THE OFFICIAL A.R.C. NEWS October 2015
AMPLID/NEWS/OCTOBER 2015
AMPLID RETAIL NEWSLETTER October 2015
Welcome to Amplid’s first issue of ARC Retailer News for winter 15/16. With summer’s weather and temperatures behind us and an autumn chill in the air, we’re getting excited for the winter ahead. Josef Haslinger, a 71 year old “weather prophet” from the Bavarian Alps, has forecasted, using the blooming times of various Alpine flowers, that the 15/16 winter will be very snowy in the Northern Alps. Well that’s a relief and I’m sure we’ll all sleep much better knowing that! At Amplid HQ we’ve been busy through the summer and this newsletter reflects that. We start-off with a large bounty of great product reviews. The Milligram, Amplid’s ultralight, carbon fibre splitboard has put many journalists under its spell and we’re very pleased to be able to share such positive reviews with you. Amplid’s team manager, Rich, is always on the look-out for fresh talent to represent Amplid and this month we welcome Swedish freeride snowboarder, Christoffer Granbom, to
Amplid’s Cartel team. Christoffer has joined Amplid to arm himself with the best boards possible for his first season competing on the Freeride World Tour. Skiers Noah Albaladejo and Julien Lange spent last winter filming with top production outfits, Level 1 and Gpsy Feelin, and we’re proud to share the trailers of their movies with you. Motivation is at an all-time high at Pally’Hi the Premium Merino Outfitter. Amplid’s sibling brand welcomes Johannes Ritter, a well-known face in merino industry, as its Global Brand and Sales Manager. And in Nuernberg, the home of Amplid’s rebel Franconian division, we have a new office… in a garage. Lastly, Amplid’s Peter Bauer has been sporting some very suspicious facial hair for the past few weeks. Thankfully it’s all in the name of charity. Amplid has joined forces with men’s health charity Movember to release some limited edition skis and boards and Peter will be acting as an ambassador for the charity.
WORD ON THE STREET We’ve gathered together, from the far corners of the internet and our favourite magazines, a handful of reviews that show how amazingly awesome Amplid’s skis and snowboards are, and why you should immediately call Gregor and double your order.
UNW8 BlisterGearReview.com is a mecca for gear geeks. Supported by a large network of testers, the website is home to the most complete and technical outdoor gear reviews on the internet. Tester Justin Bobb spent the 14/15 winter season riding the UNW8 almost exclusively and has a world of nice things to say about it. ! http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/snowboard-reviews/2015-2016-amplid-unw8
MILLIGRAM Amplid’s weightless wonder-split, the Milligram, has been astounding everybody who rides it. So it’s no surprise to us that it has received awards from all of the major splitboard magazines this winter. Click the links below and read for yourself about how good this board really is. ! http://www.splitboardmag.com/article/splitboard-test-2016-2/ ! http://www.splitboarding.eu/en/splitboard/splitboards/amplid-miligram-15-16 ! http://backcountrymagazine.com/gear/2016-editors-choice-awards-splitboards/
SYNTAX 2015 was the second year that the Syntax has made an appearance at Skieur Magazine’s annual gear test and we’re very happy that for the second year running it has scooped an Editor’s Choice award. Hopefully we’ll make it a hat-trick in 2016. ! http://www.amplid.com/blog/detail/sCategory/116/blogArticle/7004
ROCKWELL French publication the LeBonTest.fr conducts very professional reviews with skiers that are more than qualified to offer an opinion (just watch the video reviews). This year the team awarded the Rockwell with an S.U.V. Award, complimenting it as a “True 4x4, 100% Newschool ski that’s fun for everywhere and that you’ll never get tired of”. ! http://www.amplid.com/blog/detail/sCategory/116/blogArticle/6991
PILLOW TALK The Angry Snowboarder, a Colorado based snowboard blogger, is infamous for his scathing, sometimes savage reviews of product. Shipping product to Angry, also known as Avran to his mother, is often accompanied by plenty of anticipation. We were relieved when his review of Amplid’s revolutionary powder twin, the Pillow Talk, was posted and was glowingly positive! ! http://www.angrysnowboarder.com/2016-amplid-pillow-talk-snowboard-review/
AMPLID/NEWS/OCTOBER 2015
THE AMPLID DEMO TOUR From day one it has been Amplid’s belief that riders able to ride its hardgoods will fall in love with the brand. With that in mind, we have increased our commitment to getting skis and boards under the feet of the general public. Last weekend Amplid was at the Pitztal Gletscherfest with the demo tent. Fresh snow meant a good turn-out and testers were buzzing about the new gear. Next weekend Amplid’s man in France, Florent Lemaire, will be attending the “Enjoy the Glacier” event, at Les Deux Alpes, with a full demo tent and in November and December Amplid will be joining the Rock on Snowboard Tour as it snakes its way between France’s top resorts. Additionally Amplid will be running a series of freeride and touring camps with partner organisations throughout the season. To find-out more information about these events or to secure the use of Amplid’s demo equipment for your own ‘retailer events’ please contact Gregor Common.
TEAM NEWS CHRISTOFFER GRANBOM This summer Amplid signed big-mountain snowboarder Christoffer Granbom to the Cartel Team. After many seasons of riding qualifier events the Swede, who spends his winters in the Swiss resort of Verbier, has qualified for the Freeride World Tour. Christoffer will be riding the Creamer and UNW8 at tour events and will be spending his downtime travelling further into Valais’ backcountry, discovering new lines and escaping the hordes of holiday makers, on a Creamer Split.
NOAH ALABALADEJO After years of impressing from the side-lines, Cartel rider Noah Alabaladejo starts this winter as the skier on the tip of everybody’s tongues as the next big thing in freeskiing. Noah kicked off this winter by featuring in Level 1’s new movie, “Small World”. Don’t let the name deceive you, this is a BIG movie and Noah kills it. ! https://youtu.be/IKXtRb0Q-FQ
JONNIE MERRILL We’re always happy to bring new, unknown entities onto the Ambush Team: Jonnie Merrill, a Salt Lake City local, mixes big-mountain confidence with park-refined style. Keep an eye open for Jonnie’s season edit, which we are confident will put him on people’s radars.
JUKKA TYNI Finland as a country produces more world class freestyle snowboarders per square kilometre than any other country. Actually we made that up, but it’s probably true. Jukka Tyni is one of the new wave of Finnish park riders picking up the mantle from retiring legends like Eero and Heiki. His smooth, confident style in the park and an ability to adjust to any feature in the streets means he’s a joy to watch. ! http://www.amplid.com/blog/video/jukka-tyni-s-season-edit
JULIEN LANGE This year Julien Lange took home the ender part in Gpsy Feelin’s latest flick, Cruise Control. Julien is a force to be reckoned with in the backcountry and puts down an explosive video part with footage from bottomless days in Japan, big-mountain lines in the Italian Alps and incredible freestyle prowess in his backyard, Tignes. Hopefully Julien’s full part will be released to the public later in the year, for now you’ll have to console yourself with the trailer or buy the movie. ! https://vimeo.com/138133527
AMPLID/NEWS/OCTOBER 2015
STRICTLY BUSINESS PALLY‘HI Amplid’s premium merino wool apparel brand Pally’Hi welcomes Johannes Ritter as Global Brand and Sales Manager. Johannes, who has previously held positions at GSHOCK and one of Pally’Hi’s competitors, brings a complete set of skills to this new role. Pally’Hi is looking for influential stores to stock its premium merino clothing. Interested dealers should contact Johannes.ritter@pallyhi.com.
AMPLID EMBASSY Amplid’s Head of Sales, Gregor Common, and Team/Marketing Manager, Rich Ewbank, have opened a new office in Nuernberg’s Ofenwerk, an ex-ceramics factory which now acts as a regional centre for the classic car scene. During the week the space will operate as an office for Gregor and Rich, but the team also plans to use the space for small events and workshops. At the moment it’s a work in progress, but if you’re in the area, come by for a coffee and a lung full of exhaust fumes.
MOVEMBER This November Amplid has teamed-up with Movember, the charity raising awareness of men’s health problems, to release a very limited quantity of Creamer snowboards and Multiplayer skis with a special Movember graphic. The boards will be available exclusively at Amplid.com and all of the proceeds will be donated to the charity. Pressure is mounting on Peter from the team at HQ to keep his new moustache throughout Movember… he is not receiving a similar level of encouragement closer to home.