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Is snowboarding dead?

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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Tonight I talked with a friend who owns a ski shop.  He told me that snowboard sales and service have decreased by half this season.  He has spoken with some regional reps for snowboards and they have told him that they have seen the same thing.  For whatever reason it seems like the economy has hurt snowboarding significantly more than skiing.  I don't have any statistical data on this, but my friend knows the industry and I'm sure he's not making this up.  What are your thoughts? 
Dec 4 2009 9:11PM
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GNARBARSTAR
Posts: 639 - Karma: 16
crystal meth is the cool thing to do now, snowboardings not, haven't you seen the billboards and the comercials.

honestly though, in my shop and mountain there is way more people starting to ski again after boarding for years. skiing is "cool" again, so you will notice everyone that is starting out isn't just snowboarding cause its "cool".
has anyone noticed the increase of mad poser skiers.... kids that don't look like gapers in there gear,(most snowboarders) but point them down the mountain and LOOK The Fuck OUT i don't know if i should pizza or french fry.
i think "core" snowboarding will be stronger then ever the main stream is going to fall off, unfortunately newschool skiing is the "new" snowboarding. everything we complain about snowboarders is gonna happen so much more with skiers over the next few years.
just my 2 sense
Dec 6 2009 12:28AM
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-AP-
Posts: 819 - Karma: 344

this

at least thats what the new powder mag seemed to say

Dec 6 2009 12:47AM
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AdolfShitler
Posts: 1618 - Karma: 32
oh poop
Dec 6 2009 12:50AM
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Scrambles
Posts: 2270 - Karma: 63
This.
Dec 6 2009 1:12AM
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LMPJibbin
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 17
i imagine your a very cool kid
Dec 6 2009 1:41AM
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rYb
Posts: 944 - Karma: -12
Yeah, i know this is true.

Atomic folded their whole snowboard sales division back underskiing ive heard in canada. Sales were down drastically.
Dec 6 2009 1:46AM
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.peter
Posts: 1222 - Karma: 63
Snowboarding has it's own culture.
it's thriving, you just have to look for it.
Dec 6 2009 2:35AM
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AmbushClothing
Posts: 1616 - Karma: 202
for real? never
Dec 6 2009 3:49AM
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BoardSideDown
Posts: 547 - Karma: 254
This^ and skiers are more true to the sport, seems to me that most snowboarders just snowboard because it is the new IN thing. They buy all there new stuff each year and use it 3 times as said above.

I think skiers are more loyal and true to the sport
Dec 6 2009 5:06AM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
Probably the best post in this thread. I can see it coming. In a year, maybe two, twin-tip park skiing will be the new "in" thing. All the cool kids a school will be doing it. The new 1 day a month riders will be on skis. And the new "core" group will be snowboarders, and all the school jocks will be bragging about their new skis mom and dad bought them. The real question is...who will be the Burton of the ski world? My money's on Salomon.
Dec 6 2009 5:13AM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Exactly what my friend told me. 

So based on what I'm seeing here; may be an over simplification but:

1) People have a need to be or at least appear to be a little radical.
2) Snowboarding used to be perceived as the only winter sport that would let mainstreamers express their cool, radicalness.
3) Skiing on twin tips is now perceived to be as cool or cooler that snowboarding.
4) Snowboarding and freeride will always be core sports, meaning that there will always be a small percentage of the total number of skiers/boarders that are really hardcore about the sport.
5) The reality is that twintips have saved the ski industry and I doubt that any ski manufacturer would argue that.

Probably a few things that I'm forgetting, but that's the general idea.  

Dec 6 2009 10:59AM
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VTtreeskier
Posts: 1833 - Karma: 64
Snowboarding is by no means dead but theres a significant transition towards skiing right now. Im sure i wasn't the only one years ago surrounded by snowboarders having each and everyone one of my friends saying "skiing sucks man you gotta try snowboarding". Now, i have the pleasure of giving all my snowboarding friends shit and trying to convince them to ski, and actually doing a good job of it iv already helped transfer one friend from snowboarding to a die hard skier and have a handful more really excited to try the switch.
Dec 6 2009 11:09AM
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drugula
Posts: 117 - Karma: 10
shut up
real snowboarders are just as real to the sport as real skiiers
fake 'poser' skiiers are the ones who switched to snowboarding just like fake 'poser' snowboarders are the ones who are switching to skiing. One group isnt more 'real' than the other, thats just ignorant.
Dec 6 2009 4:14PM
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zues
Posts: 6434 - Karma: -5,330

yea

Dec 6 2009 4:24PM
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3R1C
Posts: 367 - Karma: 14
how much are ski sales down
Dec 6 2009 7:36PM
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steveys
Posts: 268 - Karma: 10
I think a significant amount of snowboarders are homosexual too.  They are stoked that they can go to the resort with their as* hanging out from their baggy pants, and spot the other homosexuals that are doing similiar.  Kind of like that politician from Idaho that hung out in bathroom stalls :)
Dec 6 2009 7:40PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
I don't have actual numbers, and this was just what I got from one shop owner.  He said overall ski sales were down, but twin tip sales were way up.  Snowboard sales were down twice as much as ski sales. 
Dec 6 2009 7:42PM
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steveys
Posts: 268 - Karma: 10
Ok, then if we take your "logic"(sic) to heart  ski sales should have dropped even more than snowboard sales, but as the original poster commented they haven't.  HE ACCOUNTED FOR THE RECESSION!
Dec 6 2009 7:49PM
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Groovy.uvy
Posts: 849 - Karma: 73
I agree with the fact that snowboarding is dying.  A couple of my friends have switched over and i know of many more.
Dec 9 2009 6:25PM
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Tripplesixty
Posts: 835 - Karma: 148
^^ good point

I talked to a few Nordica sales reps at my local shop and I hear that most skis and snowboard sales are slowing down this year which is expected. But I hear its a huge boot year, like record sales for many companies.  With the new trend in twin tip, rockered skis, people have been buying tons of new equipment in the past few years.  This market is becoming a little saturated, meaning a ot of people have fairly new gear in terms of skis or boards.  But everyone knows boots wear out and this seems to be the year that everyone is buying new gear.

As for snowboarding in my area that was a huge bandwagon fad that everyone had to jump on back in elementary or middle school.  Most people that I remember doing snowboarding don't really go up much anymore.  Its mainly the kids who were brought up in a family that skied consistently who are the ones still going up 2-3 times a week.  Most of these kids skied and so most of the people who go up all the time now that I know ski.  I think the ski industry is making a comeback and I like it.
Dec 9 2009 6:41PM
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drugula
Posts: 117 - Karma: 10
how does it offer more originality?
Dec 9 2009 6:50PM
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jfletcher
Posts: 1208 - Karma: 188
I thought that snowboarding was dying out. Until today when i watched Stack Footy by Think Tank with my boarder friend and realized that its still a thriving sport. They can do so much more with the board then skiers can snowboarding will never die
Dec 9 2009 6:50PM
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Tripplesixty
Posts: 835 - Karma: 148
two skis vs one board

skis are separated and your legs are not connected and now we can ski backward... snowboarding is stuck where it is unless they get quadruple tip... oooo wait that would just be called side slipping
Dec 9 2009 6:52PM
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drugula
Posts: 117 - Karma: 10
^really though
watch pretty much any decent snowboard video from the past couple of years and compare it to most any ski video...and tell me that two planks offer more originality in anything besides daffys and rollerblade grinds..
Dec 9 2009 6:58PM
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SMH[-__-]
Posts: 545 - Karma: 13
haha just cause 2>1 doesn't necessarily mean there's room for more creativity. so what skiers can ski backwards, snowboarders can ride switch. generally, snowboard movies today are ahead of ski movies in terms of creativity. they keep it much more simple and just take more basic tricks onto crazy features, they don't need to be doing tons of spins on and off of shit. more spins doesn't mean progression. just watch hard to earn.
Dec 9 2009 7:27PM
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Cincher
Posts: 3403 - Karma: 535
well that just means we need to think of more original tricks. I think TC is setting things in the right direction.
Dec 9 2009 7:29PM
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