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The rise of smaller brands in freestyle skiing

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richieskis
Posts: 94 - Karma: 991
Over the past few years, we have seen a vast increase of little ski companies getting a lot of attention. Do you think this is because of the internet and the ease of access to the information, or is it just trendy to ride obscure or smaller brands?
Jun 27 2020 10:31AM
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animator
Posts: 4558 - Karma: 26,311
richieskisOver the past few years, we have seen a vast increase of little ski companies getting a lot of attention. Do you think this is because of the internet and the ease of access to the information, or is it just trendy to ride obscure or smaller brands?

Both. Freeskiers inherently want to support core brands, and small/obscure companies tend to fit that pretty well (with some exceptions).
Jun 27 2020 10:57AM
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dwt802
Posts: 3275 - Karma: 32,298
Supporting small ski companies helps give money into the sport we love. Sometimes with buying skis from bigger companies the money does not go back to free skiing. Support the small business homies.
Jun 27 2020 11:33AM
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Pachankz
Posts: 729 - Karma: 838
richieskisOver the past few years, we have seen a vast increase of little ski companies getting a lot of attention. Do you think this is because of the internet and the ease of access to the information, or is it just trendy to ride obscure or smaller brands?


list some of said little ski companies I'd like to check them out, been out of the loop for several years.
Jun 27 2020 12:02PM
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richieskis
Posts: 94 - Karma: 991
I feel like the best example recently would be vishnu freeski. Came out of no where and now I see multiple pairs whenever I ski.
Pachankzlist some of said little ski companies I'd like to check them out, been out of the loop for several years.
Jun 27 2020 12:06PM
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rubberpantaloons
Posts: 506 - Karma: 3,096
Would love to support small brands but not many make stiff skis in my size :(
Jun 27 2020 1:15PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7861 - Karma: 22,359
Pachankzlist some of said little ski companies I'd like to check them out, been out of the loop for several years.

ON3P (company pretty much started as a thread on Newschoolers), Vishnu, Skevik, Smart Skis, Moment, Fauna, Gilson skis, Cmdskis, twoowt, whitedot

**This post was edited on Jun 27th 2020 at 1:21:34pm
Jun 27 2020 1:19PM
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Celery
Posts: 2054 - Karma: 25,496
Also Amalgam skis from Maine
skiP.E.I.ON3P (company pretty much started as a thread on Newschoolers), Vishnu, Skevik, Smart Skis, Moment, Fauna, Gilson skis, Cmdskis, twoowt, whitedot

**This post was edited on Jun 27th 2020 at 1:21:34pm
Jun 27 2020 1:49PM
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Jpurd
Posts: 3196 - Karma: 3,555
Threads
Jun 27 2020 4:14PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 52040 - Karma: 167,299
air.bubbleWould love to support small brands but not many make stiff skis in my size :(

I had that issue with supporting local shops for a while. Nobody had the boots I wanted in my size ever. But trues to always buy other shit local and support the spots.

Especially shops that sponsored small events at the ski areas.
Jun 27 2020 5:31PM
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FaunaSkis
Posts: 611 - Karma: 6,611
skiP.E.I.ON3P (company pretty much started as a thread on Newschoolers), Vishnu, Skevik, Smart Skis, Moment, Fauna, Gilson skis, Cmdskis, twoowt, whitedot

Thanks for including Fauna in this list. We also got started in the ski building thread on here and for me, the way which the freeski community supports its small brands and what they give back, gave me confidence in starting Fauna. It also drives what I want to do with my ski company in terms of ways to give back for the future success of the brand.
Jun 27 2020 6:13PM
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whackhouse
Posts: 736 - Karma: 939
air.bubbleWould love to support small brands but not many make stiff skis in my size :(


idk what your size is, but im pretty sure the answer is ninthward
Jun 28 2020 11:55AM
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r00kie
Posts: 5238 - Karma: 59,587
Buying small seems to be a larger economic trend nit just associated with the ski industry. Craft beer might be the poater child of this trend. Would love to it continue and have more mom and pop shops businesses and less Targets, Amazons, and Walmarts. Keeps money more local and helps avoid nation wide economic crashes as communities are more self sufficient.
Jun 28 2020 12:09PM
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8032 - Karma: 63,907
air.bubbleWould love to support small brands but not many make stiff skis in my size :(


Check out Evl Skis
all there skis are twin tips ment for everything from trees to pow to park to groomers and some sick top sheets
Jun 28 2020 12:57PM
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richieskis
Posts: 94 - Karma: 991
Unfortunately with current stage capitalism bigger brands will thrive while staving smaller brands. While I’d love to see more small stores pop up, with amazon especially, most niche stores will be put under by bigger companies
r00kieBuying small seems to be a larger economic trend nit just associated with the ski industry. Craft beer might be the poater child of this trend. Would love to it continue and have more mom and pop shops businesses and less Targets, Amazons, and Walmarts. Keeps money more local and helps avoid nation wide economic crashes as communities are more self sufficient.
Jun 28 2020 1:14PM
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r00kie
Posts: 5238 - Karma: 59,587
richieskisUnfortunately with current stage capitalism bigger brands will thrive while staving smaller brands. While I’d love to see more small stores pop up, with amazon especially, most niche stores will be put under by bigger companies


Big business is only big if people buy from them. Seeing more small companies pop up means people are buying more and more from small businesses than in the past. The power is in the consumer.
Jun 28 2020 1:38PM
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Jpurd
Posts: 3196 - Karma: 3,555
richieskisUnfortunately with current stage capitalism bigger brands will thrive while staving smaller brands. While I’d love to see more small stores pop up, with amazon especially, most niche stores will be put under by bigger companies


r00kieBig business is only big if people buy from them. Seeing more small companies pop up means people are buying more and more from small businesses than in the past. The power is in the consumer.

Could not agree more. Put your money where your mouth is
Jun 28 2020 1:45PM
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hi_vis360
Posts: 5156 - Karma: 52,794
I think a lot of you fellas are forgetting that the bigger brands almost completely stopped giving a fuck about street and film skiers. Salomon is the perfect example: they literally brought twin tip skis to the market and now they are almost completely absent from the park scene. Smaller brands have jumped in and sponsored the skiers that are outside of the competition circuit, so it's no surprise that we are seeing more of those skis in the park today.
Jun 28 2020 6:04PM
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Stolpskott
Posts: 38 - Karma: 195
WoFlowzCheck out Evl Skis
all there skis are twin tips ment for everything from trees to pow to park to groomers and some sick top sheets

That's sick dude, thanks for sharing
Jun 28 2020 6:12PM
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dogfartstaint
Posts: 342 - Karma: 1,991
Brands like ON3P and arsenic have cult followings just like for example Full Send clothes for the young guys out there.

You feel good supporting small business but they also make rockin clothes/skis. The trendiness but also the good feeling of supporting small business with rad owners is what allows me to justify paying a premium.
Jun 28 2020 8:38PM
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ScaryDumpTruck
Posts: 584 - Karma: 3,391
dogfartstaintBrands like ON3P and arsenic have cult followings just like for example Full Send clothes for the young guys out there.

You feel good supporting small business but they also make rockin clothes/skis. The trendiness but also the good feeling of supporting small business with rad owners is what allows me to justify paying a premium.

And smaller brands like ON3P have better quality control compared to other companies that have their skis made in a factory in China
Jun 28 2020 9:15PM
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vibecheck
Posts: 3112 - Karma: 15,194
ScaryDumpTruckAnd smaller brands like ON3P have better quality control compared to other companies that have their skis made in a factory in China


The virus comes from C H I N A
Jun 28 2020 10:46PM
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Young_patty
Posts: 3300 - Karma: 38,387
I’m a skier who likes skiing and when skier owned ski companies make sick ski gear for me to use while also sponsoring sick skiers and making sick content I want to support it because they support the thing I love.


it’s kinda like monkeys eating lice and ticks off of each other


Jun 30 2020 1:53AM
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TreyMiddleton
Posts: 78 - Karma: 349
air.bubbleWould love to support small brands but not many make stiff skis in my size :(


skiP.E.I.ON3P (company pretty much started as a thread on Newschoolers), Vishnu, Skevik, Smart Skis, Moment, Fauna, Gilson skis, Cmdskis, twoowt, whitedot

**This post was edited on Jun 27th 2020 at 1:21:34pm


I second ON3P and want to try some moments (ON3P staff vouches for them). Pretty sure you could find your size since the women’s and men’s skis are the same and they have super directional skis upwards of 191cm
Jul 2 2020 1:05AM
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