We stopped by Armada’s headquarters in Park City, Utah, to sit down with Andy Hytjan and Logan Imlach to talk about Armada’s past, present, and future; Armada’s stacked team and how they work with Andy and Logan; how Logan landed a design job in the industry; and we discuss a number of specific skis in the Armada line, including the history of the JJ, the evolution of the Edollo, the Invictus 108, and the new ARV 106.
TOPICS & TIMES:
• How Logan broke into the ski industry and the ski design industry (6:50)
• The very tricky business of setting recommended mount points on skis (14:00)
• “Symmetrical” park skis — overrated? (25:30)
• How do you handle the dual responsibilities of designing skis that will be attractive to a broad range of customers, but you also have to answer to Armada athletes? (26:40)
• History of the Armada JJ (29:00)
• Andy Hytjan’s background (33:30)
• The evolution of park skis & Armada’s future in park (~36:00)
• Possible redesign of Henrik Harlaut’s pro model, the Al Dente / Edollo (~39:00)
• The Armada Invictus 108Ti (44:20)
• The Armada “ARV” line & particularly the new ARV 106 (47:38)
• The Armada Invictus 99Ti & B-Dog (53:20)
• Armada’s Touring Skis – Declivity, Kufo, and a peek into what’s next… (54:50)
• Big Indie or Small Major? Armada’s unique position in the industry (1:04:04)
• Manufacturing in the US vs. China vs. Europe (vs. Dubai?) (1:15:00)
• Park & freestyle are such a big part of Armada’s roots, but as the company grows, do you let go of certain segments that used to be important? Or do you fight like hell to maintain those original segments? (1:22:15)
VIDEOS:
Logan Imlach Superunknown – Matt Wild Directors Cut from logan imlach on Vimeo:
Logan Imlach Sunny Jib Segment from Level 1 on Vimeo.
EPISODE SPONSOR: High Brew Coffee
Thanks to High Brew for sponsoring this episode, and for basically serving as a replacement for sleep as we worked to finish the Buyer’s Guide:
