I recently read an interesting article about the way big players in the industry are impacted by the small players. This article compared the ski industry big brands to the major beer manufacturers, and how the impact of the smaller brands, which were compared to craft beers, is changing how the big brands need to change their vision to stay competitive in the market place.
As a site that spends a lot of time on equipment from the major players as well as some of the smaller guys, I can say that the idea to stand out is as much bout the quality of the experience as it is about the uniqueness of the experience.
We've had the pleasure of skiing on some incredible products with both the quality and uniqueness, and have spread that experience amongst our members.
We've also had head scratching experiences with some of the unique products that have been sent our way.
Do the big players in the industry need to make a change in an attempt to offer something unique, or are they already seeing the need to create something new, drawing the attention of the consumer?
Take a brand like DPS. It wasn't long ago that they were considered an Indy brand with a new fun shaped powder ski that was offered in a Pure form for someone who wanted to experience the incredible lightness for back country skiing, as well as the Hybrid form for the more conservative spender who just wanted a fun powder ski.
As they've expanded their offering, they are playing to a bigger audience and are viewed by many as a major player.
Meanwhile, some of the bigger manufacturers have implemented some similar fun shapes and designs to capture some of DPS' audience.
@JLev is an example of someone who created something new with Line skis, back in the day, which is now one of the bigger players in the ski world. More recently, J-Skis is his vision, (Look for my upcoming review), and he is producing some really good stuff.
Then there is @Cyrus Schenck and Renoun. This is a product that is small in the smallest of ways but it delivers a huge level of performance and quality and lets you know you're skiing something special.
The question that came up in the article I read was - Does the impact of these small brands with a story change how the bigger manufacturers have to do business?
The bigger questions for me is - Is the small guy's story enough to be the next amazing brand, or does the small guy have to produce a quality experience with the story?
All of the guys (skis) I've mentioned here have produced an incredible experience as well as a story, and have made their mark on the industry.
I mean, its cool to drink the craft beer instead of Budweiser, but the craft beer needs to taste good, right?
As a site that spends a lot of time on equipment from the major players as well as some of the smaller guys, I can say that the idea to stand out is as much bout the quality of the experience as it is about the uniqueness of the experience.
We've had the pleasure of skiing on some incredible products with both the quality and uniqueness, and have spread that experience amongst our members.
We've also had head scratching experiences with some of the unique products that have been sent our way.
Do the big players in the industry need to make a change in an attempt to offer something unique, or are they already seeing the need to create something new, drawing the attention of the consumer?
Take a brand like DPS. It wasn't long ago that they were considered an Indy brand with a new fun shaped powder ski that was offered in a Pure form for someone who wanted to experience the incredible lightness for back country skiing, as well as the Hybrid form for the more conservative spender who just wanted a fun powder ski.
As they've expanded their offering, they are playing to a bigger audience and are viewed by many as a major player.
Meanwhile, some of the bigger manufacturers have implemented some similar fun shapes and designs to capture some of DPS' audience.
@JLev is an example of someone who created something new with Line skis, back in the day, which is now one of the bigger players in the ski world. More recently, J-Skis is his vision, (Look for my upcoming review), and he is producing some really good stuff.
Then there is @Cyrus Schenck and Renoun. This is a product that is small in the smallest of ways but it delivers a huge level of performance and quality and lets you know you're skiing something special.
The question that came up in the article I read was - Does the impact of these small brands with a story change how the bigger manufacturers have to do business?
The bigger questions for me is - Is the small guy's story enough to be the next amazing brand, or does the small guy have to produce a quality experience with the story?
All of the guys (skis) I've mentioned here have produced an incredible experience as well as a story, and have made their mark on the industry.
I mean, its cool to drink the craft beer instead of Budweiser, but the craft beer needs to taste good, right?
. Unless by ski aggressively you mean rip lots of quick, carved turns on hard snow. Because in that respect I will agree with you, no indie ski I have skied (I haven't skied Renouns) is as good on the hard as many skis from big manufacturers like Blizzard, Head, Rossi, Atomic etc.
