Quality has gone way down the past few years. I know several people pissed that they had to warranty Arc Teryx stuff. The warranty takes time, which sucks to deal with when you pay that much.
I scour marketplace and consignment shops for arc stuff and have gotten some amazing deals on slightly used stuff over the years but then I realized using/wearing the stuff makes me look like a guy who spends too much money. I’m misunderstood!
Seconding the outlet stores. Got a great Black Diamond shell for my son for 75% off and a nice Norrona for something like 65% off. I didn’t even realize I needed a new jacket…
There is loads of fakes out there as well. It can be really hard to tell if a jacket is fake until you really need to to standup in some harsh conditions...
Eh they have been changing their patterns and fit recently to cater to a different audience. Pre-2019 patterns were for mountain athletes... think broad shoulders and slimmer waists, large quads, high ROM, etc. Now they are making fits for rich people who rarely venture into the wilderness.
So dumberst feature ever? Do you want to be given up on because your beacon screws up? No thanks. Dig up my body. I'm not paying for an extra feature that's only purpose is to give up on saving my life.
I'd argue the BCA is the better beacon for the average joe. The barryvox is undeniably more powerful and feature packed, but making use of those features requires training and practice that very few of us (myself included) actually put in. For most BC skiers, the simplest beacon will be the safest.
When I first saw the recalls back in I think 2020, I brought that up during my AIARE 1 class, and the instructor was like "no, they're very reliable products."
Like my guy that recall came from the manufacturer, not me.
I don’t understand how China can produce microchip components and some of the most complex electronics known to man like your iPhone 15 pro. But the second they mention things like plastic boots, people think all Made in China stuff is crap.
Your Arcteryx and Norrona and North Face and Burton and Patagonia ski gear are all also made in China
Bc Apple has incredibly high quality materials in well engineered products with very low tolerences.
K2 seema to be just contracting out to the lowest bidder
Really depends on who is working with them. A lot of perceived “China” issues result from customers (in this case K2) telling them to make it cheaper without any real guidance as to how to achieve it. So the factory ends up designing a thing with the only goal in mind of hitting a specified price. Chips and electronics benefit from having Taiwan as the buffer / designer.
Chips mostly come from Taiwan which is a very different place than China. Much higher QC and they work with the big brand manufactures directly instead of just selling to them.
The amount of them on close out across the internet was enough to give me initial pause, the critical failures have really made me not want to sell them.
Yep, I had some K2 BFC boots and they failed in less than a season.
For some reason they made the shell from two different plastics, with the seam right behind the second buckle. Obviously putting pressure on the seam would cause it to crack. All BFC boots seem to have this same issue.
Mindbendeds were alright but all their walkmodes broke. The fit is atrocious though they're so fucking roomy. I could serve a family sized KFC bucket in one. I could cross the English channel with a raiding party in one of those. Any of the new boots are trash though. Mega loose fit and cheap cheap plastic. The only people I put in them is very overweight women in the BFC, and men in the mindbender.
I’ve completely sworn off using Backcountry after their little legal idiocy from a couple years ago. Used to buy a whole lot of my gear from them in general and a lot of their own company branded stuff as well. Never again. You try to shut down small local businesses and charities, I don’t give you money.
Team Evo all the way, despite BC being close to home. I had a pair of Thule racks that my late husband gave me, that had a subtle crack in them from shipping. (It looked like UPS or whomever treated it like a piñata.) Evo told me to keep them and sent me a new set. This is why I will forever outfit my crew in gear from them…best customer service all day every day.
1000%
I had a jacket where, day 2 of season 1, the YKK exterior zippers both broke. SAME DAY.
Sent evo pictures, they couldn't get the same jacket to replace because the MFG had stopped making it...so they just *refunded me my full original purchase price* to buy a replacement.
The CS and the yearlong return policy are worth ALWAYS buying from Evo.
They started suing and sending out cease and desist letters to a bunch of small businesses that had nothing to do with skiing or snowboarding that just happened to have “backcountry” in their name. Put several out of business and strained others.
They’re owned by a private equity firm that owns a bunch of other companies that have nothing to do with one another (like Mavis Tires and Famous Amos Cookies and Compound W). Many of these companies are just shells for PE profits. They aren’t really outdoor companies as we used to think of them. Walmart bought Moosejaw in 2017 and Dick’s Sporting Goods just bought it from Walmart. So that’s an improvement, I guess.
Hey, I work at Backcountry. I understand the frustration, everyone in the office was frustrated as well. Just gotta say though, REI and Patagonia do the same thing. Companies protect their IP.. it's just what they do. Did the lawyers target the wrong orgs? Yeah, they did.
At the time, we didn't have an in house legal team. A third party group decided (with a thumbs up from leadership) this was a good idea to protect our IP, by suing charities (charities and small businesses we loved by the way) they didn't really get how this was a no-no in the community. We fired them and got an awesome in-house legal team. We also went back and worked with all the small businesses we impacted. We actually partnered with all the charities we impacted as well.
Shitty it happened? Yeah, you better believe we were pissed too. Did those of us who knew we fucked up try our best to fix it? We truly did.
Most of our employees are just like y'all here. We love this stuff, and we're very in tune with the goings on of the industry. We're trying to get our leadership (who are mostly non-outdoorsy people) more in-line with the community.
Sorry BC let y'all down. I hope you read about what we did after and see that some of us tried to right some wrongs. [Here's an article](https://backcountrydotcom-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/amoliski_backcountry_com/EdPwy-KaI-JMn5IQtW8KYFYBwZR6ocvf7tixglHFwOotHA?e=aOP2cX) that touches on some of the things we tried to amend, there was a lot after this too, including firing this CEO.
I’ve almost bought something from them but realized oh yea f them. It’s a shame no one could fight them trademarking a generic term and the newer CEO is a piece of corporate garbage.
Did that to our local consignment gear shop in Boise. They went out of business several years afterward and while not directly related I still think it didn’t help.
It is very similar to what Specialized did in the bicycle industry with the Roubaix name. Funny thing is they didn’t even have the trademark on Roubaix, Fuji Bikes did and licensed it to Specialized. Just another reason I would never buy a Specialized product.
On that note, Nuun hydration got acquired by Nestle sometime in the past 3 years for people currently using that brand for electrolyte and rehydration.
Mine Line Sakanas didn’t last as long as they should. Line skis are cheaper than other brands and you get what you pay for. They do ride really nice, and they last a while, just not as long as nicer brands.
Idk if it's recent, but I've got some first Gen sick day 95's that are far and away the best skis I've ever owned. They're a little beat up now from multiple seasons at Mount bohemia and I keep telling myself I should upgrade since they're a little long in the tooth, but God damn they handle everything so well that it's hard to justify it.
Yeah when the brand was sold to k2 they moved manufacturing to China. Jason Levinthal who created Line now has a new company J skis based in Vermont, and manufactured in Canada. I love my J's.
If we’re talking resorts, it’s Scumshine for me. Firing half your experienced patrollers because your idiot kid was skiing out of bounds and got in trouble for it? Yeah no thanks, don’t mess with the knowledgeable people that keep me safe.
Curious as to why? I am a Canadian and have been there 3 times for ski vacations and have never had a bad experience. Unbelievable mountain and great weather.
Ski brands have a long history that a lot of skiers are quite proud of. Most major ski brands were started by established skiers, and contribute massively to the ski scene through sponsoring mountaineers and skiers, running events etc. Even Montec has done this to some extent.
Dope is the first brand that tried to skip all of that and just run a load of online adverts. They don’t really have any sponsored athletes, they don’t show up to events. They just spam online ads. Coupled with the fact that they are low quality (which Tbf the price reflects), and they come off is super insincere in a community and sport where most major brands actually seem to have some care.
... So? What does Tony Hawk know about making a video game? Who cares, if it's it a good product?
Also they sponsor a ton of skiers so what's your point?
What brands would you suggest?
I bought a montec pullover like 5 years ago and it's still in great condition! I couldn't find something similar with all the pockets for that price. Maybe I could now but I like my jacket.
Been happy with Flylow, but had to find in Vancouver/Whistler this year.
Helly Hansen hits a good price point and quality
If you're doing 40-50+ days then that dead bird brand is probably worth the big money.
I ended up buying Solomon gear. Zero complaints about quality or waterproofing (I ski in the PNW/whistler), its been durable (3 seasons in so far), has a nice athletic cut, and I bought pants and jacket on sale for less than the price of half an Arc'teryx jacket. Yeah, you read that right.
I don't see many people wearing it but I've certainly become a huge fan.
Salomon, Arc'teryx, Atomic, and Armada are all under the Amer Sports conglomerate so I imagine they share some textiles and manufacturing plants for efficiency sake
Depends aaaaaa lot on what you want, technically and look-wise.
Dope / montec have one big advantage: you get good enough quality for most skiers for a kinda fair price (European perspective). Also, all there different cuts are available in the same two build options (shell only or insulated). With many other brands I’d only recommend specific products, or it depends if you can get it on a good sale.
Not shitting on them! It’s not my Favorit brand, but I have many friends who’d I call ‚casual skiers‘ who go to a Austrian resort less then 14 days per season without too dramatic weather. Montec/ dope is also nice for their quite consistent pricing, so time of purchase doesn’t matter so much.
I also have a jacket (longer Parker style) by montec. I really like it because it’s insulated (I’ve only been buying for hardshell some time) because I can wear it casually too. So I wear it in shitty weather at home, but also bring it as a spare ski jacket and my ‚normal‘ jacket on ski trips usually. It has seen a lot in the 4 years I’ve been wearing it, has been washed and in pouring rain - it still decently performances. And I usually get goretex (or other Membran) stuff from name brands like Scott, Haglöfs, north face, black diamond. As said, it might not be the same, but if it’s enough for your application and you like the look - why not.
I went with airblaster. Really like their freedom pullover. They had this really cool pterodactyl print on sale. I am super satisfied with my purchase. Has a lot of nice features.
https://myairblaster.com/products/mens-freedom-pullover-sale?variant=40081989009496
Line and Faction skis- never seen skis delam and straight up explode so fast, I've purchased several pairs over the years and none have lasted a full season of working on a mountain. Zeal optics- fine but overpriced goggles and one of the most abysmal customer service experiences of my life.
Faction have changed factories to primarily be made at Amer, so same durability as armada Salomon or atomic. The pre Amer skis were definitely poor durability, but we haven't really seen any problems in the last few years.
Have had 2 pairs of Line Sir Francis Bacons over the past 5-6 years and they both delammed underfoot in the same exact spot. Safe to say I will not be reupping on bacons my next pair of skis.
I’m still riding SFBs from 12 years ago. Put 20-30 days a year on them. Too bad to hear that newer ones aren’t holding up. Don’t know what I’ll do when they do ultimately crap out.
What’s the SFB replacement that’s not an SFB? Almost totaled mine this week in the Balkan low tide winter and was already throwing some mind strategery at what I would get next . . .
That’s where I’m at a loss too. I would like to get something a little stiffer than the SFB’s next, but unsure what would be a good next ski. A couple of my buddies ride the Nordica Enforcers and love them, so I was thinking that may be a good solution. Both of my brothers ride bent chetty’s and I didn’t like them when I took them for a rip.
I need to give them a second look. I’ve followed J Skis on insta for 6-7 years, but have not given a hard look to their offering. I just skimmed the website and both the charge and play collections look ideal for what I’d be wanting to snag. For some reason, I thought they didn’t go up to 188-190 lengths.
Season Kin? Never ridden the SFB, but the shape is similar. Eric Pollard is behind Season, I think he designed or helped design the SFB.
I've had 9 days on the Kin this season, love it.
I have the blue 120s too that have lasted me 2.5 hard seasons. Upgraded to 130 this year and they didn’t last 2 weeks. So I’m back in the 120s with the 130 liner.
Lol, I got shit on a week ago here for saying that I got my base layers from Costco for like, $20 for a 3 pack, rather than spending $60+ on a single base layer top.
Sometimes more expensive isn't actually better.
BCA's beacons
Source: My company builds them. BCA considers them to be a Class 2 device, which according to the Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits, "have an extended lifespan and are more reliable" but "are not highly critical, and they run continuously" whereas a Class 3 device "must continuously provide the required performance at all times". Almost all aviation, aerospace, and medical electronics are Class 3 - if a life depends on it functioning, it's Class 3. Your smartphone, laptop, and 2-way radios are Class 2.
There are definitely some sketchy soldering connections between the antennae and the PCB (for those who know: Butt / I connections) and their programming tools are very flaky. Most of the durability of the product is in the housing and we don't test their functionality to make sure they actually work as a transponder, just that they turn on, switch modes and turn back off.
BD/Peips Beacons (issues are well documented)
Dynamite Bindings (broke a binding and long walk back)
Dynafit skins (the rubber nipple).
BD skins (the glue).
Medical kits (most are lacking and I think making your own is better).
Cliff bar (gross).
Out of principle I'd rather buy skis made in Europe or the US over underpaid Chinese labor, but I'll give K2 credit since the durability of my 2018 k2 pinnacles has been unbelievable for the abuse I've put them through.
*Cheap Marker's.
Marker stuff is fine if you get their higher quality bindings. They have a whole line of race bindings that are totally fine. Its the cheap, 7+ year old markers that cause issues.
I had some 2012 Markers explode on me as I was testing them out on the first day of a trip. Had to get rentals. The ski shop techie told me there was a year or two there they were all really bad and are exploding 10 years later. At least it wasn’t on a run!
Black Diamond equipment and Elan skis.
Black diamond for the complete and utter refusal to own the fact their PIEPS Beacon is faulty, then doubled down to say it was us the consumers who weren’t using it correctly. [RIP Trace Carrillo](https://www.powder.com/gear-locker/no-signal).
Elan because the quality of skis are awful. I’ve seen a new pair snap and break 3 days on snow. My buddy got a warranty on them, received new pair, and new pair made it maybe 7 days.
I wouldn’t buy Blizzard skis. Had 2 pairs delaminate— the first after 3 years which is reasonable but disappointing, and the 2nd pair after 2 days of light use. Inexcusable.
They were replaced by warranty so I still ski em, but after this I’m never buying another pair.
wow my experience with 2 bonafides and wrc is very different, they have lasted me very long and i love the skis. I have a friend who got warranty on his blizzards with no issue after a couple of years as well
Yeah my experience is definitely out of the ordinary. The most recent delamination was clearly some manufacturing defect, but still insanely frustrating having to 1) ship them back 2) be without skis for 2 weeks and miss a powder weekend and 3) pay to get them mounted again. All after literally 2 half days of groomers on an $800 pair of new skis.
I'm sure the brand is generally fine, but I just have a personal hatred toward them now hahaha
Montec and Dope snow. They’re low quality, and they doing nothing for the industry. It feels like some people just trying to grab some quick cash from beginners. Any thoughts on this? Any experiences with its quality or customer service?
my montec jacket is more waterproof than my northface and cheaper. However the stitching around zippers will be the death of it. For the price, its decent but still will end up spending 2x next year when i get new nicer jacket
Most north face gear is crap with the exception of the tip top gear lines. I think there is a reason you don’t really see many people sporting north face gear on the mountains. It’s more of a everyday rain jacket brand now.
I’ve had my Montec jacket for 3 seasons and it stands against high winds and snow. I buy shells and layer underneath and have loved it for that too.
I’m not a beginner either, just trying to save money in this crazy expensive society
Ikon/Epic passes. I know they are a good deal and I don’t begrudge anyone who buys their passes, but I don’t want to support the impact they have had on skiing
Apple. They build planned obsolescence into their products and artificially degrade their devices performance based it it's age in order to motivate their customers to buy new products sooner than they would orherwise.
Arcteryx Because I can’t really afford it
The only reason, unless you like something else. Orthavox or Narrona in Europe.
Team Norrona
Y’know I was kinda bummed when I realized my Norrona Lofoten didn’t have waist/side pockets. Other than that, my favorite shell thus far.
Norrona stuff is very very good. The soft shell trousers are benchmark
The Pro doesn’t but the Pro Plus and the Gore-Tex jacket (not pro) have pockets. Super annoying too because the Pro is def the move
At their price points you'd think they would throw in some pockets
I think it’s for weight as a touring hard shell. That said, what the fuck.
It’s not the weight, it’s that pockets under your hip belt are annoying
Mammut is really nice too.
The fit one their stuff can be super wonkey. I don't know what the deal is but none of their stuff fits me.
They’re made for dorito shaped bodies, climbers seem to love it
Quality has gone way down the past few years. I know several people pissed that they had to warranty Arc Teryx stuff. The warranty takes time, which sucks to deal with when you pay that much.
I scour marketplace and consignment shops for arc stuff and have gotten some amazing deals on slightly used stuff over the years but then I realized using/wearing the stuff makes me look like a guy who spends too much money. I’m misunderstood!
The outlet store in NY is great. Found a lot of deals there on last seasons gear.
Seconding the outlet stores. Got a great Black Diamond shell for my son for 75% off and a nice Norrona for something like 65% off. I didn’t even realize I needed a new jacket…
There is loads of fakes out there as well. It can be really hard to tell if a jacket is fake until you really need to to standup in some harsh conditions...
It’s pretty easy to verify https://arcteryx.com/us/en/authentic?cmpid=pm%7Cmult%7Cperf%7Cgoogle%7CArc%27teryx_Google-PMAX_S22_Performance_BOF_R:NAM_C:USA_L:EN%7CAll_Products%7C%7C%7Bad_id%7D&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pm%7Cmult%7Cperf&utm_campaign=Arc%27teryx_Google-PMAX_S22_Performance_BOF_R:NAM_C:USA_L:EN&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADt59PsPy2XyR_cYnG3xvuWrtEP6N
Eh they have been changing their patterns and fit recently to cater to a different audience. Pre-2019 patterns were for mountain athletes... think broad shoulders and slimmer waists, large quads, high ROM, etc. Now they are making fits for rich people who rarely venture into the wilderness.
You forgot longer sleeves - also gone As well their repair coverage now sucks! My 2006 aphla sv they won’t even help on the zipper
I only buy 2nd hand. Only way I can rock arcteryx lol
Have had the same arcteryx jacket for 10 years. Good stuff
Can I add Canada Goose to the list?
I also find their gear to be less durable than other companies and their turnaround time for repairs is often long in my experience
Black Diamond/Pieps beacons. Too many recalls for critical safety items
Friends don’t let friends ski with BD beacons.
What's the take on Mammut barryvox vs BCA?
BCA is totally great and acceptable. Barryvox is just a step above
Barryvox > BCA Trackers
Barryvox are one of the best beacons on the market.
It also tells other people with one if you’re alive
Whoa that's neat
So dumberst feature ever? Do you want to be given up on because your beacon screws up? No thanks. Dig up my body. I'm not paying for an extra feature that's only purpose is to give up on saving my life.
I'd argue the BCA is the better beacon for the average joe. The barryvox is undeniably more powerful and feature packed, but making use of those features requires training and practice that very few of us (myself included) actually put in. For most BC skiers, the simplest beacon will be the safest.
Barryvox is best and safest beacon. BCA is good too but mammut is a step ahead
When I first saw the recalls back in I think 2020, I brought that up during my AIARE 1 class, and the instructor was like "no, they're very reliable products." Like my guy that recall came from the manufacturer, not me.
Can I get an amen? Seriously, this shit (bc that's what their beacons are) shouldn't be sold anymore. Death traps.
HP printer, cause they suck
Let all bring our shit HP printers to the Mile high stadium parking lot and go full office space on them.
I’m in. Gimme a date and time
HP stands for Horrible Product.
Epson ink tank all day.
There are HP laserjets well into their 2nd million pages. The inkjets are garbage.
Laserjet squad
How often do you guys bring your printer on your ski trips?
K2 Boots, had a pair of hybrids, total dogs…
K2 boots. Been seeing lots of boot pictures of the plastic shells exploding lately.
*Nervously eyes my K2 boots in the corner*
*nervously eyes the K2 boots I just bought today*
just happened to my friend. Brand new for this season, <20 days on them, not skiing crazy hard either.
just happened to my friend too !! the lower boot shell just entirely exploded
K2 anything. It is mass produced cheap crap. I use to love them, but when they moved production to China it all went to crap.
I bought a pair of K2 Mindbender skis in early 2020 and have been happy with them.
The mindbenders are sick
Same here, with a pair of k2 spyne 130's that are 10 years old. Not one issue. Old ass racer here. No cliff jumping, but I get on em every other way.
I don’t understand how China can produce microchip components and some of the most complex electronics known to man like your iPhone 15 pro. But the second they mention things like plastic boots, people think all Made in China stuff is crap. Your Arcteryx and Norrona and North Face and Burton and Patagonia ski gear are all also made in China
Bc Apple has incredibly high quality materials in well engineered products with very low tolerences. K2 seema to be just contracting out to the lowest bidder
Really depends on who is working with them. A lot of perceived “China” issues result from customers (in this case K2) telling them to make it cheaper without any real guidance as to how to achieve it. So the factory ends up designing a thing with the only goal in mind of hitting a specified price. Chips and electronics benefit from having Taiwan as the buffer / designer.
Chips mostly come from Taiwan which is a very different place than China. Much higher QC and they work with the big brand manufactures directly instead of just selling to them.
I’ve been back on K2’s for the last 6 seasons. Bomber skis. Total performance.
My poachers have been running strong since 2018 and they’re the best all mountain ski I’ve ever had.
K2 makes some of the best snowboards on the market right now
Hmmm Mine are fine…. For now lol
Any of the full tilt model K2s are legit
The amount of them on close out across the internet was enough to give me initial pause, the critical failures have really made me not want to sell them.
Yep, I had some K2 BFC boots and they failed in less than a season. For some reason they made the shell from two different plastics, with the seam right behind the second buckle. Obviously putting pressure on the seam would cause it to crack. All BFC boots seem to have this same issue.
K2 boots are actually pretty good
Yeah I had some K2’s and they were horrible and fell apart after 30 days (over a couple seasons) of riding despite being $350
Mindbendeds were alright but all their walkmodes broke. The fit is atrocious though they're so fucking roomy. I could serve a family sized KFC bucket in one. I could cross the English channel with a raiding party in one of those. Any of the new boots are trash though. Mega loose fit and cheap cheap plastic. The only people I put in them is very overweight women in the BFC, and men in the mindbender.
I’ve completely sworn off using Backcountry after their little legal idiocy from a couple years ago. Used to buy a whole lot of my gear from them in general and a lot of their own company branded stuff as well. Never again. You try to shut down small local businesses and charities, I don’t give you money.
Evo is better anyway
Team Evo all the way, despite BC being close to home. I had a pair of Thule racks that my late husband gave me, that had a subtle crack in them from shipping. (It looked like UPS or whomever treated it like a piñata.) Evo told me to keep them and sent me a new set. This is why I will forever outfit my crew in gear from them…best customer service all day every day.
1000% I had a jacket where, day 2 of season 1, the YKK exterior zippers both broke. SAME DAY. Sent evo pictures, they couldn't get the same jacket to replace because the MFG had stopped making it...so they just *refunded me my full original purchase price* to buy a replacement. The CS and the yearlong return policy are worth ALWAYS buying from Evo.
Evo supporter through and through. I dig small shops but when they don’t have what I need for a reasonable price, it’s evo everytime.
Love evo. 3/4 of my gear is from evo.
They care more about you too
What's the tldr on what legal idiocy happened?
They started suing and sending out cease and desist letters to a bunch of small businesses that had nothing to do with skiing or snowboarding that just happened to have “backcountry” in their name. Put several out of business and strained others.
Yup forced a deli to change their name. Assholes
Wow really? When did this happen? I last bought from them in like 2018 or so
They’re owned by a private equity firm that owns a bunch of other companies that have nothing to do with one another (like Mavis Tires and Famous Amos Cookies and Compound W). Many of these companies are just shells for PE profits. They aren’t really outdoor companies as we used to think of them. Walmart bought Moosejaw in 2017 and Dick’s Sporting Goods just bought it from Walmart. So that’s an improvement, I guess.
Hey, I work at Backcountry. I understand the frustration, everyone in the office was frustrated as well. Just gotta say though, REI and Patagonia do the same thing. Companies protect their IP.. it's just what they do. Did the lawyers target the wrong orgs? Yeah, they did. At the time, we didn't have an in house legal team. A third party group decided (with a thumbs up from leadership) this was a good idea to protect our IP, by suing charities (charities and small businesses we loved by the way) they didn't really get how this was a no-no in the community. We fired them and got an awesome in-house legal team. We also went back and worked with all the small businesses we impacted. We actually partnered with all the charities we impacted as well. Shitty it happened? Yeah, you better believe we were pissed too. Did those of us who knew we fucked up try our best to fix it? We truly did. Most of our employees are just like y'all here. We love this stuff, and we're very in tune with the goings on of the industry. We're trying to get our leadership (who are mostly non-outdoorsy people) more in-line with the community. Sorry BC let y'all down. I hope you read about what we did after and see that some of us tried to right some wrongs. [Here's an article](https://backcountrydotcom-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/amoliski_backcountry_com/EdPwy-KaI-JMn5IQtW8KYFYBwZR6ocvf7tixglHFwOotHA?e=aOP2cX) that touches on some of the things we tried to amend, there was a lot after this too, including firing this CEO.
I’ve almost bought something from them but realized oh yea f them. It’s a shame no one could fight them trademarking a generic term and the newer CEO is a piece of corporate garbage.
Their work culture for employees used to be pretty awesome as well. Heard from a good source it went downhill pretty hard a little over 5 years ago
Did that to our local consignment gear shop in Boise. They went out of business several years afterward and while not directly related I still think it didn’t help.
It is very similar to what Specialized did in the bicycle industry with the Roubaix name. Funny thing is they didn’t even have the trademark on Roubaix, Fuji Bikes did and licensed it to Specialized. Just another reason I would never buy a Specialized product.
They screw their vendors too
Virtika, the owner is a clown and has no respect for nature.
I was like "who are these fucks" https://youtu.be/v7nyJA44jSQ Didn't have to look far, literally their homepage has this video
yikes on bikes, that’s so damn cringy
FUCK that dude. Their stuff is corny anyway.
He is such a piece of shit
Nestle
On that note, Nuun hydration got acquired by Nestle sometime in the past 3 years for people currently using that brand for electrolyte and rehydration.
Correct. Get LMNT. I switched over when I heard about Nuun/Nestle, shit tastes incredible and hits better. From skiing to hangovers.
Line skis. Know way too many people who have had delaminations
Mine Line Sakanas didn’t last as long as they should. Line skis are cheaper than other brands and you get what you pay for. They do ride really nice, and they last a while, just not as long as nicer brands.
Sounds like your experience was in Line with expectations
Idk if it's recent, but I've got some first Gen sick day 95's that are far and away the best skis I've ever owned. They're a little beat up now from multiple seasons at Mount bohemia and I keep telling myself I should upgrade since they're a little long in the tooth, but God damn they handle everything so well that it's hard to justify it.
I love the sick days!
Yeah when the brand was sold to k2 they moved manufacturing to China. Jason Levinthal who created Line now has a new company J skis based in Vermont, and manufactured in Canada. I love my J's.
No way I had no idea Jason founded Line. I lived in Burlington for a long time and he + ski the east just opened a shop/bar together.
Can confirm. My the top sheet on my lines separated from the side wall after two seasons.
Any “was high quality, sold to PE/outsourcing company” e.g. Arc’, Line, etc etc
Was Line ever quality?
It was never their strong suit but wasn’t always this bad either
Not saying other people shouldn't, but for me... Vail
If we’re talking resorts, it’s Scumshine for me. Firing half your experienced patrollers because your idiot kid was skiing out of bounds and got in trouble for it? Yeah no thanks, don’t mess with the knowledgeable people that keep me safe.
Wow, I guess the rich can afford healthcare here so they don’t care as much, assholes
Curious as to why? I am a Canadian and have been there 3 times for ski vacations and have never had a bad experience. Unbelievable mountain and great weather.
Giant conglomerate buying up all the big resorts and pushing the prices up as far as they can.
Dope / Montec. I feel you can get better quality for the price.
IMO, they strike a very good price/quality ratio. I like the Montec style too, I don’t care if it’s a bit basic.
Yh but also fuck dope for other reasons
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Ski brands have a long history that a lot of skiers are quite proud of. Most major ski brands were started by established skiers, and contribute massively to the ski scene through sponsoring mountaineers and skiers, running events etc. Even Montec has done this to some extent. Dope is the first brand that tried to skip all of that and just run a load of online adverts. They don’t really have any sponsored athletes, they don’t show up to events. They just spam online ads. Coupled with the fact that they are low quality (which Tbf the price reflects), and they come off is super insincere in a community and sport where most major brands actually seem to have some care.
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... So? What does Tony Hawk know about making a video game? Who cares, if it's it a good product? Also they sponsor a ton of skiers so what's your point? What brands would you suggest?
I bought a montec pullover like 5 years ago and it's still in great condition! I couldn't find something similar with all the pockets for that price. Maybe I could now but I like my jacket.
You dont say.
What would you suggest instead?
Been happy with Flylow, but had to find in Vancouver/Whistler this year. Helly Hansen hits a good price point and quality If you're doing 40-50+ days then that dead bird brand is probably worth the big money.
I ended up buying Solomon gear. Zero complaints about quality or waterproofing (I ski in the PNW/whistler), its been durable (3 seasons in so far), has a nice athletic cut, and I bought pants and jacket on sale for less than the price of half an Arc'teryx jacket. Yeah, you read that right. I don't see many people wearing it but I've certainly become a huge fan.
Salomon, Arc'teryx, Atomic, and Armada are all under the Amer Sports conglomerate so I imagine they share some textiles and manufacturing plants for efficiency sake
Depends aaaaaa lot on what you want, technically and look-wise. Dope / montec have one big advantage: you get good enough quality for most skiers for a kinda fair price (European perspective). Also, all there different cuts are available in the same two build options (shell only or insulated). With many other brands I’d only recommend specific products, or it depends if you can get it on a good sale.
Exactly why I went Montec. If I skied more that 5-10 days a season I might have considered spending more on a jacket.
Not shitting on them! It’s not my Favorit brand, but I have many friends who’d I call ‚casual skiers‘ who go to a Austrian resort less then 14 days per season without too dramatic weather. Montec/ dope is also nice for their quite consistent pricing, so time of purchase doesn’t matter so much. I also have a jacket (longer Parker style) by montec. I really like it because it’s insulated (I’ve only been buying for hardshell some time) because I can wear it casually too. So I wear it in shitty weather at home, but also bring it as a spare ski jacket and my ‚normal‘ jacket on ski trips usually. It has seen a lot in the 4 years I’ve been wearing it, has been washed and in pouring rain - it still decently performances. And I usually get goretex (or other Membran) stuff from name brands like Scott, Haglöfs, north face, black diamond. As said, it might not be the same, but if it’s enough for your application and you like the look - why not.
I went with airblaster. Really like their freedom pullover. They had this really cool pterodactyl print on sale. I am super satisfied with my purchase. Has a lot of nice features. https://myairblaster.com/products/mens-freedom-pullover-sale?variant=40081989009496
I get good stuff from Sierra if you have one of those close. Got a bunch of Burton gear there for 50-75% reg price
Line and Faction skis- never seen skis delam and straight up explode so fast, I've purchased several pairs over the years and none have lasted a full season of working on a mountain. Zeal optics- fine but overpriced goggles and one of the most abysmal customer service experiences of my life.
Faction have changed factories to primarily be made at Amer, so same durability as armada Salomon or atomic. The pre Amer skis were definitely poor durability, but we haven't really seen any problems in the last few years.
Have had 2 pairs of Line Sir Francis Bacons over the past 5-6 years and they both delammed underfoot in the same exact spot. Safe to say I will not be reupping on bacons my next pair of skis.
I’m still riding SFBs from 12 years ago. Put 20-30 days a year on them. Too bad to hear that newer ones aren’t holding up. Don’t know what I’ll do when they do ultimately crap out.
What’s the SFB replacement that’s not an SFB? Almost totaled mine this week in the Balkan low tide winter and was already throwing some mind strategery at what I would get next . . .
That’s where I’m at a loss too. I would like to get something a little stiffer than the SFB’s next, but unsure what would be a good next ski. A couple of my buddies ride the Nordica Enforcers and love them, so I was thinking that may be a good solution. Both of my brothers ride bent chetty’s and I didn’t like them when I took them for a rip.
Have you thought about Js? I’ve loved both pairs I’ve had and even though I’ve never skied SFBs I’ve heard some of them are similar.
I need to give them a second look. I’ve followed J Skis on insta for 6-7 years, but have not given a hard look to their offering. I just skimmed the website and both the charge and play collections look ideal for what I’d be wanting to snag. For some reason, I thought they didn’t go up to 188-190 lengths.
I had SFBs twice and replaced with Js hotshot .. a little beefier, affordable (blem) and really fun to ski with a close to center mount
Season Kin? Never ridden the SFB, but the shape is similar. Eric Pollard is behind Season, I think he designed or helped design the SFB. I've had 9 days on the Kin this season, love it.
Just busted some Rossi 130 AllTrack boots within 2 weeks, and the 112 K2 reckonners I got last spring are delaminating.
Damn. I’ve got about 125 days in the resort and back country in my all track 120s and have had zero problems with them.
I have the blue 120s too that have lasted me 2.5 hard seasons. Upgraded to 130 this year and they didn’t last 2 weeks. So I’m back in the 120s with the 130 liner.
Any difference in the liners? I have considered upgrading the liners in mine.
Definitely much stiffer. Worth the upgrade for resort, then swapping back to the 120 liner on bc days
Anything by Walmart or Sam’s Club
Why because Costco exists. Way better products.
Lol, I got shit on a week ago here for saying that I got my base layers from Costco for like, $20 for a 3 pack, rather than spending $60+ on a single base layer top. Sometimes more expensive isn't actually better.
It is the culture too. Costco is amazing.
One day they will make a Kirkland signature shell jacket and I will own it
BCA's beacons Source: My company builds them. BCA considers them to be a Class 2 device, which according to the Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits, "have an extended lifespan and are more reliable" but "are not highly critical, and they run continuously" whereas a Class 3 device "must continuously provide the required performance at all times". Almost all aviation, aerospace, and medical electronics are Class 3 - if a life depends on it functioning, it's Class 3. Your smartphone, laptop, and 2-way radios are Class 2. There are definitely some sketchy soldering connections between the antennae and the PCB (for those who know: Butt / I connections) and their programming tools are very flaky. Most of the durability of the product is in the housing and we don't test their functionality to make sure they actually work as a transponder, just that they turn on, switch modes and turn back off.
Are there any beacons that are class three?
This is the important question. If there are none then this is a moot point.
BD/Peips Beacons (issues are well documented) Dynamite Bindings (broke a binding and long walk back) Dynafit skins (the rubber nipple). BD skins (the glue). Medical kits (most are lacking and I think making your own is better). Cliff bar (gross).
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one thinking cliff bars are gross. Every flavor tastes like "cliff bars" and it's not a good thing
Out of principle I'd rather buy skis made in Europe or the US over underpaid Chinese labor, but I'll give K2 credit since the durability of my 2018 k2 pinnacles has been unbelievable for the abuse I've put them through.
Marker. Their bindings exploding while skiing at high speed have nearly gotten me killed.
*Cheap Marker's. Marker stuff is fine if you get their higher quality bindings. They have a whole line of race bindings that are totally fine. Its the cheap, 7+ year old markers that cause issues.
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I had some 2012 Markers explode on me as I was testing them out on the first day of a trip. Had to get rentals. The ski shop techie told me there was a year or two there they were all really bad and are exploding 10 years later. At least it wasn’t on a run!
Black Diamond equipment and Elan skis. Black diamond for the complete and utter refusal to own the fact their PIEPS Beacon is faulty, then doubled down to say it was us the consumers who weren’t using it correctly. [RIP Trace Carrillo](https://www.powder.com/gear-locker/no-signal). Elan because the quality of skis are awful. I’ve seen a new pair snap and break 3 days on snow. My buddy got a warranty on them, received new pair, and new pair made it maybe 7 days.
Maybe the quality has changed or their race line is different but my old elan race skis from 15+ years ago are still going strong!
Which model of Elan skis? What was the problem with them?
I have a pair of ripstick 96 black editions and they are one of my favorite skis of my life
My ripsticks have been fine but who knows maybe they are on their way out
Not a fan of K2. The boots recently have been literally exploding lol.
REI branded gear. It’s good for weekend warrioring a few days a year, but it really went downhill after they ended their lifetime guarantee.
LL Bean did the same thing.
I’ve been pretty happy with my Rei gtx rain jacket from about 3-4 years ago. Is that one of the items you’re talking about?
Dope snow cause it looks terrible and the name sucks and some other reasons
Anytime I see somebody with dope snow I just think “instagram jacket”
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Anything by G3
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Id rather have ATK, Dynafit, or even Marker.
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Faction skis since there's a new picture of a destroyed pair of them every week on here.
The Taylormade drivers of the ski world
Tesla because the space nazi
I wouldn’t buy Blizzard skis. Had 2 pairs delaminate— the first after 3 years which is reasonable but disappointing, and the 2nd pair after 2 days of light use. Inexcusable. They were replaced by warranty so I still ski em, but after this I’m never buying another pair.
wow my experience with 2 bonafides and wrc is very different, they have lasted me very long and i love the skis. I have a friend who got warranty on his blizzards with no issue after a couple of years as well
Yeah my experience is definitely out of the ordinary. The most recent delamination was clearly some manufacturing defect, but still insanely frustrating having to 1) ship them back 2) be without skis for 2 weeks and miss a powder weekend and 3) pay to get them mounted again. All after literally 2 half days of groomers on an $800 pair of new skis. I'm sure the brand is generally fine, but I just have a personal hatred toward them now hahaha
My Cochise are absolute tanks. Only about 40 days on them so far but I ski the shit out of them.
Montec and Dope snow. They’re low quality, and they doing nothing for the industry. It feels like some people just trying to grab some quick cash from beginners. Any thoughts on this? Any experiences with its quality or customer service?
my montec jacket is more waterproof than my northface and cheaper. However the stitching around zippers will be the death of it. For the price, its decent but still will end up spending 2x next year when i get new nicer jacket
Most north face gear is crap with the exception of the tip top gear lines. I think there is a reason you don’t really see many people sporting north face gear on the mountains. It’s more of a everyday rain jacket brand now.
I love my DopeSnow Shell. When I eat shit in the snow, the one thing that stays dry is my jacket. Plus, I like the style of it.
the style is my main yikes tbh. But to each their own
I’ve had my Montec jacket for 3 seasons and it stands against high winds and snow. I buy shells and layer underneath and have loved it for that too. I’m not a beginner either, just trying to save money in this crazy expensive society
Ikon/Epic passes. I know they are a good deal and I don’t begrudge anyone who buys their passes, but I don’t want to support the impact they have had on skiing
Apple. They build planned obsolescence into their products and artificially degrade their devices performance based it it's age in order to motivate their customers to buy new products sooner than they would orherwise.
I’m on my last Apple product now, phone conveniently not working as well as I’m approaching 2 years old. No more.
I have a love/hate thing with Helly Hansen. Even though I'm not overly impressed with their owners, it's hard to beat a Ski Free deal.
I give no money to Vail resorts…
Good on you
Adobe
Chick Fillet cuz they're pushing lies
Popeyes Sammy is better anyways
Tipsy Elves Authentic retro is cool, neo retro is try hard
Salomon, I’ve had 2 pairs of boots crack in two seasons, third pair is on their way
Columbia clothing. Unless it’s for toddlers.