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November, 2024

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North American brand skis should be MADE IN NORTH AMERICA

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hoodSlayer
Posts: 900 - Karma: 7

I am sick of seeing companies based in North America (primarily in the U.S) outsource the production of their skis to factories in Asia and Europe. I realize that the main reason for this outsourcing is to save money because it is uneconomical to make a medium amount of skis in your own factory (example: you either make so many types of skis and sell in so many regions that you can afford your own factory or you make a really limited amount on a local ski press) I think that the ski companies of North America should pool  some funds for a ski-making facility in North America. I realize it would be extremely difficult to do this but still worth the effort so that skis could be made where the North American companies are.

Aug 18 2008 12:59AM
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R.Fahey
Posts: 8602 - Karma: 539
F it.  europeans know how to make skis.  The factories in Europe have been making skis forever, and know what's up.... i'll keep rocking Euro made skis if they're good quality. 
Aug 18 2008 1:03AM
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bigwhite.steeze
Posts: 8227 - Karma: 1,032
pretty much all ski companies but k2 are made in places like france and italy, not asia. the factories there have been around a long time and have a much higher quality standard at the factories there. it costs too much money to build a factory with teh same technology they have oversea's. its not economical.
Aug 18 2008 1:05AM
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skiingonskis
Posts: 2076 - Karma: 262
euros are better at making skis...
Aug 18 2008 1:06AM
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powderhound100
Posts: 2510 - Karma: 144
haha.
Aug 18 2008 1:08AM
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tride
Posts: 1038 - Karma: 26
and coffee
Aug 18 2008 1:10AM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
MOMENT SKIS HANDMADE IN RENO NEVADA
Aug 18 2008 1:14AM
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Jwalk
Posts: 4647 - Karma: 134
things are fine the way they are now
Aug 18 2008 1:22AM
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skiRay
Posts: 7558 - Karma: 926
and AUSTRIA is a pretty major one... but K2 and moment are the only true american companies i can think of... as long as skis are made in the US, Canada, or europe, il all set
Aug 18 2008 1:37AM
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holyDINOSAURS
Posts: 7038 - Karma: 639
haha i love the comment about shoddy quality out of europe. they know theyre shit backwards man.
Aug 18 2008 1:37AM
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Scott~
Posts: 2551 - Karma: 49
China for the win all of you haters can go back to using your expensive inferior paid-labor-created garbage~
Aug 18 2008 1:39AM
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hoodSlayer
Posts: 900 - Karma: 7
I'm not saying that Europeans are bad at making skis. I have a pair of Fischers and Atomics that are awsome but it would just be nice to see brands like K2, Line, Armada etc. made in the us or canada and not somewhere else
Aug 18 2008 5:15AM
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solitaryman
Posts: 3578 - Karma: 123
Despite what you may think China is making better shit than US these days.

Here is the equation=

USA= More exspensive materials (So they buy shittier materials) + More expensive labour= SHITTY product

China= Cheap labour + Cheap materials ( Buy more high quality)=GOOD product.

OR

USA= Buy good materials+ More expensive labour= Prices skyrocket




Tell me I'm wrong

Aug 18 2008 5:48AM
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drewishish
Posts: 3710 - Karma: 23
meh. who cares. oh and your wrong ^ but only cause you told me to say it.
Aug 18 2008 7:12AM
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reverendwrong
Posts: 3145 - Karma: 142
most skis are made in france or austria, idk of any made in asia, and most of the smaller companies i.e. moment and high society(i think) are made in the us and a
Aug 18 2008 7:59AM
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dave_m
Posts: 76 - Karma: 16
Surely the point hereis not where they are made but the quality they are made to. The european factories have the expertise and produce good skis.The problems with european skis- like the rossignol scartch bc and fs that didn't ahve wood cores was a problem with them trying to cut costs and use cheaper materials.

 The production of those skis wasn't the issue, rather the design and corner cutting before they went to  production. Just because a ski is made in America doesn't mean it will be better made. Seems to me taht "outsourcing" has become a dirty word that people jump on to criticise as soon as they hear it.

Having said all that I'll be getting moment bibby's hand made in NV this year!
Aug 18 2008 8:27AM
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HPskier
Posts: 1072 - Karma: 30
doesent k2 manufacture in china?
Aug 18 2008 3:57PM
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freezed
Posts: 12973 - Karma: 500
making skis in europe and making them in asia are very different things. europeans have been manufacturing skis since...ever.
Aug 18 2008 4:02PM
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,057
if your skis last more than one season you are not skiing hard enough.. for one season it doesnt matter where they are made..
Aug 18 2008 4:05PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
hate to say it, but your mistakin there.... K2(line) is def made in china...
Aug 18 2008 4:17PM
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Aenigma
Posts: 11256 - Karma: 424
As long as they ski well I don't really care where they're made anymore.  I was all about buying domestic when I got a bike last year and ended up buying a $2,400 frame--although it is probably built a little better, the difference between it and the work of an underpaid factory worker is probably negligible. 
Aug 18 2008 4:30PM
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VCharette
Posts: 4276 - Karma: 1,047

daym right

Aug 18 2008 4:31PM
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doGelyst
Posts: 2492 - Karma: 509
with the exception of some of their higher end skis, the majority of k2 skis are now manufactured in china.
Aug 18 2008 4:39PM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
yeah most skis are made in europe because thats where theyve always been made and i wouldnt have it any other way. my new surface skis were made in austria.
Aug 18 2008 4:40PM
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SickStickz
Posts: 396 - Karma: 137

Almost every ski company is either produced in Italy, France, Germany, or Austria.  K2 produces in China, and most of the other North American companies I know of such as Icelantic, Moment, Fatypus, and Never Summer Snowboards are made in the U.S.  Being the owner of a ski pole company I can tell you now that its really hard to produce in N.A.  There is not one company in North America that manufacturers ski poles in North America, there was one but they went under.  We produce in Austria because they truely make a superior product.  Coming from a business sense, it makes a lot of sense to outsource to countries such as China because they are cheap while producing in European companies you are dealing with the Euro and let me tell you, the exchange rate is horrible.  It would be nice to support local manufacturers (and I can assure you I do), but there just aren't a lot of them.

Aug 18 2008 4:48PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
WOOO! I can't wait to get Tahoe's! :-D
Aug 18 2008 5:10PM
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K_Day
Posts: 415 - Karma: 227
why so we can pay twice as much for some low quality skis made by some lazy union worker
Aug 18 2008 5:23PM
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s.g.
Posts: 355 - Karma: 11
hm,thats weird because america is cheaper a lot.
Aug 18 2008 5:32PM
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Valind
Posts: 4358 - Karma: 17
Ks skis are made in China man.
Aug 18 2008 5:35PM
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Valind
Posts: 4358 - Karma: 17
living in Summit you should also have mentioned Unity.  Made in Summit County Colorado!!!!!!
Aug 18 2008 5:37PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
quit your whining. your giving job opportunities to starving Chinese children, they need that 68 cents a day.
Aug 18 2008 6:04PM
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skiRay
Posts: 7558 - Karma: 926
oh yeah i forgot. it pissed me off when i got my public enemys 3 years ago and it had a made in china sticker.. but all K2s are super slid so it dosent even make a difference. i dont think all of them are made in china anyways.. but ive been wrong before
Aug 18 2008 6:13PM
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Klick_2_klaim
Posts: 3396 - Karma: 25
Sick of it all?

buy your own press, make your own skis, sell em, get big, then realize you cant afford to not outsource.

North america and most europe are not manufacturing based countries. It doesnt make sense.
Aug 18 2008 6:36PM
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-justice-
Posts: 1808 - Karma: 37
it doesn't matter where skis are made.  what matters is the quality control imposed within the factory.  A chinese factory with high quality control will pump out quality skis and a european factory with poor quality control will pump out shitty skis and vice versa. 
Aug 18 2008 6:46PM
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