Salomon launches new ski, "DEPART 1.0"

A new freestyle ski from Salomon will be released in the 2025 season.
It's called "DEPART 1.0". Looking back, Salomon hasn't released a new ski in the freestyle category for the past 10 years, or even longer.

The story behind the development of "Teneighty" and the birth of a completely new ski

This "DEPART1.0" was spearheaded by two Swiss skiers, Sämi OrtliebandNico Vugnier.The project began when they wanted to create a commemorative model to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of the legendary "Teneighty," a ski that sparked the freestyle skiing boom.

After several prototypes, the project was completely halted due to the impact of COVID-19 while development was still in progress. After that, Nico approached Salomon and the DEPART 1.0 project was born, with the aim of creating a completely new freestyle ski

Salomon hadn't released a freestyle ski for a long time, so the production team couldn't just go back to the 2010 model and create a product that simply carried on that lineage. They needed to create a ski from scratch that would symbolize a new era, and that was also a smooth process for the team

In recent years, a growing movement has emerged among young skiers in their twenties in Europe and America who oppose the freeskiing approach that focuses solely on winning competitions and performing difficult tricks. Examples
which distributes videos primarily on social mediabuldoz, and the new print media outletsuperfriendlysociety. In addition, subcultures of skiers are rapidly developing on social media, showcasing their creativity, including how to create and edit videos.

"DEPART1.0" was developed following that same approach, taking several years to complete. In other words, DEPART1.0 is significantly different in concept from other skis, including previous Teneighty models. While
most skis are designed and developed to win competitions or to improve skiing skills, "DEPART1.0" is created with the rider's expressiveness and freedom of skiing as its top priority.

Unique shape and ride feel

I understand that its concept is different from other skis. Let's take a look at how that's specifically translated into the product.
First, there's its unique outline. With a waist of 106mm and a nose of 140mm, it has a wide shape overall, but the outline of the nose is pointed like a rocket.

This distinctly unusual nose is designed to reduce snow resistance when skiing in powder. This not only allows for greater speed while skiing, but also makes nose buttering easier.
According to developer Samian interview with NEW SCHOOLERS"In addition to the performance benefits, the pointed nose also has a conceptual aspect to it. I wanted to create a shape that would make me want to go skiing. This pointed nose is one example of that, and at least it worked for me (laughs). I like the feeling that when I'm skiing and look down, the skis themselves are beckoning me to go!"

He said:

Furthermore, while twin-tip skis were seen as a cutting-edge design outside the mainstream in the 2000s, today twin-tip skis are associated with fixed values ​​such as competition and more impactful tricks.
Sami says that for this reason, he wants to create something that looks different from conventional twin-tip skis and express a new skiing culture.

The nose has a deep rocker line, and the tail also has a significant rocker. The camber underfoot is only a few millimeters.
The board's construction is full sandwich, with sidewalls running from tip to tail. The core material is a lightweight yet highly responsive blend of calva and poplar, with fiberglass used as reinforcement. A titanium plate is also incorporated underfoot for added reinforcement.

I imagine that the key factors are the taper of the core material, the thickness of the glass fiber, and how it is inserted, but the material used is quite simple

The ride feels relatively stiff, so while the concept is to offer free-riding, it's a little different from other skis that are "soft and playful" and are geared towards terrain play. The edge-to-edge sidewalls create a robust feel, allowing you to butter with your weight, yet also providing the durability to withstand hard use on the street. The Radius is 15m long for a 180cm board, allowing for a high degree of freedom on the slopes

Let's take a look at some social media footage of riders wearing them

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This ski offers a riding style that's not only flexible enough for playing on various terrains, but also tough enough to handle big jumps and jibbing in the park, while its wide shape allows for effortless powder riding.
To summarize, it's a slightly stiff ski that's easy to carve, with a wide overall shape and an original tip design... It probably isn't the first ski a beginner would choose, but it's clearly unique and offers a riding experience unlike any other ski.

Thick Salomon that covers a wide range of scenes

The word "DEPART" literally means "departure." The "Teneighty" defined an era in the early days of freeskiing, and Salomon's new freestyle skis could be seen as a "new departure."

Just as a movement in freeskiing was created when many freeskiers, including Mike Douglas, JP Auclair, JF Cousson, and Vincent Dorion, wore Tenighty skis, it seems likely that DEPART 1.0 will create a new movement that is fitting for 2024

Over the past 20 years, gear has become lighter, opportunities to ski deep in the mountains have increased, and the number of users who enjoy powder and backcountry skiing has also grown.
Salomon has become a brand that offers a wider range of users and skiing styles than ever before, but now, once again, they are working with younger users to propose innovative gear and connect to the next era.

Limited quantities available at only 5 stores in Japan

This is a test sale, and a limited number of products will be available from Friday, November 1st at retailers designated by the French headquarters

There will also be a chance to see footage from the mysterious "Depart Crew" at the QST FILM TOUR to be held in Japan this fall. STEEP will also be reporting details about the event, so be sure to check back for further updates