N Then Skis First Newschoolers Thread Ever

Hey y'all:o)

I just recently found a thread asking what N Then Skis are (https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/842757/N-then-skis--Anyone-) and thought it'd be cool to chime in and give a chance for anybody with a question to ask me.

This is actually my first post on Newschoolers about the company besides pics, so I'll cover a few things, but hang on, because, as we elect another crazy person into office, and Rubbermaid continues contemplating Tupperware skis, I'm pretty fired up about my biggest passion in life not getting enough love, and this is going to get heated.

The basic story of N Then Skis is on our website at http://www.n-thenskis.com but I can also answer questions via Newschoolers, FB (https://www.facebook.com/NThenSkis/) , Twitter (@kevintoddskier), or our Instagram (instagram.com/nthenskis), and am happy to anytime.

From the first thread I read, asking about price vs. durabilty, the response from Dylan was right. Our skis cost more than some (and still less than others), but when your skis last longer, you may feel it's worth it. Let me first say, I've had a few pairs of Surface, many many K2s, some Nordicas, a few Armadas, and a ton of Lines, that I do love the feel and design of, but I think the biggest problem with any ski, is more to do with overall durability, especially with how much we slam all of our skis on rails way more than we used to now (and we do it to pow skis too). There's alot of different skis out there, that can offer a lot of great things, but I think the single best thing I can say about our first models (both are park skis that can mob anywhere else too; a 173cm and a 183cm) is, through and through, they're extremely durable.

The very first pair of our skis, which I'm still riding to this day (find me at Arapahoe Basin right now, and soon Keystone, Loveland, and/or Copper, and I'll show you them), have over 230 days of aggressive riding on them so far, and are only recently starting to show signs of serious destruction (edge underfoot began cracking on day 215, there's an edge pushing out the tip a tiny bit finally starting day 220, and the shot to the base that happened from landing on an unseen rock off a cliff on day 40 is actually somehow still water-tight and not separating). I am also not the only one who's been on these skis. This one pair of the first skis (aka "Daddy's Speed Chariots" haha) have now been ridden by at least 15 other serious park riders, with roughly 30 cliff drops, 50 backflips, 30 front flips, 40+ rodeos/mistys, 30+ treetaps, and somewhere upwards of 2000 rail contacts on them. According to the Snowsports Industry of America as of 2016, the typical U.S. skier rides 30 days of the winter. I know, that's sad, and I would sure hope you all get out skiing more than that, but with 230 days on the first pair of skis now (exactly the same ski available on our site) and the skis finally starting to deconstruct, I can safely say these skis will offer more than 2 years of serious ride time (that's if you ride like a seriously possessed mad-man). And I would dare say, they should offer you more than 3 years of love, depending on how hard you ride. Now most companies warranty 1 year on manufacturer's defects, and we think we have a ski design that's better than most out there, so we're guaranteeing ours for two years. And over time I hope to up that to 3 years. Durability is the key.

N Then Skis is a down-to-earth "Micro-Brew" ski company and we think that's better for skiing. A really good thing to know about N Then Skis is "it's me". I'm your guy. If you've heard anything about us from anyone, you were most likely talking to me. I have no big advertising campaigns. We're not like the big sad companies I've looked up to my whole life until now, that are going to find ways to make things cheaper over time, have to ask themselves if this is profitable everyday, and are here to make $ instead of go skiing. I would actually LIKE to find the people who don't like our product; seriously. We're a team on this, if all I wanted was money; I wouldn't start a ski company, I'd do something more profitable! We're just a team on making better skis, folks. If we (yeah I want you to try them) can find things we don't like about the skis, then AWESOME, because that means we can go make them BETTER. Honestly it's in the name. I've create this first model (which so far have 99% great reviews). N Then we're gonna break 'em (still haven't). N Then we'll make them better. N Then we'll break those too! N Then we'll just keep improving and improving them until we are creating the best possible skis we can. And that's it. I just want to do this the rest of my life. Make some skis, N Then make them better, and repeat. It's simple. I'm not gonna lie or cheat anybody either, because this is as simple as being out there everyday and having fun LIVING this lifestyle as many days as I can. All I want is enough*, and as a photographer/producer, I actually do make enough $ to survive on already, so N Then Skis is for the love of being out there, skiing as many days and places as I can, and sharing skiing with as many people as I can in one lifetime. If I can help some skiers succeed faster at their dreams than I did too, I'm gonna do that as well. Some other companies may put on a suit and head to an office when they wake up; not me. I'll just be out there riding with you; hoping we can get some great shots of you and break a pair of skis today so we can improve them. It's that simple. Ski companies CAN be honest. With the rest of the world falling apart, I think this is the perfect time for a movement in skiing towards honesty and aligning itself, once again, with the core of its soul (before we're literally out of snow in another century). We could be the last skiers in history; so let's bring back the soul of skiing. Can we please? I think we can really do this, but it's gonna take alot of vans, PBR (for those of legal drinking age lol), and hot dogs to do it (hot dog skiers and for eating).

Seriously, folks, and anyone who may have stumbled onto this and made it this far through the read somehow, I must voice something here. I'm drawing a line in the sand, taking my side, and going one step further. It's time to start literally saying NO to companies not living what they preach, and yes to the soulful under-dogs. This industry was built on the savings of people who were in this for the love of skiing, being real ski bums, and not to make money (the goal only being "how can we do this the rest of our lives?" not "how do we make $?"). We all do this (live this life) for the love and for the fun of our sport, and sharing it with each other. If someone has a goal of making $ with a big business, the ski industry isn't even a good place for it, as it's a limited market anyways.

So here's my formal and humble "F-U" to the big dogs. Bigger companies who could soon create Tupperware skis, just may not have your best interests in mind.

To all the big companies that have 3, 4, and sometimes even 5, parent companies diluting their soul... If your company EVER, for even a second, had to ask yourself if the skiing division of the company was worth it (worth the $), you simply don't deserve to be here. If you've had to ask yourself that, then your company doesn't deserve to be apart of something so awesome, as the fun, community, and support we're experiencing while we're out there skiing. Cool building. That's a great office. Good job company. Nice abandoned historic island too. Do you guys even ski anymore? No I mean besides your team? No one huh?

If you want to simply make money, this isn't the industry to be in anyway (how about you go make hotels).

I created N Then because it's a passion of mine to create the best skis possible and skiing deserves everything I could ever give back to it. Honestly. Creating this first pair of skis, and then our two lengths of powder skis (in testing this year) is, and will be, my greatest achievement, in my life to this point. I couldn't be more proud to contribute any products to skiing's history, and will do so humbly, and with respect for our sport and everyone helping it happen everyday. We're all lucky we can do this; every skier of any level and every business of any level.

About sponsorships and helping aspiring riders succeed at their goals...
We received over 300 sponsorship applications this year, so in addition to our first Pro Team which we just announced, we will be creating a secondary team of The Fun Police. The Fun Police will give aspiring athletes a place to tell their story, build their fan-bases, and accomplish their goals, with guidance and help backed by our company. I want to teach other skiers that were in my shoes as a kid, trying to find a way to ski for a living, how to reach their goals faster than I could, and even how to make money from your skiing, so you can do even more, and have the tools to become as pro as you want some day. So if you haven't applied to sponsorship and would like to, please submit an application at http://www.n-thenskis.com/sponsorships and even if you don't make our pro team, we could still have alot of fun skiing, filming/getting stills, traveling, and building your fan bases together, as a part of The Fun Police. Help us bring back fun.

Thanks for reading my post whoever may find this haha, and feel free to send any other questions,

Kevin Todd
Founder & Designer of N Then Skis
& Sheriff of The Fun Police