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Sell Revel8s through actual storefronts?

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  • Sell Revel8s through actual storefronts?

    Why not?

    I am sure there are reasons, but isn't what we want more exposure? To legitimize the sport? I mean, I'm content having this little niche, 'cause nobody else needs to know how much fun I'm having 'cept for me, but I figured there are people out there looking for a different experience than snowboards and skis can give them, but they can't find it 'cause it's locked away in our little forum. And all the postcards you guys give us with every purchase : P

    People looking for "mini skis" buy crap-blades because that's what the stores sell. If you've got a salesman there who knows the skiboard vs. crapblade comparison, people are gonna buy better boards. And if you're not selling at stores pretty much owned by the big ski companies, oh well. Chat with the owners and tell 'em he's got a market. Make him an offer he can't refuse.

    Granted, I've only talked to one shop owner about skiboards, and he was very interested in the backcountry aspect of it, but I guess it's not enough to call it a market.

    Anyway, it'd be cool to see R8s up on the shelves.

  • #2
    I would agree to a certain extent. It would give a lot of people a chance to see what we're doing and maybe give it a shot if they want. The reason I would like it, is that it would be so much more convenient. What I don't want is for the sport to be so exposed that there starts to be a whole bunch of posers and give the sport a bad name like many "riders" do to snowboarding and skiing.
    At the top of the underground

    Revolt Chickens Can't wait to get out on the snow!

    Revel8 all day!

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    • #3
      $$$$$ <-------thats why.


      Boards:

      Spruce 120s(x2), ALPs(x3), Lacroix 99's, BWPs.

      Bindings:

      Pro Prime Riser/Rossi Bindings(x2).

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      • #4
        Yup, the market is so small for them that to even put 5 pairs of each board and a few sets of each bindings in 20-30 stores would be a pretty significant investment for G or the shop, depending on what sales model they were working under. Either way, whoever it was would have to be confident that they could sell enough to swing a profit, and with such a small niche market it would be difficult.
        I do it because I can.
        I can because I want to.
        I want to because you said I couldn't.

        "The butterflies in my stomach have flown up through my throat and learned to love the open air." - World/Inferno

        Spruce Sherpas with Prime Pros
        '08 KTPs

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        • #5
          if you know of any shops give them my email, i'll talk with them.

          i visited some stores around here and they weren't really interested ,which is understandable because they don't know much about skiboarding and what they probably know isn't positive, as we've all experienced. i found it funny that one shop said if they did carry them they would demand that i not sell online. they carry line and armada so i pointed out they sell online but it turns out they use this thing called shopatron which takes the order and sends it to the nearest dealer store for local fulfillment. shopatron costs a few thousand a month i believe and you have to have a pretty big dealer network of course. so i think the ideal store would be one that's pretty interested in skiboards on their own and wants to carry some really good ones. but then there is the non-release binding concerns. i wouldn't want a 12 year old to talk his mom into an impulse buy and then have them want to sue the whole chain if he breaks his leg. it's a tough situation.

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          • #6
            This is sort of a tough one. On one hand, exposure is great. On the other hand it's difficult to justify the required outlay and as we all know there is a significant amount of preconceived ideas out there. Maybe a middle ground solution would be to rent space at the local mall from time to time. Sort of kiosk style. Not sure.

            I most definitely think Greco has it nailed with the non-release bindings. No matter what anyone says, I promise you my 10 and 12 year old girls will not be seen on non-release bindings. I don't care what size "ski or board" they are on. I don't even want my 16 year old son, who is becoming strong as a horse on them. Not yet. The chances of injury are small but they do exist and release bindings can be the difference. Of course, people are locked into snowboards but that's a completely different animal. When was the last time you heard of someone straining or ripping out a knee snowboarding because the board twisted them in a way that caused the injury? You haven't. When people wear their boots too loose (as young folks in the park often do) ankles can snap but this is much more a matter of improper use of tools (not tightening boots is improper use).
            "It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" Jiddu Krisnamurti

            Spruce Sherpa - RVL8 KTP - RVL8 Blunt XL

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            • #7
              Maybe 5-6 years ago (before we even knew what skiboards were) I stumbled into a rental shop in Breckenridge, Colorado with my long rental skis to see about exchanging them for skiboards after talking to a friendly couple we met on the lift. Amazingly (as I know now) not only did they have skiboards, but they had Line brand and the staff there were encouraging and positive, they even corrected me on terminology (I went in asking for “those shorties” or some such). I used them the next day and was euphoric. We got home, got online, and here we are now.

              It’s a shame that shop was the exception (maybe the singular exception) to the rule. You wonder how many more folks would be turned on to skiboards if they were available locally. Unfortunately, unless the ownership and staff at a given shop were self-motivated, it would probably be counterproductive.

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              • #8
                I have to correct myself. When I brought my LaCroixs into Ski Fanatics off exit 28 on NH-93, they flipped when they saw them. They're like, these are the baddest snowblades I've ever seen. I tried not to sound pompous when I told him they were skiboards, and pointed out the reasons. I told them I'd bring in my Rhinos the next time I needed service beyond waxing, that they'd really like those.

                And the other guy, I'm not sure if he was the owner, but I was in there looking at the serrated edges on the Lib Tech skis, and we got to talking about skiboards as a backcountry option. I assured him that they floated quite capably, and that some of the forum members were working on a teleski/touring binding, and that things were going pretty well. He seemed quite interested. This was S&W Sports in Concord, NH.

                And yes, this would represent a significant investment, and it'd only work if you could guarantee the sale of the item, the store and SBOL would make a profit, and if the item didn't sell, you'd buy them back ... or something like that, I dunno. As for liability issues regarding non-release bindings, yeah ... without the riser plates being sold alongside them, that attractive option would be lost, and who wants their kids breaking limbs and joints when they don't have to? But like with pharmaceuticals, you'd need to affix some sorta disclaimer. I mean, if you're skiing, you should understand the potential to break yourself is enormous.

                I was thinking at the beginning of the season, maybe a shop gets a very small number of boards, and we'll see how many go by the end of the season. Ski Fanatics is a pretty high traffic store, being so close to Waterville Valley. S&W is high traffic because it is well-known and in a location close to the big city.

                what I really wish is if they had rental Revel8s instead of the old Green and White Salamanders, and instead of one binding option, you could do riser plate nonreleasables or the non-releasable Receptors.

                Can I totally go talk to rental shops and see if they would go for this sorta thing?

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                • #9
                  Selling Skiboards

                  A few years ago I spent about 5 weeks in the summer driving around New Hampshire and Vermont visiting ski shops and trying to get them interested in selling skiboards. I didn't keep track, but my guess is that I visited 25 or so shops. Some of those were shops that had sold the old Spruce "Edge" skis with risers and release bindings, so they were pretty knowledgeable about the skiboard market.

                  One thing I heard over and over was that skiboards are regarded by most customers in ski shops as "ski accessories". By that they meant that you don't buy them as your primary ski, you get them so that members of the family can have something "to play around with" when they are tired of their "real" skis.

                  The other thing that I heard everywhere was that skiboards with bindings have to sell for less than $250, or no one buys them. When Salomon raised their price on blades to $299, they didn't sell at all. The conclusion was that people will spend $249 for a ski accessory to keep the younger members of a family amused (or distracted, whatever), but not more than that.

                  The shops that I talked to that did sell skiboards sold maybe 4 or five pair a season at best. Many of those same shops sell more than 1,000 pair of skis per season, so it was hardly worth their trouble to bother with skiboards.

                  Head contimues to make and import the "Salamander" model as a rental board with rental bindings. Those rent to people that want to try those "little trick skis" as my local postmaster calls them when I drop off a package for shipping.

                  The biggest barrier to people adopting skiboards IMO, is that people view skiing as a skill sport to be mastered and obviously if you can master a pair of 200cm skis with a turn radius of 30 meters, you've really arrived. What I can never figure out is how the same people that tell me that skiboards are cheating will tell me in the next breath that skiboards are inherently unstable and dangerous. Yet another form of ignorance.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by jsinger View Post
                    A few years ago I spent about 5 weeks in the summer driving around New Hampshire and Vermont visiting ski shops and trying to get them interested in selling skiboards. I didn't keep track, but my guess is that I visited 25 or so shops. Some of those were shops that had sold the old Spruce "Edge" skis with risers and release bindings, so they were pretty knowledgeable about the skiboard market.

                    One thing I heard over and over was that skiboards are regarded by most customers in ski shops as "ski accessories". By that they meant that you don't buy them as your primary ski, you get them so that members of the family can have something "to play around with" when they are tired of their "real" skis.

                    The other thing that I heard everywhere was that skiboards with bindings have to sell for less than $250, or no one buys them. When Salomon raised their price on blades to $299, they didn't sell at all. The conclusion was that people will spend $249 for a ski accessory to keep the younger members of a family amused (or distracted, whatever), but not more than that.

                    The shops that I talked to that did sell skiboards sold maybe 4 or five pair a season at best. Many of those same shops sell more than 1,000 pair of skis per season, so it was hardly worth their trouble to bother with skiboards.

                    Head contimues to make and import the "Salamander" model as a rental board with rental bindings. Those rent to people that want to try those "little trick skis" as my local postmaster calls them when I drop off a package for shipping.

                    The biggest barrier to people adopting skiboards IMO, is that people view skiing as a skill sport to be mastered and obviously if you can master a pair of 200cm skis with a turn radius of 30 meters, you've really arrived. What I can never figure out is how the same people that tell me that skiboards are cheating will tell me in the next breath that skiboards are inherently unstable and dangerous. Yet another form of ignorance.
                    great post jeff

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                    • #11
                      we sell about 5 or 6 pairs of Atomic ETL a year at my store, and sell a couple of hundred pairs of skis per year.

                      the general idea i get from my co workers and people who buy skis are similar to what jeff said. short skis /skiboards/snowblade are regarded as easy and affordable by everyone, even tho ive tried to convince them other wise, (and ahve even shown them by riding with them)

                      The Atmoic ETLs are short for Atomic Easy Turning Learning if im not mistaken.
                      Fox-Trotting - Thrifty Wanderlust & Adventures

                      Skiboard Magazine

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                      • #12
                        There can be somewhat of a larger appeal when it comes to sell, but the problem is you are thinking about the wrong population. You aren't going to convince more than a couple of stragglers a year from skiing to switch or even try out skiboards. It's the wrong market. It would be the same as asking those riding Sherpas to start riding Tanshos or KTP riders to go back to riding Line Taxis. It wouldn't make sense for the reasons you ride and how you ride.

                        If you are truly trying to sell boards in stores and/or gain a larger appeal you need to focus on a different market. Aggressive Inline Skating, or what is now known as Rolling, is the closest sport to the freestyle aspect of skiboarding. If you want to bring new riders to the world of skiboarding that is your target population. You can't do tricks like unities, savannahs, and such on skis but you can on skiboards. (I proved this fact over last weekend at Woodward at Copper and there some stoked skiers even surprised that it was possible on skiboards.) Those are foundation and trick favorites of anyone who rolls. The movements and flow are very similar. The only restrictions are the stiffness of ski boots and lack for true royales, farvs, etc..., which may not hold true after the next several months

                        So, to expand our market you have to think in a different manner. I'm sure there are other populations to focus on. But, it is just not logical to think skiers will want to switch over when they are perfectly happy where they are. This goes for the same with skiboarders who do not ski and have no intentions of skiing at all.
                        I'm a snollerblader.

                        Go big or go home.

                        "Just keep on doin' it if you love it. If you don't, scram!" - Angel Soto, SFA, 1996


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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by fourdown View Post
                          If you are truly trying to sell boards in stores and/or gain a larger appeal you need to focus on a different market. Aggressive Inline Skating, or what is now known as Rolling, is the closest sport to the freestyle aspect of skiboarding. .
                          Another potential market group are ice hockey players. Playing hockey made skiboarding very intuative for me. If you've ever tried to skate on "racing skates"---those long, flat skates used in the olympics for speed events---they're comparable to skis where hockey skates (short, nimble and rockered) are analagous to skiboards.

                          I've rollerbladed (or at least played roller hockey), they're big fun but harder (at least for me) to maneuver on and really awkward to stop. A hockey stop on skiboards and hockey skates is nearly the exact same thing.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Bill View Post
                            Another potential market group are ice hockey players. Playing hockey made skiboarding very intuative for me. If you've ever tried to skate on "racing skates"---those long, flat skates used in the olympics for speed events---they're comparable to skis where hockey skates (short, nimble and rockered) are analagous to skiboards.

                            I've rollerbladed (or at least played roller hockey), they're big fun but harder (at least for me) to maneuver on and really awkward to stop. A hockey stop on skiboards and hockey skates is nearly the exact same thing.
                            Great point Bill. I put my brother-in-law ,who's a competitive ice hockey player, and has never been on skis, on a pair of BWP's and he took to it instantly. By the end of the night we was riding fakie and loving it.

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                            • #15
                              Markets

                              About a year ago I stopped at a local sporting goods store (mid-size, family owned) because I was mildly curious about what it would take to mount an inline boot on a skiboard. When I went in I found their few remaining rollerblades marked down to closeout price levels, so I asked the shop people what was going on. They said "There's no market anymore for those things around here." I thought maybe it was just that shop but I just noticed that the annual SGMA (Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association) July 2010 report on participant levels in U.S. sports claims that: "The number of people participating in inline wheel sports is down 62.2 percent in the past nine years."

                              The same report says that: "Snow Sports gained more than a 1.5 million participants during the 2008/09 season including 573,000 alpine skiers, 309,000 Nordic skiers, and 262,000 snowboarders.

                              So, with 20,500,000 people actively participating in at least one snow sport in the U.S. this year, it would be nice if skiboarding could get to one tenth of one percent market penetration. That would be 20,500 people.

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