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What up Newschoolers,
This week's edition of AMA is with Tall T Dan AKA man of a many names aka the Truth aka the Only aka lip on blind 2.
Dan has achieved a level of OG that very few members have in our industry and for that we welcome him into the Newschooler Hall of Fame.
Unlike previous AMA's, @-Dan opted to answer questions all week so feel free to drop in anytime and join in on the conversation.
Let's hear em
**This thread was edited on May 26th 2020 at 8:48:02am
If y’all want to ask some more significant questions that’s cool too. Looking forward to to answering some meaningful Or more in depth shit.
If it’s helps here are somethings I do or have done:
run clothing brand for 10 years
recieved bachelors degree in Athletic Training from UVM
produced webseries for 2 seasons
Moved west from East after graduating to ski.
road tripped America a couple times
Traveled to sweden for spring events (creation nation, kimbo sessions)
Turned a trick into the only trick
happy to answer any and all respectful questions. Thanks homies!
Next_door_milfWould you ever conisder making a sweatshirt with carhart I would die too see that. Or you ever thinking of making super massive and baggy snow pants?
Well, I would do a WIP collab maybe. Otherwise it’d just be me buying carhartt and putting Arsenic on it. Not something I have plans for right now. As for the snow pants, I’ve made Pants that would work but not massively baggy. I wanted the fit to be more versatile for other uses as well.
-DanWell, I would do a WIP collab maybe. Otherwise it’d just be me buying carhartt and putting Arsenic on it. Not something I have plans for right now. As for the snow pants, I’ve made Pants that would work but not massively baggy. I wanted the fit to be more versatile for other uses as well.
I thought the street project you were doing with those two dudes from from Scandinavia(?) looked super tight. I am pretty ignorant and have no idea if the flic is out or what their names were, but it was cool to see the collaboration. Was that project kinda sponsored by arsenic? Anything eye opening about the experience or cool stuff you learned?
Hell yeah, thank you for supporting. to expand: I don't have plans to make any formal ski outerwear right now. I've been happy with my Saga stuff over the years. Armada, Spyder, and Henrik now all offer some nice ski pants and support the skiing we love. I'll let those people get the snow pants market.
chopchopWhat were the (top) breakthrough steps for you to go from talented guy to a revenue-positive business?
Hahaha I could answer that question if I felt like I was ever a talented guy. I missed the first step in that transition, but regarding revenue-position, I never operated Arsenic at a loss. It wouldn't have been possible. I don't have any money to lose, now and especially when I was starting out.
There have been a few moments along the way where I felt like a made a breakthrough. The first was when we were living in Cali skiing Big Bear- during War of Rails a lot of guys I looked up to stayed with us and hung out at our cabin. A few people bought stuff from me, and I made friends with a lot of guys that let me give them stuff in the future. People like Tom Arnell, who is a partner of 4bi9, Crazy Karl, and the Bunch all were down to support me and wear things I made.
Im sure it had an impact on sales because their reach is way more than mine, especially then. Even more than that though was the effect it had on my confidence and motivation. Super grateful for those guys, and many other people that continue to inspire me and motivate me whether they realize it or not.
BedBugDougI thought the street project you were doing with those two dudes from from Scandinavia(?) looked super tight. I am pretty ignorant and have no idea if the flic is out or what their names were, but it was cool to see the collaboration. Was that project kinda sponsored by arsenic? Anything eye opening about the experience or cool stuff you learned?
The homies in question were Harald Hellström, Tuukka Pöri, and Joona Sipola. They are some Finnish homies of mine that I badgered into coming over here to ski street with me lol. Their crew is Forre (@forre4life) and they have put out a street movie the last 2 seasons. This is their most recent one. 947509
When they visited we were filming for their 3rd movie. they are not sure what they plan to do with the footage now since filming got cut short this year. The project wasn't directly sponsored by Arsenic, but I have been giving the homies clothes for 2 seasons now and helping support them however I can. Hopefully in the future its with money, because that's what they deserve, but for now we still need some of these guys to get ski sponsors at least.
As far as eye opening goes, just getting to see their skiing ability in person really blew me away. I knew they were good, and have been friends with them online for years, but when you are part of the full process you can pick up on a way more. These guys are super confident on their skis and know exactly how to do when they needed to do at spots- big or small. I expect more people to catch on to them sooner than later.
steezeplease.do you play shred sauce if so is your game programed where you can only lip blind 2
My life is programmed that way at this point lol. I dabble a bit with the sawce, but Im certainly not proficient. My favorite thing about that game is the community and how a single player game managed to become so much more. I fuck with the big time.
I've always thought skateboarding has been a major driver of cultural trends, especially within fashion. Early 2000s skinny pants, cuffing, rubber cap shoes, etc. Do you agree? And more specifically what are some of the brands or specific people you look to for inspiration?
And finally, when are you gunna make a black hoodie?!?! I need one bru
1) Some say that there will be no more skiing/snowboarding in the next 60 years due to climate change. How do you forsee the industry changing to adapt to lower numbers of skiers and shorter seasons?
Sometimes after i hit the blunt I think it’s crazy how humans/snow have been around for millions of years but skiing - as we know it - has only really been around for 50years and may only have a life span of 100(ish) and how lucky we all are to have been able to experience this amazing feeling.
2) what do you do to relax when not sewing/working/thrifting/lipblind2ing?
in 6th grade for "home economics" class we learned how to sew. Ten years later I got a lot of help relearning the basics from my mom when I started again. My girlfriend, Emelia, is super nice with the machines and has provided plenty of support over the last few years as well.
GrandThingsI've always thought skateboarding has been a major driver of cultural trends, especially within fashion. Early 2000s skinny pants, cuffing, rubber cap shoes, etc. Do you agree? And more specifically what are some of the brands or specific people you look to for inspiration?
And finally, when are you gunna make a black hoodie?!?! I need one bru
I agree. Skateboarding influences a lot of things, especially things that I like. I really try to stay away from other brands in general. I don't want to be copying people's ideas or designs even subconsciously. In like 2011ish I was looking at JSLV and Raw New England for ideas about what to make. Thats the last time I was really looking at another brand though that lens. People that inspire me are my friends. I think my closest friends are really cool and if I can succeed in making things they like then I feel pretty good about Arsenic. Vintage clothing also gives me a lot of concepts to work with clothing wise, in that sense there are some more brands that have certainly affected what I make for Arsenic. LL Bean, Tommy Hilfiger, and Nautica are among them.
The next hoodie I release will be black. I promise.
It's cool to see people like yourself who believed in himself, took some risks, put himself out there, and found some success (and some happiness/motivation/confidence). That's what it's all about, right?
If you had advice for a young guy (or gal) with some talent and an idea (clothing, gear, a service, whatever), what would it be?
-DanHahaha I could answer that question if I felt like I was ever a talented guy. I missed the first step in that transition, but regarding revenue-position, I never operated Arsenic at a loss. It wouldn't have been possible. I don't have any money to lose, now and especially when I was starting out.
There have been a few moments along the way where I felt like a made a breakthrough. The first was when we were living in Cali skiing Big Bear- during War of Rails a lot of guys I looked up to stayed with us and hung out at our cabin. A few people bought stuff from me, and I made friends with a lot of guys that let me give them stuff in the future. People like Tom Arnell, who is a partner of 4bi9, Crazy Karl, and the Bunch all were down to support me and wear things I made.
Im sure it had an impact on sales because their reach is way more than mine, especially then. Even more than that though was the effect it had on my confidence and motivation. Super grateful for those guys, and many other people that continue to inspire me and motivate me whether they realize it or not.
Im for sure not an icon lol. As far as people knowing me there are good things and bad things about it.
The best thing about people already knowing me is that making friends with them is easier. I love meeting people and making friends so I feel like the little bit of notoriety I have gives me a step up in that process.
The worst thing is if I have met someone along the way already but when I meet them again I don't remember their name. I am pretty good with names but def don't have 100% recall. Messing that up isn't a good feeling.
JAHBRADOR1) Some say that there will be no more skiing/snowboarding in the next 60 years due to climate change. How do you forsee the industry changing to adapt to lower numbers of skiers and shorter seasons?
Sometimes after i hit the blunt I think it’s crazy how humans/snow have been around for millions of years but skiing - as we know it - has only really been around for 50years and may only have a life span of 100(ish) and how lucky we all are to have been able to experience this amazing feeling.
2) what do you do to relax when not sewing/working/thrifting/lipblind2ing?
The industry has already changed to accommodate shorter seasons. Epic/ikon and other passes like this makes revenue more dependable. Or at least makes the floor way higher for participanting mtns. For brands/shops I’m not sure. Why do you expect there to be less skiers? Less snow makes sense on our current trajectory. This is a Big question here. To be honest I def don’t have enough knowledge of the whole ski industry and specific aspects of it. I hope as a whole we can keep skiers skiing and passionate about the sport. I worry about the entry cost being even more exclusionary, I also worry about kids in competition programs getting burnt out. Otherwise I need 59 more years of experiences to be able to solve the problems we’ll face 60 years from now.
2. All those things are already relaxing, or at least they don’t stress me out. Besides doing those things I like driving a lot, traveling new places, and eating different foods, hiking a bit.
When you graduated, did you figure you would end up somewhere in the ski industry or get a real job? What's your ideal work nowadays? If you could ski everyday and live your same lifestyle, would you?
It's cool to see people like yourself who believed in himself, took some risks, put himself out there, and found some success (and some happiness/motivation/confidence). That's what it's all about, right?
If you had advice for a young guy (or gal) with some talent and an idea (clothing, gear, a service, whatever), what would it be?
Im definitely proud of where I'm at now especially considering where I felt like I was when I started.
The best advice I could give anyone who wants to do something or be something is to never give up. In the clothing realm I've seen many brands in a similar lane to me come and go over the years. I am for sure not the best marketer or most talented designer or really superlative at all compared to many of these other people. The only thing that differentiates me is that I'm still doing it. Apply that to most things, especially creative pursuits. Even simply, if you give up in medschool you don't become a doctor. So yeah, the first step to taking more steps is not giving up.
beepbeepskiWhat are some must-ski East Coast spots?? Also favorite state?
spots or mtns?
Everyone should look at the Red Ledge in person if they find themselves near Quebec City.
Resort wise Im incredibly loyal to Sugarbush Parks, to me the best people are there. Killington early season is usually a great scene. Carinthia puts a lot of features in the ground, usually homies to be found. I know Sugarloaf and Sunday river both are great spots but you can't get there from here.
Favorite state is Vermont. that's factoring in a lot of personal things tho. Objectively the coolest state is probably Washington or California.
**This post was edited on May 19th 2020 at 7:14:35pm
BigPurpleSkiSuitWhen you graduated, did you figure you would end up somewhere in the ski industry or get a real job? What's your ideal work nowadays? If you could ski everyday and live your same lifestyle, would you?
When I graduated UVM I figured I was gonna fuck off for a year and ski then start working with my degree and probably go back for a Masters after 2 or 3 years. I def never planned on being in the ski industry. I would say I was mostly expecting for myself what others were expecting for me because I didn't have any experiences that were showing me other options yet. After 2 years of piecing together enough money to get by without falling back on my parents I felt like I could just keep traveling and skiing as much as I wanted.
As an athletic trainer I am able to make a lot of money from May-September. Mostly covering tournament and summer camps. My best year I did like 16k in that time. Now keep in mind that I was able to spend my first winter out of school just skiing and no job with 5k in the bank so 16k and I was fucking rich. I don't really need much to get by. As far as ideal work goes, I'd like to still be doing some athletic training but can't because of the pandemic. All sporting events are cancelled. I wouldn't want to ski every day, I get burnt out on it. I always love the seasons in my life and the different activities and opportunities that come with them.
Greatest car you’ve owned and why?
What’s up with Cover Textiles?
If you had to choose between sewing and thrifting, which would you choose and why?
If you could only listen to one (1) 2Chainz song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
What inspires you most about the ski/snowboard community?
Sugarbush or Windells?
Why do you make clothes?
AsherDonati24What convinced you to move to New England? Btw got the new adventure shorts, can't wait for them to come in.
Skiing under the disguise of college is how I got to Vermont. Im from Albany, NY and my mom wasn't gonna let me go to UT or CO for school cause it was too far for her. Ended up in Burlington cause it seems like the best hotspot in a reasonable distance from home.
thanks for ordering homie! dropped em off the other day with Mary at the local post office. I'm sure she'll get it to yah quick.
little1337Whats your favorite piece of Arsenic clothing that you've made so far?
Keep on trucking long sleeve shirt from spring this year and the Arsenic Cross Country shirt from 2013 Fall are my two favorites because of personal meaning behind them. The Wagner cap is what I wear the most, as pictured in the OP.
