INTERVIEW • Jordan Grant-Krenz | PHOTOS • Courtesy of Simply.RC
Why start a new ski company? It’s an obvious question that gets more complicated the longer you think about it. A ski brand is hardly the best way to make money. The market is packed, the returns are marginal at best until you move a lot of products, manufacturing is complicated and the list goes on and on. Besides, there are many other business avenues that lead to a far greater payday. So, why start a new ski company? The answer tends to boil down to one word; passion. You care, beyond a shadow of a doubt, about making the best product you can because you love it.
For Laurent De Martin, this is the case. In the last decade, the Swiss freeride legend has traveled around the world, skied in the wildest of places, filmed with the esteemed Level 1 Productions and even directed his own film. Last year, alongside his dear friend and fellow pro skier Sampo Vallotton, LDM began a new endeavor; Simply. Recreation Club. The ski company is now in its second year of operations building skis in Switzerland that they hope will get more people having fun on snow. Their new film, “The Art of Recreation,” is a beautiful summary of this vision. But the operation is growing. The team recently added Daniel Loosli to the crew, and we’re all better off because of it. Daniel, or Doosli as he’s known, is another brilliant Swiss freeride skier who has crafted innovative turns and grabs that are as aesthetic as they are difficult.
Without a doubt he might be one of the more creative skiers on the planet, prioritizing feel and look over adrenaline. He left his long-time sponsor, LINE Skis to join LDM and Sampo on this start-up adventure. Daniel will play a role not only in the skiing, but also in the front office. His experience with LAAX and Oakley make him a valuable asset to a company like Simply.
This got us curious; why is an innovative and talented skier/businessman like Daniel leaving one of skiing’s most established companies for a startup? During the conversation with Doosli and LDM, it became clear that the two have goals beyond the construction of skis. They want to help forge a new era in skiing, challenging the current status quo that demands overkill speed and spins, large product batches and mass production. They want a future rooted in sustainability, performance and, above all, enjoyment.
Hey guys! Winter in Switzerland looks like it’s off to a great start this season.
LDM: It is a little early, so I don’t want to jinx it. But so far, so good!
DL: Yeah, it really has been great. It’s our turn for some snow in Europe in comparison to last season.
Did you ride two together often in previous seasons?
DL: No, unfortunately, we did not. I live in LAAX, close to Zürich, but it would take me about six hours to get over to Laurent by train or car.
LDM: I knew of Daniel and admired his work, but as he said, we live on opposite sides of Switzerland. I didn’t go to LAAX for nearly five years. I was filming with Level 1 for a few years and then filmed a movie at home, so I didn’t get the chance to ski with too many other people outside of those projects.
In that case, how did you connect? What’s the story behind Daniel joining Simply. Recreation Club?
LDM: We’ve wanted Daniel to join for a while. When we mapped out how we wanted the brand to look and feel, he was a big inspiration in both his photography and his skiing. We launched the brand so quickly that I think it was good to wait for a year, for both of us, so that we could show him we were really building something here.
More than skiing and photography, he wanted to join the brand on the business side as well. He’s a real entrepreneur and is talented in many areas. That’s why we’re so excited for him to be on board as more than just a rider.
DL: Five years ago, I photographed Laurent. We’d known about each other for a while, and I liked his creative direction. Since then, we’ve gotten closer, and when I heard about Laurent’s vision with [Simply. Recreation Club] two years ago, I really got a lot of inspiration from it. I wanted to finish everything with LINE, my sponsor at the time, before I moved on to something new. But I was attracted to the vision of the brand since I first heard about it.
Was leaving the LINE team a tough choice? You’ve done more for the Sakana ski than maybe any skier on Earth, aside from Eric Pollard.
DL: It was super difficult to leave. I would probably only be riding rails if it wasn’t for LINE. I had tried wild carves and method grabs on skis before back in the day, but when I hopped on the Sakana everything changed for me. I realized how much I loved regular slope riding. From the European crew to eventually being moved onto the LINE pro team, they helped me every step of the way to get me to where I am now, which I am so endlessly thankful for. Plus, they’re probably the brand with the most diverse freestyle ski offerings around. So many shapes, no matter what you want to do they have a ski for it.
LINE is also very established, whereas Simply. is a start-up. It’s always a gamble to leave for a start-up business, but I think that just shows how much I believe in the vision here and in what Laurent is creating.
Daniel Loosli on his new sticks from Simply.RC
You definitely had some incredible ideas with the Sakana. Maybe the most controversial is the “Hang Ten” video.
DL: [laughs] Yeah, that was one of the more stupid ideas I’ve had. People either liked it or hated it, there was no in between. But it was so fun.
Leaving an established company like LINE for a startup is certainly a risk. What do you each see as the vision for the brand, and what about it is the most appealing?
LDM: For Sampo [Vallotton] and I, the vision was always to start a brand that prioritized riding for fun. We wanted to build a company that could create the skis we liked but also that our friends liked. Whether you ski 100 days a year or five days a year, you should be able to have a ski that lets you get the most enjoyment out of your day on the mountain.
We also wanted to make a brand that was local. We are a Swiss-designed, Swiss-made company. That’s always been important for two reasons. First, we are so in touch with the product since it’s in our backyard. We can change something, test it, try it again and make a really great ski with a lot of input. Second, it’s a much more sustainable way to do business than to fly around the world for everything from materials to production.
DL: Yeah, the ideas that Laurent described certainly spoke to me. And honestly, so did the fact that this is a startup. There’s so much creative freedom to be had. But in terms of the vision of the brand, I really match with what you could call the corporate identity. To ride for a company just for money is nonsense. Agreeing with the brand is much more important to me. How good is the product? What does it look like? Is it sustainable? Who are the people involved? And so on. Those kinds of questions are what attracted me to Simply. I have a lot of input and Laurent and Sampo really listen. It’s cool to have a voice in a small, passionate group like this.
In the past, Daniel, you’ve talked about your love for relatable skiing. Can you elaborate on how that idea plays a role here?
DL: It goes hand in hand with the vision that Laurent described. The bigger picture for me is, “Can my dad understand what I’m doing? Can he understand what the skis are capable of?” I want people to relate to what they see and enjoy it. If I ask my dad the difference between a triple cork 1800 with a mute and a switch double cork 12 with a tail grab, he isn’t going to know. The people who know the difference between the two and who are inspired by a triple cork already know the skis they want, and they probably have a shop rider deal or something like that. Those people are covered, and they are not the people you want to reach to sell skis.
I want to reach the weekend warriors—the passionate skiers who are stoked on the sport, who think about it a lot, and who put in the effort to get on the mountain when they can. A big company doesn’t make the majority of their money on freestyle skis. And this is where there’s such a huge opportunity to make a freestyle ski that is for everyone. That’s what the Recreation [ski model] will be. It’s a ski that dedicated or casual skiers will get the same amount of pleasure from. And one thing which is really important is that there is no downgrade for the ski. It’s a high-quality, high-performance ski that’s user-friendly.
On that note, what is the quiver that Simply. is presenting this year?
LDM: We have two models for this year; the Recreation and the Carver. Since our production is based out of First Track Lab right here in Verbier, Switzerland, we were really able to tweak and fine-tune these skis into products that we love. We’re really excited to be testing our freeride powder ski this winter in Japan with Daniel, Sampo and Klor Klor behind the camera. The goal is to have it on the market by Fall 2024. But for now, the Recreation and the Carver are our two offerings.
What can you guys tell me about the Recreation and Carver models?
DL: Both [the Carver and Recreation] models incorporate a fishtail design, but they’re certainly very different. The goal of the Recreation is to have a ski that can do everything. Last week I was riding pow, rails, pipe and groomers on it, and it was great for it all. If you only want to do things on piste, the Carver will do it all. It’s 85 mm underfoot, so if you want one ski to go fast and make the best turns of your life. The coolest quiver is not when you have 10 pairs of skis. The coolest quiver is when you can just have one in my eyes. This is what I love about Simply.
LDM: Like Daniel said, we want to make one ski that does what you want to do. If you want to ski groomers and have fun with more traditional skiing, the Carver is the best at that. If you want to ski the mountain as a playground, the Recreation will do it. If I had to choose one ski for a whole season, it would be the Recreation, hands down. From arcing nice turns to touring in powder, the Recreation really brings with it a unique experience that I have not found in another ski.
How do you build a ski like the Recreation?
LDM: We use poplar in the core, which is a really light wood, and then we put strips of Bamboo to add some stability. However, we are switching the Bamboo for Beechwood, so our material will be 100 percent European and trackable. This is very important to us, and the ski will still perform the same. To build a ski, it’s also key to have great advice and experience. That’s a benefit of working with First Track Labs. They have great insights on what to add, and we consult with them constantly. We’ve used their Next Core Technology, which is another game changer in terms of developing that perfect enjoyable ski. I won’t give away all their secrets [laughs], but those are the important pieces in building it.
Who do you see as Simply.’s target audience? Who would love these skis?
LDM: The Carver appeals to a more typical resort skier, at least by European standards. It’s so much fun to arc big turns around the mountain. The Recreation is a more atypical ski, both in terms of its look and how it skis. It seems to appeal more to progressive skiers, but it’s such an easygoing and high-quality ski that I think it’s great for any day on a resort. Geographically, our audience is mostly in Switzerland, France and Germany. It’s difficult to export from Switzerland, but the big goal next winter is to open up in the US.
DL: In my eyes, these skis are not for the broad masses, but they can be for anyone. Does that make sense? It’s for the passionate skier who is looking to really enjoy their skiing. The freestyle and all-mountain skiers will really love the Recreation. In my eyes, the goal for the industry and athletes alike should be to show people how to have fun. We’re in this trap where we think high performance is what’s right, but who’s to say? I think having fun is the right way to do it, and this ski helps you enjoy the experience that much more.
Laurent, you released a movie with Sampo called “The Art of Recreation.” The film does a great job of showcasing the experience of riding and how fun the Recreation model is. What was the goal for this movie when you first began? Did it meet your expectations?
LDM: It was a really back-and-forth process. Since it was our first year on Simply. skis, Sampo and I were really hyped to do a big movie with ‘big’ productions, to plan everything, etc. But we had so much to do with Simply. and a really slow start to the winter, so we decided to cancel and focus on creating content for the brand.
After that, there was no real goal of doing a movie. But naturally, during the winter, friends came to film, and we tried some concepts. At the end of the winter, we went to the USA with the goal of filming there as well. At that point, we had to do a project. I think it turned out so well because we never felt like we were filming for a movie, we were just doing what we loved and filming it. We worked with Jules Guarneri, who brought his vision into the editing. Honestly, we are really stoked about it. I didn’t expect to have a movie like that. It turned out really well I thought, both in terms of the skiing and the aesthetics. The film is a perfect representation of our first winter with our new tools.
Did you have a favorite segment after watching the final production?
LDM: I think it’s all the stop motions that Maxime Ramoul did. He’s a photographer who spent a week to ten days with us here in Switzerland. He wanted to help with the movie as a photograph, so we shot all those stop motion photos on a great day skiing around with a lot of friends. I’m a big big fan of his photography and I couldn’t be more stoked to have his art in the movie.
What do you hope viewers take away from “The Art of Recreation” after they watch?
LDM: Just a nice visual and riding experience, and feel the joy in that after spending 10 minutes in our world with our vision. Hopefully, they will be fired up to shred with friends no matter the place or conditions.
Can we expect another project from Simply. this winter?
LDM: Yeah, a few, I would say! We have a great crew going to Japan, as I mentioned earlier, and I think we’ll create some great stuff while we’re there.
NOTE: Daniel injured his leg in the final days of 2023 and will not be filming with Simply. in Japan. Rest assured he will be continuing to help the team this winter and be back on skis in no time.
There’s no shortage of ski brands in the world. What benefits will Simply. bring to the ski community in the coming years?
DL: For our industry, you need businesses filled with passion because skiing is filled with passion. The benefit that everyone gets from Simply. is that we bring enjoyment and passion into the industry and to skiers. I look at the snowboard brand Korua. They’ve become successful not because they produced the most but because they are passionate about good boards and good shapes. Simply. has a similar mission, I would say. I don’t want to compare us to Korea, but that’s the benefit we bring; locally-based creativity and passion. We help people have more fun.
LDM: I agree with everything Daniel said. To summarize it, performance is a choice, enjoyment is the purpose and sustainability is the mission. That’s the motto we’ve been going by, and we plan to keep following it. As long as we’re helping more people have fun, then we’re doing our job!
