When freeskiing needed its go-to tool, Armada rose to the challenge. The brainchild of ski photographer Chris O’Connell and skiers Tanner Hall, Julien Regnier, JF Cusson, Boyd Easley, and the late JP Auclair, Armada started pressing skis in 2002 as the first athlete-owned and athlete-driven independent ski companies. Since its inception in the beach city of Costa Mesa, California, Armada has continued to keep its athletes first, working closely with team riders to develop the latest ski technologies and shifting the perception of skiing as an aging sport in the process. The brand upgraded its operation in 2014, when it moved to a state-of-the-art facility in Park City, Utah.