by The Editors on October 14, 2008
According to the horror movie site Dread Central the Norwegian director Roar Uthaug’s snowboard slasher film Cold Prey may be released in North America on DVD soon. Here’s a bit of their review :
Five youngsters go up into the mountains for some snowboarding goodness. When one of their own is injured in a mishap, the group seeks shelter in an abandoned ski resort. Big mistake! As bad luck would have it, there’s serial killer on the loose and he’s determined to turn these unsuspecting kids into his next sport.
Sounds a lot like a “promotional trip” we went on once.
[Link: Dread Central]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
One of the green tickers up in the right hand corner this afternoon was Volcom even though it took what the Orange County Business Journal called “a wild ride” today. They’re saying VeeCo closed this Friday up because of a report by an analyst who said:
Volcom is in a position of strength boasting a balance sheet with no debt, approximately $80 million in cash and clean inventory levels,” Gallacher wrote. “While orders are weak from a shrinking addressable market, Volcom is one brand that continues to gain market share.”
Then again, the only companies in the space to not finish up today were PacSun, Billabong, and Globe. So maybe it had more to do with the market than with what Caris & Co. analyst Claire Gallacher had to say about it.
[Link: Orange County Business Journal]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
Wasserman Media Group is ramping up to launch another Sportnet.com site with Snowboarder.com. They apparently picked up former Future Snowboarding web editor James Sullivan and plan to open for business in the next couple weeks.
For a look at exactly what Wasserman is building click the Sportnet.com site and you’ll see that they are not fooling around in the online space. They’ve been busy lately building a pretty deep collection of online properties that are ripe for picking up online ad dollars in the future.
[Link: Snowboarder.com]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
WizzardX.tv is a new “site” created by podcast host Wizzard Media under the direction of a guy named Skip Fredricks. Here’s how they describe this new action sports video site in their press release:
WizzardX host, Emily Dickinson, will bring the tightest shots, gnarliest crashes and sweetest moves to life each week as the channel grows to include over 20 of the top podcast shows in the action sports genre. This week, Emily promotes four anchor shows, Dirt, Street, Snow and Water featuring some of the top professionals in their respective sport.
Okay, correct us if we are wrong, but there aren’t even 10 action sports podcasts worth watching and yet, WizzardX is going to include over 20?
Watching Wizzard X is like walking into some shady action sports past. All the footage is old, the events irrelevant, and the shows mostly unwatchable. The site seems to follow the idea that by throwing enough crap out on the web someone will eventually watch it.
Our big question: who do they think they’re going to fool with this? Certainly not the kids.
[Link: Wizzzardx.tv via Marketwatch]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
Falling stocks really aren’t news these days, but we still have fun looking at the charts like this one from Quiksilver’s last year. With it’s $2.79 price today Quik has hit its lowest stock price since 1998.
We hate to admit it, but even to us it’s beginning to look like a bargain.
[Link: Yahoo! Finance]
by The Editors on October 9, 2008
This afternoon at around 12:50 PM Zumiez stock broke through it’s previous 52-week low ($11.85 in July 08) to $11.55 and it appears the bottom has not been reached thanks to reports yesterday of a less than stellar September.
Interestingly, Zumiez’s number two competitor in the malls of America, The Buckle, was up $1.19 today to $49.14.
by The Editors on October 9, 2008
Video gamers willing to shop at Target and spend five dollars more for Ubisoft’s Shaun White Snowboarding video game are going to get some pretty cool in-game extras including the Target Mountain Boarding area, according to a story on Gamespot.com.
Along with the mountain, which brings the total number of scalable slopes to five, those who purchase the Shaun White Snowboarding Target edition will gain access to bonus moves, characters, and scenery. Capping off the bundle, the Target edition will include Target Chalet, “the real-life mountainside home where Shaun and his fellow Target athletes hang out with friends and family at the annual Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado.”
Not really all that high a price to pay to support Shaun’s number one sponsor.
[Link: Game Spot]
by The Editors on October 8, 2008
Vail Trail columnist Linda Boyne, the mother to two young boys, has written an open letter to Jake Burton in her column this week explaining why, thanks to the Love boards, she will be boycotting all Burton products from now on. She ends her column with the following:
You and your wife are raising three boys of your own. I’m appealing to you as a fellow parent. In an interview posted on your Web site, you state, “I’d like to be remembered as a good husband, father, friend, relative and someone who always did the right thing for the sport of snowboarding and the Burton brand.” In this case, I don’t think you’re doing the right thing.
Apparently, Ms. Boyne doesn’t understand that in business making money always comes first.
[Link: Vail Trail]
by The Editors on October 8, 2008
America’s core sports mall store Zumiez reported their same store sales were down 9 percent in September according to a story on Forbes.com.
The Everett-based retailer said its same-store sales results were dragged down by poor performance California, Arizona, Florida and Nevada – areas that are among the hardest hit by the nation’s housing market meltdown.
The good news is that net sales were up over last year to $33.6 million. Guess that’s what happens when you keep adding more stores.
[Link: Forbes.com]
by The Editors on October 8, 2008
Things are looking pretty good for an early start to the SoCal snow season. This is Mammoth Mountain on Sunday morning.
A substantial cool-down is expected by week’s end and the Eastern Sierra forecast calls for more snow flurries this weekend, probably late Friday through much of Saturday.
Mammoth isn’t scheduled to open until early November, but you never know. Bring it on. We’re ready.
[Link: LA Times]
