GROWING PAINS: For small ski companies, being core just isn't enough

In 1995 snowboarding was the growing trend on mountains across America. But many skiers resisted the urge to cross over. Passion for their sport, mixed with a dash of vision, brought on a movement that continues to change an activity once thought to be in serious trouble of turning into yet just another old man’s hobby.

By the end of 1995 Jason Levinthal’s new independent company, Line, was manufacturing new twin-tip skis in his garage. By 2002, former Oakley internet development guru Hans Smith started another indie ski company—Armada. Much like Line, it too had a difficult first year incorporating design input from some of skiing’s brightest young talents.

Vision and hard work seems to have paid off. Consumers are buying more skis from small “core” and independent companies each year. As the market grows, more companies like Mammoth-based NINTHWARD are getting in on the action.

These companies all agree getting skis that fit skiers’ specific needs is rewarding alone, but selling more product and financial survival is an essential and often ugly reality. Even those who pride themselves on staying small and core aren’t immune to the growing pains brought on by popularity. Levinthal addressed this challenge through a series of radical events since last May. He cut his team, one of the industry’s most impressive, down to two pro members. Line skis are just now shipping, and he found himself explaining a lot in a recent letter to his dealers and customers.

None of this unpleasant reality is new, nor does it come as a shock to Levinthal. He feels this is just another phase of evolution in the freeskiing movement.

“Every ski company goes through this,” says Levinthal. “Dynastar, K2, and all the rest of the large companies went through this, but just such a long time ago.”

He feels spending less money on big-name athletes and shifting emphasis to the average skier keeps Line in touch with its core image and market niche while making room for the “next great athlete,” says former Line Team Manager Jordan Judd.

“Skiing is going through a growth-spurt right now and no one is quite sure how to handle it,” says Levinthal, who recently moved his entire factory to China, causing shipping delays. “Like an adolescent teen, we’re just growing into our shoes.”

“We’re able to bring ski costs down $50 to $100 for consumers on each pair,” says Levinthal. “This year’s transition is worth being late.”

A similar situation at Armada landed Smith in the same boat when he and some of his athletes found themselves in their factory helping make skis just to meet demand. Smith responded by moving production to three separate European production facilities.

An unexpected first-year sales-boost left Ninthward with the same big decision. “Now I’ve got to order 4,000 to 6,000 skis just so I can maintain demand this year. That’s kind of like a blind-side slap in the face,” says Ninthward president Campbell McKeogh, who needs more production. “We need two factories or our own.”

Meeting current demand is important, but growth is the bigger picture. These companies are a result of desire for new and exciting ways to ski. Growth is the only way these companies will be able to bring these ideas to skiers. Each of them has a unique and individual method of producing it.

Of all the athletes parting with Line, Eric Pollard is still on board. A move Levinthal sees as a way to introduce new ideas. Pollard and Levinthal are experimenting with varying and inverted cambers and tip and tail heights. Line athletes are currently riding prototypes in early season conditions. Levinthal is also trying to attract new skiers to the scene and ditch the common idea that “newschool” is only for kids.

While Line is trying to move up in the existing industry picture, Armada feels making that picture larger is where success lies. “Our piece of the pie is only so big, but it’s ours,” says Armada Sales and Marketing Manager Jeff Russell. “I think making the whole pie larger is beneficial.” The pie just got a little bigger with the addition of young-gun Jacob Wester to the all-star list of Armada athletes.

Back in Mammoth, McKeogh is using unique materials and his company’s message to attract young people. A new Mickael Deschenaux bamboo pro model ski is in the works. Ironically, after skiing traveled so far from snowboarding, Ninthward is producing snowboards and even skateboard decks.

“Everyone wants to be different,” McKeogh says. “People don’t want to wear the same clothes. They want to be individuals. We don’t all wear the same tennis shoes, why should everyone ski the same equipment.”

New ideas are hitting the snow every year thanks to a few guys with vision, and a set large enough to risk everything. Competition, mixed with a sense of unity between these companies is pushing the sport in new directions every season. Maybe the most important thing any of these guys and their companies provides is the opportunity for the rest of us to choose.

“You have to bust your ass, and it’s not easy,” says McKeogh. “But I don’t want it to be easy. I wouldn’t appreciate it if it was.”