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I always knew that Solomon and Atomic were part of the same company, but I didn't realize that both of them and some others like arc'teryx were all owned by amer sports. K2 owns K2 (duh), Line, BCA, Full Tilt, and some others. What other big conglomerates are out there?
amer owns, salomon, atomic, arc'teryx, and bonfire
look/rossi/dynastar also includes lange
moral of this story, support local products
Truth, it's a shame that bigger companies have all fallen in line and become even bigger. Whatever happened to the independence of the skiing industry?
amer owns, salomon, atomic, arc'teryx, and bonfire
look/rossi/dynastar also includes lange
moral of this story, support local products
But the moral of your story would be the same whether they were privately owned or publicly owned- these hardgoods brands build their products in Europe and are local to their respective countries. Softgoods are 99% of the time produced in Asia and thus outsourced regardless if it is Virtika or Arc'teryx.
In the case of Amer, each brand still operates independently of the others. It just means the money to fund everything comes from one central location. Sure there are shareholders involved now, but it means that if we want to launch a new boot project every year (which costs at least 1.6 million Euros just to develop), we can do that when not every brand can. Every scenario has its pros & cons, both private and public, but at the end of the day we're still in the ski industry doing what we love. At least we're not sitting around a table discussing the next deodorant or soda for Latin American teens. We're still just a bunch of boot and ski nerds but now with access to corporate credit card ;)
onenerdykidBut the moral of your story would be the same whether they were privately owned or publicly owned- these hardgoods brands build their products in Europe and are local to their respective countries. Softgoods are 99% of the time produced in Asia and thus outsourced regardless if it is Virtika or Arc'teryx.
In the case of Amer, each brand still operates independently of the others. It just means the money to fund everything comes from one central location. Sure there are shareholders involved now, but it means that if we want to launch a new boot project every year (which costs at least 1.6 million Euros just to develop), we can do that when not every brand can. Every scenario has its pros & cons, both private and public, but at the end of the day we're still in the ski industry doing what we love. At least we're not sitting around a table discussing the next deodorant or soda for Latin American teens. We're still just a bunch of boot and ski nerds but now with access to corporate credit card ;)
But you're like, selling out the soul of the industry maaannnn.
I want all of my ski gear to be homegrown, organic and grass fed.
gnarballsianmTruth, it's a shame that bigger companies have all fallen in line and become even bigger. Whatever happened to the independence of the skiing industry?
Business is business. Competition fosters innovation. In every industry, there are companies that are considered grassroots & independents, and companies that we would consider part of a conglomerate. Not buying from a company because they are part of a larger, conglomerated organization is poor logic. It doesn't mean their brand name loses value, their product quality suffers, or they make less of a contribution to the industry. What it does mean is that they have better access to revolutionary technology, higher quality raw materials, and better exposure. Support who you choose to support, but I don't see how this is a "shame".
K2 doesn't actually own Line, BCA, or Full Tilt. They are all owned by a corporation called Jarden Outdoor Solutions. Jarden also owns Marker, Marmot, and Volkl, as well as many others.
onenerdykidBut the moral of your story would be the same whether they were privately owned or publicly owned- these hardgoods brands build their products in Europe and are local to their respective countries. Softgoods are 99% of the time produced in Asia and thus outsourced regardless if it is Virtika or Arc'teryx.
In the case of Amer, each brand still operates independently of the others. It just means the money to fund everything comes from one central location. Sure there are shareholders involved now, but it means that if we want to launch a new boot project every year (which costs at least 1.6 million Euros just to develop), we can do that when not every brand can. Every scenario has its pros & cons, both private and public, but at the end of the day we're still in the ski industry doing what we love. At least we're not sitting around a table discussing the next deodorant or soda for Latin American teens. We're still just a bunch of boot and ski nerds but now with access to corporate credit card ;)
I wasn't trying to take away from what you do with that last comment, I just think its good for people to think about where their money goes. With something like boots where the price to play is incredibly high, there is no doubt that a team with access to a big corporate budget is going to be able to produce results.
And buying local doesn't need to be just a feelgood thing or a reason to put another bumper sticker on the back of your prius. The more I get out there, the more I realize there are a ton of small scale manufacturers making quality outdoor specific gear.
I know that skate mental, 3D, and tired skateboards are owned by big time distribution. Also girl owns lakai,dimond supply,four star clothes,chocolate,royal trucks and ruby republic. And tony hawk owns birdhouse and bones.
the product lines of most of the big players are designed by committees who are accountable not to us but to marketing experts and shareholders. Big ups to companys who can keep their independent vibe while still taking advantage of larger sources of capitol to drive innovation and NOT outsource material and manufacturing to china. The real issue boils down to who these companies are listening to and therefor accountable to, not neccessarily who owns who.
