1998 | Jeff Harbaugh

Hung Over, Jet Lagged, and Sleep Deprived; A View of the Industry from 37,000 Feet

The specialty shop in Vienna was all snowboards and snowboard products. It was mostly last year’s stuff and was all on sale. Word was that financial problems were preventing them from getting new stuff. Over at a big Intersport store, there was just as much space devoted to snowboard products and the deals were just as good. I’d […]

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Reality Bites; The View from ASR

Trade Shows

There was a keg at the IASC hospitality suite at ASR the first evening of the show, and I was drinking a beer with Miki Vuckovich of Transworld Skate and Jim Fitzpatrick of IASC. Into this fairly typical trade show experience walks the comedian Gallagher with his entourage of one. He sits down with his own beer

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Life in the Real World; Hoisted by My Own Petard

Financial Management, Marketing

I’ve had the luxury, over the last couple of years, to be able to dispense advice and commentary from the relative safety of an observer’s perch. Suddenly and, amazingly, of my own choosing, I’ve given up a perfectly comfortable life style to reenter the snowboard management fray. I must be out of my mind. I’ve done this

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News from the North; Lessons for the Snowboard Industry from Canadian Resorts

Resorts, Snowboarding

Last April, I headed to Tremblant for the Canadian Ski Council’s annual symposium on the state of the Canadian resort industry. Naturally, my naïve anticipation of great snowboarding had nothing to do with my decision to go. Groomed hardpack with mud and rocks sticking through on narrow runs wasn’t what I’d expected. Thanks El Nino. At least it

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Building a Business; Issues for Would be Skate Entrepreneurs

General Management, Skateboarding

When a market gets hot, people start companies. Where the capital costs and entry barriers are low, they start more rather than less. When there’s enthusiasm for the industry and the lifestyle, they often start them for all the wrong reasons, and without adequate or any business planning. It looks like easy money, but it usually isn’t.

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Just Who Are We Anyway? Perceptions of Market and Industry Evolution

Industry Evolution, Marketing

One day, a few years ago, we looked up and had become “the snowboard industry.” Growth, friends, good margins, optimism, an endearing naivete about the future and a quotient of bullshit was all part of what made it fun. The boundaries were clear. We were on the right side of that boundary and knew what was up. If you

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Future History; What’s the Price of Success

Industry Evolution, Skateboarding

Originally, it was enthusiast driven. People started companies because it was an important part of their lives and they wanted to be part of what was happening. It wasn’t just about a sport- it was an attitude and a lifestyle. At first bigger companies in related sports weren’t interested because the market wasn’t large enough. When they got

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