by The Editors on November 30, 2008
We know this has gone on way, way, way too long (we’ve already said that three times we think). But now, Jake Burton Carpenter has written an editorial for the Burlington Free Press regarding the Love board debacle in which he outlines all the amazing financial benefits Burton has brought snowboarding and the state of Vermont, and then issues a veiled threat that he would “rather relocate the company to another state than compromise our commitment to listen to core snowboarders.”
We’re so over this whole story that we’re not even going to comment.
[Link: Burlington Free Press]
by The Editors on November 26, 2008
Blockbuster Canada just released their numbers for top ten video gamer rentals on the four major platforms and the newly released Shaun White Snowboard game is right in there on all platforms.
Number 6 on Playstation 3, number 10 on Playstation 2, number 6 on Xbox 360, and number 5 on Wii. Not too bad when you consider most of the game’s competition are shoot ’em up war games.
[Link: Canadian Press]
by The Editors on November 24, 2008
We know we said we were done, but: today Jake and Donna “Burton” Carpenter appeared on Vermont Public Radio (on whose board Donna is a member) to “respond to criticism of the graphics on some of their boards.” (Click here for the MP3 version)
Jake Burton Carpenter and Donna Carpenter said that for them, the controversy and stories in the media have been hurtful and out of line.
“Hurtful” and “out of line”? Really? Guess everyone is a victim in this love story. Here are a couple more quotes from snowboarding’s first family. First off, Donna is fine with the Playboy boards:
When I first heard about the Love board – I heard the idea that we were putting Playboy centerfolds on the boards and I said, you know, ‘no way.’ And honestly, I was totally prepared to fly off the handle. . .
But she didn’t because after seeing the designs she thought they were tasteful and had a sense of humor. She added that:
The young women that I speak to are not offended by these images at all. They’re really not. I’ve actually had women in the U.S. but also around the world who are buying these boards because they think the images are beautiful.”
And when asked if Burton would create boards like these in the future Jake said, “Yes.”
There might be some moms out there that are part of this, that aren’t going to buy a Burton for their kid. But we’ve never been the brand that builds our graphics about what mom wants. And that was a conscious decision that we made years ago… we make the product and design the product for the person who’s going to use it.”
We guess the bigger question is was all this really worth it? Our answer would be no, but VPR didn’t ask that one.
[Editors’ note: For a longer, nicer interview with Jake and Donna check out Transworld Business.]
[Link: Vermont Public Radio]
by The Editors on November 24, 2008
Many in the action sport media business have been asking what Wasserman Media Group was doing spending so much money on their Sportnet property. It appears someone inside the company asked the same question and answered by cutting 41 percent of the staff.
Twenty-eight of the group’s 68 employees were laid off late Friday, including Gabe Huerta, VP-product development, and a number of others from product development and support.
An email to Luke McDonough, the former president of Studio 411 was returned with the following message: As of November 21st 2008, Luke McDonough is no longer an employee at Wasserman Media Group/Sportnet.” And the recently launched Snowboarder.com has cut recently hired editor James Sullivan and is reportedly being run by a “project manager” at the company.
Some would say it was only a matter of time.
[Link: Paid Content]
by The Editors on November 24, 2008
Snowboarder Magazine and Mountain High have invited the action sports industry to “ditch work and spend the day doing what we are supposed to do–snowboard” on December 11, 2008. Free lift ticket, lunch, and $1.00 beers are all the reason you should need.
To RSVP email ljohnson@mthigh.com or call 760/316-7830 (all you need is a business card or a pay stub from an approved company.)
[Link: Mountain High via Transworld Business]
by The Editors on November 21, 2008
We all know how well it worked in the skate market so now snowboarders Brandon Bybee, Rob Foy, Jason Murphy, and Benson Miller are bringing blanks to snowboarding with a new anti-brand called Blank Snowboards.
We are on a mission to take snowboarding back from corporate America by making snowboarding affordable without compromising the quality. We were there before snowboarding became what it is today: mainstream, unaffordable, and all about the hype. We want to give back to the sport that has given us so many memories, friendships, and great “sick” days by providing the best product at the correct price. We have found that by cutting out all the unnecessary costs (ie: retailers, graphics, and high-paid riders) we can provide the best decks in the industry for ½ the price of any comparable board. We are about the sport not the hype. We are the traditionalists not the trend.
Never quite seen retailers called out as “unnecessary costs” before, but it makes sense. And getting a snowboard for less than 200 bucks does make paying $500 to ride a logo emblazoned billboard seem kind of foolish. Wonder if the major snowboard labels will band together and pressure Transworld Business into creating a special advertorial supplement next fall to help educate the market about how blank snowboards are killing the entire industry?
[Link: Blank Snowboards via The Spectrum]
by The Editors on November 20, 2008
Helmet maker Giro is looking into leaving its current location in Santa Cruz for a new larger location in Scotts Valley, California, according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News.
Giro, a division of Easton-Bell Sports with other offices in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, has outgrown the 30,000-square-foot building it has occupied in the Harvey West business park since 1994, and will ask the company’s board of directors to approve the move in December, according to Kwai Kong, Giro’s president of specialty retail business.
Not bad when the city of Scotts Valley is throwing in $75,000 in “redevelopment funds” to help them move.
[Link: San Jose Mercury News]
by The Editors on November 20, 2008
by The Editors on November 20, 2008
There’s nothing better than a profile in the hometown paper. Take this profile of professional snowboarder Mike Casanova in the Hudson Star Observer for example: the writer’s shameless exuberance is so refreshing. . .
So as a kid, did Mike Casanova ever imagine that he’d be the snowboarding equivalent of a rock star at age 23? . . .Oh, full-blown dream,” he said without hesitation. “I remember sitting there watching videos at my friend Matt Haynie’s house. He would always get all the new (snowboarding) videos. So we would go over to his house and drink Yoo-Hoo chocolate milk and just sit there and geek out watching video after video after video — just talking about all the tricks we wanted to learn.”
We understand completely. He’s a hometown hero to all of us.
[Link: Hudson Star Observer]
by The Editors on November 19, 2008
Administrators at Denver’s Brighton High School decided that the Grenade Gloves stickers they were seeing on student’s cars were promoting “terrorism and violence” and required that students remove the stickers immediately.
Senior Ryan McKim said he and at least five other students were asked by school assistant principal Michael Stoffler to either remove their Grenade Gloves-brand stickers from their cars, or face disciplinary action if they are to park in the student lot. Students pay $40 per year to park in the lot.
After calling around, the misguided vice-principal reversed the decision after getting the the straight story from the PR professionals at Grenade.
Hillary Hutcheson, spokeswoman for Portland, Ore.-based Grenade snowboarding apparel, said the purpose of the grenade is simply to inspire people to be “explosive at whatever it is they do.”. . .“Our motto is, ‘Make gloves, not war,’” she said. “It’s about just being explosive in life, going for it, and going big.”
She also mentioned that Grenade co-founder Danny Kass had recently completed “a tour of military facilities in Afghanistan.”
Part of the company’s purpose is to connect students with “missions,” such as getting good grades, designing a Grenade logo, and sending in their best snowboard trick, to name a few.
Just last week we watched an entire season of Danny and the Dingo and didn’t once hear anything about any “getting good grade missions.” Though we did learn a valuable lesson about the dangers of passing out drunk on the trunk of a moving car.
Somebody give Hillary a raise.
[Link: The Denver Daily]
