Burton is Rumored to Make Skis? Gasp!
At this point, it is no more than a rumor on Newschoolers.com. Keep in mind that a rumor on Newschoolers (NS), is usually about as accurate as the 7 day forecast. Lets look at this logically though… as the S.M. often does.
Why would Jake Burton Carpenter want to make a ski? Maybe he would like a piece of the market. It seems as if Mr. Burton has done a good job making Burton a prominent company in snowboarding. Burton owns 10 brands and may have a monopoly on the market. These brands include: Analog, Anon, Channel Islands, Forum, Foursquare, Gravis, Jeenyus, Special Blend and R.E.D. These brands encompass every market in snowboarding, outerwear, snowboards, helmets, goggles and even shoes. How much more could Burton expand in snowboarding?
Not much. Burton has hard goods covered, so are they looking toward freeskiing as their next market? Skiers buy Burton’s outerwear, they buy their goggles and their helmets. Burton even sponsors some skiers through Anon goggles and R.E.D helmets. In many competitions freeskiers and snowboarders compete side by side. Many ‘crews’ (groups of skiers or snowboarders) have one or more members from the other sport. It is just a matter of time before somebody attempts to bridge the gap.
The biggest question is whether Jake Burton and the rest of the snowboard core has overcome their resentment towards skiers. Mr. Burton was not only part of a new sport, he was part of a new movement. Much like the civil rights movement, snowboarders faced resistance and a lack of acceptance for years. With the exception of Alta, the snow sports community has come a long way and in many ways accepts snowboards. Skiing and snowboarding still have drastically different demographics, but core snowboarders and freeskiers have more in common now then ever. Is this enough to bridge the gap though?
One company who already made an attempt to bridge the gap was the snowboard company Prior Snowboards. They sell skis that are designed more for powder then park and they’re known for their alpine and race boards, not their freeride boards. Another is Palmer Snowboards. They are known for freeride boards, but are rarely ridden by skiers in the core. Neither of these companies are very successful in bridging of the gap.
It is probably not going to happen. Not because of current or past snowboard and ski clashes, but because of the difference between demographics. If a company does conquer the gap, they will probably do so with separate brands. Separate branding is a good way to hide all of your products from most of the snow sports consumers. We once met a man sporting a Forum tattoo whom was talking trash on all of the Burton riders. Little does he know how big of a fool he is.
Back to Burton’s current brands. In 2008 Burton started to expand outside of the snow sports industry. They acquired several skateboard companies through DNA distribution. They also started a venture in surfboards in 2008. Channel Islands is Burton’s newest market adventure. With so much expansion outside of the snow sports industry, it appears that Burton has turned its back to expanding in the industry. Conclusion: A Burton that produces skis is probably a pipe dream.
