ABM spring training for Peyongchang

02:45 min • 09/01/2018

Video of an awesome time shredding Mammoth's park and jumps training for Peyongchang Olympics.

Park

Athletes

Alex Beaulieu-Marchand

Locations

Mammoth Mountain

Alex Beaulieu-Marchand

Profile and significance

Alex Beaulieu-Marchand—universally known as ABM—is one of the defining Canadian freeskiers of his era, bridging elite contests and high-level filming with rare consistency. Born in Quebec City in 1994, he delivered a landmark result for Canada when he earned Olympic bronze in men’s ski slopestyle at PyeongChang 2018. That medal, combined with a haul of five X Games medals across slopestyle, big air, and Real Ski, and a 2019 FIS World Championships big air bronze in Park City, places him among the most decorated all-around freeskiers of the past decade. Just as importantly for fans, ABM is a rare athlete whose style reads as clearly on a slopestyle course as it does in an urban segment, making him essential viewing whether you follow competitions, street skiing, or both.

ABM’s reputation rests on substance more than hype. He first appeared at the Olympics as a finalist at Sochi 2014, overcame major injuries in the seasons that followed, and then returned to the very top of the sport by the end of the decade. His ski IQ—especially on rails—turned into a calling card: clean lock-ins, directional changes with purpose, and landings that keep speed alive for the next feature. That polish helps explain how he could step from podium moments at Aspen into the all-street format of Real Ski and still earn a medal there too. Few riders thread that needle as convincingly.

Competitive arc and key venues

ABM’s competitive arc traces the modern freeski pathway: early World Cups and Dew Tour appearances, a breakout X Games podium, and then a sustained period of podium-level runs at the sport’s headline events. He won slopestyle bronze at X Games Aspen in 2017, followed by the signature moment of his career—the Olympic bronze at PyeongChang 2018. In 2019 he produced one of the strongest single-year résumés of anyone in freeskiing: silver in big air and silver in slopestyle at Aspen Snowmass, bronze in Real Ski, and another big air bronze at the X Games stop in Norway. That same winter he added a World Championships bronze in big air at Park City, cementing his versatility.

Venues matter in how his skiing matured. Aspen has long been the proving ground for ABM’s jump and rail balance, while Breckenridge nurtured his early Dew Tour success and gave him the repetitions needed to scale tricks to XL features. Closer to home, the park culture around Quebec City—including Le Relais and Stoneham—fed his rail precision and urban instincts. It’s a circuit that spans manicured, high-speed courses and gritty winter cityscapes, and ABM has shown he can translate between the two without losing his identity.

How they ski: what to watch for

ABM’s skiing is built around clarity of intent. On rails, he emphasizes early edge commitment and solid center-of-mass control, which allows him to execute technical switch-ups and directional changes without scrambling. His exits are deliberate—he protects speed into the next panel of features, an asset in modern slopestyle scoring where momentum and link-up difficulty matter. On jumps, he’s known for precise takeoff timing and full-value grabs that stabilize rotations. You’ll often see him set rotations early and stay stacked in the air, enabling crisp axis control on doubles and triples and giving him options to alter grab sequences mid-spin.

What to watch in a run: ABM’s ability to vary spin direction and stance while keeping a consistent line speed. He can open rails with a high-difficulty lock-in, carry that speed to a left-spinning jump with a deep grab, then change direction for a switch takeoff on the next hit. The effect is a run that looks smooth to casual viewers but reveals dense technical content to experienced eyes. It’s the same economy you see in his street work—precise approaches, stable body position on impact, and clean outruns that don’t need dramatic recoveries to hold your attention.

Resilience, filming, and influence

ABM’s career includes significant injuries—collarbone, knee—that could have derailed momentum. Instead, those setbacks became inflection points. The comeback culminated in his Olympic bronze and the medal-laden 2019 campaign, but the long-term impact is broader: he demonstrated that a rail-forward technician could thrive in the biggest-air era by leaning into fundamentals and incremental difficulty gains rather than one-off risk. That template has influenced younger riders who prioritize repeatability and line design.

Filming has always been part of ABM’s identity. His Real Ski bronze established his credentials in the all-urban format. Later projects, including the short film “Mirage,” showcase a mature approach to concept and terrain selection, shifting seamlessly from park to natural features while keeping the same commitment to control and trick shape. For brands and fans alike, this duality—contest readiness paired with art-forward filming—makes ABM one of the sport’s most watchable athletes year-round.

Geography that built the toolkit

Quebec City winters shaped ABM’s toolset. Long, cold seasons and consistent snowfall give urban spots staying power, and the local lifts serve up the repetitions that turn rail ideas into habits. Laps at Le Relais and sessions at Stoneham honed timing on smaller, quicker features where approach and exit angles are unforgiving. That background helps explain his composure on World Cup-scale rails and why his street segments feel both ambitious and controlled.

On the contest circuit, Aspen Snowmass offered the clearest mirror for his best form, while Breckenridge remains synonymous with progression blocks where he added jump variety without sacrificing landing shape. The World Championship stage at Park City validated his big-air credentials in a setting known for meticulous jumps and high elevation, a combination that spotlights takeoff discipline and mid-air stability—two of ABM’s strengths.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

ABM rides Völkl skis with Marker bindings and wears Orage outerwear and Auclair gloves. The through-line across that kit is dependable platform feel and durability for both park laps and urban impacts. For progressing skiers using ABM as a model, the practical notes are straightforward: choose a park-capable ski with a balanced flex that allows proper presses on rails but won’t fold on large takeoffs; pair it with bindings that deliver elastic travel and predictable release; and invest in outerwear and gloves that keep mobility high across sub-zero sessions common to Quebec winters and late-night street shoots.

ABM’s gear choices support his style rather than define it. Even in the era of triple-cork arms races, his runs stand out because grabs are held, spin directions alternate, and landings are purposefully centered. Equipment is there to enable those habits; the technique makes them count.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

ABM matters because he shows what modern freeski completeness looks like: an Olympic medalist who can still film an urban segment worth replaying; a five-time X Games medalist whose best traits are accessible to learn from; a technician who treats rails as the backbone of a run and jumps as the canvas for clean, directionally varied tricks. If you’re watching slopestyle and big air to spot runs that age well on rewatch, ABM’s are a safe bet. If you’re a skier refining your own park game, study his line speed, his early grab timing, and how he exits rails with the next feature already in mind. That is the blueprint that took him from Quebec parks and streets to podiums at Aspen, Park City, and PyeongChang, and it’s why his skiing continues to resonate well beyond the scoreboard.

Mammoth Mountain

Overview and significance

Mammoth Mountain is the Eastern Sierra’s flagship and one of North America’s most influential freestyle venues, pairing a vast high-alpine footprint with a park-and-pipe program that has set industry standards for more than two decades. The resort’s official figures list 3,500+ acres, 25 lifts and a 3,100 ft vertical rise to an 11,053 ft summit, which helps extend the season into late spring in most years. That scale supports a daily rhythm where storm-chasing, groomer mileage and park progression all coexist, and it underpins Mammoth’s recurring role as a host for U.S. Grand Prix World Cups, Nor-Am Cups and the U.S. Revolution Tour. If you are building a California itinerary around modern freeskiing, Mammoth is the anchor. For context within our own network, see skipowd.tv/location/mammoth-mountain/ and the statewide overview at skipowd.tv/location/california/.

The mountain’s identity is equal parts dependable logistics and credible terrain. Multiple base areas funnel efficiently onto upper chairs and gondolas; treeline zones stay workable on whiteout days; and when the sky clears, long ridge lines and bowls hold chalk and soft snow by aspect. Overlay Unbound’s contest-grade setups and a hike-to freestyle zone on the backside, and you get a venue that converts time on snow into rapid progression for park riders and freeriders alike.

Terrain, snow, and seasons

Mammoth skis big, but it’s the way the terrain layers that matters. From Main Lodge, high-speed chairs and the summit gondola stack long fall lines, wind-buffed ridges and scooped bowls that ride well after storms. Canyon and Eagle add rolling groomers, side hits and quick access to mid-mountain benches that hold visibility and speed when clouds sit low. The backside opens to broader alpine panels and, when coverage allows, hike-to freestyle terrain in The Hemlocks—steep, natural features that the shape crew enhances with hand-built takeoffs during peak cycles.

Snowfall is both deep and durable by California standards thanks to elevation and exposure. During active periods you can expect dense, shapeable snow that smooths landings and lets lips rebuild quickly; between systems, leeward faces set into supportive chalk while north and east aspects preserve winter surfaces. The resort’s published norms include roughly 400 inches of annual snowfall and a typical season from November into May or June, with 300 sunny days a year also in the marketing mix. The net effect for freeskiers is reliable surface quality across a long window, with storm weeks for soft progression and blue spells for speed and filming.

Park infrastructure and events

Mammoth’s Unbound Terrain Parks remain a benchmark: the official brief cites 10 parks, 2 halfpipes, 100+ jibs and up to 40–50 jumps on more than 100 acres when fully built. Main Park is the pro-stage lap with a 22-foot superpipe and large jump lines accessed via Unbound Express; South Park offers long, flowing lines and a secondary pipe; Forest Trail and the playground parks at each base give beginners and intermediates a clean ladder for repetition. The Unbound park map and daily status updates are the control tower for which lines are open and how they’re riding.

Event pedigree is current and deep. Mammoth regularly hosts the U.S. Revolution Tour with freeski halfpipe, slopestyle and big air competitions staged in Unbound’s Main Park and the 22-foot pipe, and the mountain has closed World Cup calendars with Toyota U.S. Grand Prix stops in recent seasons. Nor-Am Cup starts appear frequently on the FIS calendar, and spring also brings Far West alpine series finals on the race network. The through-line is that Unbound builds to competition standards while keeping public flow workable—one of the reasons teams and film crews treat Mammoth as a repeat training base.

Access, logistics, and on-mountain flow

US-395 is the spine of any Eastern Sierra trip. In winter, chain controls and full closures are possible during major storms, so plan around Caltrans’ live tools and road information pages before you roll. Once you are in Mammoth Lakes, the free town and mountain shuttles simplify car-free days; the Red and Green lines connect Main, Canyon and Eagle pods on frequent winter schedules, with additional routes and evening service linking The Village and lodging zones. If you’re mixing days with June Mountain, note that Mammoth lift tickets are valid at June the same day (beginner tickets excluded), which makes pivoting for wind or crowds low-friction.

Flow tips are simple. On storm mornings, prioritize treeline off Canyon and Eagle to keep visibility and speed honest; as ceilings rise, step to the summit panels and backside bowls. For park volume, build a two- or three-feature circuit in Forest Trail or South Park to check speed and pop, then move to Main Park and the superpipe when temperatures stabilize and lips are crisp. When The Hemlocks are in condition and open, treat it like big-mountain freestyle: watch wind loading, manage group spacing and expect ungroomed landings.

Local culture, safety, and etiquette

Mammoth’s scene blends high-output park laps with serious mountain management. Inside the ropes, respect closures and staged openings—wind and snow transport can change hazard quickly on the ridges, and patrol will hold lines until they are safe. Beyond the ski area boundary or on touring days, start with the daily bulletin from the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, travel with beacon, shovel and probe, and move with partners who know companion rescue. Tree wells are a recurring risk in deep cycles, especially below storm snow in glades; keep partners visible and communicate during powder laps.

Park etiquette is non-negotiable: inspect features, call your drop, hold a predictable line and clear landings and knuckles immediately. Give the shape crew and winch cats space during rebuilds; they adjust lips and takeoffs to protect speed, not to slow the session. Altitude also matters here. With a base around 7,953 ft and a summit at 11,053 ft, hydrate, manage sun exposure and pace early days if you are new to high elevation.

Best time to go and how to plan

For cold surfaces, stable jump speed and frequent refreshes, target mid-January through early March. That window typically yields the most repeatable park laps and forgiving landings. March into April adds longer light and classic spring cycles—corn on solar aspects by late morning and preserved winter on shaded, higher faces—while Unbound keeps rotating rebuilds so rail lines and jumps stay fresh. Build a flexible plan each morning: check the mountain’s lift and trail report for wind holds and staged terrain openings, confirm Unbound’s line status, then pick sectors by aspect and visibility.

Transit and tickets reward a little homework. If you intend to mix Mammoth and June, structure days by weather and crowds and use the same-day ticket validation to pivot midday if needed. If you are aiming for event weeks, book early and expect footprint changes around Main Park and the pipe during training blocks. For car-free trips, align lodging with shuttle stops on the Red and Green lines so uploads are simple even on busy days; if you drive, monitor Caltrans QuickMap for chain controls and rolling closures on US-395 during storm cycles. Mammoth’s official winter trail map and Unbound page are the daily baseline for what’s spinning and how to lap efficiently.

Why freeskiers care

Because Mammoth turns a long, high-quality season into repeatable progression. You get a massive, weather-resilient mountain with tree zones for storm days and chalky ridges for bluebirds, plus Unbound’s tiered park system and a superpipe that mirror competition standards. You can add big-mountain freestyle in The Hemlocks when conditions align, pivot to June on the same ticket if wind or crowds push you to change plans, and rely on a shuttle network that keeps the day moving. The combination—credible terrain, contest-grade shaping, and frictionless logistics—explains why Mammoth remains a global reference point for skiers who want to learn fast, film well, and ride real mountains all season long.

Brand overview and significance

Monster Energy is a global beverage brand that became a fixture in freeski culture by backing athletes, contests, and film projects across park, pipe, street, and big-mountain skiing. Launched in the early 2000s by the company now known as Monster Beverage Corporation, the “claw” logo migrated from motocross and skate into winter sports and quickly showed up on helmets, sled decks, and banners at major venues. In skiing, Monster’s value is less about hardware and more about platform: funding rider-driven media, supporting athlete travel, and amplifying edits so lines and tricks reach audiences far beyond a single premiere. For Skipowd readers, our curated hub for Monster Energy pulls those stories together in one place.

At competition level, Monster’s presence is visible on the world’s most-watched stages. The brand is a named partner at X Games events, including Aspen’s winter edition, with title integrations on Big Air and SuperPipe segments that keep freeskiing front-and-center for a mainstream audience. Combined with a deep roster of athletes and a grassroots pipeline, Monster has helped bankroll a generation of clips and projects that shaped modern freeski style.

Product lines and key technologies

Monster’s “products” for skiers are twofold: beverages and media infrastructure. On the beverage side, the lineup spans the classic Monster Energy range, sugar-free options like Ultra, coffee blends under Java, and hydration-oriented Rehab—formats riders choose for long travel days, dawn call times, or late-night rail sessions. On the media side, the brand runs dedicated snow news and athlete pages, plus the Monster Army development program (Monster Army) that gives emerging skiers a route to small stipends, exposure, and eventual pro support.

The real “tech” is distribution and continuity. Monster’s content operation turns contest weeks and filming windows into year-round storytelling: pre-event previews, daily recaps, and athlete features that keep freeskiers in the broader sports conversation. That consistency has helped edits from core hubs break out of niche channels and reach new viewers who might never attend a premiere or follow a film tour.

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

Translate “ride feel” to culture: Monster shows up wherever skiers want volume and visibility. Park and slopestyle crews benefit from athlete travel and media support that keep jump lines and rail gardens in view all winter. Big-mountain and backcountry riders leverage the same amplifiers for spine shoots, wind-lip sessions, and sled-accessed zones. For grassroots skiers, Monster Army functions as an on-ramp—local edits and regional podiums can become invitations, product flow, and small travel budgets that make the next step possible.

Practically, skiers tap Monster’s platforms around the cadence of a season: early-preseason park laps, mid-winter contest blocks, spring build weeks, and Southern Hemisphere or glacier sessions. The through-line is repetition and reach—support that helps riders stack attempts, refine style, and put the best version of a trick or line in front of the world.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Monster’s freeski roster blends icons, contest winners, and film specialists—most visibly at X Games, where the brand’s partnership and athlete presence span SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and newer formats like Knuckle Huck. Recent seasons in Aspen saw Monster-backed skiers and snowboarders rack up headline results across the program, validated by the brand’s own event recaps and athlete features. Beyond podiums, Monster’s support of style leaders and legacy projects—think multi-year film arcs with Scandinavian and Québec crews, or rider-led street projects—gives skiers room to pursue the parts that influence technique and aesthetics for years.

The pipeline matters as much as the top end. Monster Army highlights junior and up-and-coming riders, publishes results, and showcases standout edits, creating a credible path from local scenes to international rosters. That continuity—grassroots to global—underpins the brand’s reputation inside the sport.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

On-snow, Monster’s winter footprint tracks freeski infrastructure. In North America, Aspen hosts X Games on Buttermilk’s courses under the Aspen Snowmass umbrella (Buttermilk), stacking high-mileage training and broadcast-grade venues in one valley. West Coast film crews cycle through Mammoth Mountain and coastal British Columbia, while the Alps and Scandinavia add spring and late-season looks that show up in team edits. In Québec, hometown hills and night parks feed the scene; you’ll even see Monster projects roll through compact venues like Vallée du Parc when storylines call for local roots.

Between tours, Monster uses city-based touchpoints and festivals to premiere or promote projects, then folds those stories back into athlete pages and season recaps so they remain discoverable long after a live event.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

For a beverage brand embedded in outdoor sport, responsibility shows up in packaging and operations. Monster’s corporate reporting outlines steps such as recyclable aluminum as the primary package, efficiency improvements in manufacturing, and sustainability targets published in annual updates (Sustainability Reports). On the events side, large activations coordinate with venue partners to manage sampling, waste, and energy use—pragmatic measures that matter at scale when contests and festivals bring thousands of fans to alpine towns.

From an athlete’s viewpoint, durability is cultural: consistent budgets, long-term relationships, and support for serviceable projects (from street trips to heli windows) keep skiers productive through full seasons, not just headline weeks.

How to choose within the lineup

If you’re picking a Monster can for ski days, think context. Sugar-free Ultra variants suit riders who want flavor without added sugar; classic Monster Energy is a familiar choice for long travel days or early starts; coffee blends (Java) make sense for base-area mornings. Hydration-forward options (Rehab) are useful for spring sessions when temps rise. As with any caffeinated drink, match intake to your tolerance and hydrate—especially at altitude and during high-output days.

If you’re an aspiring rider looking for support, study Monster’s athlete pages and the Monster Army program: publish clean edits, compete regionally, and keep results and clips organized so you can be found. For coaches and filmers, align output with the season’s storytelling windows—contest weeks, park build cycles, and spring features—so your work lands when the audience is paying most attention.

Why riders care

Skis and boots define how you turn; brands like Monster help define whether the wider world sees what you did. By underwriting athletes, events, and films—particularly around anchor venues like Aspen—the company has amplified freeski progression from rope-tow nights to global broadcast. Add a visible presence at X Games, a credible grassroots pipeline in Monster Army, and year-round content that keeps freeskiing in front of non-core audiences, and you get a sponsor that materially supports the sport’s culture—not just with logos, but with the resources that let skiers stack laps, film lines, and share them widely.

Brand overview and significance

Oakley is one of skiing’s definitive optics and protection brands. Founded in California in 1975 by Jim Jannard and part of the EssilorLuxottica family since 2007, Oakley moved from moto grips to goggles and sunglasses, then expanded into snow helmets and technical apparel. The company’s impact in freeski culture is simple to trace: Oakley standardized high-contrast snow lenses for variable light, built intuitive quick-swap systems for lens changes on storm days, and backed athletes across park, pipe, street, and big-mountain segments. For Skipowd readers, the brand’s hub lives at skipowd.tv/sponsor/oakley/, where team edits and film projects are organized alongside place context.

In competition and media, Oakley’s “O” logo is part of the modern visual language of freeskiing—on helmets at X Games Aspen, in glacier training calendars, and in rider-led films. Its snow portfolio—goggles, helmets, and outerwear—sits on decades of optical research and athlete feedback, reflected in technologies like Prizm™ Snow and the MOD-series helmet fit systems.

Product lines and key technologies

Oakley’s ski offering centers on goggles and helmets. On the optics side, the lineup includes spherical-vision frames such as Flight Deck, cylindrical options like Line Miner and Fall Line, and lens-change systems that balance speed and sealing—RidgeLock™ on Flight Deck/Fall Line and Switchlock® on Airbrake L. Prizm™ Snow tints (official overview) are engineered to heighten contrast and help riders read snow texture: Black for bright, Sapphire/Torch for variable light, and Rose for flat-light depth perception.

The lens stack pairs familiar Oakley fundamentals—High Definition Optics (HDO®), impact-resistant Plutonite® lens material, and F3 anti-fog coatings—with frame details such as triple-layer face foam and flexible O Matter® chassis. Many models integrate discreet OTG notches so prescription frames can sit comfortably under the goggle. Oakley’s goggle family is aggregated here: oakley.com/goggles/snow.

Helmets live under the MOD series and emphasize fit, integration, and protection. The MOD5, MOD1 MIPS, and related variants feature Mips® brain-protection systems, BOA® 360 Fit dials, Fidlock® magnetic buckles, and tuned ventilation. Oakley’s helmet technology overview is here: oakley.com/lp/helmet-technology.

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

Park and pipe riders who need consistent sight-lines and reliable anti-fog performance gravitate to Line Miner and Fall Line for cylindrical look and speed, or Flight Deck for maximum peripheral vision. All-mountain skiers who rack up storm laps appreciate quick-swap lens systems and Prizm tints that maintain definition as light swings from flat to filtered sun. For backcountry and big-mountain use, the priorities are breathability and sealing: F3 anti-fog dual lenses and well-matched helmet/goggle interfaces reduce fogging on climbs and transitions, while Plutonite impact resistance and HDO clarity preserve confidence when speed and exposure increase.

Helmet “feel” hinges on the BOA dial and liner design: MOD1/5 models sit low and stable, minimizing bounce on landings and keeping pressure even across long days. Riders who move between rail gardens, jump lines, and sidecountry gates benefit from the all-day fit and eyewear integration that keeps goggles seated and dry.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Oakley’s snow roster blends contest leaders and style specialists. Athlete collaborations and signatures connect product to the scene: Mikaela Shiffrin’s Flight Deck and Sielo signatures sit alongside Henrik Harlaut’s Line Miner colorways on oakley.com and signature pages. At X Games Aspen—hosted at Buttermilk—the brand’s presence is visible across SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and newer crowd-favorite formats. Event calendars and results live on official hubs such as X Games Aspen.

Beyond podiums, Oakley’s backing of rider-driven projects keeps street and backcountry edits moving during shoulder weeks. That continuity—contest windows, spring build weeks, and film seasons—gives the brand credibility with both weekend skiers and the athletes who set the bar.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Oakley’s heritage is Southern California, but its snow footprint tracks global freeski hubs. In North America, Mt. Hood is a summer touchstone for park laps and camps; British Columbia’s Coast and Interior feed backcountry film calendars; and Aspen hosts winter’s highest-profile broadcast week at Buttermilk, with terrain-park infrastructure documented by Aspen Snowmass. In the Alps and Scandinavia, glacier training and spring shoots refine goggle/helmet integration for mixed weather and long days. Whistler remains a spring icon for park and big-mountain flow; see the place context here: Whistler-Blackcomb and the resort hub at whistlerblackcomb.com.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Goggles pair injection-molded Plutonite® dual lenses with F3 anti-fog coatings and moisture-wicking triple-layer foams. Frames use O Matter® for cold-weather flexibility, and OTG-friendly notches on select models accommodate prescription eyewear. Helmets are built around hybrid or in-mold shells, EPS liners, and safety integrations (Mips®, BOA®, Fidlock®), with performance options like Skull Matrix appearing on higher-end variants. Official specs and family overviews are listed on Oakley’s snow category pages for goggles and helmets.

On responsibility, Oakley operates within EssilorLuxottica’s “Eyes on the Planet” framework (public sustainability reporting details packaging reduction efforts and material choices). Recent seasons have highlighted recycled content in select goggles and more sustainable packaging across snow categories. Apparel initiatives include responsible-cotton sourcing targets. The practical upshot for skiers: gear designed for multi-season durability, shipped with lower-impact packaging than prior generations.

How to choose within the lineup

Start with fit and field of view. If you prioritize maximum peripheral vision for jumps and all-mountain speed, Flight Deck (spherical) is the benchmark. If you prefer a flatter look and easier speed reads on rails, Fall Line (cylindrical) or Line Miner are strong. Choose size (S/M/L) based on face width and helmet interface; low-bridge fits are available in key models.

Lens logic. Build a two-lens quiver around Prizm™ Snow: a bright-light tint (Black) plus a variable/flat-light tint (Sapphire, Torch, or Rose). Quick-swap systems matter if you ride changeable weather—RidgeLock™ (Flight Deck/Fall Line) and Switchlock® (Airbrake L) keep swaps fast while preserving a complete seal.

Helmet pairing. MOD-series helmets are designed for clean interfaces with Oakley goggles. If you want maximum adjustability and deep feature sets, the MOD5 with Mips® and BOA® 360 Fit is the top choice; the MOD1 is the low-profile, park-friendly option. Prioritize a snug, even BOA feel with no goggle gap and clear nasal breathing under the strap.

Use-case fine-tuning. Park and pipe: cylindrical frames (Fall Line/Line Miner) for speed consistency and style. All-mountain: Flight Deck or Flight Tracker for panoramic vision. Big-mountain/backcountry: anti-fog performance and sealing with a variable-light Prizm lens; carry a spare for storm cycles. If you wear prescription glasses, look for models with OTG notches and medium-to-large volumes.

Why riders care

Oakley’s value to skiers is part optical science, part cultural consistency. Prizm™ Snow lenses make variable terrain legible; HDO® and Plutonite® maintain clarity and impact resistance; RidgeLock™/Switchlock® systems keep your lens choice honest when weather flips. On helmets, Mips® and BOA® integration translate to all-day comfort and protection that stays put from first lift to last lap. Layer in signature collabs with athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin and Henrik Harlaut, and visible support at global stages such as X Games Aspen, and you get a brand that shows up where progression actually happens—summer laps on Mt. Hood, deep weeks in British Columbia, and bluebird finals at Buttermilk. For skiers choosing gear that amplifies what they can see—and how they ride—Oakley remains a benchmark.

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.

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