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What is "supporting the ski industry"?

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--ski--
Posts: 1670 - Karma: 817
This may seem like a dumb thread but hear me out.

You here the term 'support the ski industry' a lot on newschoolers but what does it actually mean?
A lot of people say support the industry but what do they actually do to support it?

Yes, things like buying ski movies(instead of downloading) is supporting it, but is buying merchandise from companies like FD, Saga, ON3P etc considered supporting the industry rather than buying from large companies like Salomon, Oakley, K2 etc?

What I'm trying to say is what do deem as supporting the ski industry and what do you do to support it?


Nov 24 2011 7:02PM
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deleted2
Posts: 958 - Karma: 107
Buy from local shops as well, not just online, it really helps local ski industry, and yes buying from smaller, freestyle based companies, rather than big companies like k2, will help them a shit ton.
Nov 24 2011 7:07PM
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vauban08
Posts: 575 - Karma: 119
Supporting the industry can mean:

- don't buy from snowboard companies (which I personally think is dumb)
- don't buy from large companies
- do only buy from real ski/wintersport companies, not from general clothes companies (like Nike for example)
or, even more radical:
- do only buy from real freeski companies (Saga i.e.)

All in all, I think it's about being conscious of the fact that our sport is highly commercialized. While they do say that the ski community is a tight-knit one, it can only stay like that if we support companies who we feel are passionate about the sport and stop supporting those that just jumped onto the bandwagon recently.
Nov 24 2011 7:10PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298

Actually it just means being a smart buyer. Supporting oakley is actually supporting the industry. They have athletes, events, and even support terrain parks ( we have an Oakley O feature at my resort).

You can also look at it as supporting your own domestic ecomony. If you buy skis from Moment, your actually buying a handmade product made in the US. This means yoru giving a ski bum a job, or supporting a family.

It just means that what you buy also means what you support. Like if you buy from K2.....your actually buying skis from China, and actually don't support very much outside their own buisiness ( but this has changed in the past few years with the support of the special edition Pontoons, and Coombacks).

Usually the larger the corporation the less you will see the money go back into the ski industry.

Nov 24 2011 7:13PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298

actually i do support buying skis from snowboard companies. If you buy skis from Libtech, you are actually buying a handmade product made by mervin MFG in the good OL USA.

Nov 24 2011 7:15PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13106 - Karma: 18,904
support the freeski industry = ski naked!

I seriously dont think skiing it is possible to support the scene with finances...most ski companies have parent companies. I believe in supporting the ski culture...the one about friends and having fun one not the gangster kids one
Nov 24 2011 7:19PM
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vauban08
Posts: 575 - Karma: 119
I disagree. Your "Oakley" example, btw, contradicts your quote. It's the other way round. Usually, the larger the company, the more money will flow back into skiing through sponsorship etc. What you probably mean is cashflow is much more commercially orientated and less ideologically. So if Oakley decides to sponsor a tournament, it's probably all about big money. If a small ski shop supports your local ski park, it's much more genuine.



Nov 24 2011 7:22PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298

Not really, not when Oakley offers free uniforms  to that resort, or a free feature ( which cost over 6 grand).  Then you can talk about grassroots comps, and athletes. They do this at a loss, but they still do it.  Oakley is a prime example, look at how many of their products are made in the USA. Oakley still is one of the only companies that will have athletes from skiing and snowboarding.

Like i said many large companies don't support the ski industry, but there are exceptions.

Nov 24 2011 7:27PM
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vauban08
Posts: 575 - Karma: 119
To me, that all sounds well thought out - Oakley does all that for a reason. I don't buy into the grassroots story. I like Oakley as a company, but they are far too big to be concerned with anything else than profit primarily.
Nov 24 2011 7:32PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,143
Vote with your wallet - give your money to companies you want to see do well. Spending skrilla on Salomon or Oakley isn't "not supporting the sport", those companies put a TON of money back into this and without them it wouldn't be anywhere close to what it is right now. However, it's certainly a disproportionate impact when you support bigger companies, in the sense that the sale of one pair of ON3Ps makes a much bigger difference to ON3P than a pair of Salo skis does to Salo.
Nov 24 2011 8:08PM
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-GL-
Posts: 1696 - Karma: 37
Saga sponsers snowboarders
Nov 24 2011 10:43PM
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