B-Dog - Marci Kimbo

01:36 min • 20/11/2018

B-Dog at the iconic Kimbo sessions 2018 https://www.instagram.com/casablunt/ https://philcasabon.com Filmed by - Brady Perron Additional filming by - Andreas Olofsson, Émile Bergeron

Park

Philip Casabon

Profile and significance

Philip “B-Dog” Casabon is a Canadian freeski icon from Shawinigan, Québec, whose style-first language—presses, butters, nollies, reverts, and shiftys that breathe—reshaped modern park and urban skiing. He rose through night laps at his local hill, Vallée du Parc, and became one of the most influential riders of his generation by proving that creativity, definition, and flow can outweigh brute force. His cultural footprint is matched by hardware: back-to-back gold medals at X Games Real Ski in 2018 and 2019, plus the 2018 Fan Favorite nod, cemented his status as a peer-elected standard. In the same window, he released the widely praised film “En Particulier” with Brady Perron and was named Freeskier’s Skier of the Year, a rare double for a rider focused on film and street. Casabon matters because he made style specific and teachable—clips that hold up frame by frame and a movement language that any progressing skier can study and apply.

Competitive arc and key venues

Casabon’s competitive résumé is unconventional by design. Early in his career he tested himself in slopestyle at Aspen, making multiple Winter X Games appearances when the discipline was still defining itself. As urban skiing’s broadcast moment arrived, he shifted to segments and rider-curated showcases that better matched his voice. The pivot paid off: his 2018 X Games Real Ski gold, delivered alongside the Fan Favorite award, was followed by a repeat gold in 2019—rare back-to-back wins that confirmed his dominance in the all-video, all-street format. In the culture-defining B&E era at Les Arcs, he collected “Best Style” honors in both 2014 and 2015 on a skate-inspired setup designed to reward touch and originality. Those landmarks—Aspen’s spotlight, Real Ski’s medals, and Les Arcs’ style awards—map the arc of a skier who used competition as a proof-of-concept for ideas refined in edits.

The places tied to his name help explain the skiing. Vallée du Parc gave him the repetition and switch comfort that show up in his lines. Aspen’s big-build tempo at Aspen Snowmass taught wind calls, long decks, and pressure management under cameras. The B&E park at Les Arcs encouraged butters into spins, long presses, and transfers that value feel over amplitude. Together they shaped a rider who reads features instantly and turns modest speed into full sentences of skiing.

How they ski: what to watch for

Casabon skis with economy and definition. Approaches stay tall and neutral. He sets rotation late, locks grabs early—often with unmistakable tweaks—and lets the trick breathe rather than rushing the set. On rails, the signatures are square entries, long-held presses and backslides that are obvious to the eye, surface swaps with minimal arm swing, and exits where the shoulders stay aligned so momentum carries into the next feature. Even when the spot is complex, he organizes edge pressure early to keep the base flat through kinks, which is why his landings read inevitable rather than rescued. On jumps and side hits the same patience appears: pop comes from the feet up, grabs are defined before 180 degrees, and the upper body stays quiet so the skis do the storytelling. The result is a blueprint any rider can study—calm entry, patient pop, early grab definition, square-shoulder exit.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Casabon’s influence runs through films and community projects as much as medals. He built a decade-long catalog of replayable segments, culminating in the late-2010s run that paired Real Ski golds with a festival-tested film presence. The work emphasized honest speed, horizon awareness, and compositions that make slope angle and body organization clear—choices that help viewers learn, not just watch. In the B&E era, his partnership with Henrik Harlaut created a platform where style was the scorecard, then pushed those ideas back into parks, streets, and product design. Interviews and long-form conversations from this period reveal a method that prizes durability over hype: habits you can repeat when conditions are imperfect and cameras are rolling.

That durability—plus a willingness to mentor—keeps his influence alive in a generation that learns from edits. Coaches use his clips to illustrate patient setups and clean exits; riders break down his presses and shifty timing to build their own lines. He is both reference and proof: you do not need the world’s biggest jump to show world-class skiing if your movements are organized and your choices are clear.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place explains the method. Shawinigan’s Vallée du Parc is a human-scale hill where repetition is abundant and mistakes are obvious. Night laps there forged the switch comfort, precise edging, and patience that define his rail game. The spotlight and wind at Aspen Snowmass layered in big-feature timing and composure. The creative modules at Les Arcs rewarded a horizontal vocabulary—presses, butters, wheelies—that Casabon helped popularize, proving that expression at low to medium speeds can be as compelling as amplitude. When you trace the map, you see the fingerprints in every clip: local-hill repetition, big-park patience, and skate-park creativity applied to snow.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Casabon’s long relationship with Armada extended far beyond sticker placement. His pro model BDog and the experimental BDog Edgeless in Armada’s Zero Collection were designed to serve his priorities—predictable flex for presses and butters, confidence on switch landings, and swing weight that stays honest on slower-speed pops. The gear lessons for progressing skiers mirror that logic. Choose a true park ski with a balanced, medium flex you can bend without folding. Detune the contact points enough to reduce rail bite while maintaining dependable edge hold on the lip. Mount close enough to center that presses sit level and switch landings feel neutral. Keep binding ramp angles that don’t tip you onto your heels. Then build a process that matches the hardware: film laps, compare shoulder alignment and hip-to-ankle stack against a short checklist, and repeat until the movements become automatic. The setup is the scaffold; the habits are the house.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Philip Casabon because his skiing ages well. The clips prioritize timing, organization, and line design over noise, which is why they survive slow-motion scrutiny years later. Progressing skiers care because the same choices are teachable on normal parks and real snowpacks. If your winter looks like night laps on a small hill, weekend missions to a destination park, and a few street sessions with friends, his blueprint shows how to turn limited speed and imperfect conditions into memorable skiing. The medals—back-to-back X Games Real Ski golds and Fan Favorite in 2018—are milestones; the lasting takeaway is a method: calm entry, patient pop, early grab definition, square-shoulder exit, and a flow that connects a run into a single sentence. That is why B-Dog remains essential viewing for anyone who cares about freeskiing’s style, substance, and future.

Kläppen Snowpark

Overview and significance

Kläppen Snowpark is Sweden’s reference venue for park skiing—a purpose-built freestyle precinct inside the Kläppen Ski Resort area of Sälenfjällen, Dalarna. For scale and intent, it stands apart in Scandinavia: a dedicated park zone with national-level build quality that hosts championship weeks, team camps, and progression sessions throughout the season. The resort’s official materials emphasize just how much room the shapers have to work with—an area equivalent to roughly 14 football pitches—allowing long, flowing lines and large features when winter cooperates. The result is a park-first destination where you can stack repeatable laps on clearly tiered lines, from beginner boxes to pro-caliber jumps, without criss-crossing a whole mountain to find your run.

The venue also anchors a modern training ecosystem. Beyond the on-snow zones, Kläppen operates the Kläppen Arena with airbags, trampolines and a dry-slope rail garden for off-season air awareness. In recent years the resort has even introduced an autumn snowpark built from saved (“farmed”) snow, giving athletes and keen riders an early window to get back on rails before winter proper. For a video-led look at the scene, see our internal page skipowd.tv/location/klappen-snowpark/ and the broader country context at skipowd.tv/location/sweden/.

Terrain, snow, and seasons

Kläppen sits on rounded Scandinavian terrain rather than alpine peaks, so the vertical is modest by Alps or Rockies standards—but that’s an asset for park riding. The topography provides broad benches and consistent fall line, which make speed reads predictable and lapping efficient. Maritime-continental winters bring frequent cold snaps and manageable winds; between systems, grooming keeps takeoffs crisp and edges biting. When temperatures swing, the build team adjusts lips and reshapes landings to protect speed and safety.

The practical park window typically runs from mid-December into March or April, with the most durable surfaces in January and February when daytime temps hold winter. As daylight stretches into March, you’ll find blue-window filming days and forgiving afternoon landings while shaded aspects stay cold. A unique Kläppen twist is the resort’s saved-snow “autumn park,” which has opened as early as October on select years—useful for teams and crews who want real rail mileage months before most European parks are online. Day to day, expect rapid resets after small refills and wind-buffed hardpack that rides cleanly on rails when the sky clears.

Park infrastructure and events

The core on-snow offering is tiered. The Junior Snowpark mirrors “real” park shapes at kid- and learner-friendly scale; the Blue Line steps up with medium features that reward line choice and clean basics; and the flagship National Arena Kläppen Snowpark carries red and black lines designed to FIS-level standards. When snow and staffing align, the National Arena brings out a full contest palette—multi-hit jump lines, a big-air feature, dense jib sets, and, for championship weeks, a halfpipe built specifically for the event period. The layout is meant for rhythm: choose a two- or three-feature circuit and lap for volume, then step to full-length lines as light and confidence build.

Event pedigree is current and visible. Kläppen regularly hosts Sweden’s national freeski and snowboard championships (SM) with slopestyle, big air and halfpipe on the program, and publishes operational notes when course builds affect public access. The venue also appears on the national slopestyle tour calendar in typical seasons. In spring, the park has been the canvas for culture-defining invitational sessions and film weeks, drawing an international cast when conditions allow. The common thread is consistency: a shaping crew that treats the park like a sport venue first, with daily tweaks that keep speed honest and landings safe.

Access, logistics, and on-mountain flow

Getting to Kläppen is straightforward by Scandinavian standards. The resort is the first major stop as you enter Sälenfjällen from the south, with a road approach that favors buses and private cars. If you’re flying, Sälen/Scandinavian Mountains Airport (IATA: SCR) sits about 45 minutes away by transfer, with seasonal flights and organized shuttles linking the runway to the Sälen resorts. The resort’s “Travel to Kläppen” pages consolidate driving distances from Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, and outline airport options and transfers for winter weeks.

On snow, flow is about rhythm and windows. Start most days warming up on smaller or medium features to check speed and lens tints, then slot repetitions on a compact circuit before expanding to full lines. When temperatures swing or winds rise, follow the crew’s rebuild notes at the park entrance and be ready to pivot toward rail mileage while jump lips set. During national-event weeks, the National Arena may run with training blocks or closures—use mornings in the Blue Line or Junior zones and slide into the pro lines later when the schedule opens. If you’re mixing family laps with trick work, the park’s proximity to main lifts keeps meet-ups easy.

Local culture, safety, and etiquette

Kläppen’s freestyle culture is progression-first and professional. Park etiquette is non-negotiable: inspect features, call your drop, hold a predictable line, and clear landings and knuckles immediately so the lane keeps moving. Give shapers and patrollers space when they’re working, and respect rope lines and course closures around event builds—those protect both public riders and athletes. Helmets are standard; many crews add back protectors for jump laps. On colder weeks, manage batteries and skin exposure so sessions stay crisp rather than rushed.

The off-snow piece matters too. The Kläppen Arena runs airbags, trampolines and a dry-slope railpark in the bare-ground seasons, turning summer and autumn into legitimate training windows. Camps based around the Arena let younger riders learn safe approach speeds and air awareness before moving onto snow—one reason Sweden’s pipeline to national teams runs through this valley. In winter, you’ll see the same discipline on-hill: clear signage, posted speed checks, and staged rebuilds that privilege safe repetition over spectacle.

Best time to go and how to plan

For the most reliable park surfaces, aim for late January through early March. That window typically delivers crisp mornings, stable jump speed, and repeated rebuilds that keep rails fresh. March adds longer light and bluebird film days while shaded aspects hold winter; plan shorter, focused sets with warm-up breaks when the mercury drops so pop and timing stay sharp. If you’re event-curious, align with the SM championship week for spectator energy—just expect footprint changes on the National Arena and plan your riding around the published schedule.

Build your kit for repetition and cold. Two goggle lenses, low-fluoro or all-temp wax for variable hardpack, and spare gloves keep sessions on track. Start each morning by checking the resort’s snowpark page for which lines are open, and keep an eye on travel advisories if you’re driving up for the weekend. For flyers, book transfers from SCR in advance on peak weeks. If you’re splitting time across Sweden, Kläppen pairs neatly with city-park nights around Stockholm earlier or later in the season and with Lapland missions when you want colder snow but less park focus.

Why freeskiers care

Because Kläppen Snowpark is engineered for progression. You get long, continuous lines on broad benches, a shaping program that treats speed and safety as performance factors, an event calendar that proves the venue on the national stage, and a rare off-season training hub with airbags and trampolines. Add simple access via Sälen’s airport and road network and a culture that rewards etiquette and craft, and Kläppen becomes a high-value base for anyone serious about learning, filming, or peaking for competition season.

Brand overview and significance

Armada is widely recognized as skiing’s pioneering athlete-founded brand. Launched in 2002 by a crew of influential freeskiers and creatives, it set out to build equipment around how modern skiers actually ride—park, powder, streets, and big, natural terrain—rather than filtering innovation through traditional race heritage. The brand’s identity has remained anchored in rider input and film culture, with a product line that mirrors the creative, playful approach that reshaped freeskiing in the 2000s and beyond. In March 2017, Amer Sports acquired Armada, bringing the label into the same winter portfolio as other major ski manufacturers while preserving its athlete-led philosophy and distinct design language.

Armada operates from the Wasatch and the Alps, with day-to-day brand life connected to Park City Mountain in Utah and a European hub near Innsbruck. That cross-Atlantic footprint helps shape a catalog that feels at home in North American freeride zones and on the varied snowpacks and park scenes of the Tyrol. Culturally, Armada remains closely tied to athlete films, creative web series, and team projects—touchstones that communicate the skis’ intended feel as much as spec sheets do.

Product lines and key technologies

Armada’s lineup is organized by intent, not marketing buzzwords. The ARV/ARW family represents the brand’s all-mountain freestyle DNA; Declivity and Reliance (directional all-mountain) serve resort skiers who want confidence at speed and on edge; Locator targets fast-and-light touring; and signature freeride shapes such as the Whitewalker translate film-segment creativity to deep snow and mixed terrain. Within those families, Armada refines behavior with a set of in-house technologies that have become calling cards.

Two construction ideas stand out. First, rocker/camber profiles like AR Freestyle Rocker and EST Freeride Rocker blend long, forgiving rockered zones with positive camber underfoot to preserve edge hold. Second, base and sidewall details tune how the ski releases and smears: Smear Tech adds subtle 3D beveling in the tips and tails for drift, pivot, and catch-free butters, while AR75/AR100 sidewalls and tailored cores (including lightweight Caruba in touring models) balance mass reduction with damping and strength. Together these choices explain why Armada skis often feel both lively and composed—easy to pivot yet trustworthy when speed comes up or the snow gets choppy.

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

If you like your all-mountain laps to include side-hits, switch landings, and a bit of exploration off the groomer, Armada’s ARV/ARW models are designed for you. They’re energetic, smearable, and predictable in variable resort snow, with enough camber to carve cleanly back to the lift. Resort chargers who prioritize directional stability and precise edge feel will gravitate toward Declivity and Reliance: more metal and more length options yield a calmer ride on hardpack, while still keeping the Armada “surf” in soft conditions. For backcountry skiers who want to keep the uphill efficient without giving up fun on the way down, the Locator series blends low weight with real-snow suspension. And on storm days and film-project lines, signature freeride shapes like Whitewalker are aimed at powder, pillows, and wind-affected steeps where you want loose, pivotable tips, supportive platforms, and confident landings.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Armada’s reputation rides on the shoulders of its athletes as much as its skis. Over the years, names like Henrik Harlaut, Phil Casabon, and Sammy Carlson have defined the brand’s look and feel—style-first skiing that still handles real-mountain speed and impact. That visibility spans major events like the X Games and high-profile film releases, reinforcing Armada’s role as a tastemaker for park, street, and backcountry-freestyle aesthetics. The roster’s breadth—from urban icons to big-mountain specialists—helps keep the catalog honest: new designs trace back to specific needs revealed in segments, contests, and long-day resort laps.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Armada’s U.S. presence is tied to the Wasatch—easy access to long season mileage, park laps, and storm cycles near Park City Mountain and the Cottonwood canyons. In the Alps, the scene around Innsbruck gives the team fast access to varied venues like Axamer Lizum and the Golden Roof Park, useful for repeatable park testing and quick condition changes. Historic filming staples like Mammoth Mountain continue to influence sizing, rocker lines, and the playful-but-capable feel that many skiers now expect from all-mountain freestyle shapes.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Armada pairs wood cores and fiberglass/carbon laminates with sidewall constructions that vary by intent. All-mountain freestyle models use thicker edges and reinforcement underfoot to handle rails and landing zones; directional models lean into torsional stiffness and damping for edge fidelity; touring models deploy Caruba cores, strategic rubber/titanal binding mats, and lighter edges to keep mass down without making the ride nervous. On the softgoods side, the brand publishes “Honest Social Responsibility” notes outlining material choices in apparel and gear. For hardgoods, a two-year warranty applies to skis and most equipment, a standard that signals baseline confidence in materials and build. While any ski can be damaged by rails, rocks, or improper mounts, Armada’s construction playbook is tuned for the mix of freestyle creativity and resort mileage its audience demands.

How to choose within the lineup

Start with where and how you ski most. If your days blend carving with side-hits, trees, and the occasional lap through the park, look to the all-mountain freestyle family with waist widths in the upper-80s to mid-90s for a balanced daily driver. If you spend more time at speed on firm snow, directional all-mountain models with metal reinforcement and slightly longer radii will feel calmer and more confidence-inspiring on edge. If you tour, match Locator widths to your snowpack and objectives: narrower for long approaches and mixed conditions; wider for soft-snow zones and mid-winter storm cycles. Powder-first skiers who still like to trick and slash should consider signature freeride shapes with loose, rockered tips/tails and sturdy platforms underfoot. Size for your intent: freestyle-oriented riders often pick slightly shorter for maneuverability; directional and touring skiers typically size to nose/forehead or longer for stability and float.

Why riders care

Armada matters because it helped define what “modern” skiing feels like—and continues to translate that feel into products that make sense for real resort laps, backcountry tours, and deep days. The brand still reads like a dialogue between athletes and engineers: skis that pivot and smear when you want, yet bite and track when you need; graphics and shapes that look the part in a park edit but stand up to chunder at 3 p.m. Whether you arrive through contest clips, a team movie, or a storm cycle backcountry mission, the through-line is the same: creative expression backed by functional engineering. That combination keeps the label relevant to skiers who value both style and substance, from first chair corduroy to last-light pillow stacks—and it’s why Armada has a lasting footprint across freeski culture as well as everyday resort skiing.

B-Dog - Marci Kimbo

Athletes

Locations

Sponsors

Competition

Philip Casabon

Kläppen Snowpark

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