Ride FW20/21 Snowboard Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Snowboards FW20/21

Brand: Ride
Interviewee: Joerg Schramm

Key Product focus: Please pick the three most exciting boards from your new FW2021 line and tell us about them.
Best in the house the Commissioner comes with a Tapered Elliptical Progressive Sidecut which allows for exceptional turn initiation and follow through. A laser cut aluminum/carbon fiber topsheet increases high-speed control. The 100% Paulownia core reduces weight and increases flex properties for snappier turns. The low friction Race Base is made from a carbon-infused sintered base material to ensure a fast ride. The Commissioner is designed for intermediate to high-level riders seeking high-speed all-mountain terrain. He sounds pretty serious but the dude will also destroy a powder line. Wink wink.

Best for everything is our Superpig, Tapered Bi-Radial Sidecut maximizes grip and maintains speed in all conditions. Carbon Infused Glass provides extra pop. Slimewalls® provide a smoother ride and increase durability. Carbon Array 5™ provides extra pop without adding stiffness. The low friction Race Base is made from a carbon infused sintered base material to ensure a fast ride. The Superpig infuses high-end tech into our best-selling Warpig shape for an elite all-mountain deck. If you find yourself facing something big and bad, avoid the three little pigs and take shelter with the Superpig, because this board is built like a brick shithouse.

For all the girls out there our advise is to check out the brandnew Psychocandy. The tapered Bi-Radial Sidecut maximizes grip and allows the Psychocandy to maintain speed in all conditions. Carbon Slimewalls® enhance response and stability. The Psychocandy is a directional all-mountain board designed to ride like a Warpig, which means it’ll be more fun than that parking lot “aspirin” you found outside the EDM show!A Tapered Bi-Radial Sidecut maximizes grip and allows the Psychocandy to maintain speed in all conditions. Carbon Slimewalls® enhance response and stability. The Psychocandy is a directional all-mountain board designed to ride like a WARPIG, which means it’ll be more fun than that parking lot “aspirin” you found outside the EDM show.

Construction. This is the place where you can talk to us about the new ingredients in your boards, and how you are building differently. We’re interested in anything new in inserts / edges / cores / sidewalls / glue / resin/ wood types / base material etc here.
We are using very different sidecuts to give every board in our line a special own life. Sidecuts are so important for the soul of a board and is the main thing to define the riding style of a product. We are developing and working further on our own sidecut stories from a quadratic, biradial, elliptical progressive, linear twin to linear quadratic sidecuts. Beside that we are still working with our carbon arrays to help you to get the power on the edge and a lot of different wood cores (we are only using wood cores) to match the needs of every snowboarder and his own style.

The Superpig

Where are you building, what factory in what country? No wrong answer here. What makes this production facility the best solution?
We own our own factory in China which makes it very easy and efficient to build and try out exactly what we want. This gives us also the independence to change steps in the production really quick to build the best product. Beside that we are taking care of the environment in and around our factory but we think everybody is doing that and should do it. We also make sure that there are good working conditions in our own factory for all employees there. But this only works if you own the place, which we do!

Which price point is seeing the most action at retail? Premium, bottom or in the middle? What do the people want
All price points are important. The bottom is for those who can´t spend that much, middle is for all the good guys out there and premium is for all the guys out there who are breathing snow and would sell their car to have the best equipment! But honestly the middle price points are really important and it’s where you get the best value for money.

Consumers are more open than ever to unusual shapes. Got any mad shapes next year? How long will this shape direction last… is it a good thing for snowboarding?
We have invented some crazy shapes, check out Mtn Pig, Super Pig, War Pig and Twin Pig, the new shapes are set and will never be gone again. The new shapes that our competitors have brought to market has given the whole snowboarding scene a new drive which will open some doors for a whole new snowboarding experience. So I am pretty sure we will see a lot of new shapes from all companies which will bring us more fun and could also make snowboarding even better than it already is!

We’re really interested in graphic themes running through your line. What is your art department feeding you for next year?
In January 2019 RIDE moved our entire design team to live and work at the base of a mountain in Hakuba, Japan. We rented a house, built a studio in the garage, and got to work. Most of the RIDE staff and team rotated through the house at some point in the winter. The entire product line was inspired by this unique place, the unique culture of Japan, and by some of the most amazing snowboarders and people in the world. Never before has a product line been designed in this way. This is different and this is important. This is RIDE.

The Bezerker

What are your top marketing stories for next season? This will help us to put the focus on the right decks.
Berzerker, Jake Blauvelts amazing board, the Burnout our tribute to Dillon Ojo, the Kink made by Jed Anderson and of course the legendary Machete design by Trevor Andrew. And do not forget the entire Pig Family.