Nitro 30 Years Anniversary Book

30 Years – What a Ride!

Time flies – and quite honestly, Sepp Ardelt and I had no idea where Nitro would be 30 years later when we started working on the first product line in 1989 and finally founded the brand in 1990. We were just stoked that snowboarding had already come this far at that point and we’d actually be running our own snowboard company.

Being able to dream up whatever board you wanted and actually seeing it come alive was the biggest thrill – and still is today. It may sound pathetic, but it still gets me stoked to see someone using one of our products and to realize this person has spent his hard-earned money on a piece of equipment we have designed and produced.

We take this responsibility quite seriously and will continue to do what we did with the past 30 product lines: Put our dreams into reality and make sure that our customers feel the same joy and excitement riding as we had designing and testing.

But none of this would have been possible without the family spirit, and I mean this in many ways.

Our riders are more than just riders, employees more than just employees and our business partners more than just business partners. We have all become friends and family over the years, with mutual respect, but also with the occasional friction that is so typical for family life. We have learned - and still are learning - to work through all this, and the outcome is a brand which is more than just a job to us – it’s our lives, our passion, our family.

But of course, only the continuing support of our families at home is allowing us to get out there, ride, test, explore and in a nutshell – live a very privileged life.

The book you hold in your hands is dedicated to everyone who has become a part of this adventure: 30 Years on the Road.

Have a great winter,

TOMMY DELAGO Co-Founder / President

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January 6, 1990, Tommy and Sepp started Nitro Snowboards while having breakfast at Veras Cafe in Seattle.

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Rider: Xaver Hoffmann Picture: Lorenz Holder

Rider: Eero Ettala Picture: Pasi Salminen

Footsteps Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Rider: Knut Eliassen Picture: Lorenz Holder

Rider: Jared Elston Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

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Rider: Jordan Mendenhall Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Rider: Bryan Fox Picture: Bob Plump

Rider: Xaver Hoffmann Picture: Lorenz Holder Rider: Knut Eliassen Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Anton Gunnarsson Picture: Lorenz Holder

Rider: Knut Eliassen Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Rider: Mark Swoboda Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Eero Ettala Picture: Pasi Salminen

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Rider: Torgeir Bergrem Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Eero Ettala Picture: Pasi Salminen

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Rider: Basti Rittig Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Dominik Wagner Picture: Markus Rohrbacher North Korea Scenery Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Eero Ettala Picture: Pasi Salminen

Rider: Basti Rittig Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Rider: Ziga Erlac Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Riders: Jon Kooley, Jordan Mendenhall Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Rider: Benny Urban Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Laurenz Hanschmidt Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Jonte Edvardson Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Cheers!

Picture: Lorenz Holder

Rider: Marco Smolla Picture: Lorenz Holder

Riders: Markus Keller Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Helsinki Lifestyle Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Santa Clarita Fun Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Nitro Team Picture: Lorenz Holder

Rider: Austin Smith Picture: Bob Plumb

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Rider: Eero Ettala, Knut Eliassen Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Rider: Blaze Kotsenburg Picture: Bob Plumb Benny Urban Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Riders: Markus Keller, Knut Eliassen Picture: Lorenz Holder

Easy Riders Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Riders: Mathias Nyberg, Anton Gunnarsson Picture: Lorenz Holder

Freeride Group Picture: Lorenz Holder

Riders: Braaten, Longo, Biltoft Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

Riders: Anton Gunnarsson, Mathias Nyberg Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Riders: Anton Gunnarsson Picture: Lorenz Holder

Riders: Elias Elhardt, Ana Rumiha Picture: Markus Rohrbacher

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Rider: Sam Taxwood Picture: Bob Plumb

Riders: Patrik Huber, Basti Rittig Picture: Lorenz Holder

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Sleeping situation Picture: Lorenz Holder

Riders: Smolla, Eliassen, Strauss Picture: Lorenz Holder

TOMMY DELAGO 30 years with Nitro Snowboards

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T O M M Y DE L A G O I N T E R V I E W

„ A b o v e a l l , i t ’s a s p e c i a l k i n d o f f a m i l y s p i r i t that has fueled Nitro from the very beginning“

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hat was your first exposure to snowboarding and when was this?

hence the name - The Retro. We have stayed true to this and released a new swallowtail board almost every season since the beginning.

The first time I saw photos of snowboarding was in 1978 in Skateboarder Magazine. Being a land-locked teen in the mountains who was skating and who always wanted to surf, I immediately realized that this was going to be my way of surfing.

Do you remember who the first team riders were?

Why and how do you think your passion for snowboarding evolved into starting your brand? Were you really that into snowboarding in the beginning that you knew this is what you wanted to do and contribute to the world?

What was your original role at Nitro snowboards during the first 5 years?

By the end of the ’80s, I was 100% emerged in snowboarding: I was a Sims team rider, ran my snowboard camp and school, and was a contributing writer and tester for the leading German snowboard magazine. Still, there was no grand master plan to start a snowboard brand. Eventually, this just happened through a chance of meeting the right people at the right time.

I know you have told this story before, but how, when, and where was Nitro founded?

The first Nitro line has been developed during the Fall of 1989, but the final decision for the brand name was made at Vera’s Café in Ballard, Seattle, on January 6, 1990.

What was one of your fondest memories from the early days?

Looking back, there are quite many. The first time I ever saw someone ride a Nitro board they bought at retail. It still makes me feel proud and honored to see that happen. But it’s also great to remember how much time we were able to spend on riding and testing. The product line was much smaller, and we were breaking new ground with many of our original shapes. We were trying out dozens of shape versions for a new board.

I remember spending six weeks straight at Mt. Hood during the summer with the entire team.

What was the first Nitro production snowboard?

Well, there was the entire 1990 line of course. But the very first board I ever designed was a swallowtail powder shaped board called the Retro.

Everyone was so into asym raceboards, fast advancements in technology and the first twin shapes. Somehow, I felt a strong urge to design a board that was kind of a throwback toward the surfing origins of snowboarding,

Multiple World Champion Petra Müssig, Amy Howat from Mt. Baker, WA, Jason Brown, Drew Hicken, Keith Kimmel, Dennis Nazari, just to name few.

My main responsibility was on board and binding engineering, and of course marketing, especially in Europe. I was still a more presentable rider, so I also participated in the first videos we did (Go Nitro, Hype).

Who was the original crew?

Aside from my partner Sepp Ardelt and myself, there were graphics designers Bill McGown and Mike Dawson, as well as US Sales Manager Ken Kelly and our distributors in France and Italy, Damien Fenart and Edo Sgarbossa. The family grew quickly, especially with riders and distributors, some of which are still with us today.

What is your role at Nitro snowboards today, 30 years later?

As the line and the company grew, a few things have shifted, but I’m still a product person, with my focus on boards and boots. I try to keep an eye on the overall line, especially hardgoods, while at the same time allowing some of the younger colleagues to take over responsibility for certain categories. Nitro is one of very few remaining larger brands that are rider/owner-operated, so I also spend a good amount of time on the snow and in stores, listening and spreading our vibe. I see myself also as being responsible for keeping the brand identity true to its origins and supporting snowboarding wherever possible.

During the starting stages of building snowboarding products, what were a few of the hurdles that you did not realize would be a hurdle when you started the company?

One of the biggest challenges I was not aware of in the beginning was – and still is – to build a product line that works for all the different markets out there. Riding styles, graphic tastes and budgets are different between countries and we try to listen to our markets and take them seriously, even if they are small.

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„ A s t h e l i n e a n d t h e c o m p a n y g r e w, a f e w t h i n g s have shifted, but I’m still a product person.“

Changes in suppliers or distributions often happen unplanned for and can throw a pretty unexpected wrench in your system as well. We pride ourselves in good quality, both in products and service, and the above changes have presented challenges we did not expect initially.

Were there any key moments or values that you believe kept Nitro moving forward through the first 20 years?

Above all, it’s a special kind of family spirit that has fueled Nitro from the very beginning. There are very few business-like structures and many shared jobs and responsibilities. We try to keep everyone involved so they feel part of the same team, whether it’s R&D, design, sales or marketing, all the way to the Am and Pro riders.

You have seen trends come and go and return in product design and fashion… what were some of your favorite snowboard trends over the past 30 years?

I enjoyed the atmosphere of departure in the early ’90s. Everything was possible, advancements in tech were happening all over the place and everyone was curious to try out new stuff.

On the flip side, I had my worst day of snowboarding on a 151 twin with baseless bindings mounted dead center in three feet of untracked pow, so that was a personal “downer” in trends I guess.

The re-introduction of splitboarding 10 years after we first started selling this kind of board was – and still is – a great movement.

Finally, I am super excited about the new open-mindedness towards new board shapes, ideas, and styles that we are experiencing in the community right now.

What snowboard technologies are you most proud of introducing into the snowboard world?

I think it’s safe to say there are many, but here are my top picks, especially since they are still used in our line or even by others in the industry.

3-Piece Binding: Being able to center your boot on the board by properly adjusting the binding size is a key achievement we brought to snowboarding and chose not to patent.

TLS Quick and highly effective, the TLS lacing system is our #1 contribution to

better fitting and more comfortable snowboard boots.

Re-Lace System Finally overcoming the cumbersome lace-lockers was overdue and onthe-fly re-tightening your liner is a feature you need every day.

Railkiller Edge 200% the strength of a regular (ski design) steel edge, the Railkiller Edge is a must-have for any street/park board.

Koroyd® Core Even if the original technology is not our invention, we are responsible for developing ways to integrate this lightweight yet highly dampening material in our cores so that other snowboard and ski brands are now following.

Mini Disk Minimized impact of the binding base on the board flex, combined with click-fit angle adjustment. Improving board feel and mounting convenience.

You stated in Nitro´s “28 Winters” movie that; “there was a time that it was not possible to be cool or uncool in snowboarding”, how have you seen the evolution of snowboarding over the years?

Snowboarding went through several stages of evolution in the past decades. After the early days back in the ’70s, we saw a decade of industrialization, where we adapted ski construction technology and materials. We also experienced the development of competition and professional snowboarding. During this time, style was less of an issue, it was secondary which board brand you rode and which type of clothing you wore, everything was fine as long as you spent time riding with others.

This changed during the ’90s when snowboarding ‘came of age’.

Professional snowboarding became much more serious and brands were starting to spend massive amounts of money to build their image.

The entire sport became much more image-driven and suddenly, riding or wearing the wrong brand meant you’re ‘in’ or ‘out’. Snowboarding was more of a hype and fashion to many people, it overheated and we finally saw the market drop around and just after 2010.

Then how have you seen the Nitro brand evolve - what values have been important to you to promote?

With Nitro, we have been part of these developments since 1990, with the one exception that as a private company, we never had the exorbitant

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funds of others to get too involved in the hype of the late ’90s and early 2000s. We continued to focus on our family-style way of operating and only invested the money we actually made the year before. Therefore, the ups and downs of the market have touched us less than others. But after 2012, we realized that we needed to do our share to get snowboarding back on track. We realized that we need to take a humbler approach, refocused on the joy of riding with your friends and the open-mindedness of the earlier days. We did this through our videos, team, general marketing and of course through our product line. Board lines like the Quiver Series or riders like Yung Doli would have not had much resonance 10-15 years ago, but are now a well-accepted part of many facets of snowboarding.

Running a business for over 30 years is a great accomplishment no matter what industry you are in, but even more so in such a unique and niche market like snowboarding - what would you credit for the success of Nitro making it this far?

I think it’s a mix of solid products, no-bullshit marketing and a lot of common-sense business style. We love what we do and avoid making products we would not buy or ride.

If you could go back and change one thing that Nitro has done over the last 30 years what would it be?

Tough – most of the products we created did look like a good idea at the time, even if they flopped, so no regrets. Maybe we should not have discontinued splitboards around 2000, just to bring them back 10 years later.

Global warming and a focus on sustainability is a key factor for all winter sports - how would you like to see the snowboard industry address this moving forward?

First off, let’s all try to avoid green-washing. I’m seeing too many attempts of brands grabbing an eco-friendly feature or two, just for marketing reasons. Global warming is an issue and it concerns us very specifically.

I believe looking at the bigger picture is important here, even if it is less marketable. For example, certain inks and glues appear very eco-friendly at first glance and are therefore easy to market. Looking at the bigger picture, many of these inks and glues require extremely high amounts of energy for curing and drying, making their ecological footprint bigger than some more traditional methods. It is important to further develop these technologies until the entire process is more eco-friendly than before.

What we need is a more educated view of our entire way of doing business, real development, and less marketing-driven buzzwords.

How is your motivation and outlook for the next 30 years of snowboarding and Nitro? Where, What and How will people be ripping in 2050?

Of course, the environmental changes are the biggest concern and will have a major influence on the future of any wintersport. I believe that snowboarding is well prepared and will be okay if the industry continues to try to be less ‘grand’ and more grass-roots than in the past. We don’t need huge gondolas, massive resorts and après bars. A fun, local resort and a bunch of friends is just fine. The cost of tickets, accommodation, travel, and equipment will continue to rise, so (season) rental will become more important, especially for kids. Splitboarding will probably not explode but continue to grow. If we keep the current open-minded, fun-driven spirit, boards will continue to be diverse, giving everyone the possibility to find their favorite stick, whatever style of riding they may be into.

How can the average person support the future of the snowboard community moving forward? What would you tell them to do?

Support smaller local resorts and dealers even if they may not have the full offering of their larger counterparts. Try to make sure (your) kids have a chance to get out there and shred, but above all: get out there and ride as much as you can, share the joy with your friends and greet fellow snowboarders with a smile!

Questions: Knut Eliassen Answers: Tommy Delago Pictures: Lorenz Holder, Markus Rohrbacher and others

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Camera Check Picture: Markus Rohrbacher Rider: Sam Taxwood Picture: Bob Plumb Rider: Jon Kooley Picture: Bob Plumb

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Bike Ride Picture: Mark Welsh

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FIRST SNOWBOARD SHOWING AT ISPO, MUNICH AND SIA, LAS VEGAS FIRST ASYMMETRICAL TWIN-TIP BOARD: THE PYRO OUR FIRST SWALLOWTAIL BOARD, THE RETRO, STARTED THE POWDER BOARD REVIVAL

FIRST WOMAN’S PRO MODEL: PETRA MÜSSIG’S EPIC LE FIRST SHOWING OF PROGRESSIVE SIDECUTS TO THE INDUSTRY (EPIC) THE NEW DIABLO 186 PUSHES THE LIMITS OF LONG BOARDS AND WIDE STANCES

FIRST FULLY CAPPED SNOWBOARD: JEFF DAVIS’ CERRO FIRST FULLY SIZE-ADJUSTABLE THREE-PIECE FREESTYLE BINDING, NOW AN INDUSTRY STANDARD

PETRA MÜSSIG WINS THE ISF OVERALL WORLD CUP INTRODUCTION OF THE SCORPION, THE BOARD THAT SET THE NEW TREND BACK TO SYMMETRIC RACE BOARDS THE NITRO TOUR BOARD TURNS HEADS WITH IT’S UNIQUE HIKING/RIDING BINDING SYSTEM

SETH & SETH PRO MODEL: THE FIRST FREESTYLE BOARD WITH PROGRESSIVE RADIUS SIDECUTS

INTRODUCTION OF OUR NITRO QUICKSTEP BINDING. ANOTHER INDUSTRY FIRST

ISABELLE BLANC WINS THE ISF SLALOM WORLD CUP FABIEN ROHRER WINS THE AIR & STYLE CONTEST IN INNSBRUCK (AUT) X-RAY BINDING: FIRST ENTIRELY ANATOMICAL SOFT BINDING SYSTEM THE R-DISC: A SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE NEW BINDING DISC TO ALLOW QUICK AND TOOL-FREE ANGLE ADJUSTMENTS

FABIEN ROHRER WINS THE ISF HALFPIPE WORLD CUP V-LIGHT CONSTRUCTION INTRODUCED, A REVOLUTION IN LIGHT WEIGHT BOARD CONSTRUCTION V54 & V64 PRO DESIGNED BOARDS: FIRST SNOWBOARDS WITH CARBON FIBER FIRST USE OF FINITE ELEMENTS CALCULATION FOR A SNOWBOARD (CAM) NEW BOOT LINER OFFERING HAND LASTED LINERS AND THE FIRST CUSTOM FOAM-FIT SYSTEM FOR SNOWBOARD SOFTBOOTS FIRST OFFERING OF NITRO CLICKER® - COMPATIBLE BOOTS

NICOLA THOST WINS OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL AND U.S. OPEN FABIEN ROHRER WINS THE ISF HALFPIPE WORLD CUP AGAIN I-BEAM CONSTRUCTION INTRODUCED (NATURALS): LEADING THE TREND IN ALL-TERRAIN FREESTYLE NEW XT BINDING WITH FULLY HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE HIGHBACK THE NEW STRATUS STEP-IN BOOT, MOST ADJUSTABLE FIT OPTIONS IN A STEP-IN ON THE MARKET FIRST CLICKER HB COMPATIBLE BOOT: THE HORIZON

INTRODUCTION OF OUR UNIQUE TRI-PROGRESSIVE SIDECUT: SHADOW MINI PRO BOARDS FOR SMALL SHREDDERS: A CONCEPT COPIED BY OTHER COMPANIES MIRAGE AND AURA CLICKER® BOOTS: FIRST BOOTS WITH ESP: EXTERNAL SKELETON PROFILE CONSTRUCTION NEW RADIAL LOCK SYSTEM AND FLEX TOES ON INNER BOOTS, NEW LEVEL OF FIT AND COMFORT IN BOOTS NICOLA THOST WINS ISF HALFPIPE WORLD PRO TOUR GUILLAUME CHASTAGNOL WINS 2ND PLACE AT X-GAMES, FEATURED PART IN TB-7 INTRODUCTION OF FLEX TOE CONSTRUCTION IN BOOT LINERS

NEW CORE: THE SUPRACORE COMBINES LIGHT WEIGHT AND EXCELLENT DAMPENING CHARACTERISTICS TEAM SERIES BOARD: INTRODUCTION OF A CLASSIC THAT WOULD WIN WORLDS BIGGEST CONTESTS NEW POWERCURVE GRAPHIC SIDEWALLS NEW SPEEDMETAL BASES INTRODUCTION OF FLEX RATING SYSTEM FOR BOOTS FIRST HYPRACORE: WOOD AND COMPOSITE LAMINATED CORE A NEW STANDARD IN LIGHTWEIGHT PERFORMANCE CORES FIRST VENOM TWO PIECE BINDING: WITH INTEGRATED HEELCUP AND BASEPLATE, PATENTED HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE TOERAMP INTRODUCTION OF CABLE STRAPS ON SNOWBOARD BINDINGS NITRO TECHNICAL APPAREL LINE DEBUTS

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FLEX RESPONSE SYSTEM INTRODUCED FOR BINDINGS STEP UP IN BOOT FITS WITH ALL NEW HAND LASTED SHELL CONSTRUCTIONS AND NEW LASTS NEW TECHNICAL SOLE DESIGNS NEW LINER LACING SYSTEM: DLS AND ILS (LOCKDOWN ANKLE HARNESS INTERFACE) GIACOMO KRATTER PLACED 4TH AT OLYMPICS

FIRST LIMITED RUN, NUMBERED BOARD: THE DARKHORSE. MOST TECHNICALLY ADVANCED BOARD ON THE MARKET MORE HYPRACORE INNOVATIONS: 4 HYPRACORES OFFERED FOR SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE NICHES TWIN & WIDE BOARD CATEGORIES INTRODUCED, FEATURING T1 & T2 TWINS: FOR A NEW GENERATION OF PIPE AND PARK RIDERS SABER P.O.W.: NEXT GENERATION POWDER BOARD WITH ULTRA HIGH END CONSTRUCTION ALL NEW LINERS, WITH BOTH MOLDED AND LASTED CONSTRUCTIONS. ANOTHER STEP FORWARD FOR THE BOOT PROGRAM. DOUBLE LASTED CONSTRUCTION INTRODUCED ON TEAM AND DEFIANT MODELS INTRODUCTION OF THE RAPIDFIRE STEP-IN SYSTEM IN AN EXCLUSIVE COOPERATION WITH SHIMANO LEG1ON TECHNICAL OUTERWEAR INTRODUCED. WOMEN’S TECHNICAL OUTERWEAR LINE INTRODUCED

FIRST FAST LACING SYSTEM IN SNOWBOARDING: THE POWERCORD FIRST GENERATION OF TLS LACING FIRST FLEX ADJUSTABLE BOOT: THE DARKSEID X

NEW TLS+ INTRODUCES ZONAL LACING

FH DRIFTER BASE WITH 3D SHAPE INTRODUCED

FIRST AIR DAMPENING IN SNOWBOARD BINDINGS

INTRODUCTION OF S-CURVED RATCHETS INTRODUCTION OF RAILKILLER EDGE INTRODUCTION OF QLS LACING SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION OF GULLWING CAMBER INTRODUCTION OF SCRATCH&RIP BASE INTRODUCTION OF MINIDISC

INTRODUCTION OF SNOWBOARD SPECIFIC RENTAL PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION OF PROGRESSIVE WIDTH BOARDS

FIRST TO USE KOROYD® MATERIALS IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY WITH OUR EXCLUVE CORE CONSTRUCTION

INTRODUCTION OF POWER PODS FIRST SEASON OF THE QUIVER SERIES INTRODUCTION OF SNAP-FIT FEATURE ON MINIDISC INTRODUCTION OF BAIL-OUT SYSTEM ON BOOTS

RE-INTRODUCTION OF SPLITBOARDS, INCLUDING THE PRICE-SENSITIVE NOMAD AND VOLTA

INTRODUCTION OF CAM-OUT CAMBER

INTRODUCTION OF RE/LACE SYSTEM ON BOOTS

INTRODUCTION OF ÜBERGRIP TOESTRAP WITH VIBRAM® COMPOUND

FIRST TO USE VIBRAM® ARCTIC GRIP COMPOUND ON SNOWBOARD BOOTS

INTRODUCTION OF HIKE’N’RIDE BOOT CONSTRUCTION, ADJUSTABLE FORWARD LEAN AND THE AUTO-POWER STRAP

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Jessica Dalpiaz Ludwig Biltoft Max Plötzeneder Erik Christiansen Dominik Wagner Gogo Gossner Guillaume Chastagol Griffin Siebert Austin Granger Andreas Wiig Clay Pitcher Isabelle Blanc Rube Goldberg Patrick Huber Petra Müssig Fabian Rohrer Filippo Kratter Giacomo Kratter Gjermund Braaten Dennis Bonus Victor de le Rue Nicola Thost Nando Plöteneder Nicola Thost Honza Basti Rittig Brandon Hobush Bode Merrill Benny Urban Bryan Fox Ben Bilocq Justin Benee Jeremy Jones Jamie Nicholls Johnny Brady Josh Mills Jon Odden Jeff Davis Simon Ax Wang Lei Matty Ryan Laurie Blouin Lane Knack Lane Knack Lukas Goller Etienne Gilbert Elias Elhardt Etienne Gilbert Zoi Synnot Ziga Rakovec Ziga Erlac Seth Miller Seth Neary Shin Campos Thomas Eberharter Jesse Huffman Jonte Edvardsoon Jonas Hagström Simon Gschaider Marc Swoboda Matias Nyberg Anton Gunnarsson Austin Smith

Jonas Hagström Tobias Karlsson Anton Bilare Knut Eliassen Tonino Copene Jordan Mendenhall Nima Jalali Jon Kooley Jan Scherer Markus Keller Chris Patsch Michi Zirngibl Tobi Strauss Marco Smolla Arthur Longo Craig Gouweloos Tyson Carmody Sebastian Toutant Aymeric Tonin Xaver Hoffmann Lukas Huffman Andy Crawford Mark Frank Montoya Sam Taxwood Ana Rumiha Anna Gasser Janna Meyen Cheryl Maas Silje Norendal Sven Thorgren Torgeir Bergrem Marcus Kleveland Eero Ettala Dave Alden Drew Hicken Keith Kimmel Dennis Nazari Amy Howat Jason Brown Dave Lemieux Randy Kelliher Marco Hendrickson Perry Coleman Todd Messic Quinn Sandvold Andy Wolf Chicco Chaponi Gaia Dabbeni Dan Hunt Manuel Kogler Becci Malthouse Neil McNab Andy Wright Fred Moras Karl Johann Panes Jonas Roeser Joelle Rohrer Llyod Rogers Gerry Ring Jonathan Smallwood Spencer Tamblyn Kentaro Terada Elliot Olson

Nici Pederzolli Taro Tamai Charlotte Bernard Dani Costandache Kumiko Hamaguchi Stein Rokko Rokkones Mark Reilly Kalei Pitcher Samy Hyry Juha Guttorm Alexis Coudourier Chris Ankeny Rene van Steenbeek Rocket Reeves Thedo Remmelink Tanja Fischer Casey Savage Taizo Fukoshima Marco Schwab Xavier De Le Rue Andy Lehmann Lisa Wiig

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I’m the guy who only came in at half time – Tommy and Sepp brought me on board 15 years ago, and it’s been a blast!

Snowboarding has as always been my passion, but I never thought I’d be working in this industry one day.

After graduating from college, I was somewhat blinded by the traditional mindset of a successful career. I was under the impression that you had to work yourself up the corporate ladder and I visualized a life of grinding to become the next project leader with a slightly higher salary year after year. In my mind, to be successful didn’t correlate with having fun. Joining Nitro showed me there’s another way. I never imagined working in an environment where playfulness and productivity could co-exist, and Nitro feels much more like a family than a corporation to me.

As the Marketing Director, I have focused on sharing a little bit of Nitro’s amazing family feel. I wanted to show how we thrive as an organically grown private company with flat structures and a common spirit that drives us all: the love for snowboarding. I feel as a brand, we have an obligation to give back to the community. Not just in money and promotion, but also in helping to guide snowboarding in the direction we think it needs to go: a fun, inclusive and passion-driven sport and lifestyle. Our colleges and team riders are playing a huge part in this message, as we are not purely focused on performance, but also on the family spirit within the company and the team.

This book was conceived to show some snapshots of who we are as a brand and family and how we came here.

I hope you enjoyed the ride.

ANDI AURHAMMER Marketing Director