PROTECT OUR CULTURE!

B

BradGeiger

Member
Please make your buying decisions this winter carefully!
"Core" is a statement of sincerity. Those shops and brands who are fully invested in our culture are core brands. These are the brands the live and die with the culture.
In this time of intense greed and big brother domination end economic uncertainty . It is more important than every that we all protect the core brands who truly give a fuck about our culture. When you all walk into your local ski shop to buy this winter, remember to give that some thought. The core companies are what fuel and make our culture what is is. Without these heart and sole brands, we risk the fall of our special lifestyle. What make Ski, Snowboard, Surf, and Skate what we are today, is the core shops and companies who build and sell for the love and passion of what we do. Without these brands, we will become nothing more than a collection of sports. Fuck that.
I am not going to name any names, but when you all are making you buying decisions this year remember the brands and local shops who need your support the most, are the brand our culture needs as well.
God bless our Progressive Culture.
Brad GeigerJibyard owner founder
 
I totally agree, but if we dont protect it, it will loss that special touch that makes it a "culture" and not just a fucking sport.
WE WILL NEVER DIE!
 
amen, there is so much more to this than physical activity. skiing is an art, a community, and a lifestyle and serves as a necessary outlet in my life for creativity, frustration, stress, and many other things. Thats why i'm so happy to give back by making sure my hard earned dollars end up in the hands of somebody who cares as much as I do about all of this.
 
Thank you. Well put. I know that we have to do what we can to make it through this tough time, but just try it "invest in the shops and brands who are invested in us."
 
Don't you think all these core companies would "sell out" if they had the financial ability? Many seem to fit that "core" mold simply because they don't have the means to grow to compete with larger, more established brands.

Don't get me wrong, I like many of the brands stated above, but I believe the majority of these small jib-oriented companies would love to sell 10 times more product than they do, and if that level was achieved there is a good chance they would no longer have that "core" label.
 
Good thread. We've all got to remember that the money we spend with a "core" shop/brand is way more likely to get reinvested as ad/sponsor dollars within the culture. So if you want to have quality stuff to watch, read, wear, and ski on...then make sure you are spending with a company that supports things you like.
 
Many "core" companies might "sell out" if they could but i don't think saying all of them would is fair. Look at skateboarding, some of the biggest companies in it are still core and still put most of the profit they make back into the sport through sponsoring events, skaters and videos or even by making there own videos or putting on demo tours and things. If we support the right companies then in the future our sport will rely not on big business men but on skiers like us who are in tune with what we need and what we want, who will put skiing before profit and who will support our culture in the best way possible.
By this i mean, buy Surface skis and Joystick poles! =) (maybe pick up a causwell tee and a boax hat too)
 
Eh... I don't think the term "core" means what it once did. Ton's of companies claim being "core", when in fact a lot of the money goes to places that we're not sure about.

It sucks though, because a lot of the not so core companies are putting money back into the sport or supporting skiers more than ever before. It used to be "I left so and so company because they didn't care about the park scene... just racing." Now a lot of bigger companies are putting more money back into skiing and it's athletes.
 
We could argue all day as to what brands are or are not "core".
My point is simply that especially during this tough economic time, it is important for all of us who love and are fully invested in our culture to support one another.
If you buy a brand who is not fully invested in the culture, the money you spend is gone. If you support brands who live and die with the industry, that money comes back to the culture and makes it stronger.
Support those brands who support our culture. I will leave who you think that is up to you.
Just think about it before you all throw down your hard earned money.
 
mel-gibson-braveheart-photograph-c101019223.jpg
 
I remeber a few years back watching reebok and nike taking over hockey it was sad..

dont buy under armour whatever you do
 
So what trend should I follow now again?

Oh yeah I should do what I want with my dollars because times are tough, and I ain't out to make it rain baby.

 
I try to support my local shops as much as i can, but sometimes its hard. For example, last year on sierra they had hellbents for 300 bucks..who could pass that up?Kind of embarrassed to actually get them mounted, "where did you get these?" "online..i'm sorry!"
 
I hear ya man. I know we all have to to the best we can to save money right now. We all just need to do the best we can is all. A little effort from all of us will mean all the difference to the smaller companies trying to survive.
 
Yea the shop i go to is freeskiing only. They only sell brands that are skiing. So no special blend or anything like that. I buy everything else there so i guess splooging once online wont be so bad..
 
HAHAAHA. just got me so jacked up.
Great post, support hte people that support what you love. Better construction, better design, better media and better art comes from empowering the smaller companies who give a shit with as many resources as possible. They will stretch these resources as far as they can, unfriviously investing them back into their niche.

 
Reality here is most of us buy the gear we want at the lowest price we can find it, and buy it. If this does not make sense, please, you can help pay for next years tuition so that maybe I can afford to make it rain one day.

If you are not getting the best deal on your ski equipment, you are simply giving away your money. To which I say, can I have some too? You won't notice really since you just give it out....
 
Is this thread about the brand you ride or buying stuff from local ski shops?

Local ski shops rely on the profit margins that Salomon, Elan, Dalbello, and Volkl give them. So I dunno, if I support my local shops here I am really just supporting the titans.

And if I buy online, and get skis from somewhere made in America. I am not supporting my local ski shops.

No one wins.
 
Hey man. My point was to simply do the best you can during this hard time to help the brands and shop who live and die with the ski and snowboard industry. Just do the best you can and try not to get a headache over it.
 
Seriously though it's in everyones best interest to support small indipendent companies.People are always going to buy products from the super companies but if we don't support the small ones we run the very real risk of losing those companies forever. (plus, independent ski companies make way better products.)
 
Yeah then lets just get into big arguments about which companies are more core than the others.

Oh man K2 skis are made in china so not core!

Those skis made at the elan factory arent even made by skiers, fuck em!

Rossignol only focuses on selling skis to gapers, they so dont care about our half-underground culture, cant believe them.

How about I buy skis based on the quality, customer service, function and price just like it should be. If you are too busy being core to spend time on your product then you sure as hell arent going to be getting any of my business~
 
i don't support the "core brands" mainly because my shop doesn't carry them. "why don't they carry them?" you ask? well, mainly because these "core brands" don't support the retailer. i spoke to the buyer of my shop after SIA and he said he was approached by the rep for a ski company that will go unnamed here for obvious reasons but the margin on these skis were so much that if the skis even went on sale a little bit on boxing day or end of season, the shop loses money.

these brands need to help themselves get into the shops because for myself, the local shop is more important than the brands they carry.
 
If a brand is in business to sell something then they "sold out" there isn't a brand out there that isn't trying to make as much money as possible. support the brand that puts out the best product. thats what will keep skiing around, luckily some core brands still do this, I don't have a problem naming names, Armada, Line, Full tilt etc. at the end of the day supporting these brands is truly rad but if you don't buy from your local retailer or one of the very few legit online retailers all of the core brands will go out of business. they are the ones who actually support the brands because they are ordering tens of pairs if not more.
You buying a pair of skis off of ebay from akbarsonlineskishop.com not only voids your warranty but pisses your money into a company that is owned by another company in austria or japan that focuses on baseball outfits and skiing equipment is just their bearded woman sideshow project. sorry I'll get off my pedestal. the whole don't sell out comment is just like punk music a sham. anyone who signed a contract to make records or sold a pair of skis at a profit participated in this wonderful thing called capitalism. And there isn't a brand or shop or company out there that won't fire all of their employees the minute times get hard and the profit margins get tight. its called business and if you don't want to see that happen put all of your money you can into the industry so they don't have to.
 
Stoked on the remarks.
There are a long list of causes and they can be argued all day but the fact remains that there are only 1/3 of the local shops today than there were 10 years ago. These shops play a major role in generating the enthusiasm, and the overall well being of our culture. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a shop like Decade to buy from, you know what I mean. I'm sure that there is a large group of skiers in Boulder, Colorado who feel the difference since Jibij closed its doors last spring.
We can argue all day what brands are good and what brands are bad. None of them are perfect. That was not the purpose of my thread. I bottom line is we need to give our buying decisions some serious thought. Now more than ever, it is important for us to do all we can to support the culture we love. Coming out the other end of this tough time with a few extra bucks in our pocket is not worth the cost of losing the heart and sole of the culture we all love.
I know that I seem a bit dramatic, but its fucking serious. A large collection of brands and local shops are vital to keeping our culture progressing in the years to come. The fact is more and more of them are dying off every year, and the current economic situation has accelerated it dramatically.
As consumers, we have the power to make a huge difference. Money is tight, I know. All I am saying is that if we all put forth a little effort, we can fix the problem. Maybe buy your skis and binding on line, but go support your local shop when buying your boots. Just a little love is all Im saying.
The fact is more and more brands and local shops are dying every day, and we need them. For those of you who think we don't, ask a kid in Boulder who lost Jibij. He'll tell you.
Just a little love is all Im saying.
 
I miss Jibij... A lot... Like I can't even explain how shitty it is going into boulder ski deals to buy stuff.
 
good post man. its sometimes hard to support local shops and core brands because they rarely come in contact with each other (at least around here) but regardless, we gotta do what we can.
 
What encouraged me to make this thread was that a good friend of mine is on the Ski and Snowboard Industry board of Directors. Every year the get together before the season get moving to discuss certain issues. He called me from the meeting and told me the all they are talking about is survival and conditions in the industry are worse than previously thought.
A large collection of local shops and brands are barley hanging on by a thread and any further regression will mean the end for a lot of them. He told me that if things don't improve the industry could loss 30% of its local shops by the end of the season. He told me that they have discussed nothing else.
It very important that they survive, and we all have the power to help. Local shops play a huge role in our cultures unique flavor. Jibij was a perfect example, and I hope Jibij and many more reemerge again one day. With a little effort from all of us, it can happen.

 
Local shops play such a vital role in our culture. Here is an example:
"Local shops are the birthplace of pro careers."
In case you all havnt noticed most of the top pros seem to always come from the same areas. Those areas with strong local shops are the reason why. These shops are the birthplace for pro careers.
They are the first step for the sponsorship of young talent. Check the background of any top pro, you will find a shop sponsorship at the beginning of their competitive career.
Its sad really that so many skiers and boarder don't have a local shops, and I could'nt imagine not having mine. For those of you out there who have had one and lost it, you know how serious the situation is.
Jibij and Decade.... These two shops alone are responsible for the success of countless pros that you all look up to. If fact most of them will tell you that it was their local shop sponsors who cared the most about them.
The situation is bad enough as it is, and we need to try our best to reverse it. There should be a Jibij or Decade in every ski and snowboard town in the world.
Those of you who are lucky enough to have one, or unfortunate enough to have lost one.
You know why.

 
I didnt read the whole thread, but I think the companies that are going to make it are the ones that somehow start making their products cheaper and more affordable as well as durable.

Unfortunately, not all companies will survive, that is just part of business. Sometimes I get the feeling that there are just too many ski/clothing companies and they are flooding the market. Maybe if some companies want to stay alive, they should partner up or something before its too late.

 
problem is, that the larger companies are the ones with the resources available to make better products for cheaper, because they have the money to buy in ridiculous bulk. So, if you really want small companies to survive, you're going to have to be willing to shell out a few extra bucks for quality products. Nowadays, sadly...alot of people aren't willing... which leads to business like walmart dominating every sales industry
 
Like I said earlier, You can throw all kinds of different theories out there, but the fact still remains.
So 30% of local shops going out of business is a good thing in your eyes. I could see your point if they were being replaced with younger more progressive shops, but they are not.
Tell that theory to Josh Bryant, the ex owner of Jibij. There are only a small collection of progressive young minded shops, and they are not making it either.
If your theory was correct, this small collection of progressive shops would be busting at the seems and freeride shops would be popping up all over the world. But they are not, they are going down just like the rest of them.
There are maybe 30 truly progressive freeride shops in the US, and most of them barely survive from one year to the next.
With a demographic as large as ours is, and so few progressive freeride shops available to us, there is no excuse for them to be suffering.
Its sad that so few newschoolers experience having their own local freeride shop. They are the heart and sole of our culture.
Our local freerids shops are the only pure businesses of our culture. Jibij being gone and with so many more progressive shops on the brink of joining them is a fucking disaster.
I am lucky enough to have Decade Snow and Skate, and I will be god damned if Im not going to do all I can to support them.
Our progressive shops are all that remain of the purity and verve in the ski and snowboard industry.
If we don't do all we can to keep them strong and growing, we are fucking ourselves in the long run.
There are a bunch of skiers in Boulder Colorado, who understand what I mean.

 
my local shop doesnt even have twintips.

But I give them 70$ everytime I want a mount because I dont buy skis or bindings from them because they dont have what I want. If I would buy bindings from them it would almost be cheaper for me but they dont have shit for selection so I dont.
 
bump because my shop went out of business and it really sucks :( now i have to go 80 miles to get my ski mounted, buy my skis, get outerwear etc.
 
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