WSKI 106 Trailer (2005)
A Tanner Hall/Eric Iberg Film
Eric Iberg
Eric Iberg is a pioneering filmmaker, brand builder, and influential creative voice in skiing culture. Growing up in Edina, Minnesota, he initially pursued college baseball near the Wasatch Range—but a shoulder injury pivoted him toward his real passion: ski films. At age 21, he quit college to produce his first ski movie, Royalty, capturing a fresh, street-style aesthetic that resonated strongly within the ski community. Iberg later co-founded Armada Skis, a brand born from the frustration of athletes overlooked by mainstream ski companies, seeking to support innovator riders. He also co-founded Inspired Media Concepts, blending ski film, music, and lifestyle to amplify ski culture. His films, such as The Education of Style and BE Inspired (featuring legends like Henrik Harlaut and Phil Casabon), have defined the visual language of modern freestyle skiing. Over two decades, Iberg has participated in 20+ ski films, built respected snow brands, and continues to nurture youth engagement in skiing through projects and events. He’s widely regarded as a creative architect of the freeski scene.
Philip Casabon
Philip Casabon, known to skiers around the world as B-Dog, is a Canadian freeski legend from Shawinigan, Québec, whose influence on street and park skiing spans more than a decade of groundbreaking video parts, signature products and era-defining style. He emerged in the late 2000s and early 2010s as a rider who could make complex tricks look effortless, pairing technical precision with a relaxed body language that reads clearly on camera and in person. While many athletes built careers around podiums, Casabon built a catalog around originality and storytelling, proving that progression in freeskiing is measured not just by spin counts, but by ideas, rhythm and the way a skier uses terrain. Casabon’s breakthrough years were intertwined with a creative partnership with Henrik Harlaut under the B&E banner, culminating in invitational events that showcased style, flow and unconventional features. Those projects amplified a philosophy that still guides his skiing today. Lines are designed like sentences with a beginning, middle and end. Approach speed is chosen to preserve cadence rather than to force difficulty. Takeoffs are decisive and axes are set early so rotations remain readable and landings ride away clean. The result is footage that ages well and remains instructive for younger riders studying how to combine rails, walls, gaps and banks into coherent sequences. The contest world eventually embraced video-based formats, and Casabon became a benchmark there as well. In X Games Real Ski he delivered all-urban segments that balanced heavy enders with subtle touches: nose and tail presses that carry real weight, surface swaps performed on imperfect steel, redirected spins that treat walls and banks as extensions of the rail line. Those edits demonstrated mastery of spot selection, logistics and risk management under tight timelines. They also highlighted a symbiosis with filmer and editor Brady Perron, whose eye for pacing and framing magnified Casabon’s skating-inspired approach to edges, balance and transitions. Equipment is a central part of Casabon’s story. His signature park and street skis became known for playful flex in the tips and tails, supportive underfoot platforms and shapes that feel neutral on unknown landing angles. He is meticulous about mount points that keep swing weight balanced without sacrificing landing stability, and he is vocal about edge durability, torsional support and base speed on contaminated snow. In boots, he gravitated to progressive designs that preserve ankle articulation and rebound for presses and quick recentering after surface changes. This product literacy turns gear into a creative partner rather than an afterthought, and it informs a steady stream of feedback to designers who translate rider needs into shapes and constructions that withstand urban abuse. Casabon’s training habits reveal why the style looks so effortless. Off snow he emphasizes hip and ankle mobility, single-leg strength for efficient pop on short run-ins, and trunk stability to manage off-axis rotations without letting the upper body flail. Trampoline and air-awareness sessions break big tricks into components, rehearsing set mechanics, grab timing and spotting before full-scale attempts. On snow he builds lines from low-consequence moves, scaling them patiently into heavy features once speed, angles and snow texture are predictable. That incremental method reduces injuries and preserves longevity in a discipline where impact tolerance is often mistaken for progress. Storytelling is another thread that runs through his career. Casabon treats each project like an album rather than a single, choosing music, color and pacing that serve the skiing. He shows the process in behind-the-scenes moments: shoveling and salting to control speed, testing inruns at dawn when light is flat but traffic is light, cleaning spots and restoring environments out of respect for neighborhoods. This transparency sets a standard for urban filming etiquette and keeps doors open for future crews. It also explains why his films are rewatchable; they offer both the satisfaction of heavy tricks and the narrative of how those tricks were made possible. Community impact rounds out his profile. Casabon mentors younger riders by translating complex technique into simple cues: align early on the inrun, commit to a clean set, keep shoulders calm through impact, and ride away with purpose. He is honest about fear management, using visualization and measured increments to turn nerves into information rather than noise. In camps and informal sessions he shares the small adjustments that create big gains, from binding ramp angle to edge bevels that keep rails viable on cold mornings. As freeskiing continues to evolve, Casabon remains a reference point for authenticity. He releases tightly curated video parts, appears at select events, and collaborates with brands in ways that preserve the integrity of his style while pushing product design forward. His legacy is not confined to medals or one winter’s highlight reel. It lives in a generation of skiers who learned that creativity can be systematic, that style is a skill built on fundamentals, and that a line that reads beautifully will always matter. For fans and aspiring riders, Philip Casabon stands as proof that street skiing can be both refined and raw, both disciplined and free, and that the most enduring progression happens when craft, culture and community move together.
Tanner Hall
Tanner Hall, nicknamed “Ski Boss,” was born in 1983 in Kalispell, Montana. A true pioneer of modern freeskiing, he made history by winning seven X Games gold medals between 2000 and 2008 in Big Air, Slopestyle, and Superpipe, becoming a living legend of freestyle skiing. He co-founded Armada Skis in 2002 and helped shape ski filmmaking through his studio Inspired Media Concepts, producing iconic films like Retallack and Like a Lion. His career was marked by two major injuries: a double ankle fracture in 2005 and serious knee damage in 2009, requiring years of recovery. Despite these setbacks, Tanner returned to the top, winning more titles and taking on the Freeride World Tour, where he quickly achieved top-10 finishes. Now over 40, he continues to deeply influence ski culture with his style, creativity, and visionary spirit.
Armada
Armada’s origin story is inseparable from the rise of newschool skiing. Instead of adapting race tools for creatives, the brand started with what riders actually needed: symmetric and directional twin tips that press, pivot, and land switch; floaty shapes for deep days; and durable constructions for rails and hard landings. Over two decades, the catalog matured without losing that voice. The brand joined a larger sports family later on, leveraging European manufacturing while keeping athlete-led development and media at its core. The result is a blend of indie energy and big-factory consistency. Product ecosystem Armada’s freestyle roots remain visible in the ARV series (all-mountain/park) and the women’s ARW line, built for playful daily laps that can handle everything from corduroy to side hits and rail gardens. Signature pro models such as the Edollo and BDog reflect two distinct philosophies of park skiing—pop and power versus buttery, press-friendly feel—while the JJ and its descendants carry the powder-freestyle torch with surfy rockered shapes and smearable tips and tails. On the freeride/all-mountain front, directional platforms add stability and edge hold for technical terrain and variable snow. For human-powered missions, the lightweight touring family uses lively wood cores and weight-savvy laminates to keep skintrack efficiency high without turning skittish on the descent. Construction and feel Durability and “feel” are through-lines across the range. Thick, impact-oriented edges, sintered bases that take wax well, and rubber damping in key zones help skis stay quiet at speed and survive seasons of abuse. Rocker-camber-rocker profiles are tuned by length and use case: more camber and contact length for resort drive, deeper rocker lines and tapered tips for soft-snow release. Mount points are thoughtfully chosen—center or near-center for park, more traditional for directional freeride and touring—so buyers can land on a predictable stance without fighting the ski. Boots, bindings, and compatibility Armada’s skis pair naturally with modern alpine and hybrid bindings, including models that allow efficient uphill travel and elastic downhill performance on one setup. Many riders run one-ski/one-binding quivers for travel and resort powder weeks, while park skiers opt for lighter alpine bindings with predictable release and solid elasticity for repeated switch landings. Athletes, media, and culture Armada’s team has long included influential freestylers and film leaders whose styles span urban, park, and backcountry freestyle. Pro models like the Edollo, BDog, Whitewalker, and various JJ iterations come straight from that collaboration loop: riders push lines in the streets or high alpine; product teams translate those needs into shape, flex, and construction tweaks; films and seasonal edits close the loop with proof on snow. The brand’s YouTube and social channels showcase this process with product walk-throughs, team movies, and behind-the-scenes clips that keep skiers connected to the why behind each ski. How to choose Resort-first skiers who split time between groomers, trees, and park will feel at home on ARV/ARW models sized to nose-eye height for agility; add length for stability if your speed runs high. Powder-minded riders who value playful line choice should look to JJ-style shapes for float and drift. Directional chargers who want bite on wind-buff and firm afternoons should target the all-mountain/freeride family with a slightly rearward mount. For touring, match waist width to your snowpack: narrower, lighter for big vert and spring missions; mid-fat for mid-winter soft snow with enough backbone for refrozen exits. Yes—Armada maintains an active YouTube presence, signature pro models tied to its athletes, and ongoing collaborations with film crews. The brand’s evolution from core freeski upstart to full-line manufacturer never abandoned its central idea: skis should be built around the way skiers actually ride.
Oakley
Founded in 1975 in California, Oakley first specialized in sports eyewear before becoming a global leader in technical gear. In skiing, the brand is famous for its high-performance goggles, offering cutting-edge optics and extreme durability. Oakley outfits and sponsors many top skiers like Henrik Harlaut, Eileen Gu, and Sammy Carlson, strengthening its reputation among freeriders and freestylers. It also invests in events and films that highlight creativity on snow. Thanks to its constant innovation, Oakley is now a symbol of style and technology on the slopes.
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