The annual snow buying cycle is well underway and with it comes the nationwide on-snow demo tours. The Western Winter Sports Reps Association holds two separate events in California (in addition to their Northwest demo)—the Nor Cal demo was held at Alpine Meadows on Monday and Tuesday, February 6 and 7, 2012 and will end the week with two consecutive days for SoCal retailers at Mammoth Mountain on the 8 and 9th.
Though the WWSRA/SIA National Demo at Winter Park, Colorado was well attended, according to WWSRA Director Cami Garrison, this years buying cycle and subsequent demos have been a bit of an afterthought for many retailers struggling in the current season. “When I went to SIA we literally had only 40 people pre-registered for the Nor-Cal event,” she says. “But, as soon as we got back, bam—everyone started signing up.”
All told, Garrison had 256 people sign up ahead of time for the Alpine Meadows event and by the end of day one she gauged attendance at about 390. For $25 a person, retailers are able to test boards, boots, bindings, accessory items from the various rep and manufacturer booths set up in the parking lot at the base of the resort. The WWSRA also throws in free beers and a hot-dog lunch each day.
A high-end Swiss watch company might be the last thing you’d think to find in the middle of the C3 Worldwide brand stable, but this past December the company became the North American partner of Home.
“I spent my first ten years working for Swatch,” reminds C3 president and CEO Bob Gundram. “I retained a lot of those contacts through my career. When I was introduced to Swiss brothers Jak and Eddie Doose last year and saw their ideas for Home, I knew we could help them out in North America.”
The company aims to differentiate itself with its Swiss heritage and high–end materials like Swiss quartz, stainless steel, and even anodized aluminum. With price points starting at $300 and topping out around $700 they aren’t exactly for the faint of heart, but the oversized styling makes them a great statement piece. Supported by team riders Travis Rice, Gigi Rüf, and Mark Sollors, Home is gaining traction fast.
Day two of the 2012 SIA Show in Denver began with sunshine and partly cloudy skies, but by 10:30 AM Downtown Denver was engulfed in a classic mid-winter snowstorm making getting to the show a lot more like getting to the lifts. But it is the Snow Show, right?
On day two the mood of the show began to make itself more known. Traffic is definitely down in the aisles. Booths that last year were a non-stop parties are quiet and business-like. The parties that last year required pushing, shoving, and friend calling to get in were casual walk-ins this year.
While those at the show are doing business and brand reps have been busy showing lines, a snowless December really did its damage to the shops. As one retailer told us, “Fall was great. But December was terrible. January is right back to normal, but we’ll never be able to make up for December.”
An overall mood of caution seemed to hover over every discussion and it seems that trickled down to the parties as well. That said, the slight drop in hype made everything that much easier to negotiate.
We’ll continue to add more images to these galleries, so check back often for updates. For live updates during the day be sure to follow us on Instagram @Boardistan or Twitter @boardistan or on Facebook.
Travis Rice (above with C-3 President Bob Gundrum and Union’s George Kleckner) has added Union Bindings to the list of brands he whole-heartedly supports. During his Transworld Riders’ Poll acceptance speech Rice let everyone know he was on the program.
It’s amazing what Union has been able to achieve in the past eight years. More than just making the best bindings on the market, they have created a successful business with family values. I’m very proud and honored to join the incredible Union team.”
Rice joins Dan Brisse, Jess Kimura, Danny Kass, Gig Rüf and the rest of the Union team. Follow the jump for all the official details. [click to continue…]
GoPro is proud to announce the addition of Shaun White to their team of action sports stars who like to film themselves while they do what they do.
Shaun White is joining GoPro’s progressive team of snowboard athletes that include Mike Basich, Tim Humphreys, Eric Willett,Jamie Anderson, Hannah Teter and Devun Walsh.
For the honor we’re guessing GoPro is paying Shaun an ungodly amount of money, and in return they’re going to get hours of promo and some amazing footage. Not a bad trade. [click to continue…]
Night one of the 2012 Snow Industries of America show began at Denver’s Casselman’s for 686 Outerwear’sLights Out! boxing. The night featured The Dingo on the mic, Danny Kass as a referee and some of action sports’ biggest names duking it out in the ring.
Transworld Media Editorial Director Rob Campbell went toe-to-toe with Frends‘ Sean Lake (Lake prevailed). Sketchy D got in on the action. But the night’s biggest brawl came in a classic battle of “my CEO can beat up your CEO” when Electric Visual Co-President Bruce Beach and Vestal CEO Johnny Gehris stepped into the ring in what looked like a Costa Mesa grudge match royal. Neither fighter saved anything for later. The two fought like warriors trading damage until a Beach right cross to the nose forced Gehris to throw in the towel late in the last of three rounds.
In his story A Chronicle of Doing It: Nike and DestructionKyle Beachy (an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Chicago’s Roosevelt University) rolls through the history of Nike and skateboarding pointing out the obvious dichotomy between corporate cobbling and the core skateboarding market along the way.
Here’s a sample:
I submit that Grant Taylor is one of perhaps three skaters recognizable more by his shoe sponsor than board company. It is the same sponsor who weathered the PR nightmare of sweatshop injustice, elbowed themselves into golf and soccer, supports SOPA, and might, though they have no reason to, someday manufacture their own skateboards. Because why not. The same sponsor whose strategy will clear away the clutter of poorly- and skater-run, middling footwear companies, the inept and frail and upstart alike, acting as our free market’s grand systematic broom. Whatever Nike’s next step is, it will be, like Grant Taylor, bigger and faster. We will ignore the rubber gloves and hear the parrot’s squawk as our own. Bigger, faster, bigger, bigger, bigger.
The aforementioned quote is in fact the conclusion to the piece, but read the whole story anyway because Beachy pretty much covers every angle of the Nike vs. Core discussion and ends up where we all do: with the realization that the winning brands are the ones who do it better than everyone else. And while it sometimes sucks to admit that, it is so true that we’re almost embarrassed even mentioning it.
The Winter X Games hype is beginning to build and Spy Optic is apparently in on the program as the title eyewear sponsor of Winter X Games 2012.
“The SPY crew is amping on this sponsorship because it properly underscores our commitment to snow sports generally and at the same time allows us to back the tremendous talent we have on our snow team roster,” says Kevin Casillo, SPY marketing manager. “Our snowboarders, skiers and snowmobilers put a lot of preparation and training toward this contest so we’re stoked to help make the X Games rad for them and the fans in attendance.”
This sponsorship will obviously allow Spy to “activate” on site with all the Aspen locals who crowd the base lodge to catch all the action. The games begin tomorrow (on cable) with the snowboard street final. (Do people still have cable?) Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
TransWorld Media’s Editorial Director Rob Campbell commented, “There are few people in this industry who have the kind of professionalism and aptitude for understanding the ‘big picture’ like Nick does. From conceptualization to execution, he can make it all happen.”
Hamilton is apparently ready for the task (be it with a somewhat smaller staff after the exit of editor Annie Fast at the end of 2011).
“I am very excited for this opportunity and am ready to take on new challenges as we continue to expand our brand,” Hamilton said. “It is really important for us as a media company to adapt to change constantly, because in this new digital world, nothing stays the same for very long.”
We’ve barely begun processing Kelly Slater’s new Quiksilver travel clothing/gear/store concept VSTR and already it appears that the brand’s marketing VP Jesse Faen is on his way out and off to the wilds of South America.
The former Insight marketing guy, who had only been at Quiksilver since August 2011, recently updated his Facebook page with the following: “worked at VSTR (VP of Marketing) from Aug 2011 to Jan 2012.” His wall was updated today saying he has “tickets booked, so stoked. We leave LA the 11th of Feb, off to Chile and a whole new chapter of life about to begin.”
Obviously, we have no idea what we (or Faen) are talking about, so anyone with a little more info is encouraged to chime in. Or not.
