Brand Focus - Amplid Snowboards

Snowboard Review caught up with Co-owner of Amplid, Peter Bauer to find out a bit more about the brand.

Nothing like a bit of branding!

Amplid have been going for 5 years, in that time owners Peter and Anian have created some incredible skis and snowboards, but more importantly, they’ve created a brand that has earnt respect and admiration from both camps, a tricky tightrope to walk. Peter’s illustrious history with snowboarding, his understanding of riding, knack for pushing snowboard design and an incessant desire to find the latest and highest performance materials means that Amplid Snowboards are some of the most technologically advanced rides on the planet… we were blown away by them at the snowboard test. Snowboard Review caught up with Peter to find out a little more about Amplid.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s you were World Champion. Then you moved to freeriding filling the magazine pages with powder slashes and cliff drops. 5 years ago you came back into the media spotlight when Amplid snowboards shot onto the market. How long did it take you to get the Amplid project moving, from putting the first ideas together to releasing the first boards?

From the first idea to the actual first board in the store it took almost 2 years. We were lucky to use one of the factories in Austria which used to produce exclusively for Burton. The know-how I gathered from r&d at Burton plus the wisdom inside the factory was very fertile. I had my own ideas regarding board geometries, we designed and built all our own moulds for our shapes, obviously this takes a while to develop. We also came to the factory with lots of new materials which our factory was not used to working with, from different carbon weaves to revolutionary wood core constructions. We spent lots of time testing, going back to the factory, pressing new prototypes, then going back to the hill and riding. Our current line up is the result of simply riding 24/7 and knowing the world of materials.

There are lots of directions you could have taken, being highly respected within the snowboard industry, why did you choose to start your own brand?

The market is glutted with me-to-products. Snowboards have turned into poster pin-ups instead of performance shreds. Some consumers buy poorly designed and cheaply built boards simply because they go for the graphics.

I don’t wanna say graphics aren’t important, our Amplid Research Cartel has loads of artists from all around the globe as members, but as soon as the performance of the board doesn’t matter, our sport is in danger! With Amplid I wanted to combine sophisticated artwork with space-age technology. I also wanted the freedom to be able to react to constantly changing market demands by being small and flexible. This is Amplid!

Since conception, I assume you met with many problems on the Amplid journey. Were there any points when you thought about packing it in and taking an easier path? What convinced you to stick to your guns?

Hiking is more interesting on rocky paths than on paved roads. I like the challenge of trying to improve product on a daily base and to lift riding to the next level. The next level riding I leave to Amplids teamriders more and more ! (Peter’s being extremely modest, he still kills it on the most critical AK lines!)

Amplid is also renowned for producing some seriously technical skis as well as snowboards. With the age old rivalry between the sports, do you think that manufacturing skis compromises Amplid’s integrity as a snowboard brand? And doesn’t the snowboard industry as a whole owe ski manufacturers like Rossignol and Salomon an apology for the negative sentiment directed their way in the early 90s when they started producing snowboards?

I am coming from the apartheid era, where snowboarding was forbidden. Lift owners would simply shut the door in front of your nose. I grew up with the phenomena that something new always scares the establishment. Young riders nowadays don’t care too much about what kind of shred you are using, as long as you share their common vision like seeking for the untracked virgin powderfield or the gnarliest handrail the town has to offer.

As far as the market is concerned it has more to do with legitimization: The brands you just mentioned built skis for the past 50 years and have been very active in the race circuit. When they saw their market moving away, they suddenly diversified into product categories they’d been so adverse to at the start. Of course this has really limited their credibility. There are also snowboard brands, who were diss-ing skiers for years, and suddenly they’re making skis themselves, simply because they are under profit pressure. It looks like we are the only brand on that white planet that started from the beginning selling skis and snowboards to kids who share a certain attitude, regardless whether they hit that kicker on 2 or 4 edges.

Lots of core snowboard manufacturers like Mervin and Palmer have started producing skis, what’s happening? Are snowboarders loosing their identity?

Marketing wise some do it better than others, and some do it rather crude. At the end of the day, when you spit in someone’s soup for years and years, and then try serving the soup to them again, I’m not sure they’ll wants to eat it.

At the Kaunertal Snowboard Test you were riding one of the prototype boards for the 2010/2011 range. How much r&d goes into your products, and how much do you carry out yourself?

I’m riding again tomorrow! I live very close to Hintertux and Kaunertal (the two biggest glaciers in Austria), so I have 12 months of testing opportunities, it definitely makes things easier. Currently we’re working on a new construction which will result in the world’s lightest board for an affordable price… I dig trying-out new things by myself.

Another stack of prototypes just left for France this morning, on their way to one of our testers, who’s straight off to Argentina next week! We involve all our team riders in product development, the more feedback we get on our prototypes the better our final product.

Which factory are Amplid boards made in? Why did you choose that particular factory and how much control do you have over the manufacturing and design process?

We are still located in Austria, but switched over from our original factory to Elan two years ago. Mould making is more flexible at Elan, meaning even quicker prototypes, from the drawing to the actual board on snow it takes 3 days! All our skis and boards are proudly manufactured in the Alps. We believe that you need snow around your factory to develop and produce the best boards. I couldn’t imagine anyone building a race car without an asphalt track to test on.

With the rising value of the Euro and the Yen, and the inflating costs of raw materials and energy it’s a surprise that snowboards aren’t costing the consumer any more than 10 years ago… how much longer can snowboard manufacturers and distributors absorb these costs?

Retail prices will rise at some point. Currently they’re kept down by the big companies who either produce in Asia or can afford to make micro margins due to their large volume.

Out in Kaunertal you spent a morning riding with Benny and the boys from Big Dreams snowboard shop getting feedback about the product and just paying an interest in the shop and their lives. How important is it for you to have close relationships with the retailers selling your boards and now you’re the big cheese of an International snowboard brand do you still concern yourself with the grassroots of the sport?

I always have a blast riding with guys from the UK, simply because their great motivation is really contagious. Looks like when they get unleashed from the dry slopes onto the white meadows of the alps, they can ride from 8 to 4 without a break and hit every single natural feature which comes in their way… I love that! Plus it is obviously important to listen to the demands from retailers, especially examples like Big Dreams, who dedicate their lives to the sport themselves and know the market really well. I wish there were more shops like Big Dreams in the soulless world of sport supermarkets. And hanging out and riding with team riders is always super-refreshing and motivating.

How do you see snowboard technology progressing, and where do you see Amplid in 5 years time?

We are currently working on juggling the balls of durability, lightweight construction and longevity. It feels like we’re doing a good job and getting even better day-by-day. Hopefully consumers will begin to buy REAL technology, in order to push REAL r&d on the industry side, and not buy into all that bla…bla -crap which is out there.

Amplid in 5 years time? Mmmh, hopefully I’ll have even more time to ride, not just 3 hours every day!

Thanks for your time Peter, and all the best with Amplid.

Amplid snowboards are available from quality snowboard retailers worldwide, check out www.amplid.com for more details.

 

Did I mention Peter can ride? A little bit of testing on the Amplid Equity

Posted by Rich Ewbank in Features.

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What colour is powder?

zoryfl on October 26, 2009  at  08:02 AM

I read the interview the third time now and still love it.

“Hopefully consumers will begin to buy REAL technology, in order to push REAL r&d on the industry side, and not buy into all that bla…bla -crap which is out there.” Great quote, in my opinion. Because that’s just the point!

Now I’m even more stoked riding a Paradgima from this season on =)

A thing I always wondered about are the Amplid bindings- I never ever heard anyone talking/writing about Amplid bindings. Did anyone here ride some of them, yet? Just try to remember to ask Peter about them when you meet him next time! =D

Rich Ewbank on October 26, 2009  at  03:37 PM

Might be a bit contraversial to mention this, but hey… essentially Amplid bindings at the moment are a suped-up version of Head bindings. THey’ve got some cool tech like flex adjustment on the high backs and an adjustable heel cup for forward lean which means you erradicate the gap between the highback and your boot. The top of the range binding looks nice.

Yeah I like Peter’s answers too, it’s nice to know Amplid are putting all of their efforts and money into the product and RnD, not the marketing. I think the word of mouth marketing really works for them too, makes you feel like you’ve stumbled across a gem of a company. I think Peter’s content with having a core company, enough money to live hi life and time to go snowboarding. Amplid’s a great company.

Paul Kaczmarek on April 06, 2023  at  03:54 AM

As good as the review is, don’t buy an Amplid!! their warranty is terrible and the epoxy they use is even worse. Their boards delaminate at the sight of a hard flex. After riding their Souly grail for three months and having it delaminate on me for no reason I was met with haste and an opportunity to buy another board for 50% off. Hardly a warranty for a $1100 CAD snowboard. Stay away from Amplid.