So I was thinking about this last night. Right now, Salomon is the biggest company in Freestyle, they have the most gear (skis, boots, bindings, outerwear, helmets, poles, the only thing they don't make are goggles), the biggest team - ranging from some of the best urban riders to some of the best big mountain riders, and everything in between, and the most history - lets face it, they created the first twin tip, they pretty much started it all for us.
But, right now, in my opinion, Armada is on its way to the top. What started as a small company with a few skis, now makes some the best skis out in all disciplines, in the park they've got the T-Hall, AR6, Pipe Cleaners, and now the Alpha 1 and 2, for All Mountain they've got the AR6, ARv, El Ray, and for Back country and Big Mountain they have the ARv, ANT, ARG, and of course the ski that many people consider to be the best ski out right now the JJ. But now, Armada isn't just about the skis, they have some amazing poles with the most comfortable grip I've ever held, and now they have gloves and outwear added to their collection. That being said, it wont be long till we see bindings and boots coming from Armada.
But, as we all know, it's not all about the gear, the team has a huge deal to do with what we buy, lets face it - how many of us want Antidogmas simply because T-Wall rides them, or Dumonts cause Dumont rides them, or any ski for that matter - the reason we buy them is because someone we know and look up to rides them. Armada has a very diverse team, with guys like JP Auclair, Anthony Boronowski, Julien Regnier, Julien Regnier, Phil Casabon, and of course the man Tanner Hall, but now it seems that it has grown even more and added some of the best park skiers to its team, while it's not been comfirmed, it looks as though both Mike Hornbeck and Chris Turpin have been added to the Armada team.
This being said, it looks as though Armada is on its way to the top of the Freestyle world, they are still pretty far off from Salomon - but then again, Salomon has a few years on them. But look how far they've come, just 7 years ago they we're a small cult company, not too much different then ON3P is now, and in a short amount of time has become one of the most well known ski companies in Freestyle.
Thanks for reading, I know it was long but it's summer and I'm bored...Thoughts?
