Kim Boberg [FULL SEGMENT] from Oil and Water

04:26 min • 06/01/2015

Kim Boberg's full segment shot in the streets of Scandinavia. See the entire film here: https://vimeo.com/104893262 Song "Sanitarium" by Metallica

Athletes

Kim Boberg

Profile and significance

Kim Boberg is a Swedish freeski original whose influence runs well beyond podiums. Born in 1991 and raised in the rural municipality of Älvdalen, he emerged through athlete-led films and Europe’s scene-driven culture before becoming a longtime pillar of the Armada Skis team. His career threads through Field Productions segments, a standout part in Armada’s “Oil & Water,” the web series “Shred ’n Breakfast,” and an all-urban entry at the X Games Real Ski 2019 video contest. Just as important, he created the spring gathering that many pros now circle in pen: Kimbo Sessions, hosted at Kläppen, a rider-led “anti-contest” focused on creativity and flow. Across all of it, Boberg’s skiing reads clearly at full speed—calm approaches, deep functional grabs, decisive rail lock-ins, and landings that keep momentum alive.

That clarity now carries a hardware imprint. Armada launched a pro-collab park ski built around his habits—the Kimbo/Kimbo 95—and he pairs it with dependable retention from Tyrolia. Between a decade-plus of film work and a community event that sets the tone for spring sessions, Boberg has become both stylist and steward for modern freeskiing.

Competitive arc and key venues

Boberg’s résumé favors films and culture-first gatherings, but he still took his turn under the broadcast lights. His Real Ski 2019 part—shot primarily on Scandinavian architecture—showed the same method he’s known for in longer edits: early commitments, obstacle-spanning tricks, and enough space between moves that viewers can follow the story without slow-motion. The more enduring competitive “format,” though, is Kimbo Sessions at Kläppen. Since the mid-2010s it has evolved into a weeklong lab where the world’s top riders experiment on a custom park at golden-hour pace, an approach that inspired similar jam-style showcases elsewhere. Even in years when snowpack forces changes, the concept remains a benchmark for how rider-run events can spotlight progression without a heat sheet.

Venue context explains the feel of his skiing. Kläppen’s snowpark is dense with options and tuned for rhythm rather than spectacle, which rewards patient takeoffs and tidy exits. Scandinavian street spots—Stockholm, Östersund, and beyond—compress decision-making into short in-runs and quick outruns. Those places built habits that travel: Boberg’s line design works whether the background is a city staircase or a sun-softened rail garden at a spring session.

How they ski: what to watch for

Boberg skis with deliberate economy and musical timing. On rails, approaches square up early, shoulders stay stacked, and lock-ins look committed rather than theatrical. Surface swaps resolve completely; presses carry visible shape; exits protect speed so the next feature arrives naturally. On jumps, he manages spin speed with deep, stabilizing grabs—safety, tail, or blunt depending on axis—arriving early enough to calm rotation and keep the landing centered over the feet. Directional variety is built-in—forward and switch, left and right—but never disrupts cadence because each trick serves the line rather than a checklist.

If you’re trying to “read” a Boberg clip in real time, track two cues. First, spacing: he leaves room between moves so each trick sets angle and speed for the next, turning a full run into a sentence instead of word salad. Second, grab discipline: hands find the ski early and stay long enough to influence rotation, not just decorate the frame. Those details explain why heavy spins look unhurried and why editors can present his footage at normal speed.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Street and spring filming are process-heavy—shovel and salt, rebuilds after busts, and the judgment to walk away when conditions won’t hold. Boberg leans into that rhythm. Field Productions features and Armada projects like “Oil & Water” captured his patience and trick math; later pieces such as “Butterfly” distilled years of Kimbo Sessions clips and Real Ski shots into a cohesive portrait. The influence radiates through the formats he favors. Kimbo Sessions turned a private spring shoot into a shared, rider-first canvas; The Bunch’s films reframed progression as story rather than stunt. Younger skiers study his early grab timing, obstacle-spanning choices, and the way small, on-purpose speed checks never spill into landings.

Because the message is practical, it spreads. Resorts reference the Kimbo template when shaping flowy late-season parks; brands point to his segments when they talk about predictable swing weight and edge life; and coaches use his runs to teach momentum protection and centered finishes. Boberg’s legacy is as much about how to build and share skiing as it is about what tricks to do.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place is the skeleton of Boberg’s skiing. Älvdalen’s proximity to Kläppen supplied years of repetition on firm mornings and slushy afternoons, a daily cycle that demands honest edge angles and patient takeoffs. Scandinavian cities added the urban syllabus—tight approaches, quick redirects, and runouts that punish sloppy speed checks. When The Bunch pulled projects farther afield, those habits traveled intact: protect momentum, finish movements early, and let the line keep its shape from first feature to last landing.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Boberg’s setup mirrors his priorities. The Armada Kimbo is a park-focused design with a buttery flex for presses, a full-wrap edge for durability on steel, and a tail insert that keeps response predictable under load—features that turn technique into repeatable results on rails and medium booters. Bindings from Tyrolia provide trustworthy retention and stomp feel on mixed surfaces. For skiers translating this into their own kit, think category fit over model names: choose a symmetrical or near-symmetrical park ski and mount it so butters feel natural without sacrificing takeoff stability; keep bases fast so cadence doesn’t depend on perfect weather; and tune edges to hold on steel while softening contact points to avoid surprise bites on swaps.

There’s a process lesson too. Build lines around momentum, not spin count. Treat the grab as a control input rather than ornament. Finish tricks early enough to ride away centered with time to set the next move. Those habits make Boberg’s skiing readable at full speed and give progressing riders a blueprint they can actually copy.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Kim Boberg matters because he fused elite street-and-park difficulty with a community platform that keeps the sport honest. The films prove the point; the Kimbo Sessions tradition spreads it. For viewers, his segments and spring laps are endlessly rewatchable because the decisions are clear and the execution is calm. For skiers trying to level up, the takeaways are concrete: square the approach, use the grab to stabilize the axis, leave every feature with speed, and design the run so it reads like a story. That’s the Boberg blueprint—from Älvdalen to Kläppen and into every park where style doubles as technique.

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.

Kim Boberg [FULL SEGMENT] from Oil and Water

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