It is nice to be able to purchase a product for not only its functionality but also its aesthetic. This year’s Armada JJ powder ski definitely falls into that mold.
A little bit about the functionality of the JJ:
With the reintroduction of pro riders JP Auclair’s and Julien Regnier’s pro model ski in 2009, the “JJ” (previously known as the JP vs. Julian), the duo redesigned the ski to take advantage of newer ski technologies such as the growing trend in powder-specific skis toward rockered shapes. They however wanted their ski to remain all-mountain friendly and accomplished this by moving the “fat” part of the skis from near the tips back towards the center of the ski, causing the flotation of the ski to be closer to the skier’s input, while still maintain a traditional side-cut and camber underfoot. The traditional side-cut and camber underfoot allows for the ski to perform well on firm/compacted snow. They basically engineered a ski that will float on the powder when it needs to but still carve on the groomers.
A little bit about the aesthetic of the JJ:
With this years JJ (2011), Armada collaborated with Quebec artist Sebastian Larose. Sebastian is a long time friend of JP Auclair and has been designing the JP vs. Julien pro model since the model’s inception. This years model features a techno-punk styling of an Alice in Wonderland theme complete with a disappearing Cheshire Cat. The top-sheet graphic is amazingly detailed and beautifully laid out.
The base of the ski is consistent with past Armada bases of just having their logo on the tips and tails and “Armada” in a chosen typeset. The twist with this years model is that they chose to go with an “old fashioned” style font rather than the modern/futuristic style that they commonly go with. The font seems to be a customized variation of “Rosewood.” Another small deviation from the norm is the inverted color scheme from the left ski to the right ski, a subtle difference but still nice.
