OUR STORY

Rupert Gammond handmade freeride skis creator. Artisan ski and snowboard designer and builder.

In 2012 Pure Freeride Design was born, with a clear vision in mind of my dream set of freeride skis.

A handcrafted, no compromise approach which compliments the natural freeride environment by combining fresh minimal designs with the use of the highest quality materials.

A skiers journey is often a steady evolution leading away from big pistes and mega resorts towards a quieter search for untouched lines in the backcountry…

In a similar way, we have found ourselves pushing away from the norm of mass market skis to create something unique, skis with soul.

Creating our dream line up of skis has been a long and hard journey, driven by a passion for skiing and design.

Built on this passion, a small ski brand that continues to evolve, creating a limited number of skis and boards each year worldwide. Skis and boards we are proud to share with you.

Rupert Gammond

Founder – Designer

  • I knew what I wanted to create. The first model had to have the specific performance characteristics I was searching for with the added benefits of combining natural materials.

    I wanted a stiff and aggressive style on a big platform - a wide waist with a slightly rockered tip and tail. At the time, a lot of the bigger skis on the market seemed to be the exact opposite. Very soft flex patterns and big rockers which took away the hard charging performance characteristics I was looking for.

    I wanted to wrap this solid skiing performance into a visually minimal and clean design. A less is more approach with the natural bamboo finish which is striking yet complimentary to the wild mountains.

    The excitement that came from knowing that I could conceive, develop, build and then ski on my dream set of skis, drove me to create the first prototypes.

    This is when the adventure started.

    To make my vision possible, I decided to build a purpose built workshop, custom tools, moulds and a ski press which would create 40 tons of pressure - The first slab of bamboo to be removed from the press was the 194 Big Mountain Charger - our flagship model to this date.

  • Copious amounts of bamboo dust later, we have created a full range of freeride skis - a quiver we believe covers all areas of off-piste skiing.

    Evolving from the original prototypes, we have stayed true to developing designs that reflect our love for wild skiing.

    We believe our products stand out from the norm creating a unique and pure experience. It’s the sound of the bamboo when your skis touch, it’s the powerful energy created from the unique lay-up, and it’s the warm striking bamboo top-sheet that creates a closer connection between skier and nature.

    The growth of this small grass roots brand is built on friendship. The PFD journey wouldn't have taken the same route without the creative and technical input from a small group of friends, brought together by a shared passion for skiing and an artisan approach to ski building. Everyone contributing from their individual experiences and projects within the ski industry.

    As the company has grown, we have ventured out of the workshop and connected with like minded skiers doing a range of events, demo days and freeride weeks. The perfect opportunity to get our range of skis and boards under the feet of riders in some of the best freeride areas in the alps. Meeting, skiing and sharing our passion for both the mountains and our skis has built a community which continues to grow.

    As we continue forwards we enjoy the ride, sharing good times in the mountains, meeting new and old friends and building beautiful high performing skis and boards.

The team

Powder mates, the small team of friends that help drive PFD forwards to create unique products.

Group of skiers standing in snowy mountain preparing to go skiing and snowboards.
Man standing with skis in the mountains with ABS bag.
Man with cap and winter jacket ski touring  in the alps.
Man with sunglasses and hat walking with skis and backpack in mountains.
Skier, helmet, goggles, snow.
Mountains, man holding PFD snowboard.
Skier walking with PFD skis. Alps.