Why support "core" companies?

To really help people out you know? They give back to the community and sponsor events and stuff like that. O wait, no they don't!

k2 probably has the smoothest best customer service that I ever deal with.

right on bro...

amen. im k2 all the way those dudes are bomb. fuck yes shane and seth too.

core companies are getting alot better and if they get more support eventually it will be the core companies inventing new boots, bindings and ski technology that will be ahole lot better than soloman who repeatadly made skis with foam cores even they knew it packs out and loses its shape after 20 days of riding.

^Not necessarily true, they could just become a company exactly like salmon, who says there going to stick with the ideas they have now? I agree we should help them grow and hopefully they'll stay the same and offer better products, but theres no guarantee that will happen

Most people when they say "Support the core companies" are talking about the soft goods not skis.

i beg to differ, how will you support there skis if you just slap on a shirt and say how dope they are to everyone else and they ask you what ones you have and you rattle off some salomon or rossignol ski? Yes it creates hype, but then again, do you want to be a tool? literally?

hate hate hate, stop the hate! FUCK THE HATERS

thought this was fitting

what are skiss

jeez. mr. put down

Its not about supporting only core companies or only big companies just give you buisiness to the companies that give back to the sport no matter what the size.

end of thread.

a lot of theme are really skiers and have a passion for skiing, and its true their in it because their is money to do but not only for this, because its their passion you know like you and me

Armada is the best core company out there right now. Armada has the skis and the team to make them a huge part of freesking without just making skis for money. Salomon and all the others are in it for the money and don't really help the sport progress.

this is such a false statement! did you even read the begining post? Salomon Sponsors so many events and movies we all watch and love, im not saying Armada doesnt because i know they do too! Its more a matter of " Why are you making them look like the bad guys?" is it just because they dont only make twin tip skis?

NO....unless ARMADA starts giving away free skis, making custom skis, or supporting comps for nothing in return, then they still are a BUISINESS. Plain and simple, just like salomon. Its made to pay the owner's bills, just like anybody else.

You don't think salomon is passionate about skiing? Then your dumb as shit. When is the last time you seen Armada start something like the Jib Acadamy.... i will answer that, never.

Line did the young guns comp which was the most INCREDIBLE comp ive ever been to. Such a huge opportunity for anybody. They were the most core company out there, but now they are property of K2. How did that happen? Well they spent money on a product that did not sell ( their reactor binding). K2 and salomon make some of the best product out there. ( i trust salomon bindings way more then Look/Rossi, SPK park boot, K2 poachers, Pontoons, Hellbents)

K2 has been the head of R and D longer then most of you little bitches have been skiing on twin tips. Vashon island has put out some INCREDIBLE SKIS. I don't support that their skis are made in china. I think when you are a company as big as K2 is you can still made a great north american product and still keep the prices relatively low, and even if they did go up i would still buy it because it was made in north america.

You want companies to change you let them know, but don't go up to me and say that they don't support our sport. If these companies did not break out of the mold in the first place you would not be skiing twin tips in the first place. K2 and salomon were going agaist the grain LONG before most of you guys even learned how to ski, hell i bet there are a ton of you who were snowboarding instead. When people saying newschool skiing was gay, and they were waisting their money, they were still making their skis.

I have a question for you guys, if skiing becomes like roller blading, and does not become popular, will you guys still be skiing twin tips? Will you keep on supporting the sport when everbody else hasn't. You will see that most of the people who make the argument for the big companies are skiers who have been on twins for more then just 3 years. When freeskiing just started out there were no core companies, and salomon/K2/Dynastar/Rossi were the only people there to keep selling skis. Nobody gave a shit besides them. Buy from whoever you want, ski whatever brand you want. As long as YOU ski, and YOU support our sport, then it doesn't matter.

Competition. It's what drives our economy, and having both large and small companies is good for it. Yes, some small companies suck and they die out, but large companies can suck and die out too. You can't label either as good or bad. Just vote with your dollars and the best companies, both big and small, will survive.

wow such a quality thread. I think it's getting to the point that everything's been said, though.
Just gonna pipe in about the CR thing.
Nobody should argue in salomon's favor for that, because Rossi stayed by Evan Raps for even longer.

I agree.

I also like to add that for the High society hype...
stupid graphics, and I have never seen a pair of high societies that aren't falling apart in some way... literally ever high society I have seen on someone's foot has been in some way falling apart. Way overpriced, stupid skis.

dude i really think you got a point. I mean there are a lot of kids who ski on line salomon and armada that say that i should change my skis because they are always advertised as the best but im fine on my volkl free skis

thats because volkl is sick!

i support line because they are young and new just like me and i can relate to their mission more than say k2 or salomon. Older generations of skiers prefer the big names that hav been around for awhile while I will support the fresh new ones cause i can relate to them better like i said above.

OTHER THAN ONE OR TWO OF THE MAJOR SKI MAKERS, CORE COMPANIES ARE THE ONES THAT PUSH SKI DESIGN FARTHER AND FARTHER..... (LOOK AT ROSSIGNOL, THERE FATTEST SKI IS STILL UNDER 110 MM UNDERFOOT, AND UNTIL THIS YEAR THE SAME COULD HAVE BEEN SAID FOR SALOMON, ATOMIC, AND DYNASTAR)

PLUS MORE COMPANIES MEANS MORE SKI CHOICES/DESIGNS/LENGTHS...

IT ALSO MEANS THAT THE SKI INDUSTRY IS DOING BETTER...

ALSO HAVE YOU EVER DEALT WITH A CORE COMPANY??? TRY CALLING UP K2 WITH SOME DESIGNS AND IDEAS FOR A SKI, AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.... NOW CALL KINGSWOOD WITH THE SPECIFIC MEASUREMENTS, LENGTH AND FLEX OF YOUR SKI, SEND THEM SOME MONEY AND YOU HAVE YOUR OWN CUSTOM SKI IN NO TIME.

I BOUGHT SKIS FROM PRAXIS THIS SPRING AND THEY ACTUALLY MADE A SKI IN LONGER LENGTH AFTER ENOUGH PEOPLE (PROBABLY LESS THAN 100) EMAILED THE OWNER, TRY THAT AT SALOMON

CORE COMPANIES BETTER REPRESENT TRUE SKIERS, THEY ARE GEARED MORE TO THE NEEDS OF SOMEONE WHO SPENDS MORE THAN ONE WEEK A YEAR ON SKIS. MAJOR SKI COMPANIES ARE SELLING SKIS TO THE MASSES, WHEREAS, CORE COMPANIES ARE MOSTLY VERY SPECIFIC SKIS, QUIVER SKIS.

I'M NOT SAYING DON'T BUY SKIS FROM THE MAJOR PLAYERS, SOME OF THEM MAKE THE BEST SHIT OUT THERE, BUT SO DO MANY CORE COMPANIES AND THEY ARE THE BLOODLINE OF SKIING, WITHOUT THEM SKIING WOULD BECOME STAGANT

these are all great rants and opinions, but since they are so long, no one is reading them, its kind of sad

yeah thats wath I said their in for the money too but their like closer to their customers and thats your opinion and thats mine, thats it

I wish some company would make huge outerwear. I would support that company

i support who ever makes the sickist ski

totally agree with you

why not?

atomic, and elan had these thigns for years.

gosh, people are stupid. I love how so much of whats on here is pure rumours and assumptions.

(PC's have 1.7mm edges, all invaders delam, spk's are awesome)

okay, this is my take on this whole thread.. maybe im just stupid though. every company has good and bad things, but when you look at it.. every ski company is in it because they love to ski. every president of a ski company had that dream as a kid to ski for a living, they wanted to live their passion. support whatever the hell company you want to as long as your ideas match theirs, dont support something you dont beleive in. every company needs to make money though, understand that. just because companies like K2 and salomon support other things besides freeskiing, doesnt mean that armada or any other strictly twin company is better. without the true core companies like K2 we would be nowhere near where we are now in the progression of our sport. every company has its place, and without rider support, to everyone, the sport would essentially collapse.

i will decapitate you