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June, 2025

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Why are line skis so cheap?

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7-11_Slurpee
Posts: 1143 - Karma: 1,568
Well, the only park skis i've ever skied have been rossignol. I have been looking for a new pair, and my friend reccomended i switch it up. i was looking through lines models this year, and they are noticably cheaper than brands like rossignol and armada. Are they a lower quality ski?
17 years ago
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natethegreatt
Posts: 592 - Karma: 570
LINE skis are so inexpensive because they don't carry a super-pro team. to be honest, I view LINE as one of the premiere companies.. I have only owned chronics, every pair except the last 2, but I plan on getting one or the other. They are remarkably more reliable than other brands, and the only real problem with LINE was the first two models of the invader, and aside from the park rats, that's not even a choice for most skiers.

17 years ago
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roor
Posts: 946 - Karma: -80
Perhaps: MADE IN CHINA
17 years ago
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buchanan.
Posts: 1911 - Karma: 156
that isnt a bad thing nowadays......... k2 is made in china, they arent exactly known for durability problems...........
17 years ago
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7978 - Karma: 23,325
Line is made in the K2 factory.
17 years ago
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Lemuel
Posts: 14544 - Karma: 11,158
i have 07 invaders, they are more durable than the 08s. my sister has the 08s and the top sheet peels when it gets a chip. mine just get a chip out and thats it. they are super durable imo. i have 08 chronics too and they are the sickest ski i have ever ridden. LINE is one of the better if not the best company out there. and i dont think there should be a park ski that is over if even $500. i buy all my stuff leftover so i can get it even cheaper, like my chronics for $200 brand new
17 years ago
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Happy.
Posts: 1248 - Karma: 9
I bet like 80% of everything you use is made in China. Years back Japan was the China of that time, and look at them now.
17 years ago
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skeezey
Posts: 23 - Karma: 11
ya the k2 rental boards in the shop i work at are from china and theres no question they will be able to take a wicked beating so i wouldnt worry about the whole china thing
17 years ago
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sykonaut
Posts: 346 - Karma: 11
I ride Line now. Because of they're whole line of skis. Personally they have the most legit topsheet designs and tech designs of their skis. I almost always support the smaller companies even though Line is "owned" by K2 but the management is totally different.
The only "big" ski company I will by from anymore is Nordica other then that, I like to stick to the smaller guys.

Line is just legit as fuck IMO.
17 years ago
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buchanan.
Posts: 1911 - Karma: 156

yeah im aware of that. probably cause k2 ownsline.

17 years ago
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roor
Posts: 946 - Karma: -80
Though i must admit that machines do produce the same quality of product ether in N American Or Aisa it's just about  costs i guess
17 years ago
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Funnel
Posts: 7819 - Karma: 1,590
Because they don't have a super pro team and workers are not paid high in China.  A comment on the team though:  All of my favorite skiers are on the team.  Eric Pollard, Andy Parry, Will Wesson, Garrett Russell. 
17 years ago
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 906
1. made in china:not a bad thing.  super solid skis.
2. Backed by K2 (arguably the biggest brand in skiing).  they have billions backing them up.  armada pretty much started from scratch when compared to K2s international powers.
17 years ago
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panojibber
Posts: 3382 - Karma: 216
The material cost to hand-make a pair of skis is around 200$. When you make them in a factory in China mass-produced, its easy to make them cheap. Line is the only company that has decided that they don't need a 1000% profit on every pair of skis they make. Not to hate on other companies, but its just logical, and I'm really impressed that Line does this with quality product that could easily sell for a good bit more. Don't be afraid to go with Line!
17 years ago
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joystickpimp
Posts: 99 - Karma: 10

wtf china is gay

Buy shit made in countries that people ski in..... duh

I was tuning a pair of seth pistols at work today and the di cuts were one of the worst i have seen, i found myself ptexing inbetween the dicuts and then i was like "wow what kinda rock makes this clean of a cut" then i was like "wait thats the fuckin di cut, stupid peice of shit" true story

17 years ago
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
dude shut the fuck up.
1. that was already stated
2. K2 is probably the biggest ski company in North America, but i highly doubt it is the biggest ski company. maybe if you add in their other industries and profits but not just their skis
17 years ago
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Mr.O
Posts: 1582 - Karma: 23
I dont have a certain answer for that but all I know is that Line constantly puts out great skis, year after year. To go along with the great line they put out each ski is made with such great quality. I have only been on Line skis and will continue to stay on them because I love them.
17 years ago
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phishfood
Posts: 2542 - Karma: 298
1. chill

2. it is. k2 owns like everything.

MAYBE salomon is bigger but i'm pretty sure k2 is the biggest ski company.
17 years ago
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
1. i really should, i just dislike this guy and am especially fired up tonight

2. my bad
17 years ago
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -9
People fail to realize that cheap manufacturing in china allow for better quality control.  It costs significantly less to toss a fuckup, instead of still sending it to the market, like a smaller company might. 
17 years ago
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roor
Posts: 946 - Karma: -80
Learn English.

17 years ago
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Style+eeze
Posts: 6901 - Karma: 551
yeah definitely, i agree with almost all of you.

line is super legit, nobody can argue that point

my friend had 07 invaders, and jibs on just about anything you can name
corregated metal,
poorly made boxes/rails, as well as good ones,
rocks,
trees... just to name a few

what i'm trying to say, is that if those skis lasted 2 years, everyone has to consider them definitely
and... i love my bacons for basement butters, and wiil love them when snow comes to the PNW!!!
17 years ago
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Happy.
Posts: 1248 - Karma: 9
I know hating on asian allen is the it thing, actually its pretty old now...but really, that is english. English changes with each generation and FTW is pretty much common knowledge, atleast where I live. So really, hating on people because it's what everyone else is doing is pretty damn stupid.
17 years ago
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Kevski
Posts: 7056 - Karma: 2,788
My 07 invaders have held up as well if not better than my 06 PEs, and that's saying something. The invaders have been ridden over rocks, over trees, over eachother, over ugly rails, and they still are in great shape. I got them for $150 as well (claim), so they are worth the value big time.
17 years ago
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*kiwiNZ*
Posts: 249 - Karma: 13

What does FTW mean?

I don't want to get in a linguistics debate because you obviously have no idea BUT just because you and your friends use FTW does not mean it is english. Most people over 25 would have no idea what you were talking about.

And he was hating on it because it wasn't english not because it's what everyone is doing.

So your pretty damn stupid, so think before you reply next time 

17 years ago
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*kiwiNZ*
Posts: 249 - Karma: 13

Back on the topic.

Line skis are cheap as stated above because they are made in china, this makes no difference to the quality, if anything it probably makes them better as they are making them at a much lower cost they can afford to through more marginal skis away.

They also only make twin tips so are only really marketing to one group which makes it cheaper as all of that can be done online.

I believe rossignol is the biggest ski company in terms of skis sold because they sale thousands of rental skis in europe

17 years ago
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 906
stupid roller blades grinds.   go blow out your knees somewhere else.
17 years ago
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soup
Posts: 6354 - Karma: 4,486
YES!!!!  fuck yea man there we go so sick that you just wrote that man.

people need to realize, line is where skiing is going, not where its come from.  some of the products they made have shaped the ski industry (prophet, twelve sixty in the early days, the reactor binding.)  No other company in existnce has created such a stir like line has they just know what is coming and make it no matter when the corporate world of skiing thinks. 
17 years ago
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TheBigD
Posts: 250 - Karma: 10
1. Super solid skis? not always, but line has gotten much, much better.
2. Well, lines have always been cheap, and were founded in 1995. They first mass produced skis a couple years later, '98 or '99, without K2. K2 only bought them in '05, i think. They started without molds, by A guy. Armada, did not start from "scratch", unless you you mean by usiing Rossignol Scratch molds, in which you are correct.
17 years ago
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SloanKetterin
Posts: 53 - Karma: 10
Because the guys at LINE love us so very much and want us to be happy.
17 years ago
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BigJew
Posts: 6974 - Karma: 78
Because all of their cheap skis are designed for midgets. Seriously line, make something bigger than 178.
17 years ago
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bigwhite.steeze
Posts: 8229 - Karma: 1,034
shittiest materials known to man...
17 years ago
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HiTz
Posts: 1467 - Karma: 11
My prophet 100s are bomber
17 years ago
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yellav
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 1,215
pretty sure thats armadas slogan
17 years ago
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Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
ep pros are 186?
17 years ago
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Twig
Posts: 6469 - Karma: 62,786
Motherships come in a 195..
Line Skis are the shit. My Lizzies were the best skis I ever owned and now I really regret selling them. At least I got a sick price.
17 years ago
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eurotune2
Posts: 1450 - Karma: 10
extremely good point... and the manufacturing in china has gotten much much better(for skis at least)
17 years ago
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schmies
Posts: 2032 - Karma: 511
StartFragmentThe new issue of the Ski Journal is going to blow people’s minds concerning their perception of where skiing started. They have an article in there that ties in a written record of skiing back to around 250 B.C. In......CHINA. That would make it humanities’ oldest written record of skiing. Check it out. EndFragment
17 years ago
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roor
Posts: 946 - Karma: -80
A:        I would have made the same comment to you, if you had stated "like skis", especially if you rode them.

B:       I am going to hate on anyone  I want to.


C:     FTW is an acronym, not a form of English.


D:     Using acronyms make you sound "like a lazy fuck" and will not get you anywhere in life. Neither will calling me out.


17 years ago
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 906
GTFO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17 years ago
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SFBv420.0
Posts: 2539 - Karma: 3,126

I'm not sure if there is a transference of soul from the person making the product to the actual product but I believe there is. Skis being made in china lack soul if you want cheap crap that's made in china by souless workers your call.

 But PM gear, On3p, Moment ,Icelandic, Praxis and a lot of small companies are making kick ass skis in the greatest country in the world using soulfull skiers as labor. People who care deeply about the products they're building and it shows. But if you need to save a few $$$ go down to walmart and get ya some line skis.

17 years ago
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Hank
Posts: 316 - Karma: 15
this is my fourth year riding lines and i love em
17 years ago
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jason...
Posts: 9006 - Karma: 780
Line skis are so cheap because their quality sucks dick. They fall apart so harsh. But again, thats why they are cheap, they are a one season ski that you can keep replacing and not break the budget. Fun skis, shit quality.
17 years ago
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A.P.
Posts: 667 - Karma: 136
for k2 being the biggest company its prolly true.  They make ski and snowboards and also own line and the snowboard company ride
17 years ago
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eurotune2
Posts: 1450 - Karma: 10
ok so Line was started at the university of buffalo, in western new york... pioneering technologies that are copied and still produced today.  When a company starts,  the "soul" as you say is the ideas of a single our group of people that want to innovate and create something new.

We need to remember that all ski companies are just that... companies and a companies bottom line(no pun intended) is to make a profit, The ideas that Line started and the products that they produced were quality enough for many people to buy and the company grew... when companies grow people take notice, ie K2 and Line having the opportunity to utilize the facilities of the most successful brand on the market.  Just because a company expands to meet the needs of its consumers does not mean they stop caring about their product. 

Also i dont feel that the soul of a person needs to go into the production of the skis it self... the part that needs the soul and innovaiton is the drafting and design of the ski, the new ideas that get tested and improved on.  As Line grows as a company i think they are the example for other companies to remain loyal to their supporters and keep a "core" personality  /and my rant is over
17 years ago
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Twig
Posts: 6469 - Karma: 62,786
Sorry but no. The Invader/Anthem are 'budget' skis, but even they are pretty durable these days. Its been years since Line's delam problems etc. I had 07/08 Lizzies and they were the only ski to last me the whole season for a long time. Even after the season I sold them for a good price because they were in such good condition! I would say Lines are as durable as anything like for like. By which I mean, Blends vs Kung Fujas etc..

17 years ago
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Mr.O
Posts: 1582 - Karma: 23
I dont know what your talking about I love Line, its the only skis I have ever skied.
17 years ago
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