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***Live Q&A Session With Jason Levinthal From Line Skis***
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Welcome to the live chat with Jason Levinthal from Line Skis. As you know, Line was recently acquired by K2 Sports and J will be answering your questions from 10:00pm until he gets sleepy. Jason posts under the name Snowninja and will get to as many posts as possible. I'll be moderating for anything repetitive and will be posting a recap of the discussion in the News.
So post your questions and let's make this happen.
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I have nothing but respect for you and what you've done by the way, for the industry and all of us, I just have to get these questions out there...
Honest opinions of k2 before the deal. honest. seriously be honest.
You said you this didnt personally effect your financial gains. explain that.
Don't you feel like you've lost your TRUE image of being for the younger freerider and now are just another player in K2 Sports big scheme of making shareholders smile?
Their investor site hasn't even dropped word of the Line buy-out. I'm intersted to see how much the stock moves from our little freeskiing addition. Why no mention of it from k2 sports yet?
p.s. Last trade was at $11.54
First Quarter 2006 Net Sales of $348.1 million, reflecting growth of 9.4%
Can't wait to see how great or little of effect it will have on Net Sales and Stock price...can't wait.
Short term it may help line skis as a whole, but what about 5 years from now? don't you feel LINE like it used to be will dissolve and become just another twintip maker...
Don't you feel like this, and similar moves like this are killing our separate niche of skiing. we need to be separeated and this just ties independents and larger companies together more.
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when i go to camp will k2 carry next years lines to demo?
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Are there going to be any changes to the pro team now that the company has more money
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how will the move affect the quality of your skis, price of your skis, range of your skis, and being innovative with new products ?
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Yeah, he asked alot of my questions plus more. Great Questions.
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taylor pretty much covered the GOOD questions, but i have to know..
will line skis, even though owned by k2, still be named line?
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J. Lev with this new finacial backing will you + the k2 try to reivent the reactor binging?
Dillon Calderone
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where will next years skis be manufactured??
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the dumb bitch just opened up 5 million dollars!
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Jason, im gonna honestly say, fuck yes. You fucking scored. Way to take the money, way to go man, everyone needs money. Fuck people who say you "sold out". Why wouldn't you want truck loads of money? But ok, to the questions:
1. Will Line Skis still be control by yourself, and kept how it is now?
2. Will all line skis be made in K2 factories now?(im pretty sure they will but im just making sure)
3. Will any of the names/graphics/riders/anything be changed by K2 from what they used to be?
4. Was this your decison, or someone elses?
Thanks for your time.
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will there be a quality and price difference?
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dear jason, why are we going to have a q&a session when every question is going to be "why did you sell out, and how does this affect the future of line?"
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Were there any other companies in snow sports that you respect enough to consider selling to? Or did you deal with Trak Sports prevent you from having input into that part of the deal?
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hey Jay, Do you think the skis them selves will change. Thing like graphics and dimension will change to K2's ways or stay just good old line?
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i love J, just wanted to put that out there
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so, how much control will k2 have over line now ?
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I would also like to know about any quality and/or price changes for new product that will be produced.
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good call,
The chronics are the best skis I have ever ridden, and as long as they don't change too much, I don't care who pays to have them manufatured
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Big, corporate, understands where the sport is going and supports it
The majority of Line was sold to Trak back in '99 so the money went to Trak, not me.
I didn't change my image since last thursday, I'm the same person, the brand's mission didn't change, business exists to make money to pay the people that work and have ownership, if it makes them smile great, Line is only valuable to K2 as Line not by being someone whe're not.
Its really not a big deal that effects wall street. We're a small company with small sales. We've just got lots of potential and now can make that potential a reality thanks to them.
We'll never disolve 5 yrs from now and just be another, being one of a kind has kept us unique and vaulable to skiers and the industry the past 11 the next 5 will be no different
independents or not, mission will remain the same
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thinking back on the risks that you took when line was solo, would you have done anything differently so that line could have prolonged staying independant, or was this a more favorable future that was inevidable.
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will line skis be made better and stronger now that a quality company like k2 has taken over your shit?
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no, we'll have our same Line reps
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we won't have more money until we sell more product. Just because a big company owns the brand, doesn't mean we can spend money we don't have. We'll build the team as we grow, over time.
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Jason you keep it real, do care what this kids say about you sellin out, cuz you didn't. But where do you see line going, it seems its going more big mountain, like so many more wide skis then last few years, and less an empasis on park, do you feel the same
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same prices, much better quality, incrase the range over time, continue to inovate
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1: what's your fee?
2: what's the highest fee of the pro's and who is that?
3: as you probably know, weight of ski bindings are essential. Are Line going to put the reactor on a diet?
4: Any real-twins coming out besides the invader? and what did you improve with that ski since alot of people complained about the poor quality?
5: I live in sweden and want to buy skis but there's no agent. When can Line skis be avalible? Honestly, the market in sweden is huge, and people don't buy unless there's an import agent for warranty and such...
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Yes, we wouldn't be Line if we weren't Line
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Answer my question on your honest to god's honest truth on your opinion of k2 sports and k2 skis before this move. Please.
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In the most advanced ski factory in the world in China where K2 skis are made
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jason.. just wanted to say that the whole line story really inspired me. i thought the sport was dead until i finally cought up with the whole newschool movement through line skis.
just wanted to say much thanks for founding an awesome company, a really cool brand and for helping our sport progress. i guess it's time now that you profit from it.. enjoy!
oh and what's gonna happen to pollard??
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This is my 2cents on this:
Line has done more for this sport then anyone can imagine.
You can dissagree on there current move. But you CANNOT knock the driving force of J Lev...He has been in it from his heart since day one (no matter what the monatary cost has been to him), and has pushed this sport more then ANY other company out there.
Even if Salomon never came out with the 1080, Line was already building skiblades and they were progressivly getting longer.
Line would have been the Burton of newschool skiing has salomon not beat them to the gun.
Never knock LINE again for what they are doing. Look what they have done. You should be gratful for them.
Hating on Line because they blew up and Surface is still small and core is like hating on Burton cause they blew up but sticking with Rome boards or some other new, upstart company.
When a company does well, they grow. Face it. Thats how business here works.
What other company, EVERY YEAR comes out with the variety of products and the BALLS to try new shit on them EVERY year?
If Line failed at everything they made, they still opened that door for other companies and that should be reconized.
Lets wait it out and see how this works out in the long term, but if (as J says) that Line wont be getting any money from them for a team, it seems like nothing will chance.
Jason, I have nothing but respect for you and your company. Only YOU truely know whats best and I hope to be riding Line skis again someday.
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1 definitly
2 yes
3 no
4 it was everyone involved decision, is made incredibly good sense for the Line brand and Line's future
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since you're moving to the k2 factory, will future line skis be made using k2's traditional triaxial fiberglass wrap or will you still do your 4d fiberglass wrap?
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so people could see that you'd find a new way to ask it again
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is a current k2 ski of higher quality than a current line ski ?
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HOW WILL THIS BUY OUT AFFECT THE LINE SNOWBLADES?
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does this mean bye bye for burlington?
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outside of the sale, what kindof changes are gonna be made in constuction of skis and bindings?
are you gonna have sidewalls instead of caps?
are you gonna have the same design staff? etc
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yo J. Mad props as usual for doing what no one else in the industry and doing what no one else in your part of the industry will do: putting up with the odd NS forum flamer to let us all know what's up.
My question for the moment:
How will this affect Line's operations in the UK/Europe? Will Matt d'Arcy remain in charge of all of that and what will become of the UK Line ski team?
Cheers
Rich.
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In order for Line to have the strongest future possible, we needed this level of support.
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i have only respect and wonder and awe for the fabulous compnay that is line skis. seriosly i used tow worship these skis and ocasionaly sacrifice them in a fire pit. i love line skis with all my heart, i hope this transition to k2 really works out well. I
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From what it sounds like nothing will change, aside from where the skis are made, does that seem like a true statement?
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IS THE LINE SNOWBLADES LINE GOING TO BE AFFECTED AT ALL?!
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We're expanded into big mtn because we believe that is driving the progression of the sport as hard as freestyle simply on different terrain. thanks for the support!
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are the blades gonna be fattier for pow, or skinier for better grip on cord?
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you are responding to everyone's questions so fast... thanks jason you're the shit!
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