Every fall it’s the same cycle. New models of skis and snowboards make their way onto the pages of magazines (well, screens now) promising superlatives like improved edge control and heightened float in waist-deep powder. The changes from previous years’ models are usually minimal. A few millimeters added here, a fresh graphic there, a new base colorway for no reason. By mid-season most all are on the clearance rack. Rinse and repeat.
Simply put, this approach to snow equipment is dumb, wasteful, and dated. And exactly the antithesis of Season Eqpt., an all-new brand launched this week by influential veteran professional snowboarder Austin Smith and multihyphenate skier-designer-artist Eric Pollard boasting a minimalist lineup and a lifetime of machine waxing and tune-ups with partner shop EVO.
To date, a number of ski brand have snowboard lines and even fewer snowboard brands make skis. Season Eqpt. makes both, and it may be the very first time it's felt authentic—and a good brand fit. Even with bigtime ski brands like K2, Salomon, and Rossignol being home to long-held snowboard programs, you’d be hard pressed to find overlap in the creative and marketing departments. It's as if the only thing the two sectors share is a brand name.