WORDS: YOURI BARNEOUD

PERHAPS BEST-KNOWN FOR STAGING THE ANNUAL MONDIAL DU SNOW TRADESHOW AND ITS BIG SNOWPARK AND GLACIER (OPEN NEARLY ALL YEAR ROUND), THE FRENCH RESORT OF LES DEUX ALPES ALSO BOASTS ONE OTHER HIGHLIGHT: YANNICK AMEVET’S SNOWBOARD SHOP, SUPERWHITE.

Superwhite Snowboard Shop, Les Deux Alpes, Photo: Matt Georges

Along with being one of France and Europe’s main snowboarding hubs, Les Deux Alpes is a resort which stays busy more or less the whole year  thanks to its glacier that remains open to the public throughout the summer. As loyal a local as they come, old-time French rider Yannick Amevet  (who was part of Absinthe’s original crew and featured in videos like Transcendence, Vivid, and Saturation) always dreamed of having a core snowboard shop in his home resort. So when Yannick found an ideal retail space, located on the town’s main drag, his main sponsor at the time,  Billabong, was more than happy to back the project.

Opening its doors in 2002 during the Mondial du Snow, Superwhite was set up as a Billabong  concept store and those that were there for the epic opening party will no doubt remember it. However, juggling Billabong’s offer to set up the shop  and keep on top of his pro rider career was no easy feat at the time. “It wasn’t simple to start with”, admits Yannick. “I had the stress of putting the whole shop together with all the investment and commitments that represented, but at the same time I had to fi nd a way to come up with enough  quality footage for my Absinthe video parts. I had a very busy schedule and it wasn’t always straightforward to manage. But I don’t regret any of it, it allowed me to change careers but continue working in something that I really enjoy.” A few seasons later, Yannick would go onto managing his shop full time. As the years have passed, the shop has evolved. Like any business project that wants to remain successful, Yannick is always looking to move with the times and put new shop concepts in place. “The idea was to create a website offering all the latest, coolest brands and products to our customers. However, this was tricky to promote under the Billabong concept store name. We therefore decided to take a fresh look at the way we worked.” In 2006 a new Billabong concept store was set up in Annecy and in 2009 Superwhite turned into an independent snowboard shop along with the launch of its website www.superwhitestore.com.

At Superwhite, you can now fi nd a wide-range selection of all the latest in brands, each one having its own dedicated space in the shop with their own displays and furniture. The shop spans a total of 350m2 so there’s plenty of browsing to be done, and it can be a good place to meet other riders or just chat with the dedicated team of staff. The brands on offer include  Billabong, Burton, Element, Volcom, DC, Electric, Special Blend, Forum, Nixon, Anon, Von Zipper, Dakine, Yes, Apo, Nike, plus some other smaller brands. And for those that want to test equipment before buying – always a smart idea – Superwhite also acts as a test centre for Burton, DC, APO and YES. Although Yannick now runs a shop with seven employees, despite being exceptionally busy he still remains very attached to the snowboard scene. He’s intent on being fully involved and committed to what he does, and that’s one of the reasons his shop sponsors local rider Arthur Longo. “I’ve known him since he was a kid. He’s one of the best snowboarders out there right now and he refl ects exactly the same values and spirit we want to champion,” Yannick explains. And the shop also organises a contest each month on the Deux Alpes snowpark with Alex Doumergue and his bar, Les Bleuets, a hotspot in town for any thirsty snowboarders looking for a fun night out. The shop is usually open from the beginning of December to end of April, from June to August during the summer, and for October school holidays. “The website, however, is open all year!” Yannick quickly adds. So whether you’re looking to make a new purchase, test new equipment or just need some expert advice in Deux Alpes, you know where to go now!

CONTACT:
Superwhite
88 Avenue de la Muzelle
38860 Les Deux Alpes
France
contact@superwhitestore.com
www.superwhitestore.com,
Phone: 0033 (4) 76 11 32 45

WORDS: YOURI BARNEOUD

Photo: Matt Georges

IF THERE WERE A HEART IN THE ANATOMY OF ITALIAN SHRED IT WOULD BE BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF MERANO, WHERE THE FAKIE SHOP HAS BEEN PUMPING OUT THE WHITE LOVE SINCE 1999.

It’s 1997: Alex Berger is a machine operator in some remote factory in Northern Italy, otherwise know as South Tirol. Alex is first and foremost,
though, a long-time, passionate shredder, and is looking for a board to purchase in his area – with no luck. There is nowhere offering core gear to core folks in this region of Italy and Austria, so Alex makes a decision which will change his life: He drives to Munich to pick up a shiny Type E Danny Way board in the Boarders store, which is still going strong today in the Bavarian capital. Alex is so amazed at the customer service and dedication of the staff – a real crew of specialists – that he makes his second decision of his trip: he will be the fi rst to offer this kind of shop and service in his hood. One-and-a-half years later in Merano the Fakie Shop was born.

With his passion, Alex takes every opportunity to leave the factory to get on the mountain or in the skatepark. “Back in Munich, I really felt that they were doing it with love and passion for snowboarding. This situation really impressed me.” Alex finally quits the ‘food job’ and goes for the entrepreneur lifestyle. Not only does he starts his own shop, but a few years later he also decides to create and build snowparks. Nowadays, that’s Alex’s main activity, since the shop is now run by a crew of connoisseurs. “After many bad injuries on both knees I had to stop doing runs in snowparks and skateparks, so I decided to go on with my second passion, and today my company F-Tech (www.f-techconstruction.com) runs four of the biggest parks in Italy, and we organise contests and events all winter long.” It’s now ten years that the park construction company has existed. In fact, it’s not only 4 parks he’s taking care of but 9: Snowpark Kronplatz, King Laurin Park Alpe di Siusi, Gentlemenriders Nitro Park Val Senales, Snowpark Obereggen, and 5 smaller one. This hyperactive man is also proud to make time to shoot and film.

Looking back, he finds reasons for the success story of the shop: “Love and passion for snowboarding and skateboarding, a really strong connection to the scene and always been true to it.” He was also assisted by Silvia, his partner, who made the important decisions in the right order and at the right time. She’s now the boss of the shop – or rather shops, as there is now not just one Fakie shop but three. The second store in Silandro came into being because of the need for a truely dedicated outlet in that remote valley, and then finally the Fakietech store allowed the team to have enough space to present all the goods they wanted to, and especially the more technical equipment. All of these shops are dedicated to snowboarding, of course, but they also have a Mountain Bike and BMX corner. In each area, the range of goods is immense with a focus on core and technical gear. In the snowboarding range, the choice is wide enough to give you a massive headache. Just talking about the snowboard brands, you’ll fi nd Von Zipper, Electric, Spy, Dragon, Billabong, Dakine, Volcom, Vans, DVS, Analog, Burton, Nitro, Ride, Omatic, Stepchild, DC, Rome, Tech 9, Salomon, Capita, Giro, Bern, Red, Smith, Deeluxe, 32, Drake, Union, Anon, Bonfire, Special Blend, Insigth, Alprausch, Nikita, Iuter, Pirates,
Zimtstern, Nomis, Adidas, Elm, Nike, Foursquare, 686, Krew, Atticus, Wesc, Nixon, Skull Candy, TSG… Salivating yet? We guess that shows how traumatized Alex was when searching for happiness on the road to Munich…

Offering a lot of gear is one thing, but customer service is totally different – and often neglected. It is here where the Fakie shops excel. “Technical knowhow, technical products, a great crew and a super cool family and atmosphere in the shop,” those are the key points of that service offered by a crew of 12 shred heads, and promoted all together by a large crew of local riders such as Simon Gruber, Marco Concin, Lukas Goller, Marco Grigis and more. Basically all that it takes to build an energetic and motivated scene in South Tirol. That’s maybe the Alex Berger’s crowning achievement: nobody in South Tirol needs to go to Munich anymore!

THE 3 STORES:

- Fakieshop // Meran // Street Fashion & Shoes Laubengasse 244a via Portici 39012 – Meran/o (BZ) Italy
- Fakietech Store // Meran // Snow & Skate & Bike Same address
- Lil Fakieshop // Schlanders // Snow & Skate & Street Hauptstraße 11 via Nazionale 39028 – Schlanders/Silandro (BZ) Italy

Also check: the Fakie Shop online store where you also have daily info on new products, team riders news, contests, etc.

And the email: mailorder@fakiestore.com

WORDS: Uli Kohler

For this month’s coreshop we travelled to Feldkirch in Vorarlber, the westernmost part of Austria and met Thomas Alton, whose skatehouse is a snowboarding hub that boasts a good selection of products and is also heavily involved in the regional scene.

Thomas Alton's Skatehouse Feldkirch Austria, Photo: Sami Tuoriniemi

If you know the facts of how thomas got involved in his father’s shoe store in 1996, how he helped build the snowpark in Damüls over 10 years ago and that he supports a team of almost 20 riders across different action sports it seems flat out impossible that he himself is only 28 years old. “Well, in 1996 I had an idea, my dad had the plan, and he helped me set up a boardsports business within his shoe and fashion store. I was twelve years old when I wrote my first order.” He worked in the store after school, and upon finishing high school he worked full-time on establishing Alton’s Skatehouse as the best boardsports store in Western Austria. At the end of last decade they modified the entire building and since 2001 the Skatehouse is an entity that includes a bar, a DJ stand and a video games corner.

Apart from the retail business Thomas has always been eager to push the local shred scene: “I am a die-hard snowboarder and it is in my interest to push the sport I love. Unfortunately overall the snowboard scene is shrinking. The most important thing therefore is to push the groms!” More than ten years ago his crew started building the Damüls Snowpark – “our baby” as he calls it – which arguably has since grown to become the best park in the entire region.

More famous, though, than the shop’s resort activities, is the annual rookie event up in Damüls. It follows an unique concept where European talents have the opportunity to present themselves to the most important European snowboard journalists and brands. Thomas dreamed up the event while doing his compulsory community service. “Last spring we already saw the seventh edition of the Austrian Rookie Challenge. It has grown into the most respected rookie event in the German-speaking region.” It is hard to refute this when you look at its past winners, among them well-known names like Werni Stock, Marc Swoboda or Niki Korpela. In 2010 local talent David Loibl won the event, which is – different from most other snowboard events – entirely judged by the media on-site. He happens to be in the Skatehouse’s team as well, which currently includes twelve rippers from Vorarlberg, and is yet more proof that Thomas and his crew are serious about boosting the local shred scene.

However, there are also some business challenges ahead. The most severe? “We have to compete against big retailers that now carry the brands we helped establish.” So how does he make sure his Skatehouse will exist in ten years time? “It is a daily struggle, but we always try to be that little better than the big ones.” One plus is the big selection of small brands in his shop: “It is hard for those big players to copy the core styles and trends. That will be our right to exist.” Looking around in the shop, and feeling the commitment Thomas, his family and the employees put into the business and all the activities we are sure they will prevail. If you want to support your local scene, though, you should do your share and buy your gear from the core store next door – just like Alton’s Skatehouse.