FROM SEA TO SKY

04:18 min • 13/02/2026

From Sea to Sky A parent's perspective on raising a child in the mountains where freeride shapes how you grow up. Presented by Armada & Oakley Directed by Griffin Elsley. Cinematography by Griffin Elsley & Henry Waite Edited by Griffin Elsley, Harry wilson and Henry Waite. Voice over by Tina Madsen Durlacher & Ken Durlacher Color - Mike Gamble Sound - Griffin Elsley & Brenden Kelly Music by MRR-ADM

Athletes

Carter Durlacher

Profile and significance

Carter Durlacher is a Canadian freeride skier from Whistler, British Columbia, developing inside one of North America’s deepest junior freeride pipelines. On the Freeride World Tour Junior platform he is listed as a 17-year-old Ski Men athlete based in Whistler, and his results already include a milestone that immediately puts a young freerider on the radar: a first-place finish at the 2026 YETI FIS Freeride Junior World Championships in Kappl, Austria.

Why does that matter for freeski fans? Junior freeride is not “practice freeride.” The terrain is real, the variables are endless, and the scoring rewards decision-making as much as amplitude. Winning at junior worlds signals that an athlete can execute a complete run on unfamiliar snow and terrain while being judged against top juniors from multiple regions. That blend of composure, line planning, and clean skiing under pressure is often what separates a promising local talent from someone with a realistic pathway toward higher freeride circuits.

Competitive arc and key venues

Durlacher’s competitive footprint spans the IFSA junior ecosystem in Western Canada and the Freeride World Tour Junior pathway that links regional results to international championships. A clear early highlight came at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, where he won the U15 Ski Men category at the 2024 Kicking Horse IFSA Junior event. Kicking Horse is not a forgiving venue: steep fall lines, natural features, and consequences that reward calm skiing and punish rushed decisions. A win there is a meaningful data point because it suggests the ability to perform when the hill demands commitment.

As he moved into older age groups, he continued appearing on podiums in his home zone. At an IFSA freeride ski event held in Whistler in early January 2025, he finished third in the U19 men’s field. For a Whistler athlete, that kind of local podium still carries weight: home events tend to be stacked with riders who know the terrain extremely well, so the differentiator often becomes run construction, execution quality, and mental steadiness rather than simple comfort on the hill.

The most internationally defining result on his record is Kappl. His Freeride World Tour Junior results list a first-place finish at the 2026 YETI FIS Freeride Junior World Championships in Kappl, a championship stop that asks athletes to read a face quickly, adapt to a different snowpack, and deliver a complete run with no reset button. Add in the fact that IFSA’s Hall of Champions listings for the 2024 junior season place him second overall in U15 Ski Men, and you get a picture of consistency behind the highlights: repeated strong performances across a season, not just a single breakthrough day.

How they ski: what to watch for

Freeride competition is freeskiing on natural terrain, and it is easiest to appreciate when you watch it through the categories the judges actually care about. Organizers commonly describe the core criteria as line choice, control, fluidity, technique, and style/energy. Unlike slopestyle or big air, where the course and feature set are standardized, freeride asks the athlete to choose the canvas first, then paint a run that looks deliberate from top to bottom.

When you watch Durlacher, start with line choice and the logic of the route rather than hunting only for the biggest air. A strong freeride line links features with intent, and the best runs look “pre-written” even when the terrain is chaotic. Then shift to control and technique in the moments that are hardest to fake: the traverse into a feature, the speed management before a takeoff, and the first two turns after a landing. Clean exits matter because they show that the skier planned not only the jump, but what happens immediately after it—where many runs lose momentum and score.

Fluidity is the visible marker of confidence. In freeride, it often means continuous movement with minimal hesitation, even when the snow changes texture or the terrain forces fast adjustments. Style is more subtle than in park skiing: it can be a quiet upper body, strong absorption through the legs, and an overall sense that the athlete is driving the run rather than surviving it. On venues like Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Kappl, those qualities are especially important because the hill itself is already “big”—the scoring edge often comes from how cleanly the skier handles the details.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Junior freeride seasons are built around travel, weather windows, and the emotional swing between training days and a single judged run. The sport demands resilience because conditions are rarely perfect: visibility can flatten, wind can affect takeoffs, and a line that looked smooth in inspection can ski differently once speed and adrenaline enter the picture. Athletes who keep progressing tend to be the ones who can stay disciplined—sticking to the planned shape of a run while still adapting in real time when the mountain changes the rules.

Durlacher has also signaled interest in storytelling beyond competition. In his public bio, he references a first ski film project titled “From Sea to Sky,” framed as a story-driven approach to skiing. For an emerging freerider, filming is not just a highlight reel; it is a progression tool. It encourages repetition, forces honest review of technique, and helps an athlete define what they want their skiing to represent. In a sport where scores are one form of validation, a film project can be another way to build identity and connect with the culture of freeride.

Geography that built the toolkit

Being based in Whistler shapes a freerider’s development in a very specific way. The scale of Whistler Blackcomb and the surrounding Coast Mountains exposes young athletes to steep alpine faces, technical entrances, tight trees, and storm-day decision-making—often within the same week. Coastal snowpacks can change quickly with temperature and moisture, which pushes skiers to become adaptable: reading texture, managing speed when visibility is poor, and choosing terrain that matches the day’s stability and conditions.

The move from coastal British Columbia to the Rocky Mountain environment at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort adds another layer. Kicking Horse is steep by default and demands early commitment, with natural features that reward clean takeoffs and confident landings. Then a European venue like Kappl in Austria can introduce different snow feel and pacing: athletes often need sharper precision, tighter line management, and a run plan that stays readable even when the face skis firmer than what they train on at home. When a young skier posts top results across those environments, it suggests a toolkit that is expanding in the right direction.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

In public posts tied to his season and film promotion, Durlacher has tagged brands such as Oakley, Armada Skis, and GoPro. A social tag is not the same as a formal sponsorship announcement, but it does highlight something practical: freeride performance and freeride storytelling both depend on equipment choices that prioritize function in difficult conditions.

For progressing skiers, the useful takeaways are straightforward. Vision is safety and speed in freeride terrain, so goggle fit and lens choice matter more than most people want to admit—especially in flat light where hesitation can destroy a run’s rhythm. Ski and boot setups in freeride generally reward predictability: gear that stays composed when the snow turns variable, holds an edge when the surface gets firm, and does not punish you for making fast, corrective turns. If you film your skiing, camera placement and stability matter too; the goal is not just to record a big moment, but to capture enough detail to review line choice, speed management, and the quality of turns before and after features.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Carter Durlacher is worth tracking because his results show a young athlete crossing from strong regional performances into international relevance. Winning at the 2026 YETI FIS Freeride Junior World Championships in Kappl and winning at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort at a major junior stop are the kinds of markers that often precede a push into higher-level freeride circuits. He is still early in the process, but the trajectory is clear: a credible competition résumé anchored by meaningful venues.

For viewers, he represents the modern junior freeride pathway—competition credibility, development inside the Whistler training ecosystem, and a willingness to build a personal story through filming. For skiers trying to improve, his path reinforces a lesson that applies at every level: freeride success is built on line planning, repeatable control, and clean technique as much as it is built on a single big feature. Watch his runs with those criteria in mind, and you will understand not only whether the skiing looks exciting, but why it scores.

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.

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.

FROM SEA TO SKY

Athletes

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Carter Durlacher

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