FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

Chasing Snow Across Europe: Spark R&D's January Road Trip

January had us packing our bags and heading to Europe — three weeks, two tradeshows, one long road trip through the Alps, and more charcuterie than any crew probably deserves. Join Will Ritter (Owner), Luke Dale (Sales Manager), and Billy Madej (Marketing Manager) as they take you through the Spark R&D Euro Trip.

Photos by: Pierre Lucianaz

Tignes, France: WinterPro with ACT Snowboarding

First stop was Tignes for WinterPro, ACT Snowboarding's premier three-day Business to Business (B2B)  on-snow trade event. Getting there was its own adventure. Heavy snow, a long drive from Geneva, and a last-minute scramble for tire chains after the rental car company dropped the ball. A good reminder: always verify your gear before heading into a storm cycle, the forecast was calling for 1.5 meters.

We settled into a ride-in, ride-out apartment at Lac de Tignes just as a meter of snow blanketed the resort. Conditions were dramatic from the start, whiteout skies, high avalanche danger, and terrain that kept us on our toes.  One morning we watched a slide rip through a line we'd been eyeing all week. Two riders were buried and heli-evacuated. That was more than enough to keep us on high alert for the rest of the trip.

For the three days of the show we stayed inbounds or on mellow terrain, tested boards, and previewed our 26/27 binding lineup. Team rider Thomas Delfino showed us around for low-angle powder laps and even in the lower angled off piste terrain, we rolled with full rescue kits. No exceptions.

Photos by: Pierre Lucianaz

Aosta Valley, Italy: Food, Touring, and the Good Stuff

After Tignes we pointed the car east and drove six and a half hours into Italy's Aosta Valley. Team rider Ettore Personnettaz met us with a late-night feast at Trattoria Marietty that immediately reset everything, local meats, fresh vegetables, handmade pumpkin ravioli. A proper Italian welcome.

We checked into B&B L'Abri a renovated farmhouse, clean and modern with enough space to spread out and prep for three days of splitboarding. Ettore and photographer Pierre Lucianaz joined us for the whole stretch as they showed us around their home terrain.

Avalanche danger stayed elevated, so Ettore kept us on low-risk terrain, which, in the Aosta Valley, still means stunning. Mornings started with a stop at the local prosciutteria before driving to the trailhead. We'd tour in the sun, shoot photos, and wind the day down back in town over beers and loaded charcuterie boards, talking conditions and scoping the next objective. But the love didn't stop there, we were pleasantly greeted by Will's child hood friend Chris Bona from Minnesota. Chris got the last minute invite to join us on a quick Italian strike mission for the next two days. We listened intently as the Minnesota duo shared stories with the locals and ourselves about how their friendship helped shape the outcome of Spark R&D.

Day two brought a bigger mission and heavier weather. We skinned kilometers up a drainage and reached the ridge in full whiteout. Visibility was poor and avy danger was still high, so we had to keep it disciplined with one rider at a time until finding better light and lower angled terrain. Nothing heroic was ridden, just solid turns, small features, and making the most of imperfect conditions. A reminder that you do not need to ride steep and complex lines to have fun enjoy good company.

Our final day in Italy was focused on finding good snow in forested terrain, north-facing aspects, mellow lines, and capturing photos.  With a sharp guide, a great photographer, and a crew that knew how to move in the mountains, Italy delivered exactly what we came for: quality splitboarding, unreal food, and even better company.

Photos by: Pierre Lucianaz

Hochfügen, Austria: Shops 1st Try & the NR Pro Debut

We said goodbye to Chris and drove from Italy to Hochfügen, Austria for Shops 1st Try (SFT), the world's largest snowboarding business gathering and on-snow demo event. We'd been chasing snow backwards for three weeks, fresh powder in Tignes, knee-deep touring in Italy, and finished our travels by staring down groomed corduroy with pockets of pow hiding on the shaded north faces. Not exactly a hero snow situation, but with avalanche danger still lingering across the range, staying on lower-angled terrain and putting our gear through its paces was exactly the right call.

The show itself was buzzing. We connected with new dealers, locked in partnerships that had been brewing for a while, and had some of the best chairlift meetings a brand can ask for. The highlight of Hochfügen was the debut of the Nick Russell Pro binding, with Nick himself in person as we showcased it to the world for one of the first times.

We lapped the backside of Hochfügen enjoying mom and dad turns with Nick. The snow was thin in spots, but the energy in the room and on the hill was ecstatic. SFT was a great wrap up to an already amazing trip, we thank you all for being there and are amped to share the stoke with the world.

Three weeks, two tradeshows, one road trip across the Alps. See you next year.

— The Spark R&D Crew

spark flames blog
TOP