Rome SDS, a perennial favourite in the snowboard world. Often seen as the opposite end of the spectrum to certain large scale ‘corporations’, a refreshing alternative, the snowboarders’ snowboard brand.
“Rome is a brand of the riders, by the riders, and for the riders” – Abraham Lincoln (probably)
And to be fair, we totally see it. For starters, their pro team features more ‘core’ riders and fan favourites than it does podium topping comp kids (even though said podium topping comp kids are in fact core fan faves). The Venn diagram of the Rome pro team and people we’d want to go for beer with is a circle.
Rome knows there’s exceptional value, not just in the riders that we see on cereal boxes after a mega Olympic run, but in the riders that the average joe can resonate with. Not to say that we can ride anything like them, but they’re relatable, y’know? These riders fuel the stoke, watching them snowboard makes you want to go out, grab some buddies and go snowboarding. A quad cork is undeniably a gargantuan feat of athleticism, but does it invoke the same visceral feeling of ‘get up and go excitement’ as a lofty back 3 or a perfectly boned method?
Two riders who epitomise Rome’s vibe are Madison Blackley and Ivika Jürgenson. They’re the ladies heading up Rome’s Pro Team, different in style but bringing the same infectious energy and contagious hype to the table when they’re strapped in. They’re keepers of the froth, bringers of the hype, and Queens of the Rome Age.
“Despite growing up on opposite sides of the world, Madison and Ivika have similar stories in their early snowboarding life”
