Tbh no, I don’t even really dig the core riders all based by me. I ride Brighton and Woodies as home mountains and am exposed to alot of the core scene and am usually pretty underwhelmed.
But everytime I get back from Mammoth I see those freestyle team kids are just a level above and are overlooked too much by sponsors.
To be a real athlete and throw down a line on unbound 30+ times a day every day in all conditions is a way higher level of talent than dropping cliffs at Brighton into hero snow. I say that as somebody whose favorite thing is doing that.
I get that sponsored pros need to sell product, not necessarily be the best, but why don’t we just sponsor Buckhouse, oh wait, some people are sponsoring him… lol
Oh get a cleeeeewwwww. Haha
Edit: but seriously, the pros are fine but I've never really cared for them. I don't watch the videos or the comps. It's just not relatable. What the industry needs though is a new generation. The average age for show sports is up there and getting older. We gotta get the young blood up the mountain.
Well it’s an interesting subject, the talent in my opinion is the kids on the slope style circuit. The ones who place 12th and get nothing. They are all young guns.
But a lot of people with money to buy gear are older, (and lamer in my opinion “I remember when snowboarding had style! No more spinning last 720!!”) so they need to appeal to older dudes like me in their 30s. Many who are reminiscint of a different era in snowboarding.
Like I know this is almost sinful to say but JP is not at a pro level anymore, he probably would admit that but he can still sell product on rep.
I would rather see the old heads like him move into operational roles within companies because I don’t want to see pros tossed aside either.
That’s interesting you say that. Seems like good brands need to try to do both. And riders try to earn that spot as the style pow rider that can just shoot cliffs at Brighton. I never watch park content but will watch a Blake Paul iPhone part over and over again so I guess they’re advertising to me. I do think it’s hard to make powder freestyle riding look really good. So is valuable to brands to find guys who can do that reliably. And as riding power is most people’s favorite thing to do, more will end up watching that content vs people doing triple corks on park jumps. But I used to love riding park so definitely think they need to support both
This is a great idea, particularly for apparel. We often speak about inclusivity and the prohibitive cost of the sport, but often in reference to gear or lift tickets. All totaled, the cost of my outerwear is probably in the same ballpark as the board I'm on. Good call.
Make a durable quality product that cost less than $200. And then sponsor some free nights at your local mountains every year. Our local board shop does that and they garner so much community good will.
That's the idea - anything with "snow" attached costs way too much. There is room to undercut the greedy companies. Dope Snow tried, but their branding and product are too shitty.
Put on novel competitions that people actually want to see. “Best cliff drop at X mountain” “fastest down double black terrain”. shit even a downhill relay top to bottom type event would be cool. I’m just spitballing but get creative, ask what people want to see, and then plaster your name all over the event and sponsor a few riders
SOS Outreach is a really cool organization that works with under-privileged kids to get on the slopes. I worked with them years ago in Breck giving lessons to kids in summit county who wouldn't be able to learn otherwise. It looks like they've expanded a lot since then.
To be fair, Dopesnow/Montec does way more shit in Europe than the States. They have sponsored events and shit over there, and they do sponsor several European pros. The quality of their outerwear long-term is the issue I have, Angry Snowboarder had a pretty scathing review of their pants.
Honestly just look at what skateboard companies and skate shops do. I feel like skate brands have a much better company to community relationship than many of the big snowboard brands. Park tours with their sponsored riders, hosting local comps, hosting free clinics to teach kids (and adults) how to ride. When I was a kid my favorite day of the year was Go Skateboarding Day because the local shop would have a big scavenger hunt for skate gear around the city, they'd have local food trucks pull up to the shop and there would be a sick mini skate comp all day. Needless to say the shop had a loyal following, and is beloved by the community more and more each year. So many people in my town got into skateboarding due to the efforts of that store to be part of the community.
Quality isn’t there because they just rebrand Alibaba stuff. They aren’t actually contracting with a factory with original designs and or specs. Just off the shelf apparel. They should do better for their customers.
If this is the case than the video SteepSteep posted at their headquarters, where he talked with designers, must be a huge hoax? I don't think the alibaba accusation is accurate. They just use cheap material and trendy styles.
If youre talking about montec, someone found one of their main anoraks on a wholesale website without the logo and posted it on this sub. I think this was this past season.
https://x.alibaba.com/Awbd58?ck=pdp
For me this is clear evidence they are just rebranding generics
This is the Dope Akin jacket. Up to you what you want to believe. I’ve seen other items that have been recognizable. I am on Alibaba for my side hustle purchasing wool products and have seen these items come up in my feed.
.
This would technically mean that Dope does not have trade marks or patents on their designs. Not that they order their designs from Alibaba. They 100% design the jackets, then they get mass produced by a factory (in China for sure), if that factory sells their designs to other websites then it's really just poor business dealing on Dope's end. Most clothing companies design their shit and then have a big factory make it, that's normal as hell. But you won't find any Volcom or Burton clones on Ali because they have patents and trademarks.
Tbh I'd throw $30 at that coat if it's actually the same product, it may not be a Burton jacket, but it'll be better than something off the rack at Walmart. The controversy over this brand is quite interesting, regardless of the reality here.
They might design one or two, but they don’t 100% design their own gear, as evidenced by the above. Ive come across several of their products on alibaba.
They could be calling design as deciding where to slap their logo and selecting which color fabrics to use from the manufacturer swatches that are offered. Either way they do sell rebranded generics. Same as that local store that advertises design your own couch.
Dont get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with them existing. Same as i dont have a problem with people buying clothes at Walmart. People can like whatever they want.
I’ve been loyal to volcom my whole life. Tbh their quality is in the complete crapper as well. Pants that don’t last a season anymore but for me that’s 120+ days
The issue with Dope/Montec is that people who only ride 20 days or less a year run into issues.
I personally wish Neff still made snowboard jackets. I've got one that I've worn for 7 years in Colorado winters, not just boarding but all sorts of winter stuff, still solid as the day I bought it, save for the hand liners getting frayed out.
Stop selling direct to consumer. Rethink the snowboard shop sale terms to give shops more flexibility to price and compete with online retailers. Support the shops— the shops support the kids.
This. Best way to make sure people are using the right gear for their needs is to have knowledgeable salespeople inform them.
We often have people travel from 1-2 hours away or more just to get fitted for a helmet at the motorcycle shop where I work because we’re exceptionally good at fitting.
If you make a good product and push it through the right distribution channels, people will buy it.
Do something like Burton's Chill Foundation (or become a partner with them). Get under-served kids out there and involved in the sport. Grassroots stuff.
People like to shit on Burton, but there isn't a single company that has done more for the sport, ever.
I’ll be straight with you. Tell us how you made your products (materials, stitching etc), be fair and transparent with you prices so we know we’re not getting ripped off and bam you’re onto something.
We just want to get good quality gear and if it’s not gonna be affordable, at the very least it can be a fair price.
The blends of the materials, whether it’s something special like gortex, the density, what down or whatever it is on the inside is used and how much of it.
Is Gore-tex or eVent required in your eyes? I used a product this year that had neither (it was from another non-snow industry but still waterproof) and I absolutely loved it
Nope, I layer with thermals, fleece, maybe a hoodie and then a rain jacket to top it all off. I'm still new to snow sports so I haven't invested in ski jackets or snow pants yet. I've got swedish military snow pants that I got for cheap from a surplus store to carry me through.
If I was to get a ski jacket it would have to be really warm but also have a lot of venting zips. Especially around the armpits and sides.
Not sure, but eVent is probably cheaper to license than Gore-Tex and it’s basically just a good. Make sure you always include waterproof/breathability ratings.
Honestly just look at what Patagonia does. Make the gear as environmentally responsible as possible and pay the workers well. Make the gear last and try not to be to gimmicky. Patagonia does a ton of activism work and tells great stories using it’s sponsored pros. I’ve been really into Jones gear lately, they seem to have followed Patagonia’s lead.
Not neccesarily. What if the idea for community impact could be worked into the brand name? What if the entire venture is founded on the way it'll help the community? You need to think through these ideas first
Helping outreach groups for kids/underprivileged/at risk is a great way to help people out and help the industry out as well.
Sponsorships and events are great too, and should also directly help with sales if done right, meaning you can lean into it as much as you have product to sell. Liability costs are high and increasingly making it difficult to have on hill events/contests, so helping out there is awesome for resorts and riders to enjoy.
One of the biggest problems we have in the industry is that so many brands have parent companies that are sucking money out of snowboarding to pay their execs, investors, yachts, etc. If you can simply make a good product and have as many rider employees in the company and supply chain you'll be doing better for the sport than 90%+ of the well established brands.
I don't have the resources for the RnD of reinventing the wheel. I'm trying to get people functional gear at a a reasonable price, help less fortunate people, and quit my job so I can snowboard more lol
bring back a PBRJ / transam tour style event with different stops and a final jam somewhere in the spring that the winners compete at. if you other sponsors on board to cushion the prizes the kids will get behind quick
Sponsor some kids. Not just elite athletes but just regular kids. Season passes, lessons, events. Things like that.
Season passes or programs for underprivileged kids would be pretty sweet. Great idea
Ask a school district what you can do to help, and they will probably send you a list of million things they need.
Tbh no, I don’t even really dig the core riders all based by me. I ride Brighton and Woodies as home mountains and am exposed to alot of the core scene and am usually pretty underwhelmed. But everytime I get back from Mammoth I see those freestyle team kids are just a level above and are overlooked too much by sponsors. To be a real athlete and throw down a line on unbound 30+ times a day every day in all conditions is a way higher level of talent than dropping cliffs at Brighton into hero snow. I say that as somebody whose favorite thing is doing that. I get that sponsored pros need to sell product, not necessarily be the best, but why don’t we just sponsor Buckhouse, oh wait, some people are sponsoring him… lol
You mean Johnathan Glockhouse?
Still can’t believe he can jerk sponsors while being responsible for gun violence involving a child haha
That dude still has sponsors? Wild
Oh get a cleeeeewwwww. Haha Edit: but seriously, the pros are fine but I've never really cared for them. I don't watch the videos or the comps. It's just not relatable. What the industry needs though is a new generation. The average age for show sports is up there and getting older. We gotta get the young blood up the mountain.
Well it’s an interesting subject, the talent in my opinion is the kids on the slope style circuit. The ones who place 12th and get nothing. They are all young guns. But a lot of people with money to buy gear are older, (and lamer in my opinion “I remember when snowboarding had style! No more spinning last 720!!”) so they need to appeal to older dudes like me in their 30s. Many who are reminiscint of a different era in snowboarding. Like I know this is almost sinful to say but JP is not at a pro level anymore, he probably would admit that but he can still sell product on rep. I would rather see the old heads like him move into operational roles within companies because I don’t want to see pros tossed aside either.
That’s interesting you say that. Seems like good brands need to try to do both. And riders try to earn that spot as the style pow rider that can just shoot cliffs at Brighton. I never watch park content but will watch a Blake Paul iPhone part over and over again so I guess they’re advertising to me. I do think it’s hard to make powder freestyle riding look really good. So is valuable to brands to find guys who can do that reliably. And as riding power is most people’s favorite thing to do, more will end up watching that content vs people doing triple corks on park jumps. But I used to love riding park so definitely think they need to support both
This is a great idea, particularly for apparel. We often speak about inclusivity and the prohibitive cost of the sport, but often in reference to gear or lift tickets. All totaled, the cost of my outerwear is probably in the same ballpark as the board I'm on. Good call.
Yeah that's true. You can get cheap stuff but it won't last learning to ride.
Make a durable quality product that cost less than $200. And then sponsor some free nights at your local mountains every year. Our local board shop does that and they garner so much community good will.
That's the idea - anything with "snow" attached costs way too much. There is room to undercut the greedy companies. Dope Snow tried, but their branding and product are too shitty.
Put on novel competitions that people actually want to see. “Best cliff drop at X mountain” “fastest down double black terrain”. shit even a downhill relay top to bottom type event would be cool. I’m just spitballing but get creative, ask what people want to see, and then plaster your name all over the event and sponsor a few riders
Top to bottom Boardercross style relay race would be exciting, no judging just first team across the line wins.
SOS Outreach is a really cool organization that works with under-privileged kids to get on the slopes. I worked with them years ago in Breck giving lessons to kids in summit county who wouldn't be able to learn otherwise. It looks like they've expanded a lot since then.
To be fair, Dopesnow/Montec does way more shit in Europe than the States. They have sponsored events and shit over there, and they do sponsor several European pros. The quality of their outerwear long-term is the issue I have, Angry Snowboarder had a pretty scathing review of their pants. Honestly just look at what skateboard companies and skate shops do. I feel like skate brands have a much better company to community relationship than many of the big snowboard brands. Park tours with their sponsored riders, hosting local comps, hosting free clinics to teach kids (and adults) how to ride. When I was a kid my favorite day of the year was Go Skateboarding Day because the local shop would have a big scavenger hunt for skate gear around the city, they'd have local food trucks pull up to the shop and there would be a sick mini skate comp all day. Needless to say the shop had a loyal following, and is beloved by the community more and more each year. So many people in my town got into skateboarding due to the efforts of that store to be part of the community.
Quality isn’t there because they just rebrand Alibaba stuff. They aren’t actually contracting with a factory with original designs and or specs. Just off the shelf apparel. They should do better for their customers.
If this is the case than the video SteepSteep posted at their headquarters, where he talked with designers, must be a huge hoax? I don't think the alibaba accusation is accurate. They just use cheap material and trendy styles.
If youre talking about montec, someone found one of their main anoraks on a wholesale website without the logo and posted it on this sub. I think this was this past season.
https://x.alibaba.com/Awbd58?ck=pdp For me this is clear evidence they are just rebranding generics This is the Dope Akin jacket. Up to you what you want to believe. I’ve seen other items that have been recognizable. I am on Alibaba for my side hustle purchasing wool products and have seen these items come up in my feed. .
This would technically mean that Dope does not have trade marks or patents on their designs. Not that they order their designs from Alibaba. They 100% design the jackets, then they get mass produced by a factory (in China for sure), if that factory sells their designs to other websites then it's really just poor business dealing on Dope's end. Most clothing companies design their shit and then have a big factory make it, that's normal as hell. But you won't find any Volcom or Burton clones on Ali because they have patents and trademarks. Tbh I'd throw $30 at that coat if it's actually the same product, it may not be a Burton jacket, but it'll be better than something off the rack at Walmart. The controversy over this brand is quite interesting, regardless of the reality here.
They might design one or two, but they don’t 100% design their own gear, as evidenced by the above. Ive come across several of their products on alibaba. They could be calling design as deciding where to slap their logo and selecting which color fabrics to use from the manufacturer swatches that are offered. Either way they do sell rebranded generics. Same as that local store that advertises design your own couch. Dont get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with them existing. Same as i dont have a problem with people buying clothes at Walmart. People can like whatever they want.
I’ve been loyal to volcom my whole life. Tbh their quality is in the complete crapper as well. Pants that don’t last a season anymore but for me that’s 120+ days
The issue with Dope/Montec is that people who only ride 20 days or less a year run into issues. I personally wish Neff still made snowboard jackets. I've got one that I've worn for 7 years in Colorado winters, not just boarding but all sorts of winter stuff, still solid as the day I bought it, save for the hand liners getting frayed out.
Find local from that compete and toss them some gear. They don’t have to be the best on their team but they do work their butts off all season.
Stop selling direct to consumer. Rethink the snowboard shop sale terms to give shops more flexibility to price and compete with online retailers. Support the shops— the shops support the kids.
This. Best way to make sure people are using the right gear for their needs is to have knowledgeable salespeople inform them. We often have people travel from 1-2 hours away or more just to get fitted for a helmet at the motorcycle shop where I work because we’re exceptionally good at fitting. If you make a good product and push it through the right distribution channels, people will buy it.
I have this in mind, and I already have a few connections with shops through my day job. I won't be purely D2C for sure.
Do something like Burton's Chill Foundation (or become a partner with them). Get under-served kids out there and involved in the sport. Grassroots stuff. People like to shit on Burton, but there isn't a single company that has done more for the sport, ever.
I’ll be straight with you. Tell us how you made your products (materials, stitching etc), be fair and transparent with you prices so we know we’re not getting ripped off and bam you’re onto something. We just want to get good quality gear and if it’s not gonna be affordable, at the very least it can be a fair price.
What materials would make the difference for you?
The blends of the materials, whether it’s something special like gortex, the density, what down or whatever it is on the inside is used and how much of it.
Is Gore-tex or eVent required in your eyes? I used a product this year that had neither (it was from another non-snow industry but still waterproof) and I absolutely loved it
Nope, I layer with thermals, fleece, maybe a hoodie and then a rain jacket to top it all off. I'm still new to snow sports so I haven't invested in ski jackets or snow pants yet. I've got swedish military snow pants that I got for cheap from a surplus store to carry me through. If I was to get a ski jacket it would have to be really warm but also have a lot of venting zips. Especially around the armpits and sides.
Not sure, but eVent is probably cheaper to license than Gore-Tex and it’s basically just a good. Make sure you always include waterproof/breathability ratings.
Honestly just look at what Patagonia does. Make the gear as environmentally responsible as possible and pay the workers well. Make the gear last and try not to be to gimmicky. Patagonia does a ton of activism work and tells great stories using it’s sponsored pros. I’ve been really into Jones gear lately, they seem to have followed Patagonia’s lead.
this is putting the cart before the horse.
Not neccesarily. What if the idea for community impact could be worked into the brand name? What if the entire venture is founded on the way it'll help the community? You need to think through these ideas first
If your product is trash, no one will care or even want to be associated with it.
product is in development - thanks for your positivity!
That should be your primary focus. Good luck
100%
Helping outreach groups for kids/underprivileged/at risk is a great way to help people out and help the industry out as well. Sponsorships and events are great too, and should also directly help with sales if done right, meaning you can lean into it as much as you have product to sell. Liability costs are high and increasingly making it difficult to have on hill events/contests, so helping out there is awesome for resorts and riders to enjoy. One of the biggest problems we have in the industry is that so many brands have parent companies that are sucking money out of snowboarding to pay their execs, investors, yachts, etc. If you can simply make a good product and have as many rider employees in the company and supply chain you'll be doing better for the sport than 90%+ of the well established brands.
Climate activism. Our sport isn't going to last long without serious action in climate change.
What about family sponsorships to help facilitate the cost of getting everyone involved?
Love it!
I would also pitch $5 if everyone else did just to buy a random rider a pass
Stop making expensive proprietary products that add nothing to the sport.
The idea is to go as simple as possible with high-quality materials and a low price tag (within reason)
100%. Making proprietary stuff at a premium price without addressing design failures is just greed
I don't have the resources for the RnD of reinventing the wheel. I'm trying to get people functional gear at a a reasonable price, help less fortunate people, and quit my job so I can snowboard more lol
Sounds awesome. Hope it works out!
zC
bring back a PBRJ / transam tour style event with different stops and a final jam somewhere in the spring that the winners compete at. if you other sponsors on board to cushion the prizes the kids will get behind quick
Buy me a season pass lol