by The Editors on January 30, 2009
Nokia Corp. and Skullcandy have apparently agreed to settle their differences outside of the courtroom according to a post on Law360.
A judge has signed off on a request to drop Nokia Corp. without prejudice from an infringement suit brought by Skullcandy Inc. over two patents for an integrator that allows a user to use a music player and a mobile telephone through one set of headphones after the two sides agreed to resolve the dispute out of court.
So that’s where Skullcandy’s next big funding round is coming from. It’s beginning to make sense.
[Link: Law360]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
While we were at the SIA Show it seemed that no one in the snowboard business was being effected by the economy. But it appears that Mammoth Mountain is not floating blissfully along. The LA Times is reporting that the mountain has laid off 101 employees.
CEO Rusty Gregory, in an interview with KSRW radio, or Sierra Wave, confirmed that 101 employees have been fired and other cost-cutting measures were enacted to make up for a sharp drop in skier-visits. . . . Revenue at the Eastern Sierra resort, which offers some of the world’s finest skiing and snowboarding, is down 21% from preseason projections. And the projected number of skier visits for this season has been reduced from 1.4 million to 1.1 million. . . . Gregory said 10 senior managers received 5% pay cuts. Vacation time has been shortened and gas allowances have been eliminated. Gregory, however, assured that none of the cuts will jeopardize the safety of visitors.
And to think we always figured if things ever got really bad we could always get a job as a lift op. Guess not.
[Link: LA Times]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
Nixon founders Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna were recently interviewed on video by a journalism student at Cal Sate San Marcos for the San Diego Source Daily Transcript and story on the company in which the two discussed some of the secrets behind the launch of the action sports watch company.
DiNenna was looking for a watch that fit his lifestyle: outdoorsy — but not the type a hiker would wear; and sophisticated — but not a timepiece you’d expect to see on your grandfather. The problem was that it didn’t seem like anyone was making what he was looking for.
Outdoorsy? Yes. It is nice that Andy and Chad take the time to work with students and do these interviews, because we love watching Chad smirk.
[Link: San Diego Source]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
Monica Davis, a 35-year-old British snowboarder died on New Year’s Day after falling nearly 500 feet while riding in the German Alps at Garmish Partenkirchen, according to a story on Thisisderbyshire. The woman, who got separated from her friends, had sent several text messages before her fall.
She sent text messages from her mobile phone asking for help, but the battery ran flat before she could be found by the German emergency services.. . . The message read: “I am really stuck on the mountain off-piste. I am not being funny, I think I am going to need mountain rescue. I am not OK, I am really stuck.”
Davis took her snowboard off and apparently fell while trying to walk to safety. Her body was found the next day.
[Link: Thisisderbyshire]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
The Alliance of Action Sports has just announced a three-year deal with Eurosport 2 giving the European sports broadcaster exclusive live coverage of the Winter Dew Tour. And of course, Alli President Wade Martin is excited.
“We are thrilled to offer a live telecast of the Winter Dew Tour in Europe through Eurosport 2,” said Wade Martin, President of Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports. “This is a terrific opportunity for fans throughout Europe to see live coverage of the best action sports athletes in the world.”
Are people still watching TV in Europe?
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
Fortress Investment Group LLC, the investment group that owns Whistler Blackcomb has had its stock slide 96 percent since it went public in February of 2007, according to a story on Bloomberg.com, and now things are looking even worse.
“The more I’ve learned about Fortress, the less comfortable I’ve become,” says Jackson Turner, who follows the company at New York-based Argus Research Co. “There’s just this drip, drip, drip of bad news.” He recommends selling the shares. Only one of nine Fortress analysts tracked by Bloomberg rates them a buy. . . . Fortress is a prime example of what happens when the secretive world of hedge funds collides with the public disclosure required of listed companies. Two years after its initial public offering, Fortress remains a tangled web of subsidiaries and partnerships that analyst Turner says is anything but transparent.
Good luck with the coming Winter Olympics, huh?
[Link: Bloomberg.com]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
Our favorite Euro snowboard blog Snowbroader has all the great ISPO parties lined up for anyone who is staying on the trade show party train. And for those not lucky enough to make the trip to Munich they’re kicking down complete coverage from the floor starting Sunday February 1, 2009. We’ll be checking it out.
[Link: Snowbroader]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
You give a guy a medal from the Queen of England and look what happens: Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew announces he’s going to retire as President of the Association of Surfing Professionals:
“After deep consideration, I have decided not to seek a fifth term as ASP President,” Bartholomew said. “I depart from ASP with nothing but positive feelings. After 36 years in the engine room of the sport, the timing of this decision is of the utmost importance to me. I feel the time is right. I leave at the height of my effectiveness perhaps I could say the height of my popularity in the surfing world.”
Anyone think he’ll will be able to coast off into the retirement sunset any time soon.
[Link: ASP World Tour via Lionizepr]
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
by The Editors on January 30, 2009
We’re kind of glad to be done with the show, but we’ve got one more batch of photos. Follow the jump for 53 more from the floor.
[click to continue…]
Nokia Corp. and Skullcandy have apparently agreed to settle their differences outside of the courtroom according to a post on Law360.
