Flow Bindings HistoryFlow got its
start when in 1992 Neil Pryde of NeilPryde Ltd, the leading brand of windsurfing sails and equipment, and
Reinhardt Hansen formerly of F2 Windsurfing turned marketer decided to explore
opportunities in the snowboarding market. The pair saw a need in the
snowboarding market for an improved binding technology. The sport at the time
was relatively young, gaining acceptance, and starting its rapid growth phase.
Snowboarding technology was still fairly crude and there was much room for
improvement. Mr. Pryde and Mr. Hansen employed product designer Werner Jettmar
to make a snowboard binding that was more convenient than a two-strap, more
comfortable than hard shell boots and plate, and gave the sensation of the ''barefoot feel'' Werner set to work, and began the creation of a new soft
binding, that would soon be known to the world as Flow.
What sets Flow apart from the two-strap binding is Flow's patented
Power Triangle. A triangle is formed by the high tensile steel cable that
connects the hi-back to the base-plate. This triangle gives the rider the
ability to easily transfer greater energy to the board while exerting less
physical energy, resulting in the most responsive ride available from any
binding. Other features that are specific to Flow are the one- piece Power Strap
and the reclining hi-back. The Power Strap is ideally formed to fit around the
riders boot, virtually eliminating painful pressure points that are a common
problem with two-strap bindings. The reclining hi-back drops down to allow the
rider to enter the binding with one easy step, pivots back up and is snapped
into position in one easy motion. This is the fastest and easiest entry system
seen on the slopes today.
In 1995, Flow kicked off a complementary snowboard boot line. In
order to achieve the ''barefoot feel'' the designers decided to forego traditional
liner style boots and went with an integrated liner, in order to give a more
precise and close fitting anatomical fit. Creating an integrated liner proved to
have it challenges both in manufacturing and in the market. Today, the boots
have evolved to include heat moldable liners that can
be molded for exact
fit. The new '06/'07 line has features such as an articulating cuff,
articulating tongue, Airtek soles, and a material called Flow Form which
alleviates and cushions pressure points.
The Flow line of bindings and boots was first introduced to the
public in 1996 at the annual ISPO Sports Tradeshow in Munich. The interest
generated at the show was huge, although it would take several more years to
take the Flow brand to the mainstream.
In 2002 Flow added a complementary line of 14 snowboards , all
manufactured in Austria and featuring tip to tail wood cores. The addition of
the board line completed the package and made Flow a virtual integrated riding
system. Termed T3 or Triple Threat Technology . Flow designs each product to be
used in the Flow system providing a superior riding performance when used
together. It was the goal of the design team to make sure that Flow maintained
compatibility with other branded products in order to give the option to its
customers to use other branded products. Keeping with the unique nature of the
brand, the '06/'07 board line will bring in new technologies using materials
that have not yet been seen in the snowboarding world. The top of the line
boards use titanal to bring greater energy transmission, greater stability and a
smooth ride to the boards. Flow will call this new technology Whiskey X . This
new technology will be the first time any brand will truly draw a connection
between the binding and the board making for a real story of energy transmission
from rider, to boot, to binding and into the board. The rider's energy and his
equipment have now gained a level of harmony never before seen in the world of
snowboarding. Every year Flow boards have been on the market, they have seen
marked improvements, this year winning a coveted Transworld Good Wood
Award.
In late 2002, the management of the brand, which had previously been
in Austria, was moved across the Atlantic to settle in San Francisco. The reason
was to focus on achieving the same success in the US market that Flow had seen
in Europe where Flow already enjoyed double- digit market shares in most
regions. Anthony Scaturro was named President of the brand, and new marketing,
product development, and sales teams were put into place. In 2005, the offices
headed south to San Clemente, CA and into the heart of the action sports
industry. Much has changed since the early years of the Flow brand. What was
first seen as an outsider brand has pushed its way to the number two spot in
binding sales worldwide. This is quite an achievement when considering the deep
pockets of previously established brands that have been at it long before Flow
came to market, as well as the resistance to change inherent in human nature. In
2004 Flow came to the tradeshows with the slogan''First they ignore you, then
they ridicule you, then they copy you'' This rang true as rival brands showed
for the first time their version of the Flow binding. The one key feature
missing from other reclining hi-backs was the Patented Power Triangle, the vital
feature that makes a Flow binding ultra responsive. Finally after 10 years of
hard work to break down preconceived barriers about what a binding should look
like, Flow has reached the mainstream. After all, imitation is the highest form
of flattery.
