We know what you’re thinking… “Armada Snowboards?? What the fuck?”
Yeah, you heard that right. Another ski brand stepping into snowboarding, and that alone probably stirs up some feelings. Hyped because more money’s finally trickling into our insular little world? Irritated that the same industry that’s historically side-eyed snowboarding now wants a piece of the culture? Or maybe just skeptical that it’ll be another copy-and-paste board line cooked up by people who don’t actually ride.
Fair. But what we do know is that Armada’s got a long legacy of backing independent skiing and some of the most influential riders to ever do it. Think Tanner Hall, Phil Casabon, and Henrik Harlaut before afterbang had a name. Now, Armada’s decided to carry that same support into snowboarding. So before you jump the gun, take a look at their first video.
The clips feature a stacked lineup of familiar faces: Dan “Danimals” Liedahl, Mike Liddle, Ivika Juergenson, Justin Phipps, and Stefi Luxton forming Armada’s new snowboard team. They’ve arrived on the scene with intention to build snowboarding up, and with that, the snowboarders themselves. Pair that with Tanner McCarty, Josh Manoles, T-Bird, and Jake Durham steering the creative direction and ops, and you already know the product and videos are going to hit.
With a lineup like that, it’s fair to wonder how this all came together. We were too, so we caught up with Armada’s Brand Director, Tanner McCarty, to talk about how a ski brand decided to do snowboarding — and make it make sense.
Filmed by: Mia Lambson, Justin Meyer, Jake Durham, Henry DeArruda Weaver, Tim Schiphorst, Josh Manoles
Edited by: Jake Durham
Graphics by: Josh Manoles
Photos by: Jake Durham
What would you have thought about Armada Snowboards if you were on the outside looking in?
Ha. I know I’d be incredibly skeptical. Why does a ski brand need to start making snowboards? There are already really dope brands making good boards, so I’d probably want to know what they are going to do for snowboarding and the people in it.
So what changed your mind?
I got offered a job… I was cold called around Christmas 2023 by the General Manager of Armada, Hans Smith, who co-founded the company nearly 20 years ago. Now he’s my boss, and I can safely put him in the very top tier of bosses I’ve ever had. Like Preston Strout from High Cascade or Jim Linnberg from RIDE. Basically we discussed his vision of adding a snowboard category to the existing Armada brand… completely managed by snowboarders. He had always admired snowboarding’s culture and knew if he ever wanted to make boards that actual snowboarders were going to be the ones with the keys.
You’ve said it’s not that snowboarding needs another snowboard brand, but maybe another good one. What makes a good one in your opinion?
It’s a combination of things. Product is a big one. Boards have come a long way, and in some ways a few steps back, so product coming from a “good brand” needs to be bang-on. Right now I think riding the whole mountain, but treating the slopes like a day at the skatepark, is pretty much the best and definitely what I want to watch to get fired up. So a brand that makes boards that are really fun in a combination of transitions but can last a long time while flexing and taking impact should be a focus for the sport, or art, or whatever you want to call it.
How do you accomplish that?
The most important part of a ‘Good Brand’. The People. Hire a really good board designer who knows how to make the best boards. Paul Maravetz designed the Burton Custom before he started Rome Snowboards. You could say he designed a couple good boards over that 20-year run, sold the company, and hid out in the woods split boarding every day. Well, now he’s back and running things as VP of Product for Armada Snowboards. He’s developing a line of boards, bindings, and we’re starting up the boot program right now. He’s got a three-person crew he’s guiding for the hardgoods categories, made up of classically trained engineers and they’re making product at a standard that only the top brands can touch. Plus my most talented friend, Josh Manoles is designing all the graphics and visual identity of the brand. The boards are pressed at a state of the art snowboard factory with proprietary tech and shapes that were tested by the pros.
Where does the team come into play? Was it up to you to decide who was on and who wasn’t?
I think the team is the glue. A brand is only as good as the people that work for it. And yes, I think being a team rider means you work for the brand. So who they put on means everything. It’s a wild world out there in professional snowboarding and brands get to choose what’s important to them in a team rider. For us that list is super fricken long but included how willing everyone was to interact really closely with product development and the rest of the brand. Like, annoying amounts of Teams calls, testing days and graphic reviews.
I was blessed and stressed to oversee putting the Armada Snowboard team together alongside one of my best friends, T-Bird [Tom Monterosso.] We have different backgrounds in the industry but share so many values. I’ll hold onto names because the brand is going to do a fun rollout for each person, but these humans are all talented, hardworking, respected, incredibly stylish, and most importantly, good people that are proud to rep the brand.
I’m also really hyped to see where women’s riding is at. There’s a sweet spot for progression where spots and tricks work together and don’t combat one another. There are some women who are absolutely perfecting that delicate dance and the industry needs to take note. So having equal representation on the team was a must.
You’ve mentioned shops too. Why are they so important to you?
I grew up working at Eastern Boarder. Picture 14-year-old me, selling you a $480 Forum Destroyer so you could go rip Loon a new one next weekend. I loved that job and I love that shop. I’ve gotten to work with probably a hundred more shops throughout my career, and what a brick-and-mortar store does for snowboarding is not praised nearly enough. Movie premieres, local events, mounting your bindings. It’s a grind to run a shop and they are up against the internet every damn day. Supporting core retail shops is very important to me and everyone at this brand.
Trevor Brady is a guy that shares this vision, has the same upbringing, and is entirely respected by the snowboard world as one of the real ones. He’s now the Global Sales Manager of Armada Snowboards. The shared values in our people over here is insane.
And no, it’s not “So, no sales on your website?” There’s room for both. Maintain price, don’t undercut your retailers, and you can help service some customers who don’t have access to a snowboard shop near them via a website.
Seems like a good start. How are you feeling about the rollout and progress you all have made so far?
It’s a good start! We have insanely dope people. The boards have a year’s worth of testing under their belt and ride exactly how the inhouse and pro team wanted. We filmed that entire process, so keep an eye out for a look behind the curtain on board design.
There’s a healthy start all thanks to a 20-year-old ski brand that was inspired by snowboarding and though they always wanted to make boards, they refused to do it until it could be done right. The decision was made, the resources were allocated, and the skiers hired a bunch of snowboarders to build it. So that’s where we are at. Snowboarders trying to make a good brand, with good product, sold through good shops.
