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Liam Downey is on Klint

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.squirrely.
Posts: 7563 - Karma: 7,540
Saw a facebook post. Klint Is a new company and I think they are gonna get big with tanner rainville and now Downey. One of my favorite skiers and dopest style. Hope he can get back on snow soon
Aug 20 2011 11:32PM
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DUKES
Posts: 5149 - Karma: 686
yeap liam is the fucking man so glad he got a new sponsor
Aug 20 2011 11:33PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
pretty stoked to see what they're producing acutally.

They have a pretty awesome team so far. You forgot Colby, but yeah Stoked to see where the company goes
Aug 20 2011 11:35PM
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dweezileast
Posts: 9661 - Karma: 276
^colby's on kastle. Klint is locking down that south/east central vermont crowd
Aug 20 2011 11:37PM
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NWPA
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 165
sick. pumped to see what they produce
Aug 20 2011 11:46PM
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altadonkeys
Posts: 122 - Karma: 118
wtf? kastle?
Aug 20 2011 11:47PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7604 - Karma: 20,096
Brian Kish is also on Klint
Aug 20 2011 11:51PM
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AWALLRUS.
Posts: 5762 - Karma: 223
YEAH ALL THEIR SKIS LOOK LIKE TAMPONS
Aug 20 2011 11:54PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
My bad.

Colby is on Kastle.

I'm stoked to see where they are both going
Aug 20 2011 11:56PM
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304NordMan
Posts: 2980 - Karma: 521
Exactly my thoughts. Exactly
Aug 20 2011 11:56PM
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egg.
Posts: 3231 - Karma: 3,477
hung out with liam at 4th of july bowl in breck the other night. claim/
Aug 20 2011 11:58PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
neither tanner or liam are driving forces in skiing, so it's not like they would make klint blow up
Aug 21 2011 12:00AM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
you are a fucking idiot.
Aug 21 2011 12:07AM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,086
What constitutes a "driving force" in skiing? Is it someone innovating new tricks or making making different product? By those standards, there would be maybe ten professional skiers who would fit your definition.

The main problem is that it doesn't take being a "driving force" in skiing to represent a company well. Rainville and Downey aren't tripling into oblivion or McConkeying out a new pow ski, but they are some damn stylish skiers. Have been for years. And if Klint is building a team based on people with smooth, flowy style, then I don't give a shit about whether or not Downey is "driving" skiing. I just hope they make a team video.
Aug 21 2011 12:38AM
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Jahrassicpark
Posts: 2075 - Karma: 38
Stoked on this, Liams got mad good style love what he does, they'll have a super good team in the next while, their new line looks sick too
Aug 21 2011 1:02AM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
exposure exposure exposure. I'm not talking inovation it self, I'm talking marketing value, and neither can be compared to the likes of tj, bobby, wallisch, ect. Sure they are both great skiers, there is no doubting that, but in the world we live in, the majority of people buy what they see advertised most, and neither Liam or Tanner get the same publicity of the "big names" in the sport. Out side of NS, very few people know who liam downy, if I asked my dad if he has heard of him(actually ill do that now seeing as he is right next to me), what a surprise, he hasn't. But has he heard of TJ schiller, or simon dumont? Of course. Good marketing is what makes a brand successful, not having good, semi underground skiers on the team.
Aug 21 2011 1:23AM
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reBlocke
Posts: 762 - Karma: 1,502
Eh. Liam may not be known outside of NS, but he has a lot of influence within the community.

If you're trying to carve out a spot in the ski industry without paying X-games level salary, I can't think of a better choice than getting a skier's skier.
Aug 21 2011 9:41AM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
If Tanner and Downey are in, I wonder if they're gonna have Dynastar influence in their builds.
Aug 21 2011 10:10AM
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chubbspeterson
Posts: 572 - Karma: 4,306
liam downey, youre favorite skier's favorite skier
Aug 21 2011 10:24AM
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LeoSpaceman
Posts: 569 - Karma: 44
haha. fucking skiers.

there's more to skiing than fame, how about having the respect of the core skiing community? both liam and tanner certainly have that. anyone who's ever seen a level 1 movie is guaranteed to know of these two amazing skiers. i mean fuck, liam's been in every level 1 movie since FORWARD. if that's not exposure (and longevity) i don't know what is.


but this obviously doesn't matter...they aint in the x games!!!! lol.
Aug 21 2011 11:34AM
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mattb912
Posts: 3078 - Karma: 194
Than I guess you don't consider Moment a successful brand, since they don't have and Simon Dumonts or TJ Schillers on their team.
Aug 21 2011 11:44AM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
Maybe you are just too much of a n00b to know where these guys come from.

From some of the most classic movies of our skiing generation(well maybe not yours), come BANGER segments from both Tanner and Liam.

Not to mention, Liam is a coach all summer long, and is probably one of the most recognizable, distinguished personalities in skiing. You see him, you know right away. For the last 8 years. Whether it's skiing park laps at hood, or watching him put it down in new, and old level 1 movies. And what about Wicked?!

https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/content/viewvideo/id/411761/

Stop hiding in your xgames dream world where only tom, bobby, tj, jossi, etc get "exposure".

And you never heard of Klint until Tanner then Liam got on board, thus prompting the OP to make this thread that everyone is reading. A bit ironic all in itself isn't it?
Aug 21 2011 11:48AM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
so many dumb comments in this post.

good marketing =/= hiring the best skiers and giving them free gear.

It's about building a brand image, and guess what? Not every kid wants to be like tom wallisch. Not every kid wants to rock bright ass colors. Not every kid wants to be what you think a skier "should" be. Some of the most successful marketing/business ventures in skiing are directly related to skiers who either a)Don't ski as well as they used to. or b) never skied as well as some others, but their style/influence still serves a huge purpose.

You are ignoring soooooooooo many successful brands and athletes.
Aug 21 2011 11:51AM
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AwR
Posts: 5147 - Karma: 1,878
Oh man that is so great to hear. Downey was always super nice and stoked on life whilst skiing, and it looks like he is even more stoked to be BACK on skis.

With regards to companies making money. I am sure (or at least hopeful) there are companies that do not care if they are famous or become rich. They just want to sell enough product to pay for their skiing habits and have fun. Look at Rime Knits, for every beanie they sell, they put that money back into planting trees. I am sure (or at least hopeful) that there are skiers out there who do not care about being famous or rich but care about skiing and having fun with friends and pushing the sport.

It's not like people are in high school and are are like, "hmmm I want to be rich and famous....what's the fastest easiest way?...Im going to start skiing!"

But this is taking away from Downey's so no more rambling.
Aug 21 2011 11:54AM
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Bittner
Posts: 3675 - Karma: 1,573
Guys honestly balto is right..
And for everyone implying he's saying "there not a successful brand because they dont have dumont wallish bobby etc is not the point at all. Look at Salomon vs. Moment for a minute. If i asked a bunch of random park kids which one they knew better it would obv be salomon. why? because salomon has a very large influence in the freeskiing world and are a very recognized brand? The fact that they had dumont and have bobby just help their overall marketing in the freeskiing industry. Moment is stil a sucessful brand but obv not as successful as salomon because they dont have those big gun comp skiiers. People need to realize NS doesnt even represent 50% IMO of the freeski industry. Just because Downey and Rainville are known well on here doesnt mean there known everywhere.

But in other words. Stoked for Liam. Has a real smooth style and he deserves to have a good ski sponsor.
Aug 21 2011 12:06PM
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Malczyk
Posts: 1433 - Karma: 1,880
ya liam! stoked for you.
Aug 21 2011 12:39PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
My post had absolutely nothing to do with their skiing, i could give 2 shits about their skiing. Your right, if i did not know who tanner was, i wouldn't know what klint was. But guess what, more people don't know who he is then do. If people don't know who the riders are, then there is less demand for the products they represent, and if there isn't the demand for the products, then they can't be successful. When you walk into a ski shop, what brands do you see? Salomon, armada, k2, line, ect. These BIG NAME brands are big names because they get the most exposure, there for allowing them to have the most sales. The mass majority of skiers are not on NS, there for they wouldn't know about many of the smaller brands. So they go to a shop or order online, and they buy gear that they see being used by the biggest names in the sport, not some random microbrew brand they've never heard of. It's simple marketing, and in the world we live in, it's how a successful business is made to be so. Would you go spend $500+ on something you know very little about, or on something you see being used all the time and you know is a trusted product?

Why do you think salomon sells so many suspects even tho they suck? Because people see them on the podium at xgames, and make that connection in their mind that they are the best. Just look at armada, how many people outside of the "core" skiers had heard of them prior to them being plastered all over xgames thanks to tanner.

Don't think of this like a skier, think of this like a business man. If you want to sell the most products you can, you need to have people willing to buy them, and to get that, you need to have people hear about them, which can only be accomplished by good marketing.

Look at on3p, it has been successful because of all the fantastic reviews, and that is good marketing. Salomon and armada are successful because they have the largest names in the sport on their team, there for getting their products to be seen by the most people. That is good marketing. Unknown skiers(to the vast majority of skiers) don't sell skis, good marketing does. If you don't understand that, I sugest you go take a business class.

Aug 21 2011 1:07PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST BUDGETS.

You are falsely attributing their success to JUST having those riders. Where is your evidence? These brands are the most successfull because they started with bigger budgets, or have been around pre-twin tip era, thus again giving them bigger budgets than start up companies.

Thanks for writing an entire paragraph on why skiers are sponsored. I get it. It is a way to sell product. And your point is? These guys get more exposure than you are giving them credit for, plain and simple. Which is just a small sliver of any (good) ski companies' annual marketing plan.

And will you shut the fuck up about the Xgames? Is any skier who isn't at the xgames not deserving of a ski sponsor? Or not to be considered driving forces in the ski industry?

Name a LINE athlete who has ever made an Xgames appearance? Who are 2 of the most recognizable faces in skiing? Andy and Will who will NEVER be in the xgames. But they don't get enough "exposure" in your mind.(Which is actually one of LINE's biggest marketing assets, aside from the countless hours spent on advertisements, web, SIA, lookbooks, sales meetings, social media, etc.

And ON3P is a piss poor example of a "successful" company, skiing or not. Sure, they sell some skis privately through their own website. Cool. If you want me to think of something "like a business man, and not like a skier" then I will say that company is far from "successful". Sure they might have a good product, and a TINY grassroots following, but lets see their profit margins...(No disrespect to any of those guys, just a terrible example)

and lastly, to have people "hear about them" is "good marketing" as you keep calling it. Having the Xgames athletes isn't the only way to do that, and you even contradict yourself with the ON3P example. Are they only "successful" in your eyes because of the riders?

You contradict yourself so much, and have such a skewed idea of what marketing is. I am done with this. Lets just be stoked for Liam.

Aug 21 2011 1:27PM
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Hornbeck
Posts: 367 - Karma: 3,171
finally they are riding for a company that will market them.... Volkl wasnt doing anything for liam.... marketing your athletes has a lot to do with the athlete being known; getting them Ads, etc. Liam and Rains both are known by enough people. They have been skiing at a high level for over a decade; thats crazy if you think about it. Klint sounds like a sick ass company to me.
Aug 21 2011 1:33PM
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skimanskimanskim
Posts: 1515 - Karma: 1,715
Everyone take note on how to sound like a complete idiot.
Aug 21 2011 1:38PM
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DERS.
Posts: 6299 - Karma: 1,293
lame... downey
Aug 21 2011 1:42PM
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Inline.
Posts: 4424 - Karma: 432
this
Aug 21 2011 1:43PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
I would love for klint to be successful, it only means more choices for the consumer in the long run which is always a good thing. I am stoked for both tanner and liam to be on a brand that will hopefully help them in as many aspects as possible.

j.birg: alright, ill drop the skiing and put it out like this:

In the capitalist world we live in, money is everything. Brands and companies can't have large budgets unless they sell a lot of products. Be it an ad in a magazine, a banner you see at some largely covered event, or sponsoring/endorsing a largely recognized name, people buy what they know and trust, and the only way something gets to that point is good marketing. There are loads of ways that can be accomplished, but it sure as hell isn't unrecognized names that mean nothing to the vast majority of consumers.

with that, i'm done with this thread
Aug 21 2011 1:50PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
I have no idea how old or experienced in marketing you are, but you think like a 12-year-old.

Are you saying that a ski company should not sponsor any "unrecognized names", but somehow get their marketing up onto major levels with no announced or discussable budget to our knowledge and recognized even in the X-Games until they can afford a "big name" skier? Jesus Christ, man.
Aug 21 2011 1:54PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
did you even read any of my posts? I never once said unknown's shouldn't be sponsored. if they deserve to be, they they do. But UNKNOWN NAMES DO NOT SELL PRODUCTS anywhere near the same way largely recognized names do. jesus fucking christ, if you can't get that through your head you are fucking retarded. Like i said, there are many ways for a brand to be successful other then sponsoring people, but you can sure as hell bet that people won't be buying klint skis left and right because Liam Downey is on the team(I'm not hating on laim like many of you might think I am, I'm simply stating a very obvious fact about business)
Aug 21 2011 2:01PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
Don't go throwing the word "retarded" around so easily, even on the Internet.

If you can't get what I just said through your head then I don't know what to say. You keep on going on about your goddamn business standpoint that you can't see the forest from the trees. Not every company, especially in a semi-marginal and experience-fueled sport like freeskiing, is going to work up to become a viable and fully profitable company. A lot of stuff here is about the heart of the sport and making ends meet to enjoy those feelings - I don't know who two better to represent that than Liam and Rainville.

Fuck the hater...that's you.
Aug 21 2011 2:07PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
well we'll just have to agree to disagree

oh, and haters gonna hate, get fucking use to it
Aug 21 2011 2:11PM
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arandomname
Posts: 1989 - Karma: 18

Stoked for Klint, Liam, and Tanner.

I agree with Balto in general but I have to say that it's a pretty new company that nobody has really heard of so Liam and Tanner are pretty decent guys to get.  I hadn't heard of this company until now...

But j.bird, I feel like you're putting words into Balto's mouth.  You are assuming that he is implying all these things that he is not saying nor implying.  Balto is right; Simon Dumont will sell more skis than Liam Downey.  But for now, that is kind of irrelevant because Klint is new, and Salomon has been in the game for quite a while now.  So, I'm not taking sides, I'm just kind of giving my opinion on Balto and j.bird's two extreme viewpoints.

Aug 21 2011 3:02PM
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AWALLRUS.
Posts: 5762 - Karma: 223
I HATE THIS THREAD
Aug 21 2011 3:18PM
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ja.
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 144
you guys are dumb. quit trying to fight on the internet and simply be stoked for liam. finally gettin the well deserved recognition and support by a ski sponsor!
Aug 21 2011 3:23PM
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mrmarks
Posts: 393 - Karma: 143
you're like a kid who just started following the NBA, and thinks its a piss-poor idea for that michael Jordan guy to keep popping up in ads... who is he anyway?? is he even on any team anymore??


Aug 21 2011 3:24PM
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Line_Skis
Posts: 1983 - Karma: 37,398
Mike hit it right on the head..good things! Anyone see that Electric ad with the christ grab in the bc...fire!
Aug 21 2011 3:29PM
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tacobellslayer
Posts: 1493 - Karma: 214
Click for larger image
Aug 21 2011 3:37PM
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tacobellslayer
Posts: 1493 - Karma: 214

Gypsies Need Not Apply - Liam Downey, Tanner Rainville, Ben Moxham & Matt Walker from Junction 133 on Vimeo.

Aug 21 2011 3:45PM
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tacobellslayer
Posts: 1493 - Karma: 214

Below Zero from Noah Franklin on Vimeo.

Aug 21 2011 3:46PM
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Pastucka
Posts: 408 - Karma: 936
One might say he crucified that jump
Aug 21 2011 4:22PM
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skijunkiedtm
Posts: 9229 - Karma: 61
Hey Balto, I would like to address your little thesis that you need big names for big time succes. To do this I would like to compare rossignol and surface. Rossignol, while sponsoring the top of the pipe scene with Roland, Bertoni, and David wise sold only 1000 pairs of S4's WORLD WIDE. Now look at Surface who has done nothing but grown. you must be wondering where is there big name team? They don't need one. They have a strong grassroots community of recognizable characters in skiing to drive their brand and it is working.

Congrats Downey, you were an awesome coach at windells.
Aug 21 2011 4:37PM
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eddy9
Posts: 383 - Karma: 216
The only reason I know of klint is because liam and tanner joined
Aug 21 2011 4:43PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14477 - Karma: 10,515
This. And I saw kids riding at Sugarbush and Stowe on them. Sorry Balto, you don't quite have the knowledge you think you do.
Aug 21 2011 5:01PM
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wesley.
Posts: 6483 - Karma: 1,049
tanner and downey are both good friends with the klint team manager im sure that he will treat them well. Also on klint are Tyler Duncan and Will Hibbs
Aug 21 2011 5:17PM
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NWPA
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 165
BAM fuck you balto
Aug 21 2011 5:39PM
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