okay this is from a different site. I was wondering if any one could update it and add other companies that are now in snowboarding and what not and just every one give there 2 cents on this. 

Okay since there have been many requests for enlightenment here is the 401 on your snowboard industry:

Quicksilver owns the following:

DC Shoe Company, Rossignal, Dynastar, Leki, Look, Hot, Hammer, Gnu, Lib Tech, Roxy, of course Quicksilver and it’s subordinate brand names, and some others that I can’t remember.

Billabong recently bought Nixon Watches.

K2 is on the verge of becoming a Billion Dollar Per Year (Yes I said Billion) corporation that is no longer operated out of Washington and focused on your snow sports industry. The Corporate Giant owns and makes 95% of following in China:

K2 Skis, K2 Snowboards, K2 Skates, K2 Bikes, Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, (Yes baseball bats and gloves) Planet Earth, Adio Shoes, Hawk Clothing, Liquid, Pflueger, Shakespeare Fishing Poles, Worth Inc., DeBeer Lacrosse, Dana Design, Brass Eagle, Viewloader, JT USA, Challenge Park, Stearns, Hilton, (Not the Hotel Chain) Ride Snowboards, Ride Snowboard Bindings, Cappel Clothing, 5150 Snowboards, Morrow Snowboards, Atlas Snowshoes, Volkl Ski Company, Marmot Clothing, Marker Ski Bindings, Tubbs Snowshoes, WGB Paintball, Innovative Products Inc., and Ex Offico Clothing Company.

Please don’t forget the above list when you make your next purchase that has one of these brand names associated with it. They are no longer “core” rider represented companies. These brands have made their mark… and now are all about how much money they can suck out of you and pass along to someone’s retirement fund.

Sapient Snowboard Company is owned by a Bicycle Company called A. Mordo and Son LTD. a Canadian Distributor of Bikes that also owns the rights to market the following:

Lamar, LTD, (Formally Limited Snowboards from Quebec Canada) Silence, 24/7, M3 Snowboards, (Remember Blaise has since left this company and started M4 Snowboards… much better!!!) and Sapient.

Burton now owns a Surfboard Company called Channel Islands, and prior to that bought the rights to Forum, Four Square, Special Blend and Jeenyus. They market all the aforementioned brands under the tagline “the program” They are also making a small percentage of their boards, all of their bindings and every boot in China. Also worth mentioning is the other snowboard related companies they own:

Anon, Analog, RED, B by Burton, and Gravis Footwear.

The Solomon and Bonfire brand names have changed hands (ownership) three times in the last five years and are no longer owned by Addias but instead by the AMER Sports Group. They Own The Following:

Wilson, Suunto Watches and Electronics, Atomic, Precor USA Fitness Equipment, Salomon, Mavic, Bonfire, DeMarine, Atec, Arc’Teryx Clothing, and The Cliché Skateboard Company.

Volcom is now a publicly traded company contributing to your dads retirement fund. They are no longer in the interest of you the rider… they are now at the disposal of their shareholders.

Vans is part of the VF Corporation. They own the following:

Vans, Wrangler, Reef Footwear and Apperal, Lee Jeans, Riders, Rustler, Britannia, Chic, Gitano, H.I.S., Vanity Fair, Best Form, The North Face, Eastpak, Jan Sport, Kipling, Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, and a bunch of other non action sports related brands that want nothing to do with you…
The point is this: There are plenty of Snowboard Brands, Outerwear Brands, Eyewear Brands, etc. that want to do business with you only because of the fact that you and they share the same interest: SNOWBOARDING!!!

The above named brands are only in the business of taking your money because you believe that their companies are “cool.” It is up to you to make a clear decision toward the opposite.

These brands are no longer “cool” by virtue of the fact that they are owned by nameless and faceless corporations that want nothing to do with you… they only want your money. It is our sport, our activity… and for some… our life!!! Make a stand damnit.

I do realize that many people (Magazine Publishers, Company Personal, Add Executives, Team Riders, Creative Persons, etc.) are making a living off of these giant corporations and that is not all that bad. They also contribute in the way of event sponsorship and snowboarding promotion… but at what cost. Can’t the “new class” of companies coming up the pipeline (Automaton, Dinosaurs Will Die, Attic Optics, The Lucid Notion Snowboard Company, Stepchild Snowboards, O-Matic, Pure Clothing, Eesa Clothing, Airblaster, Union Bindings, Compatriot, Ill23, etc.) be responsible for taking care of their and your industry?

The Public Advisor encourages each and every one of you to research where your money is spent in your sport and make damn sure that your cash goes to someone that believes in you… not your wallet!

Thanks for your time!

out for now

One more I noticed missing. Pro-tec is part of VF corp too.

Dude This is awesome!!!!! Thanks you so much!

not going to lie, well written and i agree with you 100 percent

Post edited 5:26 am – August 31, 2010 by Fonzie
Post edited 5:27 am – August 31, 2010 by Fonzie

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Interesting conversation.  This is weird, but that graphic makes me feel little better about the B seeing as they are tied to mostly shred-related companies.  I'm not sure how I feel about this corpo-ownership thing.  It seems healthy in the sense that those corpo-owned companies sponsor solid riders, events, videos, etc.  Additionally, products are usually on the affordable side which is helpful for people getting into snowboarding.  They are also still pushing snowboard technology.  However, it also bugs me that these companies are run by a big, in-it-for-the-money, corporation that would seemingly turn it's back on snowboarding at the drop of a hat.  It irks me that ultimately that's what my money is going to by supporting a company like Ride, Vans, etc.

At the same time, everyone is out there to make money.  I haven't been riding that long so I may have missed out on the wrongs that some of the “no longer core” companies have done against snowboarding, and as a consumer, it's hard not to go for the decent product at a decent price.  However, I will say that the more I read and hear about the “industry,” the more effort I put towards buying from rider-owned/operated companies.  Not trying to kiss ass, but YoBeat has contributed to this.

BTW – that comment about “your dad's retirement fund” is kinda funny.  Is that an issue?  I'm trying to stack my 401k / Roth IRA too, maybe I should get in on some VLCM :p

EDIT – I also forgot to add that I'm not going to buy some shit gear just because it's rider owned / operated.  If the stuff falls apart, snaps, delaminates, doesn't keep me dry, etc. etc., then it doesn't matter who made it, I feel like I've wasted my money.  I suppose that's why I'm so stoked on my Union Force's; awesome product and company, and as an engineer, they resonate with me with their no-BS designs.  It's the only piece of gear I've bought at full price and don't regret a cent.

sorry for such a long post!  …that's why I don't post much on the forum haha, every time I do it's hard not to throw down an essay.

Fonzie said:

Interesting conversation.  This is weird, but that graphic makes me feel little better about the B seeing as they are tied to mostly shred-related companies.  I'm not sure how I feel about this corpo-ownership thing.  It seems healthy in the sense that those corpo-owned companies sponsor solid riders, events, videos, etc.  Additionally, products are usually on the affordable side which is helpful for people getting into snowboarding.  They are also still pushing snowboard technology.  However, it also bugs me that these companies are run by a big, in-it-for-the-money, corporation that would seemingly turn it's back on snowboarding at the drop of a hat.  It irks me that ultimately that's what my money is going to by supporting a company like Ride, Vans, etc.

 

At the same time, everyone is out there to make money.  I haven't been riding that long so I may have missed out on the wrongs that some of the “no longer core” companies have done against snowboarding, and as a consumer, it's hard not to go for the decent product at a decent price.  However, I will say that the more I read and hear about the “industry,” the more effort I put towards buying from rider-owned/operated companies.  Not trying to kiss ass, but YoBeat has contributed to this.

 

BTW – that comment about “your dad's retirement fund” is kinda funny.  Is that an issue?  I'm trying to stack my 401k / Roth IRA too, maybe I should get in on some VLCM :p

 

EDIT – I also forgot to add that I'm not going to buy some shit gear just because it's rider owned / operated.  If the stuff falls apart, snaps, delaminates, doesn't keep me dry, etc. etc., then it doesn't matter who made it, I feel like I've wasted my money.  I suppose that's why I'm so stoked on my Union Force's; awesome product and company, and as an engineer, they resonate with me with their no-BS designs.  It's the only piece of gear I've bought at full price and don't regret a cent.

 

sorry for such a long post!  …that's why I don't post much on the forum haha, every time I do it's hard not to throw down an essay.

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Corporate gear, for lack of a better general term, is often more flimsy, useless and a general waste of your money than rider owned/operated gear for many reasons, not the least of which being that they have little or no connection to the population and sport they are manufacturing the stuff for. And I wouldn't go so far as to generalize people by saying that "everyone is out there to make money." I mean, I know why you would say that and in too many cases you are right, but that's kind of why snowboarding touches so many people-because it's about passion and screw the money, right? This whole post is about avoiding that mentality, not placating it..

This is bullshit.  I buy all of my gear from Sports Authority. Those dudes said it was legit.