Armada goes 100% snowboarding; discontinues ski line

In an odd twist of fate, the ski company founded in 2002 to embody “what skiing will become” has now, in fact, become a snowboard brand.

The shocking decision by Armada’s parent company, Amer Sports, follows what sources describe as a “strategic realignment” within the family of brands, with increasing focus on growth opportunities in snowboarding and changing market dynamics across the winter sports industry.

“With other brands under the Amer umbrella like Atomic and Salomon already flagships in the freeski space, we felt it was best to set Armada on a new path,” a representative told Downdays. “Armada has already proven its legitimacy in snowboarding. So it’s time to take the next logical step.”

“We have led skiing into the future, and now is the time for change,” an Armada representative told Downdays. “As the freeskiing community ages, more riders are turning to the simpler pleasures of snowboarding. Board sports are growing faster than ever, and this is our chance to seize that opportunity.”

From two planks to one

After years of secretive development, the news about Armada Snowboards first broke last fall. Already more closely connected to the snowboard industry than other ski companies, Armada quietly recruited a who’s who list of influential riders, boardmakers and managers to shape their move into the sport.

Armada Snowboards will release a nine-board collection in fall 2026, with boots and bindings reportedly to follow. That rollout will now accelerate as the company’s full attention turns to snowboarding, and the skiing side of the brand is powered down.

Longtime members of the Armada ski team like Henrik Harlaut, Sammy Carlson and Quinn Wolferman have reportedly been delivered an ultimatum: Either start snowboarding, or find a new sponsor.

Some have jumped at the unexpected opportunity. “Hey, Sean Pettit already did it years ago,” Carlson told Downdays. “And seriously, let’s face it. Snowboarding has always been cooler.”

“A pow turn on a snowboard will always be better than a pow turn on skis,” Carlson continued. “Who were we kidding? Any skier with half a brain will recognize the truth, and follow us over to where the grass is greener.”

Tanner Hall is reportedly the sole skier who will remain on the Armada team, with a limited run of skis to be produced for his exclusive use. “Tanner is already more of a snowboarder than most snowboarders,” a company insider explained. “He’s so much a snowboarder that he rides two of them at once—one one each foot. And just calls them skis.”

The AR2-1

With thousands of skis still on their balance sheet, Armada has devised a revolutionary method of repurposing them. The AR2-1 is a negative-space insert that fits seamlessly into the space between a pair of skis, allowing them—with minor adjustments—to be re-pressed as snowboards. It’s a novel approach that allows the brand to transform its existing stock for a different market.

“Do you recall the timeless 1996 Spice Girls ballad 2 Become 1?” asked a company spokesperson. “That’s the energy that we’re channeling.”

“The pioneers of splitboarding sawed their boards into two,” he continued. “We’re doing the same thing, but in reverse.”

In addition to refurbishing the entire existing stock of Armada skis, the AR2-1 will be marketed directly as an aftermarket modification, allowing skiers to turn the skis that they already own, from any brand, into snowboards.

“We are what skiing will become,” the company spokesperson concluded. “Snowboarding.”