Photo: Tsutomu Endo
Carmate Corporation (headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo) has signed a development advisory contract with Terje Håkonsen (Norway) for snowboard bindings and snowboard boots in order to strengthen the development capabilities of its snowboard brand FLUX and expand its global market share.
Aim of the advisory agreement
More than 30 years have passed since the brand was founded, and with an eye to the future of the snowboarding scene, a major challenge for the FLUX brand has been to expand its share in the global market.
Terje's experience and knowledge, which he has gained from being at the forefront of snowboarding from the dawn of snowboarding to the present day, is beyond our imagination. We believe that he will be able to advance not only FLUX but the snowboarding scene as a whole, which is why we have entered into an advisory contract with him.
Photo: Tsutomu Endo
Comment from Terje Haakonsen
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Terje Haakonsen Profile
Born October 11, 1974 in Vinje, Norway
During the heyday of snowboarding in the 90s, he was active in competitions, winning the US Open three times, the World Championship three times, the European Championship five times, and the Baker Banked Slalom seven times, leaving an overwhelming record of success. He also appeared in classic films that are still watched today, such as "ROAD KILL" ('92), "THE GARDEN" ('94), and "SUBJECT HAAKONSEN" ('96), and starred in the first feature film in the snowboarding world, "FIRST DESCENT". He is widely known as the most influential snowboarder on the market.
Photo: Tsutomu Endo
Comment from Yoshinori Uchie, Managing Director of Carmate Co., Ltd.
Since the brand was launched 32 years ago, in recent years we have entered a borderless era in which Japanese riders are active around the world, and our gear has constantly evolved to keep up with this.
"By signing a development contract with Terje, who has been at the top of the snowboarding scene for many years and continues to ride a variety of mountains, we are excited to create a synergistic effect between our 30 years of experience and technology in gear manufacturing and Terje's riding experience, and to contribute to the development of riders and the snowboarding scene as a whole through the further evolution of our gear."
[About FLUX bindings]
Born in 1992 (development started) with the concept of "the best binding that fits Japanese feet". Utilizing our accumulated resin molding and design technology, we have been providing performance and comfort that satisfies snowboarders and riders both in Japan and overseas. Furthermore, bindings, which had previously played a supporting role in design, were given free design by water transfer printing, creating a fashionable look. Currently, there are only a handful of snowboard brands in the world that have been in business for over 30 years under the same company. We would like to continue to take on various challenges and propose new ideas.