apex sport

Andreas Prommegger

The latest addition to our Pro Team is Austrian, Andreas Prommegger. One of the most consistent athletes on the FIS tour, Andi narrowly missed the overall parallel championship in 2011 by only 50 points. For 2012, Andi hasn't skipped a beat, taking over the yellow jersey at Stoneham. The overall lead continues to change hands in a back and forth, three man battle with Roland Fishnaller and Benjamin Karl.

Update: Andreas won the Crystal Globe for Parallel Snowboard World Cup Champion on March 17 at the Valmalenco race. Congratulations to Andi!

We got to hang with Andi after the Sudelfeld race and asked him a few questions:

1. How did you get started in snowboard racing?

I started snowboarding in 1992. My cousins took me with them and showed me how carving works. A little bit later i participated in my first racing competitions.

2. What equipment do you use?

• Boards: Kessler
• Boots: UPZ
• Bindings: F2
• Plate: Apex

3. How did you choose your equipment and what affect has it had on your riding?

I switched from F2-Board to Kessler in 2006. Before 2006 i had a lot of good results and World Cup podiums but no victory. In my second race on a Kessler Board I won my first World Cup. So it was the right decision :-)

I first tried an Apex Race Plate in March 2010, borrowing it from Jasey Jay Anderson. I was very surprised how the riding felt on this plate. That`s why I immediately bought one.

With the Apex Race Plates, riding from edge to edge is more comfortable.

4. What was your most important or memorable race?

The most important race for me was the World Cup in La Molina, Spain in 2007 where I had my first victory in World Cup - because I had to wait a long time until my first big win. Another memorable race was the home World Cup in Jauerling, Austria on the 13th of January 2012 where about 6000 spectators where watching the event. It was a great feeling to stand on top of the podium when 6000 Austrians are celebrating with you.

5. Judging from Facebook posts, it seems like the Austrian team is very close with lots of bonding events. Are you good friends with your teammates? What's the funniest/craziest thing that happened on the road?

The Austrians are a very big and successful snowboard team. It is very important, that the atmosphere is good in a big team, because we are traveling together most of the year. I feel very good in the team because there are all good characters. We often had funny "roadtrips" in the US. Once we traveled with a big Chevy Suburban around the MOAB National Park in Utah. There was a lot of snow and we where riding offroad until we stuck in the snow and there was no way to get forward or backward. A Ranger had to help us :-)

6. Now that you're a father, how has that affected your career?

I can say, that it was the best thing for me to become father. My little daughter Laura (she was born on 20th of August 2011) is awesome. I can`t wait to get back to family again when I am traveling around the world. Snowboarding now is the most beautiful "alongside employment"

7. Do you have any plans for a career after snowboarding?

I started police academy in Austria in 2007 and finished the academy last summer of 2011. Now I am a policeman and later I will start working there. And sometime in future, Susanne and I will become a bigger family with a little sister or brother for Laura.

Matthew Morison

"You could close your eyes and just from the sound you knew Mattie was coming down the hill. He just sounded different - faster - than the other kids.". This is how an Oshawa Ski Club old-timer described Matthew Morison as an 11 year old, racing and beating men twice his age.

In 2007, Matt made a smooth transition to the world stage, winning a gold, silver and bronze medal in his rookie World Cup campaign. Since then, Matt has been the model of consistency winning 11 World Cup podiums and 4 victories.

Snowboarding runs in the Morison family. Matt's father, Paul, is such a strong rider and racer that he acted as an unofficial guinea pig for some of Apex's early plate prototypes.

We look forward to many more years of seeing Matt carry his Apex Race Plate to the World Cup podium.

Go Matt Go!

Michael Lambert

Michael turned a lot of heads as the star attraction in the MTV series "Over the Bolts", but it's his racing that deserves the most attention.

Michael first served notice in 2006 when he took Silver at the FIS Junior World Championships. 2010 turned out to be a breakthrough season for the 24 year old as Michael earned his first World Cup win at Nendaz, Switzerland along with a second at Telluride, Colorado. Michael finished the 2010 season with the number 6 ranking in Parallel Giant Slalom.

At Apex, we feel a special bond with this young athlete because it was Michael who sought us out with his idea for a carbon fibre binding plate. His idea turned to gold for teammate Jasey Jay Anderson. We think Michael is a favourite to repeat for Canada at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

With Michael and Matthew leading the charge for a young and talented national team, Canada's snowboard team is a force to be reckoned with for the next four years.