To all the YNIQ bashers

M

Mead

Member
First off, I would not wear them, nor do I think they look cool.

I read this:

wow I am really not stoked that

Jon is trying to market his goggles to "the guy driving his SUV to the

mountain." The lifties are often the core skiers, the ones doing the

job out of pure love. They are not people on week long vacations who

can drop 230euros on goggles.

Saying your gonna incorporate skiers who are rookies that make less

then $10,000 a year and then trying to sell your goggles in airports to

the upper-upper class are two very contradicting ideas. To me, this is

the epitome of 'selling out'

I have just lost a bunch of respect for Jon.





How can you say that? Jon has done more for skiing than anyone. Period. From JOI, to the NAO, to JOSS, Jon has been here for the Newschool crowd since day one. This guy works his ass off so that your sport, skiing, can continue to evolve and go in a postitive direction.

YNIQ is a dammnnn good idea. Jon is a consumate businessman, and if you don't believe that look at his lambos. If starting a company with a good business plan is selling out to you, I suppose Tanner Hall is a sellout, because he makes high end park skis. Jon doesn't have to do jack shit for rookies or amateurs, and he is one of the few pros that is really giving back to the freestyle skiing community. Instead of bashing Jon because he is starting a high-end goggle company, you should applaud him for doing so much for the skiing community.

-Sam

/rant

 
when jon starts skiing for like, some high end $4000/pair ski company, i might lose some respect for him, because then he will have lost any touch with kids who ski by putting everything that he endorses far out of their price range.
however, i do not see that happening. what i do see, however, is a skier with a life outside of skiing and an understanding of how upper class folk like to do things. why do you think $800 rick owens sneakers exist that look strangely like chuck taylors? there is always a market for luxury items made from luxury materials, and those with the money and the interest to justify purchasing them always will.
countless sunglass companies can charge $300+ for glasses, i see no reason why goggles should not be justifiable as costing the same amount, if not more, for that same demographic.
the same thing happened when jon went to j. lindeberg a few years ago...massive uproar amongst newschoolers claiming that jon sold out.
and how is going from oakley, arguably the biggest goggle company in skiing/snowboarding, to starting his own new company? quit complaining because he isnt doing things to cater to 14-22 year olds and understand that, especially in europe, the market is much larger than that.
 
Well put. You said exactly what I was thinking. I really don't like the mentality of believing that making money or having a successful business is bad or that the only "core" skiers are ones who don't make any money or or who own small independent companies.
 
I definitely agree with you, I dont think Jon is being stuck up by saying he wants to market to the wealthy crowd. Hes smart cause he knows there isnt a market for it yet so he might as well start up the luxury goggle business. Theres obviously a reason he has lambos.
 
"How can you say that? Jon has done more for skiing than anyone. Period."

He definetly has done more for getting the top 5 to 10 skiers in the world who actually make money a little bit richer and in front of a little bit more cameras. Bravo Jon, little Johnny Twin-Tip from Bristol Mtn, NY is totally stoked on you and can only dream of skiing on your cutting edge JO Pro 80 mm wide park skis. He's in a differnt niche, so we shouldnt hate, but just see it for what it is.
 
deffinitely some good points there..but i think you fail to realize that the only people that are gonna buy these goggles are the weekend warriors that have their parents buy them for them. NOT the diehard locals who ski 80+ times a year...just my two cents..
 
Amen, I like the googles, I'd never pay that much for them but Jon said himself he isn't marketing them to me so I cant bitch.
 
Ya the price is a little steep but Jon has a business plan and he's sticking to it, and i definitely respect and support it. not to mention hes contributing back to the skiing world. How can we bash him after all the shit he's done for us. a lot of people are bashing his product when hes not even trying to sell to people our age. I say way to go Jon and wish you the best with the company :)
 
Furthermore, i'd be intrigued to see what people would say if Jon designed a new type of steering wheel, or something totally unrelated to skiing. I'm sure he get bashed for that too.

Finding a niche and acting on it, is much smarter than creating an essentially generic product and hoping for the best.
 
Complaining about the price is like complaining that a lambo is too expensive.
We arent his target market so therefor why price them where we can buy them. If everyone could buy them then the rich wouldnt want them. He is not going for mass distribution but high quality and low quantity.
You kids that are complaining need to learn how businesses work. Put yourself in his shoes.EIther I can make a product that lots of people can buy but there is alot of competition to so I might not sell very many OR I can make a product that rich people will buy and there will be no competition to it so I am guaranteed sales and make more money.
Which would you do? Risk not selling that many and not making very much on what you do sell or go for the guaranteed money
 
This.

And if you think about it, whining that the core ski bums aren't going to be rocking these goggles is off piste in the first place. How many ski bums pay full price for something anyways? I'm on ebay, tramdock, google shopping and coupon code sniping all of the time. I like nice gear and goggles that are quality, however I know I can get last years goods for wicked cheap or find a deal someplace online or with connections in my local shops etc.

Jon flat out said there is an un tapped market with the Deer Valley, Aspen, Vail, Europe etc skiers. This is a business venture, not a NS catering hobby. Way to go Jon.
 
i say, instead of bashing a company you dont like the look of or whatever, then just dont buy its product and shut up... we dont really give a fuck if you dont like jons goggles or not, not everyone likes everything, and thats business, jon knows that, he wouldnt care what the haters are saying, your not in his market anyway
 
I don't think it is right to bash YNIQ or Jon Olsson just because he is releasing an expensive product. I assume that most of the bashers out there cannot afford to drop 230€ on a pair of goggles, so they are really just fueled by jealousy and a lack of common sense. The guy drives a Lamborghini ($300,000+) and is praised for it, but when he thinks about releasing a 230€ on a pair of goggles, people start to get angry? Companies like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, hell BAPE, etc. can sell people stuff made by little kids in sweatshops for a lot more.
I will admit 230€ seems like a lot of money for a pair of goggles, but pretty much every other market in this world has a luxury segment - cars, watches, skis, clothing, etc. It would only make sense for a guy who owns a Lamborghini, has a home in a tax haven, and is sponsored by a few luxury bands.
He is a business man - plain and simple.
My opinion on Jon's choice to work with YNIQ will be positive until I get and use a pair of the goggles.
 
ha, i kind of like the idea of someone making money off the rich weekend warrior/ racing fan crowd and funneling it towards sick freeski events like JOSS... pretty much the opposite of what was happening for a long time with the major ski brands
 
The fact is that they dont even seem as high quality as companies like Oakley. Sure there may be some fucking metal across the top on the white one, but the damn lenses dont even look like there sperical. It is widely known that the use of spherical lenses helps to give you a less distoreted and wider view of your surroundings. And as of now the whole rimless thing is fucking pointless cause he only has one damn lense.
 
Since you are quoting what I said, i guess I have to respond.
If you had read further, you would have noticed that I also said that I am well aware that Jon has done more than nearly anyone for our sport. I may have gone a little above and beyond saying he is a sell out, but I mean come on; selling your product to upper class people in glitzy duty free airport stores, what young skier can go in there and drop that kind of cash?
I suppose the truth is that he really is just separating himself from the rest of our community. It just really bothers me due to the fact that i look up to his skiing abilities an incredible amount. He is probably the best flipper in the world.
This may simply lead us to the conclusion that skiing is going mainstream. Like so many other sports before it, it has finally attracted proficient media attention and sponsorship interest. Pros in our sports are starting to sign with very high end companies and even start their own. It really just bums me out that one of the main reasons i love skiing, the lack of glitz and glamour behind it, is finally gone. I love skiing for the fact that a skinny relatively untraditionally athletic kid from PA can be loved for his style and innovation, rather than his sponsorships. I really just don't want to see a defined line between elitist skiers and the rest of us.
So Jon I love you, but at the same time I feel like Line, spending years developing a revolutionary park ski and sell it for cheap is a far superior attribute to skiing than an over-priced google company. Don't separate yourself too far from your community, don't forget your roots.
 
This is exactly the point. He is NOT marketing YNIQUE towards kids. He doesn't expect kids to buy them, let alone like them. However, that does not mean he is separating himself from the general skiing community. He is still doing so much for the rest of us, specifically giving JOSS an ns team, releasing some of the best edits ever for free, the list goes on. He is simply making an excellent business decision that will solidify his ability to ski long after he get old and decrepit and his sponsors leave him. He is also a business man in top of being a superb skier, and this is a golden opportunity for him to pursue that. I personally don't believe that this move takes away any of his credibility as a "core" skier. Period.
 
This has been done to death, and it will just sound like i'm repeating what others have said but:

Separating himself from the community? - what about JOI/JOSS etc?

Jon gives back plenty.

People need to realise that there is a difference in doing things as a PR exercise and then making entrepreneurial decisions designed to make money..

Yniq is a company started to MAKE MONEY, not to please the members on NS. That is what JOSS and JOI is for.

I'd sure prefer Jon to start Yniq rather than him signing with Porsche/Prada/Gucci etc. Now that would be a different story.

There aren't many successful skiers out there who have the capabilities/resources and drive to make something like this happen.

Jon has obviously harnessed a niche and is doing what anyone with a brain would do.

Contrast this to Simon and Empire - in my opinion, that brand has been lost amongst everything else it competes with. Bandanas, Gloves etc - there really isn't much of a difference to the rest of the product out there.

In the case of Yniq - the difference is obvious. It is price, and hopefully quality to go alongside it.

Most members here couldn't afford Cross or J Lindeberg outerwear, and sure Yniq eyewear. But at no point was that the intention.
 
I dont think his buisness plan is that right though. there is a distinction already between low and high end goggles. I bought my first goggs at 20$ and they were bran new. that is to say that cheap goggs arnt the oakleys and bolle and spy.... these are actualy extremely high end products. Oakley has some technology in their lenses that revolutionized not only goggles but different types of eyewear also... so why are these low end. I think the only thing he is going to do is produce average quality goggles like any others out there but with a look that pleases the rich people who go "skiing" at whistler once a year and just chill in the cabin to show off their geer and look classy. I dont know what Im saying I just know that the high quality, as in other companies have low quality. I just know it stuck a cord with me
 
He is not trying to say that other goggle manufacturers produce low-quality products. He is trying to come out with a new level of goggles targeted toward the rich. Just like Toyotas are excellent cars, but Bentleys appeal to a different crowd.
 
yah for sure but hes not going to be able to make bently quality because that bently quality exists and is his competitor. I just dont think quality wise any goggle company can break away.
 
I don't think he's necessarily trying to use better products, but he's trying to develop goggles that have some design/stylistic elements and materials used in luxury glasses and watches. That kind of stuff is what people who are willing to drop $250+ on goggles will be looking for.
 
NEWS RELEASE:

Jon has dropped all his corporate sponsors that don't donate 100% of their profits to charity. He also dropped YNIQ goggles for his new company CORE. It panders to the "newschoolers.com demographic" and only sells $50 core googles to core skiers for $25. Unfortunately he can no longer afford to give anything back to the sport, and his JOI, JOSS, and progressive tricks have been canceled.

Feel better?

Stop pretending that YNIQ selling higher end goggles is akin to clubbing baby seals and tainting blood banks with your HIV-infected blood. Who cares how he makes his money. These higher end goggles = higher profit margin = how the heck to you think JOI/JOSS are paid for? Jon has fun skiing and gives back to the sport in a special way.
 
True that, everything is so much cheaper on the inernet, if I had oufitted myself at a store his year probably would have paid like $1000 more than I did for gear.

I think the whole YNIQ thing is a little bit snobby and stuck up, but not enough to really piss me off or anything. If they looked really cool and were that expensive I'd be pissed but I wouldn't wear them anyway so it makes no difference to me.

Jon's got a little bit of a big head, but hey, so would you.
 
Jon is trying to do what oakley did with their Romeo and Juliet sunglasses. Create the best. Kids arent meant to afford them. Have you seen what they look like? They are meant for our mommys and daddy who ski rather than 18+ crowd. He looking to sell them to create the best and the best is expensive, flat out.

Look at his Head JO Pro models, there like $500. Hes the best and only expects the best. Simple and flat out.

I'm sure you will be able to find YNIQ's on ebay for less then 230 euros. I know I will be searching there for them.
 
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