravitate toward Revolt. Revolt 90 and 96 are purpose-built for rails, jumps and urban, with lengths and flex patterns tuned for progressive mount points and switch skiing. Revolt 104, 114 and 121 target skiers who want to take that creativity into soft snow and big terrain. When choosing, think about how much time you actually spend in the park versus natural features, how playful you want the ski to feel, and whether you prioritize support at speed or easy pivots in tight spaces.

Why riders care

Riders care about Völkl because it combines old-school credibility with modern versatility. Few brands can point to a century of continuous ski production in the same town, podiums across World Cup, Olympics and Freeride World Tour, and at the same time a deep, genuine presence in street and park culture. When you click into a Mantra, Revolt, Blaze or Rise, you are stepping into a lineage that has been refined by engineers and riders who spend their lives in the mountains.

For the skipowd.tv community, that matters in concrete ways. The skis you see under athletes in halfpipe edits, big-mountain films and Austrian resort guides are the same models you can put on your own feet. Built Together means those products are shaped by the people actually skiing them at the highest levels, not just by spreadsheets. And behind the topsheets, the Straubing factory and Elevate Outdoor Collective’s sustainability push suggest that the brand is thinking about how to keep making skis responsibly for the next hundred years.

Ultimately, Völkl occupies a rare position: a global leader that still feels rooted in a specific place and culture, with products that express that mix of precision, power and creativity. Whether you’re railing morning corduroy, dropping a Freeride World Tour face in your dreams, or sessioning a park rail line until dark, there is almost certainly a Völkl in the lineup built to match the way you want to ski.