Salomon is back in (post-?)freeskiing.
That in itself is huge news.
But the ski that launches today has to be easily the most teased, longest-developed that I can remember.
When did this new Salomon project actually get started?
Then we were supposed to start working on this new idea in 2020, but COVID hit.
In 2022 we finally got back to working on the Depart project.
And not just bring back a random ski in Salomons line up.
Sami, how did you get involved in the project and what’s your role at Salomon now?
I was recruited by Nico.
From the 1080 being my first twin-tip ski to skiing for Salomon outerwear for a lot of years.
My role now is wider than what I expected when I got on.
So tell me about Depart, it has its own ‘gram’, is it a new ‘brand’?
Where do you see it going in the coming years?
Nico: Its sort of a brand within the brand.
I must admit, I was dreaming about one day being able to do something like Uninc.
at Burton back in the day.
Salomon freeski now has a much broader audience than in its pure freestyle/freeride days of the past.
Sami: I think what is important to know is that the Depart01 is not a one-off ski.
The project includes a whole line of skis that are all developed to serve different purposes for newschool freeskiing.
Nico skied more before that.
On the final ski, we are also on the third version now.
It was such a special experience to see how committed Salomon has been to making our vision become reality.
Sami, you told me a story about persuading the guys at Salomon HQ to include the pointy tip.
Why did you guys want to include it and what was the issue with it?
The pointy tip just performs really well in fresh and soft snow.
In powder, the tip breaks through the snow surface pretty quickly which gets the skis to float quicker.
Overall the tip gives the ski quite a surfy performance.
Besides the performative advantages, the pointy tip also had conceptual ideas behind it.
A shape that people can identify themselves with.
Sometimes it feels like there are different sports within freeskiing.
It feels like traditional twin-tip shapes relate and identifies more with the athletic and technical side of skiing.
Sami: The team is basically a group of people who represent the kind of skiing I enjoy watching.
So I hope this project can become a platform.
