Armada

For freeskiers, Armada is one of the most credible names out there. The company was founded by professional skiers and works closely with pros who actually design the products, so the line is built by people who ride it. If you want skis with a freestyle, creative spirit rather than a purely racing pedigree, they're a strong choice.

Armada bills itself as skiing's first rider-owned, rider-operated manufacturer, and that ethos shows in its reputation among freeskiers. It's credited with helping shift mainstream perception of skiing in a younger, more dynamic direction through bold graphics and savvy marketing. Its association with multiple-time Winter X Games champion Tanner Hall has only reinforced that standing.

Beyond skis, Armada produces ski boots, poles, technical outerwear and skiing-related softgoods. Its lineup spans men's, women's and children's skis along with bindings, ski wear and accessories, so you can effectively kit out for a season from the brand alone. Its products are sold in over forty countries worldwide.

The JJ is one of its standout models, claimed as the first all-mountain powder ski with rocker. Armada also launched with two original freestyle skis, the AR5 and the ARV, and the ARV name remains a recognizable part of the range across men's, women's and children's lines.

Armada was founded in 2002 by a group of professional skiers and ski-and-snowboard photographer Chris O'Connell, with backing from British venture capitalists. The founding team of owner-riders included Tanner Hall, the late JP Auclair, JF Cusson, Julien Regnier, Eric Iberg and Boyd Easley, and they launched with two freestyle skis.

Armada is an American manufacturer headquartered in Park City, Utah, with a European office in Innsbruck, Austria. It moved to Park City in 2014 from its founding home base in Costa Mesa, with the company citing Utah's business environment and abundance of world-class skiing as the draw.

On 29 March 2017, Armada was acquired by the Finnish winter sports conglomerate Amer Sports. Despite the corporate ownership, the brand's identity is still rooted in its rider-owned founding story, where ski professionals design their own products and are rewarded with equity in the company.

The big differentiator is its rider-owned, rider-operated model: pros don't just endorse the gear, they help design it and hold equity in the company. Pair that with distinctive graphics and a freeski culture focus, and Armada reads as a brand built from the inside of the sport out, rather than a legacy manufacturer adding a freestyle line.

Yes. In 2011 Armada announced a partnership with Gore, the fabric maker behind well-known waterproof, breathable materials. That kind of collaboration matters for the technical outerwear side of the business, where staying dry and protected is as important as the design language the brand is known for.

Armada fields a strong pro team that has included Tanner Hall, Jacob Wester, Phil Casabon, Mike Hornbeck, Riley Leboe, Torin Yater-Wallace, Kim Boberg, Henrik Harlaut and Sammy Carlson. Tanner Hall in particular, a founding team rider and multiple-time Winter X Games champion, is closely tied to the brand's public image.