Alex "Army" Armstrong
Army is a pocket knife of a skier. Coming from the East and growing up ski racing, she honed her technical skiing skills on the icy hills of Mont Ste. Marie, Quebec. After realizing she was a ski bum in the wrong province, she moved out to Banff, Alberta. Army learnt how to navigate the backcountry by becoming a ski patroller and freeski while competing on the local FWQ stops. After getting some notice from sponsors, Army decided to pursue a career as a professional skier. Through a few years of hard work and luck, she now has self-produced many projects, including Skier Rich, which she was nominated for Female Performance of the Year at iF3, starred in Blank’s 2022 film, "Feels Real" and will appear in Teton Gravity's Film this fall 2023. Army is now based out of Squamish, British Columbia on the unceded ancestral territories of the Lil’Wat and Squamish Nations. Her limited edition IWO North Shore 114 model honours the scared grounds she calls home by donating all proceeds to the "Indigenous Women Outdoors" charity to that assists indigenous women access their native surroundings.
"Inspired by my racing roots and my big mountain style, the North Shore 114 is made to charge and be stable on big lines but maneuverable enough to nail techy pillows, trees and slash a good old fashion pow turn!"
Benny Smith
Benny Smith is 27 years old, born and raised in Vermont. He moved out to Colorado at age 16 and competed in slope style until the age of 22. Being a local in the Breckenridge and Copper region, he sparked connections with RMU founder Mike Waesche. He signed on with RMU 10 years ago as a core athlete in RMU's identity, helping design our signature park ski "The Rippah" with co-athlete Ethan Swadburg. After entering level 1 SuperUnknown he started to gear towards filming, particularly in backcountry segments. Since appearing in Level 1's SuperUnknown, Benny has starred in Level 1 films; Romance, Pleasure, Habit and Zig Zag. Benny went on to create the ski crew Strictly with his friends and put out four movies; Strictly Business, Welcome, Bermuda, and Wildcard. He has been nominated for IF3’s Male Skier of the year and Backcountry Segment of the year. When he’s not skiing he’s most likely hammering nails, mountain biking, dirt biking or golfing, while helping shape the future of RMU skis with his input on the rebirth of the Professor 121.
"The rippah continues to be old faithful in the park. Every time I hop back on that ski it’s a pleasant reunion with my earlier days of skiing park daily. They get everything done for me in the park, stiff enough to still chuck doubles and be confident in going big, knowing they can take the impact, but playful enough to surface swap and butter around. "
"The professor is the perfect ski to have in the backcountry every day. At 121 underfoot and 188 in length you would assume that’s a tough ski to handle, but it skis really quick and snappy. I feel like I’m on a park ski out there. They are stiff enough where I’m comfortable to ski big lines or jumps but still snappy and buttery enough for me to get creative. I’m really happy with how this ski turned out."
"The apostle 106 is a fantastic everyday resort ski. The ski gives me comfort to take them from the early morning all mountain laps, to some park laps in the afternoon. They handle speed and chop better than any ski I’ve ridden before and are super fun and snappy in the park. If your looking for a one ski quiver for the year this is the one. "
Wiley Miller
Wiley Miller is a legend in the ski world who originally grew up in Billings, MT. Wiley's work as a competitive and film athlete, as well as background in product development and design, has had a profound effect on the industry and sport for the past decade. Skiing has always been a part of Wiley's life and something he's focused on more than anything. His unique and creative skiing, mixed with challenging features in the backcountry has developed into his signature style, smooth and effortless. Wiley loves to produce film projects to reflect the creative style that drives him to be in the mountains everyday. His latest film Connection To Gravity gives us an in-depth look at current life in his home state of Montana and how skiing continues to drive him through life’s challenges. This film aims to simplify the true form of meaning and happiness we all look to achieve through dedicated practice and passion.
"...I designed this ski (YLE 118) to handle certain attributes of skiing better then others. Understandably I want these things to be able to handle powder, handle high speed but also be able to charge the mountain everyday, so it needs to turn and it cant be a 2 x 6. So I understand that there is some give and take with this ski the use is good in powder, playful, but needs to handle high speed, jumps, and skiable through the trees or chop on the mountain....the ski is not asymmetrical, the sidecut is the same on both skis inside or outside. One thing RMU and I focused on is that for the longest time skis were designed as an individual which makes sense but for this ski and what it is meant to do we were inspired by the entire canvas of the board. I guess if you thought of it like a no board or a surfboard and cut it in two you start to get a much different shape then as just one ski. "
Jacob Belanger
Jacob recently clinched the title of Amateur Skier of the Year at the 2023 IF3 festival in Whistler, BC. Hailing from Lac Beauport, Québéc, and began skiing at the age of 2 at his local resort Le Relais. The province of Québéc in Canada has continuously put out some of the best park and freeskiers in the game year after year. The Québécois culture puts skiing on the highest pedestal, but for which many outside of the province are yet to know. Jacob's skiing was inherited through family, being taught from the moment he could walk by his father and grandfather. He continued on with the family passion as a ski racer until age 11 when he fell in love with park skiing. His effortless style to land more spins than seems plausible has landed him with sponsors for numerous years. Jacob moved out to Whistler in 2020 to pursue the larger mountains and backcountry terrain. RMU caught his eye when RMU local Kyle Coxworth's custom Rippah graphic was released and flooded the Whistler/Blackcomb park. Jacob said he "really loved the vibe of the company with the Resto/bar/ski shop at the bottom of the ski hill! The switch to rmu skis just came naturally and i’m so stoked about it! 🫡" Jacob has been apart of numerous street and park projects in Québéc, and partook in Good Company's "Working Title" in 2019. Since moving to British Colombia, the film projects took a backseat while adjusting the environment and backcountry terrain. But for this 2022/2023 winter season, Jacob spent weeks in-front of the lens in an upcoming sequel film to Joey Kraft's "Braj". He's determined this new film will be his best work on skis yet, and we're in for a treat! Other sponsor: Planks clothing, D-structure shop, Trinsic Optic
"I’ve been on the north shore 114 pretty much every day this year and this ski is probably one of the most fun and playfull skis i had the chance to ride. From the deep day in the backcountry to the choppy moguls on the resort , even in the park and on rails, it did it all so well! Even if the tail is a little flat, if your concerned about not being able to ride switch in the pow on this ski , let me tell you that it works super well! Nothing but good things to say about it !"
Keri Herman
Growing up in Minnesota, Keri Herman started out as a hockey player. She found her true calling in skiing at the age of 21 when she was attending the University of Denver. Graduating in 2005 with a Finance and Marketing degree, she moved to Breckenridge and reignited her love for competition. She competed at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, has 5 X games silver medals, 3 Dew Tour medals, World Cup and Grand Prix podium finishes and was the first female to become World Champion and take home the Crystal Globe for Slopestyle Skiing.
"I helped create the Valhalla 97 and 107 which are my all time favorite skis on the planet! They are so playful and fun! I have so much control whether I'm skiing big mountain, groomers, trees or park. I am obsessed. It's so great being a part of a company that works so well together to create new, innovative and awesome products!"
Mark Abma
Mark Abma is a professional big mountain freeskier from British Columbia, Canada and is one of the industry’s most popular athletes, both for his smooth, aggressive style and his outgoing personality. Mark grew up competing in mogul skiing before transitioning to park competitions in his late teens. In 2003 he got a chance to film with Matchstick Productions and he hasn’t looked back since, filming in every MSP film since, as well as several Warren Miller and Poor Boyz movies. Abma has won the Powder Video Award for Best Male Performance twice in 2005 and 2007 and continues to lead the industry today
"The Professor is my most used ski because it provides the perfect balance between being playful and hard charging. It has an amazing ability to slash turns, but also has the stability for high speed turns. The tip keeps you floating on the deep days and the tail gives you the support needed for landing airs. In other words, “It floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.“ "
Rhys Verner
Born in Squamish, BC Rhys has spent his entire life on bikes, skis, and just generally being in the mountains. After finishing High School in Squamish and University in Victoria with a degree in Economics, Rhys set his sights on the Enduro World Cup. After committing full time to racing and training Rhys finished 2023 with a World Cup win, as well as a podium and a 4th overall in series. Rhys also spends the majority of the winter backcountry skiing as cross training, where he has progressed over the last few years to explore more new spots and get out as much as possible. In addition to skiing and biking you can find Rhys in the Sea to Sky doing just about every sport, taking advantage of the opportunities of growing up in Squamish.
"After a year and a half and more days than I can count on the North Shore 114’s I am nothing but completely impressed. I’ve used this ski for resort, 40km single day backcountry traverses, pillows, steep faces, and everything in between and never been let down. It is my do it all ski that’s light enough to go the distance, but stable enough to be comfortable on any line you can pick out."
"This is a piece of gear that pretty much stays on my bike all season long. It fits just above my water bottle, and is always stocked with bars or an Allen key. It’s especially helpful during long rides where I don’t want my pockets over stuffed. In addition to holding lots of bars, I also have used it to put my watch in for descents as it bugs my wrist. Overall this is a great piece of gear that has been very helpful for racing as well as just general rides"
