PERSPECTIVE by Kevin rolland

La Plagne, Savoie, France | Active: FIS record listed as not active | Discipline: freeski halfpipe, superpipe, quarterpipe, film projects | Verified: 2009 World Champion, 2014 Olympic bronze, 9 X Games medals, 5 X Games golds, Beijing 2022 flag-bearer | Current: post-competition projects, WATTS capsule, video work and French halfpipe legacy Rosa Khutor In Falling Snow The Sochi pipe was blue at the walls and grey above the lights, with snow falling hard enough to soften every landing. Kévin Rolland dropped into Rosa Khutor, carried speed through the first hit, and tried to keep France inside the first Olympic ski halfpipe final. 60.... Read more on the Athlete page

Swiss freestyle resort in Graubünden | Known for: five snowparks, P60, Snowpark NoName, a 220 meter superpipe, LAAX OPEN, Freestyle Academy, Crap Sogn Gion, and a park culture built around Flims Laax Falera | Season: winter into spring depending on snowpack | Best for: slopestyle riders, halfpipe skiers, rail crews, spring park sessions, and freestyle-focused trips in the Alps Crap Sogn Gion And The Freestyle Capital Of Graubünden Crap Sogn Gion sits above Laax Murschetg as the operating heart of the resort’s freestyle identity, with parks, pipes, cafés, lifts, and traffic patterns built around repeated laps. The wider LAAX ski area stretches from 1100 meters to 3018 meters on the Vorab Glacier, with 216 kilometers of slopes and 30 lift installations across Flims, Laax, and Falera. LAAX is not only a Swiss resort with a park.... Read more on the Location page

Italian ski boot manufacturer | Founded 1974 by Alessandro and Giovanna Dal Bello after Swiss bootmaking roots | Known for: Cabrio three-piece construction, DRS race precision, Veloce Space BOA fit systems, IL Moro freestyle boots and Quantum touring models | Focus: progressive flex, anatomical fit and boot performance from race pistes to freeride landings and uphill missions 1974 in Asolo and the bootmaker path from leather to plastic Dalbello is one of skiing’s clearest specialist stories: an Italian company built around ski boots, not a wider catalog of skis, bindings or apparel. Alessandro and Giovanna Dal Bello learned the craft of boot building in Switzerland in the 1960s, then returned to Italy and began producing under their own name in 1974. That timing matters.... Read more on the Sponsor page

French eyewear brand | Created in 2010 and designed in Paris | Known for: reading glasses, sunglasses, screen glasses, kids eyewear, SNOW goggles, glacier sunglasses, ZENITH, HORIZON, JOURNEY and accessible design | Focus: approachable vision protection for skiers, snowboarders, families, instructors and mountain travellers who want simple, stylish eyewear from the slopes to après. Paris design and the everyday eyewear idea IZIPIZI is not a ski manufacturer, boot brand, binding company or traditional snow optics specialist. It is a French eyewear brand created in 2010 and designed in Paris, known first for making reading glasses, sunglasses and screen glasses feel more accessible, colorful and easy to live with.... Read more on the Sponsor page

German ski binding specialist | Founded 1952 in Garmisch Partenkirchen by Hannes Marker | Known for: Duplex safety binding heritage, Royal Family freeride models, Duke PT hybrid touring, Kingpin, Alpinist and Comp race bindings | Focus: reliable retention, predictable release and direct power transmission for resort skiers, racers, freeriders and touring athletes across modern boot standards. 1952 Garmisch origins and the safety binding idea Marker Bindings is one of the defining equipment names in skiing because it sits at the exact point where power, safety and trust meet. The brand was founded in 1952 by Hannes Marker in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, after the presentation of the Marker Duplex, an early safety binding concept built around a releasing toe.... Read more on the Sponsor page

German ski manufacturer | Founded in 1923 and based in Straubing, Bavaria | Known for: Mantra, Revolt, Racetiger, Peregrine, Blaze, Rise, V-Werks, Shine, 3D Radius Sidecut, Tailored Titanal Frame, Tailored Carbon Tips and Made in Germany ski construction | Focus: precise, powerful and technically advanced skis for race, carving, all-mountain, freeride, touring and freestyle skiers. 1923 Straubing roots and the German precision story Völkl is one of the defining ski manufacturers in the world. The brand was founded in 1923 and is based in Straubing, Bavaria, where it still presents itself as the largest and one of the last remaining ski manufacturers in Germany.... Read more on the Sponsor page

French action-sports clothing brand | Built around ski, snowboard, surf and street culture | Known for: WATTS Team, #RideDifferent, X-Gamma, X-Metod, X-Peak, X-Jib, X-Elipse, bold colorways, Dupore-X membranes and a Kevin Rolland ski capsule | Focus: expressive technical outerwear and lifestyle clothing for skiers, snowboarders and riders who want mountain function without losing visual energy. From waves to snow and the French glisse identity WATTS is not a ski manufacturer, boot brand, binding company or film studio. It is a French action-sports clothing brand built around the bridge between ocean, mountain and street culture.... Read more on the Sponsor page