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KilaTsunami
October, 2024

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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
Hey NSers! As some of you know we have grown and developed here on Newschoolers, with the help and feedback of all of you. We constantly want to hear from you guys. Tell us how we're doing; the good, the bad, any ideas you might have, etc. We like hearing from customers who have personal experience with us, but we also like hearing from those of you who haven't had much interaction with us.

How are our products? Are you happy with the improvements we've made over the past few years?

How is our customer service? Is there anything we can improve?

What do you think of our new site? And what are your thoughts on our transition from First Drop to Virtika?

What do you think of our new 2014 products including all our clothing and 3L, 25K Triple L outerwear?

We like to keep an open line of communication with all of you, and look forward to continually working to improve everything about us as a company!
Oct 12 2013 9:23PM
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Old+Bitter
Posts: 37 - Karma: 89
put the bong down
Oct 13 2013 10:20PM
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skicel
Posts: 195 - Karma: 411
when on your website looking at the different outerwear in the shop, you guys should have pics of people actually wearing it. that way we can get a general idea of how it fits. saga always seems to do that and they say how tall the person is, it really helps with the fit of the clothing. i know there are the pictures in the photos section, but maybe put some of those with the matching outwear in the "shop" section too

also, on the hoodies you guys should have a slot in the pocket for music (idk if you added that, but i have a hoodie from 2009/2010 and it does not have it)

are the newer hoodies getting slimmer for the tall fit or are they still tall and way to wide?

also, maybe make a hoodie that is more of a water resistant material. the current ones are warm but the material can get wet (and heavy) very easily

the new website looks great though, and after explaining the reason for the name change i think it makes sense

did your zippers get better too? becuase the ones on my hoodie suck
Click for larger image

the hood is (was) also awkwardly small, the big ones are nice because i can actually turn me head while the hood is up
Click for larger image

i love how your hoodies are not overpriced too

hope that helps!

Oct 13 2013 10:21PM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
Thanks for the feedback. What do you not like about the site? What do you find hard to navigate about it?
Oct 13 2013 10:39PM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
@ GRZESEIK, thanks for the feedback. That hoodie you have is 3-4 years old, and yes the zippers DO suck on those old hoodies. We are now using huge #8 SBS nylon tooth zippers. We haven't had a single one come back since we switched to the better zippers.

Shoot us an email to info@virtika.com with some pics of your hoodie, tell us when you bought it, and we'll figure out something to make sure you're stoked.
Oct 13 2013 10:44PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
People still buy this shit? Talk about idiots.
Oct 13 2013 11:31PM
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Saac
Posts: 767 - Karma: 333
personally liked FD more. i think you guys have the potential to give the name virtika a great rep
Oct 14 2013 1:09AM
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Miclovin
Posts: 1043 - Karma: 637
You guys did good with the riders like b paul and devine but what happened with downey? New stuff looks awesome but my old black and white pants from last year were a little awkward because they were baggy all they way until the calf area they started to get skinnier which was weird. Website feels weird and is a little slow but only minor things
Oct 14 2013 1:28AM
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Turner.
Posts: 1987 - Karma: 11,892
You have never produced an item of clothing that I have felt in any way compelled to wear.
Oct 14 2013 1:35AM
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emopoppins
Posts: 3996 - Karma: 269
please change the location of the vent zips on your jacket. the back is just awkward. i've always liked your company and all you do, but that's basically the only thing keeping me from buying a set up. I'll probably get a hoodie this year though. you said you fixed the zippers and hood sizes?
Oct 14 2013 2:14AM
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stushoshi
Posts: 32 - Karma: 470
wat do u guys think about tighter stuff - i bet u guys could make of the sickest ninja suits
Oct 14 2013 2:40AM
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Parrish
Posts: 8695 - Karma: 1,008
This is the only time anybody will ever hear my say this...

First Drop, you guys have surprisingly stepped up your game in terms of quality of product, and your service has always been the thing that has kept you somewhat alive in the past. Yes you pull some wack shit that is meh in my eyes, but in the grand scheme of things you make outerwear and if you're making a good product and having decent service, who the fuck cares about the rest of it.

Now that you actually produce a "somewhat" decent quality product my respect level for you guys has gone up quite a bit. Not saying that I'll personally buy any of your stuff but yea.

that aside and this having nothing to do with quality or anything but seems to be style and preference. Your designs are so anglely. And the vents on the back of the 2L looks like someone got slashed by a bear. Do the angles do anything to performance besides being "aesthetically pleasing"

Click for larger image
Oct 14 2013 3:18AM
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FlufyDuky
Posts: 163 - Karma: 649
I think a notification thing like facebook could be cool, like when someone quotes you or replies to a thread you created, just to make everything a bit easier to find? just an idea though
Oct 14 2013 3:21AM
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FlufyDuky
Posts: 163 - Karma: 649
hahaha completely the wrong thread, my bad
Oct 14 2013 3:24AM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
To answer a few of your questions:

Our team is constantly evolving and changing. We loved having Liam on the team, but unfortunately he had 3 years of season (career?) ending injuries that prevented him from skiing. If he is able to ski again, we'd love to have him back!

If you had a pair of black/white pants, that was actually from 2 years ago (V3). That was the first year we introduced our Virtika line of outerwear, which was the first gear that was made at our new (and WAY better) factory. The jacket sizing hasn't changed much, but we continued to dial in the fit of the pants with the V3 and V4 lines. Our new Triple L pants have a much better fit. The crotch isn't quite as low, the waist is smaller (mostly in the larger sizes), and the pants are less balloony. The width of the pant legs has also been improved. We think you guys will be stoked on the new fit!
Oct 14 2013 3:31AM
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250r
Posts: 2276 - Karma: 1,013
if you're going to make a techy waterproof jacket, make it a shell, with out any insulation or mesh on the inside...
Oct 14 2013 5:55AM
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the.ghost
Posts: 117 - Karma: 190
I haven't used any of my stuff yet but I heard good things word of mouth so I ordered lots of shit. V3 pants and a couple hoodies for myself and some v4 pants for my woman. Fit is a little MC hammerish but you can tinker with them to get rid of that. Had some return issues and the customer service was on point. Love the thick insulation cause I ride my sled in 'em too and I don't like having to put on 80 layers. Hope they hold up as dope as they look.
Oct 14 2013 8:28AM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14486 - Karma: 10,635
This year's jackets look the best out of any year so far. The design is far better and less scattered. Can;t say anything about the quality as I haven't seen any of it in person.

The name Virtika is wack. I think it is a terrible name. Should have stayed true to where you started with "First Drop", even FD Wear was a dumb name.
Oct 14 2013 8:31AM
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Mugjumper
Posts: 24 - Karma: 383
I am impressed by how much your company has grown in the past years and I love the products that you offer. I own a V3 suit from your company and it is some of the steeziest and best preforming outerwear I have ever owned. I think however that the quality of your jackets is better than the quality of your pants. I haven't had a chance to try out the V4 or 3L line but I hope those pants are made to the same quality as the jackets. Also your new hoodies have great designs but have you looked into putting any waterproofing into these products?
Oct 14 2013 2:44PM
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Bittner
Posts: 3675 - Karma: 1,573
I really don't expect you to answer this, but I hope you do.

Why do you keep using the domino's marketing approach? I haven't bought any of the new gear in the recent years, for the reason is you've told us yourselves that it is low quality a year or two after production.

When each new year comes, you go on about how your new gear is the best ever! It has happened since year one. When you arrived on the scene, your 8k/8k suits were supposed to be the best thing ever, they wernt.

The year after, My friends and I spent a good amount of money on first drop gear, (Shirts, Hoodies, Pants, Jackets, Hats) based on your rants that the new gear was amazing. Again it was not. Most of the product wore out in a season or less. My pants lasted until January before they were trash.
I know your customer service is on point and that is not what I am ranting about here. When I buy gear I don't want to have to deal with sending it back in for repairs or getting a warranty, I want a product that will last me a winter at least.

Now if I asked about the quality of those years of outerwear, I am almost certain you would say they were junk. So you were consciously selling NS junk for a couple years? I know you tried to make good outerwear, who doesn't, but why should I believe that things have changed? Your words obviously have not been true over the years, it makes me way less likely to trust you now.

You continue to say you have improved zippers, fabrics, factories and more, but in a couple years will you call the v3/v4 jackets junk?
Oct 14 2013 3:55PM
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shred.stickz
Posts: 279 - Karma: 1,715
Im tall and your hoodies and tees are the only ones that are tall on me so i love you guys!
Oct 14 2013 5:41PM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
Thanks! Glad you liked your V3 suit, they were super popular and we've had zero warranty issues with them. They are holding up great.

The quality of the pants has always been the same as the jackets, but we have been dialing in the sizing over the past few years. They were really just too baggy for a lot of people, especially the V4 pants. With our new improved sizing and fit, and improved 25K 3L fabric on the Triple L gear, the pants have dope construction, fit, and fabric. They're good to go!
Oct 14 2013 6:57PM
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PapDaddy
Posts: 532 - Karma: 661
welcome to capitalism dude.....it's a shame that FD is the only company you've noticed to do this!
some call it "progression." others say it's a business strategy.
why do you think they come out with a new iphone every 2 years?
they can convince their consumers that the perfectly functioning ones they already own are trash.
same principal, right?
Oct 14 2013 7:51PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
There is a difference between pointing out a new feature set, and repeatedly saying that you fixed all the failures of the previous model, that fixed all the shortcomings of the one before that.

People who buy this shit expecting a different result are as I said, idiots.
Oct 14 2013 7:58PM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
We would be happy to answer your question. We have always been as transparent as possible with you guys, and we don't intend on changing anytime soon!

We don't have a "Dominos marketing strategy". Our V3/V4 was absolutely NOT junk. We've had zero warranty issues for a very good reason- the gear is extremely well built and bomb proof.

Were there things that could be improved? Yes! Of course. We got better fabric for our Triple L gear (now super thick, 25K 3 layer), improved the fit of the pants, etc. Our gear has gotten better each year since the company was founded 4 years ago. In those 4 short years, we have found better factories, improved fabrics, improved construction, and learned countless other things that continue to make our gear better each year.

We are on a constant quest to better ourselves as a company, and better the gear that we make. If you or anyone is unhappy with anything you've bought from us, we have a warranty that will fix or replace anything. This includes our older gear, some of which was not up to the high quality, style, or fit standards that we demand from ourselves.

After 4 years of developing clothing and outerwear, our gear is now to the point where we're happy with it. If nothing else were to improve (and I'm sure it WILL continue to improve as styles, trends, designs, technology, popular colors, etc change), we coud still say it stands up against any clothing or outerwear in the world. Hold a Triple L suit in your hands and tell us otherwise, I dare ya ;)

Oct 14 2013 8:08PM
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Byron_tha_gr8
Posts: 4573 - Karma: 14,299
Within the first few days of trying out my v3 jacket, the zipper bottom broke on the arms. I was convinced the quality of the jacket was crap. I managed to melt some ptex into the right place to make it work, and used it for a while. And Hot Damn, I was wrong! Warm, comfy, pretty waterproof, tons of vents, big pockets, i love it. But the zippers seem to be a consistent problem, for whatever reason.
Oct 14 2013 8:24PM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
Since the zippers on the sleeves need to bend and curve, they can only be so large and tough. BUT, we actually have improved the zippers since the V3 stuff. All V4 and Triple L sleeves have larger, stronger, tooth zippers with locking zipper heads (so the sleeves can't unzip themselves if you roll down the windows a bunch).

If you ever have any problems with zippers or anything, let us know and we'll fix/replace it for free and cover shipping back to you!
Oct 14 2013 8:41PM
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Byron_tha_gr8
Posts: 4573 - Karma: 14,299
i would, but my temp ptex fix has actually worked well enough to be permanent.

Also if you ever want the street cred of a half black thugnificent skier, im your man.
Oct 14 2013 8:46PM
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BCski95
Posts: 151 - Karma: 353
first off i think your gear is great but the only thing making me hesitate from getting the triple l gear is that i dont know the size and cant visually see it how big or small it would be.
also are you going to be keeping the size of the triple l or are you going to kind of have two sizes
Oct 15 2013 7:41AM
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Spiri7o
Posts: 2163 - Karma: 1,100
As cool as a lot of this is, some of it makes me mad. The car flipping
Oct 15 2013 8:46AM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,404
it all still looks like shit and the only people i see wearing it are gapers that are fun to laugh at
Oct 15 2013 9:11AM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
Thanks! The Triple L jackets are almost identical to the sizing of our V3/V4 stuff. The pants are a little more narrow, less big and wide in the waist especially. I would recommend checking the size chart and compare to gear you already own- http://virtika.com/style-fit-guide/

If you have any other size related questions, shoot us an email to info@virtika.com with your height, weight, waist, and how you like your gear to fit and we'll recommend the perfect size for you. We look forward to your order!
Oct 15 2013 1:37PM
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gpitcher
Posts: 2626 - Karma: 1,691
Due to the fact that the ski outerwear market lacks fur-hooded jackets, and it has been proven in the past with the salomon g-suit and others, that people like it.......is there any chance we will see a fur hooded virtika jacket?



Oct 15 2013 1:53PM
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gapers4life
Posts: 282 - Karma: 783
Only one thing I could improve. You know that stuff that goes around your ankle on the bottom of snow pants to protect from ski edges? That shit would be fantastic around my wrist to protect from the tow rope!!!! I'm getting holes in my jacket from the rope and it would be sweet if instead of duct taping it you could put that shit on there!
Oct 15 2013 8:01PM
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Virtika
Posts: 623 - Karma: 10,949
The fur hooded jackets are possibly something we would make at some point, but fur doesn't do well in the washer/dryer so it has to be zip-off-able. Plus not sure fur would look good on a technical 3L jacket, so maybe we could do the fur brim if we ever make a more lifestyle, around town kind of jacket..

Thanks for the feedback!
Oct 16 2013 1:59PM
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Byron_tha_gr8
Posts: 4573 - Karma: 14,299
I'd be so into that. maybe subtler colors and patterns, but still something i could stand out in.
Oct 16 2013 2:34PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
i'll never buy your products because your marketing doesn't appeal to me. it's not what comes to mind when i think of a lifestyle brand. i feel like you should stop focusing on cheap whoors and white-thugging out, but i mean there is a demographic out there for it, it's just not me.
Oct 16 2013 10:02PM
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NH_OPERATOR
Posts: 1070 - Karma: 2,883
So basically your saying that your a virgin who hates fun? Got it.
Oct 16 2013 10:22PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
Definitely
Oct 16 2013 11:00PM
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Miclovin
Posts: 1043 - Karma: 637
you come off as a solid 7
Oct 17 2013 2:06AM
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ndye
Posts: 3756 - Karma: 7,094
More whoors more fun, more whoors more fun
Oct 17 2013 1:11PM
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gunnagetwhooped
Posts: 236 - Karma: 46
To tell you guys the truth, i think your fuckin up. First off the adds are pretty dumb. People don't want to be seeing boobs and shit when they go on to a ski website. You guys have a solid name, but i think the marketing is kind of shitting the bed. The adds are making you guys look like shit. The hardest part in the ski industry is making a name, you guys have done that. Now make some quality shit that really sticks out. In Utah you guys are thought of as being a company for posers. I think that some real quality shit that doesn't fit extremely baggy could make you guys a respected brand in the freeski world again. My thoughts...
Oct 17 2013 2:51PM
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Rodigan
Posts: 1299 - Karma: 1,859
Shoulda stuck with First Drop....personally dont think Virtika works.
Oct 17 2013 3:21PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
^these posts.
Oct 17 2013 8:57PM
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Wolffy
Posts: 949 - Karma: 131
Grammar and spelling. Use it.
Oct 17 2013 9:00PM
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Ryguy920
Posts: 898 - Karma: 207
this
Oct 18 2013 1:05PM
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5712 - Karma: 20,638
A lot of people on here have spoken to the branding change, but few have given actual reasoning. This is all personal preference stuff and subjective to me, but this is how I feel about it.

First Drop (FD) was a very young and clean sounding brand. It aligned very well with your marketing strategy of the "I don't give a fuck" and - though it pains me to write it - "Gangsta" image. Which as a brand you totally pull off. The logo was clean, simple, effective, and unassuming enough to throw up on anything, anywhere, and rep the brand without looking like a little swag-whore.

Virtika has thrown a complete 180 on your image and I very much don't like it. The logo is loud and even the simple "V" is not as effective as "Fd." I understand the domain issues and its driving factor to the name change, but you've shortened your name on the internet and gained 5 letters on your actual logo. The Virtika logo has lost the elusive feeling that FD had.

I'm sure that in a year, this will all be old news and the world will have accepted Virtika for what it is, but personally, I'm quite keen to stock up on FD gear before it's gone because I'm not sure if I want to spend my money on Virtika.
Oct 18 2013 3:32PM
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NH_OPERATOR
Posts: 1070 - Karma: 2,883
This man gets +K, I agree with everything hes saying. I know yall say that Virtika seems to be testing better or whatever, but when every other post in this thread, (and NS is pretty much your true core demographic here) is "Virtika sux, go back to First Drop and FD wear" you should probably listen.
Oct 18 2013 3:38PM
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