Winter 2018/2019 preview

Into

new

galaaxies

Team shooting for next season’s catalog

Team shootings are always fun. Especially when they take place at extraordinary locations. At the end of October we had the opportunity to take pictures before the opening in the new Laax Galaaxy. Here is a preview – just for you!

photos by Dani Ammann

At this time of year, it is always a challenge to get up-to-date pictures from our snowboard and ski team riders. The photos of last season were used up and down and the new season is just about to start.

Quickly we organized a shooting ourselves. The Winter 2018/23019 catalogue has to be printed on time. But where is there snow in October? Of course, on the glaciers, where the first huge snow parks grow into the landscape. Instagram and Facebook are full of bluebird images from the riders.

But we wanted something else. We wanted to go to Laax!

Laax has been our cooperation partner for years. This freestyle Eldorado fits TSG like a fist on the eye. But what really appealed to us this time was the GALAAXY: The redesign of the mountain station Crap Sogn Gion. This promised a completely different shooting!

We picked the weekend with the hypothetical opening because we also wanted to take some action shots. But unfortunately, the weather put a stop to our plans. The area remained closed.

Thanks to our good relations and the active commitment of our photographer and Laax-Local Dani Ammann we didn’t have to stay at home.  A huge thank you to Laax.

The gondola on the crap just ran for us. How awesome is that, please?

Together with Elias Ambühl, Michael Schärer, Leilani Ettel and her sister Kona we went on our way.

The boys prepare themselves in the gondola

The shooting starts on the way to the top

Posting over-the-clouds-shots on instagram

And then we saw the new Galaaxy. The Crap now looks like a space station. The sprayers from Zurich needed 5,000 spray cans.

Spotting the new Crap Sogn Gion

We had to enjoy the sun above the lowland nebula, so we first went to the terrace.

Elias Ambühl with the new TSG Sea Beanie and his signature Google Two

Kona fits the Cosma Snowboard helmet and Expect Goggle for women and girls perfectly

Lani is blinded by the sun

Michael Schärer with doppelgänger and the Tweak helmet with nice colour gradient

After we had the outdoor photos in the camera, we finally went in for the lifestyle and portrait shots.

The new interior design is absolutely amazing!

Michael posing in front of a wall with records. If you feel like it, just put on a record…on the way to the gondola

The waiting room of the gondola to Masegn turned into an old library. Browsing allowed.

Elias checks if he finds some interesting lecture

Michael finds his favourite series from his childhood on the VHS wall with old tube TVs

The redesign of the crap is galactic. Original decorations, colours, plants and funny retro details run through the entire mountain station: an old Cola machine becomes a toilet door, a dance floor made of parquet from a Zurich hotel, luminous neon signs with wisdom for the slopes hung up and a sticker shop for personalising T-shirts.

Nothing you would expect from an ordinary mountain station

We definitely had a lot of fun and are looking forward to the awesome photos and the new season in Laax. Thanks again to Dani Amann and Laax for the successful shooting!

The team after an exciting day enjoying some drinks in the Piazza. Check out a new colour of the Gravity helmet coming next winter

Explore TSG winter helmets, protectors and goggles.

Visit Laax

Follow our team riders

Across

Europe with

Sam Pilgrim

The Euro Loop

 

 

 

 

Sam rides it ALL during his awesome road trip. He traveled for three weeks with his bike to discover iconic places, remote trails, and sick riding spots across Europe.

photos by Nathan Hughe and Sam Pilgrim

I. Escaping the rain

What do you do when you’re stuck on the British Isles in continuous rain? You’re getting creative! TSG’s Sam Pilgrim, the Master of crazy ideas, worked on an escape plan. This should take him on a journey through Europe, of course not without his bike. The result is: The Euro Loop.

Stuff packed, family and friends informed and off he goes to the ferry in Dover. With him filmer Joe Simkins and friend Tom Cardy who assisted. 

Filming The Euro Loop was such an awesome experience, travelling all around Europe in search of cool riding spots and filming tricks in different locations made it special

Sam’s mobile home

II. En Route – What a trip

After arriving in France, he went straight to Paris. then hopped from Paris to Finale Ligure to Milan up to Lake Como, crossing Switzerland into the Olympic Park in Munich and then heading back to France through Belgium.

So now follow Sam dirt jumping, dropping some freeride lines, ripping trails, riding some street spots and throwing in some trials moves too on his way through Europe finest truck stops and tourist attractions. 

“Filming The Euro Loop was such an awesome experience, travelling all around Europe in search of cool riding spots and filming tricks in different locations made it special. At times it was quite challenging to find riding spots Be we made it work in the end and I’m super happy with the end result!!” states Sam. 

This wheelie shot was in a french town called Tournus. They were making their way through france and decided to do a random stop here. Turned out to be a pretty cool looking location so they got out the cameras and made some shots

The next stop in France was a total contrast to this bright sunny french town before.  Sam arrived in Digne in the South of France. The mystic Terres Noires (Black Hills) was one of the main destinations of his trip.

The scenery was harsh and mountainous

A pure mountain biking heaven

Checking which run to take next

Next stop was Italy. They drove all the way down to Finale Laguna and on the way in towards the main town they saw this sick looking quarry. Luckily it was closed so they went in and found some really cool and unique things to ride. 

Definitely one of the coolest finds of the trip!

Sam barspinning in the quarry

After finale they drove up north through Italy and decided to stop in Milano.

Posing in front of the Milan Cathedral

Not the typical Milano tourist!

From Milano it is only a 3-4 hour drive to Zurich, Switzerland. Sam stepped by our office for a short talk before meeting up with local biker and photographer Dominik Bosshard.  Dom showed him around some trails. In the video you can see Zurich in the background and they even had a close encounter with a train!!!

Riding some cool trails above Zurich

After Switzerland, Sam drove up to Bavaria’s capital Munich in Germany. He has been to Munich a lot and knew exactly where to go. The Olympic Park build for the XX. Olympic Summer Games back in 1972 offers tons of cool ridable features. Find them in the video at the end of this story.

Sam is pushing up the hill in the Olympic Park.

Leaving Munich up north to visit his TSG team mate Amir Kabbani turned out being one of his favourite parts of the trip. Amir definitely lives in paradise. The forest next to his hometown has not only awesome trails, but also excellent dirt jumps.

Nothing better than a session with friends

Amir is sending it in style!

 Hitting the trails in Amir’s wood

Its always fun to hang out with  Amir. Thanks for the ride mate!!

You need to pass Belgium to take the ferry back to England from France. By coincidence they found this cool spot so Sam jumped out for another great photo. 

Wheeling is alway fun

III. The Euro Loop Video

But now it’s about time for the video. Enjoy Sam’s Euro Loop!

Explore the products Sam was using during his trip across Europe

evolution solid color

evolution
59.95 €

Freestyle Academy Laax & Stuttgart

Playgrounds

for the Freestyle

Generation

Exercising Tricks, Come Rain or Shine

Laax is our second home and the Freestyle Academy is our living room. Read now about our collaboration.

photos by Daniel Ammann

The Freestyle Academies in Laax, Switzerland, and Stuttgart, Germany, are the answer to a burning question: how can I safely learn the next trick and improve my style? It’s why Laax built Europe’s first ever Freestyle Indoor Base! The Freestyle Academy, in the Swiss canton of Grisons, is a modern playground of 1,200 square metres. It features trampolines, skate ramps and a kicker set-up with a huge air bag to land on for snowboarders, skiers, skateboarders and mountain bikers.

This is the place where you can practice your moves anytime, no matter what the weather or season. And in case the sun shines, you’re not far away from the mountain, as Freestyle Academy Laax is located directly next to the Crap Sogn Gion station.

Innovative, quick, and high quality. It’s just fun to work together with TSG

A similar set-up awaits you in Stuttgart. The Freestyle Academy, in the capital of Baden-Württemberg, is the first ever freestyle hall in Germany: 1,600 square metres in size, it’s the largest of its kind in Europe. It provides similar services as the Laax Freestyle Academy and provides ideal training conditions for snowboarders, freeskiers, skateboarders and mountain bikers.

In addition, there’s a kid’s area for young freestylers. No matter if you’re a beginner, intermediate or pro, everyone gets their money’s worth at both Freestyle Academies. TSG supplies both halls with protection gear and helmets.

“Innovative, quick, and high quality – the products were tailored individually for our needs and have proved to be very solid. The work flow is always uncomplicated. It’s just fun to work together with TSG”, said Ivan Capaul, Head of Freestyle Academy Laax and Snowboard School Laax.

freestyleacademy.com

Big Air Jump for almost all freestyle toys

overview with trampoline area and skate bowl in the background

Huge air bag for soft landing and climbing wall

Explore TSG skateboard helmets and protective gear. 

Biketrails Flims: Nothing but Flow!

Maximum Fun

for Beginners

and Pros

Let’s roll with it!

 

 

 

 

It is pretty clear that our cooperation with Laax doesn’t stop in the summer. We equip the Biketrails Flims shape crew and really don’t mind business meetings in Laax, which end with a round on their trail. We definitely should increase the numbers of meeting…

photos by bike crew laax

 

The bike trails of Flims Laax in Grisons are a double pleasure: Runcatrail and Neverend Trail are perfect for a blast. Measuring 7.6km in length and 740m vertical, Runcatrail is one of the longest flow country trails in Europe. Rookies enjoy the waves while pros jump and surf the doubles, tables and rollers. This playground provides maximum flow fun!

perfectly equipped with TSG for the daily work in building, maintaining and testing the trails

Neverend Trail starts at Crap Sogn Gion at 2,228m above sea level and leads over 7km down to Laax at 1.020m. This speedy and rocky trail, with its countless kickers, offers fun galore and combines north-shore elements with wild nature. Neverend Trail is perfect for intermediate and pro mountain bikers who prefer medium to difficult trails.

We love these trails and so have supplied the shape crew with our TSG protection gear. They sent their love in return: “Thanks to the cooperation of TSG and the Biketrails Flims crew, we’re perfectly equipped for the daily work in building, maintaining and testing the trails. Thank you very much for this great support!”

Explore Biketrails Flims Laax

or read the Herbert Bike Blog

Biketrails Flims Laax Shape Crew

Shaping the banks

Biketrails Flims Laax Shape Crew

Perfectly geared while digging new obstacles

Biketrails Flims Laax Shape Crew

TSG brandig on the bike trail

Biketrails Flims Laax Shape Crew

Biketrails Flims Laax Shape Crew

This beautiful bench now has a special place in our office. Thanks a lot guys for this great surprise!

⁣Six Shaper and up to five heavy machines are shaping the trails of LAAX. Here is a short insight into their daily shaper life.

Want to see what cooperation we have with Laax in the winter season?

Go to Laax Collabs & Friends Story

QParks for Freestyle!

Having

Fun while

Progressing

150 Parks in 5 Countries

 

 

 

 

The people behind QParks have definitely set the standard of today’s snow parks. If you’ve ever had fun in a snow park in Europe, chances are high that one was a QPark.

photos by QParks

When four snowboarding friends founded QParks in 2002, machine-shaped snow parks were rare to find. Today, these structures are standard in all modern ski resorts. QParks has contributed plenty to this success story. The company runs 150 parks in 5 countries today. This was only possible because they have always served as mediator between the local scenes and the resorts. In addition, their professional concepts ensured the highest quality and gave riders the opportunity to have fun while progressing.

safely equipped and in a stylish appearance with TSG

Events such as the QParks Tour as well as special formats for girls and youth have made sure that the freestyle scene always continues to grow. TSG provides protection gear for the park team. The Head of Events QParks, said: “About 250 shapers are working day by day on the mountain for our snowparks and funslopes. Each and every jib and jump is tested by the crew itself, who is always safely equipped and in a stylish appearance with protection from TSG.”

qparks.com

 

The beautiful QParks TSG collab Gravity helmet

Staff testing the park

The shaping crew is happy after a long day of work

Explore TSG ski and snowboard helmets.

Titlis Engelberg: Far up there

Freeride

Mountain

Ski and Snowboard Eldorado in Central Switzerland

 

 

 

 

Every season it is a highlight for us to spend a few days in Engelberg. If you are looking for freeride terrain, there is no way around Titlis. We are proud that the piste rescue team relies on TSG and is safely on duty with our Gravity helmet.

photos by Engelberg

On Titlis near Engelberg, you’re 3,020m above sea level and close to heaven. The only developed glacier in the region offers an unforgettable view on the snow-covered peaks of Central Switzerland. The ski resort wows you with a 12km run from the glacier down to the valley, with a 2,000m vertical drop. But above all, Titlis plays in the premier league of Freeride destinations worldwide. Powder runs such as Laub, Steinberg and Galtiberg are unique.

For protection and safety reasons, we wear helmets and goggles by TSG

TSG is the official helmet and goggle supplier of the SOS and slope maintenance team of Titlis. Martin Hepting, Vice President of the SOS and slope maintenance team, said about this cooperation: “The resort of Engelberg Titlis cares a lot about the safety of its staff. For protection and safety reasons, we wear helmets and goggles by TSG. This makes our work easy, even under difficult conditions. We’re very thankful for this. In terms of prevention, we’ll continue to ride TSG gear!” 

engelberg.ch

Representing TSG during an avalanche safety camp in Engelberg

Madrisa: The Diversity of Winter sports

Perfect for Beginners – and nice for Freeriders

Spacious Slopes

 

 

 

Madrisa has amazing and varied terrain and we love skiing and snowboard here.  TSG is the official helmet supplier of the mountain rescue and slope maintenance teams as well as the snowboard instructors and ski demo teams of Ski and Snowboard School Saas, Klosters.

photographs by Madrisa

Madrisa in the Swiss region of Davos Klosters has amazing and varied terrain that is perfect for learning to ski and snowboard. The ski area sits between 1887 and 2611 metres above sea level, has several fun and race pistes and is serviced by a gondola, three ski lifts and two chair lifts. In the extensive off-piste terrain, freeriders and touring skiers can find excellent powder slopes, which can be explored on a guided tour with a ski instructor or mountain guide. One of the highlights of the area is the one-day Madrisa tour to Gargellen. 

The equipment of our staff has to meet high standards, which is why we ride TSG with enthusiasm

TSG is the official helmet supplier of the mountain rescue and slope maintenance teams as well as the snowboard instructors and ski demo teams of Ski and Snowboard School Saas, Klosters. Remy Urech, Technical Manager and ski and snowboard instructor on the resort, says: “Safety, quality and comfort for our guests are our main goals. But the equipment of our staff also has to meet high standards, which is why we ride TSG with enthusiasm!”

madrisa.ch

Madrisa’s ski instructors safely equipped with our Gravity helmet

Winter wonder land

 

Skateistan: Overcoming limits and borders

Skateboarding

for a brighter

tomorrow

Skateboard schools in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa

 

Read here what Skateistan is about and and why we initially started supporting this non-profit project that started in Afghanistan and now provides a bright future for kids on three continents.

photos by Skateistan

It was our team rider Renton Millar who introduced us to this fantastic project. Skateistan was founded by his Aussie compatriot Oliver Percovich, in 2007, and provides skateboard schools as well as skate parks in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. The initiative aims to empower children and youth through skateboarding and education. Through its innovative programmes, children build the skills and confidence to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities. In addition, its back-to-school programme supports youth in their pursuit of formal education. This initiative touched us and we didn’t think for a second about getting involved.

“Thank you, RideTSG for being there through thick and thin!”

What is be more important than providing traumatized children a fun, safe community where they can play and learn, free from discrimination and violence? And better still, all this arose from the love for skateboarding! Since 2008, we’ve provided product support for the Skateistan team and kids. Plus, we cooperate with them to produce our Skateistan helmet. The project receives royalties for each sold. The direct contact to the Skateistan team  is of utmost importance to us. That’s why we know our donations reach the right people directly.

Oliver Percovich, Founder and Executive Director of Skateistan, explained: “RideTSG was the first official equipment sponsor of Skateistan and it is now more than a decade since the partnership started. Their enthusiasm to support Skateistan has helped us grow and establish Skate Schools in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Thank you, TSG for being there through thick and thin!”

Click here for more information

Skateistan supported by TSG

Girls skating in Johannesburg, Africa

Skateistan supported by TSG

skateboard instructors helping the kids in Johannesburg and Cambodia.

Skateistan supported by TSG

Skateistan supported by TSG

Read to skate!

ready to drop in – fully padded

play time

Read more stories about Skateistan

Skateistan wins Oscar

New skate school for Skateistan

Skate-Aid: For a better world

The pedagogic power of Skateboards

Global Development Aid for Youth

 

 

 

With the pedagogical power of skateboarding, skate-aid promotes self-confidence, community consciousness, personal responsibility and determination of children and young people on four continents. Independent of social origin, ethnicity, religion or culture. It goes without saying that we are enthusiastic about the project!

photos by SKATE-AID

Skate-Aid supports kids in areas of conflict and deprivation by bringing skateboarding to their communities. In times of adversity, skateboarding provides unity, equality and a stable social environment. It enables kids to grow their self-confidence and self-worth and, most importantly, to enjoy good times. Every bit of help can change something for these kids and transform a community and its future. Supplying skateboards and skate equipment as well as building new skate parks are the main tools to provide education for a brighter, safer future. Skateboarding knows no boundaries or war, skin colour or hate or levels of wealth: Skateboarding unites!

With TSG’s support we can make kids and teenagers around the globe happy

Seeing the joy in the children’s faces really touched us, be it in Africa or in refugee camps in Europe. That’s why TSG has supported the project since 2012 delivering protection gear for the team and children. In addition, Skate-Aid receives royalties for each sold TSG Skate-Aid helmet. This is our commitment trying to make the world a better place. The people behind the project say: “Skate-Aid has been more than happy for years to have TSG as a reliable, long-term partner who continuously supports our worldwide projects. With this support we can make kids and teenagers around the globe happy and give them the chance to discover the unlimited and exciting world of skateboarding.”

skate-aid.org

If you like to become a supporter, shop the skate-aid Evolution charity Design:

evolution charity

evolution
74.95 €

GORILLA: Action sports make you move!

For

more

Uga-Uga in Life!

Freestyle Workshops at Schools

 

How happy we would have been if the Gorilla team had appeared on our playground at that time. Read here why you have to get your headmaster excited about gorilla in your school.

photos by Gorilla

GORILLA brings more Uga-Uga into everyday life at school. The society’s workshops, apps and tutorials convey the fun of exercise and positive attitude to children and teens, prefer skateboarding, longboarding, breakdance, slackline, Parkour, freestyle Frisbee and more over traditional sports. 

Among the instructors are well-known freestyle athletes including European and World Champions. A balanced diet and sustainable consumption are also on the agenda. TSG has supported the project with product since 2010 for instructors and kids.

Thanks to our partner TSG, we can rely on high-quality products. This is a great partnership!

TSG is all about action sports and that’s why we loved the concept of GORILLA.

Roder Grolimund, founder and CEO of GORILLA, says: “Safety first, this is the motto of our workshops, which we hold at schools in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Thanks to our partner TSG, we can rely on high-quality products. This is a great partnership!” Altogether now: Uga-Uga!!!

SUI: gorilla.ch

GER: gorilladeutschland.de

AUT: deingorilla.at

Gorilla makes the topic of health really fun. Watch the video to see for yourself:

YouTube player

Gorilla WorkshopGorilla Workshop