Here’s the short version: Analog is going snow and moving back to Burlington. The snow team will stay, but the skate and surf teams will be “transitioned out of the brand”. Gravis is moving to Tokyo and going Asia only as a lifestyle brand. The team will be “restructured to accommodate” that market. Helmet’s and optics will be combined under the Anon brand (with some Red still being produced). Burton will “exit out of” The Program brands (Special Blend, Forum, and Four Square) by 2014 (good-bye). Burton has operated the brands for eight years yet, “the businesses have failed to be viable.” In the surf world Channel Islands and it’s team remain unaffected.
Here’s what founder Jake Burton Carpenter has to say about it:
“Burton has experienced several years of income growth since the recession and paid out bonuses to employees over the last two years,” said Jake. “That said, the economy has a voice of its own that we all have to listen to, and the message is clear: do what you do best and focus purely on it. In our case, that means to narrow our focus to the sport and lifestyle that got us here – snowboarding. We will continue to support Channel Islands in its endeavor to make the best surfboards in the world and Gravis in its new home in Japan, but when you walk through the front door here in Burlington, Vermont, it will be all snowboarding and snowboarding lifestyle all the time – driven by the Burton, Analog and anon brands.”
Sound like a good plan all around and honestly, we can’t believe it took them so long with Gravis and the Program. Burton went far beyond a reasonable investment in many of their brands and should be commended for trying to make them work in spite of market response.
Follow the jump for the official word an complete breakdown of the changes. [click to continue…]
There’s real snow piling up in the mountains, but we’re still stuck watching last year’s footage. If we’re going to have to watch some, however, it might as well be Ozzy Henning, right?
Storms rolling in out of the Pacific are set to blanket Tahoe in snow this week. Boreal Mountain Resort on Northern California’s Donner Summit checked in today (October 22, 2012) with 10-15 inches of snow and the report has more on the way.
The cold temperatures are expected to remain in the region through this week, with an additional 15-20 inches forecasted. The sub-freezing temperatures will allow snowmaking operations to begin and run at every opportunity. Pending storm totals and snowmaking conditions, Boreal is targeting to open for skiing and snowboarding on Friday, October 26, 2012 (conditions permitting).
Guess that means it’s time to get your shredding costumes out. It’s going to be a halloween opener. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
Forum Snowboard’s new fall film #Forum is right here and set for viewing in all its beauty and raw radness. This is no clip. It’s the entire film features Andreas Wiig, Pat Moore, Jake Welch, Nic Sauve, Austen Sweetin, Cam Pierce, Daniel Ek, and Mario Kaeppeli. But check out it now, because on Thursday, October 25, 2012 the clip is coming right back down. So there.
Looks like the Frendsheadphone line has swerved from its former mission of only targeting dirty shreds to also offering a high-end fashion headphone line specifically aimed at women. The website update features super models and glossy photos from photographer Kenneth Capello to help make the push. Girlfrends?
The new headphones feature “jewelry inspired designs, genuine leather and hand crafted metal, soft touch fabrics, memory foam ear cushions and premium 40 mm drivers.” The Taylor Rosegold headphone sells for $199. The Ella Gold earbuds sell for $99.
Well, the product looks solid and they are differentiating themselves from that other headphone company. Oh, wait. . .
On Friday, October 26, 2012, the Encinitas, California based UNIV style shop will host a skateboard photography show features works from Ryan Lusteg, Alex Schmidt, and Jason Hainault. The Collection of Reflections show, held in conjunction with The Skateboard Mag begins at 7 PM.
The Australian Shareholders Association was forced to take back a few things it said about why Billabong founder Gordon Merchant and Colette Paull should be voted off the board after Billabong’s largest shareholder had lawyers contact the ASA, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The ASA has now said: ”It was not correct for the ASA to state that Mr Merchant ‘effectively prevented’ the board from ‘accepting an offer of $3.30’.” . . It also accepts that the board made a unanimous decision not to allow due diligence by TPG when it made a $3.30 a share indicative offer and said: ”It is incorrect for the ASA to suggest that Mr Merchant should have known of any ‘perilous financial position”’ before his decision to reject the original offer in February.
With those retractions the ASA still believes Merchant and Colette Paull should be removed from the board for the good of the company.
Don’t let the financial trouble at Billabong and Quiksilver suggest that all is not well in the action fashion industry. There’s no problem if you’re VF Corp. In financial results released today VF says they’re total revenues are up 14 percent, their gross margin is up to a record 46.7, their operating margin has reached 17.5 percent and that all adds up to a record quarter. And the “Outdoor & Action Sports group helped out.
Excluding Timberland, Outdoor & Action Sports operating income rose 16 percent and operating margin increased 220 basis points to an all-time high of 25.7 percent compared with 23.5 percent in the 2011 period. On a GAAP basis, operating income for the coalition increased 29 percent with a flat year-over-year operating margin, reflecting the impact of Timberland. . . Double-digit constant dollar revenue growth in Outdoor & Action Sports should continue in the fourth quarter, driven by strong performance by The North Face® and Vans® brands. Both brands should benefit from new store openings, and comp store and e-commerce growth, supported by higher levels of marketing spending in key regions. For the full year, Outdoor & Action Sports revenues are expected to grow at the higher end of the 25-30 percent range provided in February 2012, with constant dollar organic revenues growing at a mid-teen percentage rate.
Scotty Vine sounds a bit like a motivation speaker in the text intro to his new full part 2 edit:
The 2011/12 winter was the most difficult test of my life in snowboarding. I worked with many talented people over the course of the season who directly or indirectly affected the outcome of this video part. I proudly present this video as a thank you to those who made it possible. It has been 14 years since I started snowboarding and I’m grateful to be able to say that it’s still my passion and I still love snowboarding.
Looks like all that hard work and passion paid off and who doesn’t need a little motivational speaker every now and again?
Yeah, we’ll pretty much listen to anything Jamie Thomas has to say about anything. Even when he’s at the same table with Bart Jones, Erica Yary, and Rob Brink. Just kidding. Check it all in this weeks Weekend Buzz.
Here’s the short version: Analog is going snow and moving back to Burlington. The snow team will stay, but the skate and surf teams will be “transitioned out of the brand”. Gravis is moving to Tokyo and going Asia only as a lifestyle brand. The team will be “restructured to accommodate” that market. Helmet’s and optics will be combined under the Anon brand (with some Red still being produced). Burton will “exit out of” The Program brands (Special Blend, Forum, and Four Square) by 2014 (good-bye). Burton has operated the brands for eight years yet, “the businesses have failed to be viable.” In the surf world Channel Islands and it’s team remain unaffected.
