The Legend Reto Lamm
The Legend Reto Lamm
As a teenager, Reto Lamm dreamt of taking surfing from the waves into the powder snow. He turned his dream into reality. The young lad from Pontresina became one of the
first snowboard pros and went on to become one of the driving forces behind the snowboarding boom of the nineteen-nineties and noughties. He has his doubts about the current development of Freestyle.
The article in a windsurfing magazine was just a few lines long: US-American Tom Sims explained how he built his first snowboards. The text came with instructions on how to make one's own snowboard. «I want one too!» exclaimed Reto Lamm. He and his dad went down to the local carpenter, and the three of them built their first snowboard in a single night. The initial turns in the powder snow were tedious, but the 15-year-old persevered. He skipped school to participate in the first World Championships held in St. Moritz and competed against one of his big idols, Craig Kelly, in the parallel slalom. Later, Reto discovered the thrill of the halfpipe and the big jumps, and his talent was soon noticed in the freestyle sporting scene. Directors began hiring him for film shootings alongside Norwegian snowboard star Terje Håkonsen. The first 'Air and Style' contest was held at Innsbruck's ski jump stadium in 1994. The organisers hoped to attract some 500 spectators, but a crowd of 10,000 turned up to watch the competition. Reto won, driving his fans into a frenzy. «I got spooked, fled from the stadium, jumped in my car and drove straight home.» The first edition of Air and Style promised a bright future for the sport of Freestyling.
Reto's victory in Innsbruck boosted his international reputation, and the following year, he won the overall halfpipe World Cup. «At one point, I got a telephone call from Japan. Some TV station wanted to hold an even bigger fixture in Tokyo's inner city.» Reto travelled to Japan, where he laid the foundation for the first 'X-Trail Jam' at the Tokyo Dome indoor baseball stadium—what was to become the biggest snowboarding contest worldwide, drawing crowds of up to 75,000 cheering fans. Reto remained close to the sporting community after retiring from his snowboarding career. As the head organiser of the X-Trail Jam contests, he co-founded the 'Ticket to Ride Tour', which brought together the biggest global contests. Ticket to Ride (TTR) grew into an independent umbrella organisation over which Reto presided. It played a significant part in developing the sport, staging big fixtures even in China. The TTR events were a big hit with the public, which intensely annoyed the established sports associations. The ski association FIS and the Olympic committee moved heaven and earth to gain control of the young sport. «The snowboarding boom was waning, and it was getting ever more
difficult to finance the big events,» Reto Lamm recalls. «Sponsors, host cities, and even countries began making their financing dependent on the event being carried out jointly with the skiing association. That was the end of the TTR Tour.» Reto has no ill feelings when he talks about
the demise of 'his' TTR Tour. «That was just the way of the world. Snowboarding may have gained momentum by becoming an Olympic discipline, but the FIS and IOC prioritise other snow sports.»
Next to his commitment to the Ticket to Ride Tour, Reto began a unique professional trajectory that would result in a close bond with fashion entrepreneur and cinematographer Willy Bogner. Reto made Bogner's acquaintance on the set of the latter's 1991 film in his home valley. The two hit it off
immediately, and soon after that, Reto found himself working for Bogner in front of and behind the camera. «I very much value our friendship. Over three decades, we worked on many film and marketing projects.» Today, as Global Brand Director, Reto oversees the brand's strategic development, including all their film projects and the longtime collaboration for the James Bond movies. Reto Lamm is convinced that snowboarding benefits the Olympic Games. «At the helm of the IOC, you now find people that recognise the worth of freestyle sports.» After snowboarding made its Olympic debut, surfing, skateboarding, and BMX were added to the Summer Olympic programme, and ski cross, Slopestyle, and Big Air were added to the Winter Olympic programme. «Freestyle sports
attract new fans that don't relate to the traditional sports disciplines. Our TTR Tour was not a series of competitions but a series of 'sessions'. The world's best got together to show their best performance and celebrate their sport. To the winner, recognition from his peers was more important
than the prize money.» Reto hopes snowboarding and other freestyle sports regain
some of that spirit. «Creativity is the food and soul of freestyle sports. The focus shouldn't be on points and prizes but on the togetherness of one big family. With today's rigid rules and regulations, this is nearly impossible.»
