Is liability what killed skiboards?

[slackercruster]

Seems the big name companies are scared of non release. Is that what killed them from widespread commercial sales?

[tyberesk]

Seems the big name companies are scared of non release. Is that what killed them from widespread commercial sales?

I would say it may be an issue, but not what "killed" them from widespread commercial sales.

I would say it had more to do with the large companies starting to put their full effort into twintip skis. When people no longer saw skiboarding on the XGAMES or at other events on TV or at their home mountain...people stopped buying them and lost interest in them.

Ski companies with their "What have you done for me lately attitude" stopped producing them because of the low sales numbers of skiboards and the increasing numbers with their skis (Twintips).

So instead of having low quality Armada/K2/Ninthward/ skiboards....we have high quality Revel8 Skiboards!

[winterparkrider]

this subject bothers me as much as patulli oil. What I feel killed skiboarding as a mainstream sport I thought was simple. It was line pulling money and sponsers to go with the twin tip skiis. this also prompted espn to exclude us from the x games. Then you have line and solamon telling there pro skiboarder if they want to ride for them they have to switch to skiing. So when consumers see the talent making the switch along with everything else its not hard to see what happened to skiboarding.

[DennisEvans]

I'm with Ty on this one, I do think that skiboarding did take a great deal of damage from being dropped from the x-games but not just because skiboarding fell out of the public's eye but because nobody else ever picked it up. With skiboarding in no televised events, to most it appears that there is no end game and that if you can't compete there is no reason to do it. But all of us here on sbol know that it's not the end game that matters, hell it's not even really the game that matters as much as the other players. Sooner or later skiboarding will come back into the spot light but I honestly have no solid believe that it will be because of us trying to bring it back, it will just happen. Someone will see how awesome skiboarding looks ask one of us about it and it will just happen to be someone with a great deal of power in the ski industry that the skiboarder just didn't really seem aware of.

The time of skiboarders will come again, I just don't think it's something we need to be pushing too hard, I really don't want to be at an event and thinking "Hey! Who let all this rif-raf into the room."

[mahatma]

this subject bothers me as much as patulli oil. What I feel killed skiboarding as a mainstream sport I thought was simple. It was line pulling money and sponsers to go with the twin tip skiis. this also prompted espn to exclude us from the x games. Then you have line and solamon telling there pro skiboarder if they want to ride for them they have to switch to skiing. So when consumers see the talent making the switch along with everything else its not hard to see what happened to skiboarding.


Skiboarding is much too good to be some freak-show on ESPN X-Games. I wasn't there but I'm here now and I'm assuring you those were not the good old days. I don't care how much money was made. I'm also not sorry for the death of that age in the least. Live by the sword and die by it. No whining. Learn.

[mahatma]

I think I should be clear about what I'm saying when I talk like that. I'm in no way putting down or trash talking those who were there or about the athletes who participated. I'm attacking the mentality. Skiboarding as it was died because somebody blinked. Skiboarding was a one-trick-pony that was cute for a minute but it could not be forwarded. Not sustainable. Too limited. No larger thinking. Now, with longboards and fat boards, skiboards can do it all. Things are getting there.

[slackercruster]

This is what prompted the thread.

1) Bought skiboards from SBOL. They had a big liability release form with sale.

2) Tried to rent boots at Hidden Valley for a friend. They said they generally do not rent boots without the skis due to the problems adjusting the various release bindings. I told them they are for skiboards with non release bindings. They said if that was the case then it is DEFINITELY NO.

[Roussel]

i think liability was a big part of sales dropping. i still get people at my store saying how unsafe ''those old things where''. there seemed to have been this mass panick of non-releasables on the consumer, retailer and manufacturer side which still hurts us today i think.

[Bill]

No doubt the non-release liability/paranoia issue is a factor, and there are others, but I wonder how much the insert/easy interchange binding system has to do with the mega-companies shying away from skiboards. There’s no question a system like the Spruce 4x10 Riser translates equally well to skis, I know because I’ve put inserts in skis (well, “hybrids” like Hagans and Icelantic Scouts anyway) and they work perfectly well with the Spruce system. It’s simply a “better idea”, but imagine how it would cut into binding sales on a large scale if no one needed more than one set of bindings for every set of skis or skiboards they owned. Between myself, Carolyn and our family we own enough skiboards to outfit the armed forces, but only a few sets of bindings. No wonder these huge companies treat true skiboards/longboards with standardized inserts like they’re radioactive.

Line is an example that illustrates this. Apparently, the insert system was originally a Line innovation, adapted from snowboards. Positioning themselves for a sale and entering the long ski market, they quickly abandoned 4x4 for their own proprietary bindings and morphadite insert pattern on both skis and skiboards. These were immediately dropped in favor of conventional, permanently attached bindings on their skis and toyish, poorly attached Solomon-style plastic bindings on skiboards, then in a blink skiboards were gone entirely.

To hell with those huge monolith companies run by pointyheads, attorneys and beancounters. Let’s resolve to support folks like Greco and Jeff. Not only do they make and sell a better product, they’re our friends.

[slackercruster]

No doubt the non-release liability/paranoia issue is a factor, and there are others...To hell with those huge monolith companies run by pointyheads, attorneys and beancounters. Let’s resolve to support folks like Greco and Jeff. Not only do they make and sell a better product, they’re our friends.

Funny thing about non release vs release. the ONLY time I hurt my knee was with long skis and release bindings. Had about 30+ falls on SB's with non release and never one knee injury. Oh...also a bad knee injury while kayaking and got beat up on the rocks.

ps...who is Jeff?

[Bill]

ps...who is Jeff?

Jeff Singer. The proprietor of Spruce Skiboards and inventor/manufacturer of Spruce risers.

[slackercruster]

Jeff Singer. The proprietor of Spruce Skiboards and inventor/manufacturer of Spruce risers.


Thanks

I thought Doc made all that stuff.

[Bill]

I thought Doc made all that stuff.

No, not at all. Doc did sell Spruce products at one time, but his manufactured line is the Summit brand.

[ElkCloner]

The time of skiboarders will come again.

Eh, I prefer that it stays small.

[CrazyBoy-1]

Whenever I put other people on a pair of my boards, I always recommend that they rent boots from a local ski shop as opposed to getting them at the mountain. You'll generally get better boots and service that way.

[hn03076]

I think it was timing. It was the willingness of the manufacturers at the time to make other decisions about what they would support. Skiboarding is NOT dead. Skiboarding is probably bigger today than it ever was, particularly in the US and I'll bet you thought I was going to say Japan or Europe. While Japan hosts a huge number of skiboarders the growing market is now in the US.

I think that our riders, albeit we are a cult of a sort, would like for our sport to be mainstream without the effect of a mainstream industry. You can't have it both ways. It will continue to grow, just as Greco continues to put out new models that ARE being sold. Spruce has the market on the long boards and Doc continues to push what he can in the West.

We've moved from only having and international competition in Europe to having competitions and meet-ups advertised and attended in several spots in the US. SkiboardPlanet.com is in its 2nd season with competition/tournament, we're enjoying another season of the western US Shredfest and now we have Midwest Meetup, along with the coveted JayJam (I don't even know how many years it's been going on) that is hosted by some of the steeziest dudes out there (big ups to Jason and Ian). This is definite exposure for our industry and sport. There have been no plans as yet posted anywhere for another Euro/World competition, unfortunately.

This is why we encourage everyone to put aside what happened "in the past". It's now, we're training and grooming new "stars of the slopes" and we're all having fun...which is not what I see in a lot of other areas of the snow sport industry. Our acceptance is inevitable, the snowboarders and skiboarders are mixing, the skiers are even accepting.

Why talk about an old "death of a sport" when THAT sport is alive and kicking and producing some of the most talented athletes in the entire snow sport industry. Look at Dave Lynam, Mark Carraro, Branden Harding, Brett Conners, Kirk Thompson...these guys are laying it down, I know, I've watched up close and personal, and we still have guys like Serge Maheu, who TOOK slopestyle at the US Open last year. He actually believes in this sport.

Greco and Jeff continue to design and manufacture quality equipment that allows all of us to push ourselves further. Even me...at 50...I'm skiboarding better than ever. Guys, skiboarding is here...period...let's push that fact and let go of whatever our fore brothers did or didn't do, just respect the history and make the future!!!

Ty did a great history of skiboarding that I think may still be posted at Skiboarders United website.

But, remember, our sport will stay right where we put it...

Hershel

[airdonut41]

I'm thinking snowblades and the like aren't helping anything. Most people who ride them (in my experience) don't really know what they're doing and create a laughable image for the sport. I know I've been ridiculed from the lift a few times for riding boards because "ski blades are for pansies", but most of the culpable, ignorant snowboarders stop talking when they see that there are legitimate riders on skiboards.

Who says skiboards are dead? Revel8 has more and more boards each year and I now actually see people around on them. It's awesome, and I don't think it needs to be as widespread as snowboarding to be "alive". Our skiboarding family is awesome.

Dan

[tyberesk]

Our skiboarding family is awesome.


It truely is. Thanks Greco!

[Manlenium]

Seems the big name companies are scared of non release. Is that what killed them from widespread commercial sales?

No risk....no reward.

[airdonut41]

No risk....no reward.

Tell that to the insurance companies. Plus the bindings on snowblades and the like are horrible anyway, and I wouldn't trust them to last very long.

Dan

[kirk]

There was a time when I was really worried about our sport dying away. When Line abandoned us overnight and Groove, Cannon, and others started dying out, I was really concerned that what we knew as skiboards would no longer exist. I was really concerned about pushing what I knew as skiboards, so they wouldn't die.

"Short, fat, symmetric boards under 100cm w/ non-release bindings" was all I would support and buy becauseI did not want the whole world of skiboarding to become what skiboards.com is. We didn't have any manufacturers really pushing events and riders for a few years, and at the time it was important for skiboarding to get bigger, just to be a sustainable industry.

After Revel8 starting up and expanding to where it is today, I am now extremely happy with where skiboarding is at, and I really wouldn't want it any other way. Skiboarding still has just enough of an outsider stigma to keep away those who aren't open minded enough to try something new. Sure, I would love to see more events and stuff, and I'm stoked anytime I see people on real skiboards at the mountains, but I wouldn't sacrifice anything we have now. Skiboarding is as alive as it will ever be.

[JPARK]

I just wanted to say that....number of skiboarders are increasing worldwide including Korea. (not just in US) even though Korea is very small market, number of skiboarders are increasing. they are just not aware of their existence. (and all of you know that there are lots of Japanese skiboarders)

I believe the reason that skiboards society wasn't getting big enough was that not that many people have seen them... or even aware of their existence. (including myself. I never knew skiboards exist until 2 years ago)
you can't google it and find out without knowing they exists. they don't even know the word "skiboards" exist....

I didn't see them in any stores. I didn't see anyone riding them. nothing on TV or anything.
but as number of skiboarders are increasing, more and more people are being aware of skiboards and how easy and fun they are.

I truly believe skiboards will get bigger since many people prefer conveniency and coolness of skiboards (even if elkcloner wants to keep it small =P). especially for R8, I believe they got a bright future since many skiers and boarders are dying for cool fashion as well. No one can beat R8 designs in my opinion.
people are just not aware of them yet. I believe this enough so that I wanna open a shop or get a job in skiboards society =P love what you do right? haha

[Smevans]

Skiboarding is for sure growing. I have been skiboarding for a few years now. Last year only saw a few fellow boarders on the slopes. Went this past sunday and literally saw more skiboards then snowboarders.

[guido4]

i also agree in a way that the new boards construction and design do spark alot of interest. when i used to rent and even after i bought my lines, i would have people ridicule me of what was on my feet including friends that ride snowboards and skis. now with revel8 design i rarely get any type of sour comments or remarks, if anything people seem curious to what i am ridding.