My Blog

NEVER SUMMER @ SiA

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:34:16 -0700

Excerpt from the Westword- "Overall, the snowboard category is taking a serious hit this season and most brands' sales are down," Davis says. Tracking the industry's trends is her full-time job, and she's been fielding some tough phone calls from reporters with gloom-and-doom story assignments this week. But she brightens at the mention of Tim and Tracey Canaday."

Never Summer is having its best year ever — the third in a string of best years ever, each outpacing the previous year by as much as 20 percent. It's now one of the ten best-selling snowboard manufacturers in the country, according to Davis, growing at a rate that's the mirror opposite of the industry's overall decline. Last year the Canadays moved 13,000 snowboards.

"In a tough economy, you really need to have something unique to sell," Tracey says. "Retailers are buying conservatively, and consumers aren't going to shell out for something new unless you're offering something that is going to transform the way they snowboard and make snowboarding a whole lot more fun. We hit it right on the head with our new rocker-camber designs, and the timing couldn't have been better..."

BY COLiNE BANE OF THE WESTWORD
READ THE ARTiCLE HERE.

SiA SNOW SHOW 2010

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:29:53 -0700

Excerpt from the Denver Post- "This trade show is all business, with sellers hoping retailers' bare shelves will fuel a buying bonanza that will reverse a rare downturn in the $3 billion snow-sports retail industry...

The show, which runs today through Sunday, is already big business for Denver, which hopes to harvest $330 million in economic action during the show's 11-year run here. The city has prepped a week-long party for the trade-showers to prove its reputation as the urban capital of skiing and snowboarding...

The sellers are ready. Exhibition space is sold out. The latest performance-enhancing gear — skis and snowboards with reverse camber, helmet-goggle combos, sustainable fabrics, a questionable return to 1980s bold and bright colors — is on display.

Resort attendance is down — a decline of roughly 3.5 million skier visits across the nation last season — likely because of baby boomers leaving the sport and cuts in consumer spending...

Not the snowiest season. Guarded consumers. Declining sales and participation. Hard-to-get credit. Deals galore on the Internet threatening the mom-and-pops. That's the bad news. But remember, this industry thrives on optimism. So the good news:

If a skier didn't buy last season, maybe now is the time to spring for a new ride or ski jacket? "To some degree, people haven't bought for a year or two, and it's time to make some purchases," said Ken Gart, president of Colorado's 140-store Specialty Sports.

New reverse-camber designs in skis and snowboards now account for nearly one-third of new rides. Pretty soon, it will be ubiquitous, a switch that promises sweeping sales.

The retail industry's rising star is backcountry and alpine- touring equipment. Although a small portion of the overall picture, the segment enjoyed a 21 percent boost in sales last season. The niche market provides alpine bindings that enable uphill travel, climbing skins, avalanche beacons and safety equipment such as shovels and probes...

Even though several big- brand manufacturers have reduced their footprint on the floor, more than 130 new companies are making their debuts."

BY JASON BLEViNS OF THE DENVER POST
READ THE ARTiCLE HERE.

COMPANiES SHOWN HERE iNCLUDE:

~ GiBBON SLACKLiNES (NEW TO SiA)
(READ ABOUT THEiR iSSUES iN BOULDER, HERE)

~ BURTON SNOWBOARDS

~ BOGS FOOTWEAR (NEW TO SiA)

~ YES SNOWBOARDS

~ VEW-DO

iMAGE RESTORATiON- iRELAND 1921

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:30:43 -0700

ANNiE

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:28:25 -0700

EVENT COVERAGE: JUL SALON + AMATiCE REAL ESTATE

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:54:23 -0700

HOLiDAY MiXER @ JET HOTEL

COLORADO SAND DUNES BY MOONLiGHT

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:51:38 -0600

Timelapse- No Audio

PELOSi ViSiTS DENVER

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 17:54:05 -0600

People from both sides of the healthcare debate
gathered in Denver to greet Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

ADAiR, iOWA

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 13:43:53 -0600

STATE OF THE CiTY

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:24:04 -0600

With Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper

KiTSU

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 09:03:13 -0600

FOURTH OF JULY

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 23:05:51 -0600

Timelapse with Audio

RAiN OR SHiNE- iRANiAN PROTEST

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:07:53 -0600

SEAN ♥ CHARLOTTE

Fri, 8 May 2009 09:12:07 -0600

RAiNNY TiMELAPSE

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:23:18 -0600

No Audio

DENVER'S TAX DAY TEA PARTY

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:24:46 -0600

SPRiNG SNOWSTORM

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 09:28:12 -0600

Timelapse- No Audio

LAST NiGHT ON BROADWAY

Sat, 4 Apr 2009 09:32:19 -0600

Timelapse- No Audio

NEW YORK CiTY STiLLS

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:41:19 -0600

CENTRAL PARK iN THE SPRiNG

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:37:37 -0600