What it's like starting a business in the ski industry - Our 1st Year

NWT3K

NWT3K

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With the snow continuing to melt and the official snow season here in the Northwest coming to an end, we step back and look at our first year in business, what a year!

Wondering what it’s like starting a business in the ski industry?

From customized manufacturing to late night coding, see what we learned in our first season here > https://www.newschoolers.com/readnews/43208/What-it-s-Like-Starting-a-Business-in-the-Ski-Industry---Year-1?c=latest&o=2

Questions? Comments? Stoke? Leave it in the comments below and we'll do our best to answer.

Shred on friends

 
Very interesting read -- thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed the last section about what you guys have learned along the way.
 
Thanks for the stoke! This season has been a HUGE learning adventure for us - it's what keeps us on our toes.

We're continuing to learn, learn, and learn - only to better improve our products & processes for you guys.
 
Looked promising and well thought out from the start. Will be surprised if you have anything other than success!
 
Hey thanks for this insight!

Few questions for you - With the level of technical materials and customization we offer (15k wpr, polyurethane zippers etc.),what would you be willing to pay for a customized jacket? Or a customized pant?

Do USA made snow sports products have any impact on your purchasing decisions? If so, are you willing to pay more for USA made products? Does it not really matter to you?

 
Christ almighty, either you guys are putting in some astronomical time yourselves or your startup costs must have been through the roof... Possibly both haha

Either way kudos on making a cool product and giving options out the ass. That's quite the business model you've created even if I'm not interested in the jackets personally.

 
I think the price is fairly reasonable. I mean orage and Oakley charge 250+ for coats and they are not custom. So the extra fifty or so for the customization seems reasonable
 
Great great read. Currently going through the overseas manufacturing process so this was very relatable
 
Sad to say but USA made products really do not matter to me while buying gear it's just not something I am consciously pursuing.

That being said I didn't think your stuff was unreasonably priced.
 
I have questions but they are about your financials and growth strategy so I will not be asking them as I do not expect you to answer them.
 
Really cool stuff you guys have right now. I'd be interested in getting some gear maybe in the future, that video was cool and I like some of the designs you did.

Keep it up, and best of luck to you all.
 
hey nice work guys! love seeing that a new outerwear company is focusing more on quality rather than pricepoint. hard to find stuff that is both good looking actually waterproof (testing in washington never hurts on that). i though your user interface was pretty easy to use and quick, which is always nice. was wondering if you are making pants next season? and if so are they going to be as customizable as the jackets? cause from my experience having less seams is a good thing for waterproofness and durability, espeically with pants.
 
i also think the price is to high, i would pay $150-200 for the quality you are offering and yes locally made products make a slight difference for me i would pay $50 more for local stuff

a few other things

-you could add mustard to components other than the Velcro

-you could add black to the options for the hood

-you could make more customizable options such as a three colour camo, a gradient or stripes(like being able to drag a line and change the colour above that point and/or below another so you can have stripes of varying thickness.)

-i would pay more for better waterproofing

-pants should be your next big push so peoples pant colours can match with there jackets.

-you could make a second jacket with insulation that costs more

I am sure there is more but i cant think of it right now. If you made some of these adjustments i would more seriously contemplate buying one of your jackets.
 
forgot to mention-make sure all the colours are available for each part of the jacket as some of the parts are missing certain colours.
 
Not at all. Have the jackets made in China and save some money. I think that while many people like their goods to be made in America, they don't want to pay more for them.
 
Last time I checked their prices ($200-300) is pretty stock for high quality skiing jackets right now. I mean they could lower it a little bit, but It's not insanely high as far as I could tell.

I also think it's cool that they're made in the US and that's an added bonus to some really cool customizable outerwear.
 
Hey thanks for the feedback.

Yes, we will be bringing out fully customized pants this Fall. You will have the option to select from pants or bibs - whichever suits your needs best. All seams will be taped.

 
I really, really like the look of that jacket and the features. I tried a few different colors and zippers on it and it looks fantastic. I think you guys are on the right track for sure. Now it's getting your name out there and people stoked on it and I think you'll be very successful. I think a big key is getting known through social media, whether it be pictures, video, etc... Making edits that get people stoked and want to support the company will help push you a ton.
 
I'm definitely going to look into one of your jackets when i'm in the market for a new one! I love this concept and I love how you can customize the jacket and i think $200-$300 for a custom jacket isn't that bad. To the people saying that it is overpriced you have to think about any custom products you have bought in the past for example Oakley sells custom sunglasses. If you wanna customize a pair of glasses they are way more expensive then just buying a pre made pair. With that being said i think You guys should start selling pre-made jackets cheaper then the custom ones for those of us who don't have to money to buy a custom one.

 
yea im guessing you sell a fair amount of jackets to canadians too. im from canada, really could not care any less if somethings made in the us.
 
I just wanna say I love what you guys are doing. Seriously picking up one of your jackets, I am just not sure if you guys make them with a length that would fit the rest of my outerwear. Could you possibly post a few examples of the taller/slightly wider jackets you have made?
 
My question is - is there a way you can do some type of licensing with bigger companies? Can you patent this in any way? You are having to fight through dozens of companies. Imagine if North Face offered their jackets in customized formats? Instant sales. Is there a way you can do this for bigger companies for select lines to make money on the system you have built? Also, have you considered do any stitch work?

I don't own your product, but am considering it in the future. Great idea and keep up the good work.
 
Rep made in USA! I intern for moment skis and can understand how hard it is to sell the same product that is priced the same but made in china for a small percent of what is cost them to make.
 
Great question. Customizing apparel products via the web is nothing new - it's been around for years. Larger brands such as North Face, Oakley, Nike etc. are already letting you customize various products, you just need to know where to look. Check out what North Face is doing here.

The main difference between these larger companies and us is that we make customized products specifically designed for ski and snowboard enthusiasts such as yourself. Rider inspired, designed by you and built to last. We focus on incorporating the features and functionality die-hard skiers and snowboarders look for in ski & snowboard outerwear - plus you get to customize it.

Currently our factory does not support stitch work (requires different machinery). However as we continue to move forward we will be looking into different embroidery options for our custom offerings.

If you have any other questions let us know - we'd be happy to answer.

Cheers!
 
It is SUPER cheap for a brand new CUSTOM jacket... Just out of curiosity, have you ever bought ski gear for yourself?? It would appear that you have not, otherwise you'd know that a quality GoreTex Proshell jacket that's 2-3 years old would STILL go for that.

I'd say their price point is good. I am just wondering how the hell they put together a system for this their first year out. Having that kind of resource for stitching, materials, taping etc. is fucking expensive, or they have to do it themselves. Either way that's a huge leap to make and props to them for actually pulling it off!
 
Have you guys considered doing pants? I know it's fucking lame, but I'm ADD about pants and jacket being the same brand.

I try and support local as much as I can. Fortunately in Portland there is a lot of outerwear companies BASED here(Trew, Homeschool, Bonfire,Dakine, Mountain Hardwear), but all the production is overseas.
 
Yeah I got that, I was just commenting on the depth and breadth of the manufacturing process when you allow for custom options like that- it must be a ton to keep track of. I'm pretty impressed that someone could come out swinging like this without a huge company backing them. Seriously, huge props to them!
 
Coupling both jackets and pants together is far from lame - your "ADD" is normal!

Yes, we will be offering customized pants to complete the customized outfit for this coming season.

We have been working on an entirely new website since January 1st and will be announcing our new website along with custom pants at the beginning of September - Stay tuned!

Let us know if you have any other feedback, questions or comments.

Shred on
 
I would typically be willing to pay about 10% more for a USA made product, but I wouldn't actively seek them. It's really just a bonus if something I like is also made in the US rather than China or Taiwan or something. I think your jackets are priced appropriately.
 
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