Who wants a ski company?

[raisingarizona13]

Single batch and artisan are good words to use when marketing to wealthy white folks.

[Timberridge]

Or you could embrace the farm to table movement.

Wood and fiberglass is sourced from local family farms, slow roasted and pressed over a hickory wood fire, slathered in an old family epoxy recipe then placed in a hot box until golden brown and crispy.

[Bluehouse]

I'll try to catch up on some questions and give some additional thoughts.

First, there is no requirement for the new owners to keep our existing business model. Brands evolve and businesses pivot. Once the hand off occurs the new owners are in charge.

Second, the ski industry is crazy hard. For most small brands it ends up being a lifestyle business that supports small salaries but not much more than that. Almost every year we have been in business we tapped into our lines of credit. The business will take cash to continue to run and we want people to be aware of that. We don't have any debt from the business which has been fortunate but we also don't have a bluehouse yacht we spend our summers on.

[Binky]

No yacht?

Fuck it! I'm out

[DJSapp]

The problem with ski companies is the problem with microbrewery's: there's just too many of them, and they're all pretty much making the same thing. The herd needs a bit of thinning.

That said, if someone wanted to make a company based on the greatest hits of the past, I'd be all for it. "Rerun skis"

1. Wizard Explosivs
2. Original Black Buddah Gotamas
3. Legend Pros
4. Pocket Rockets (with robots)
etc

[raisingarizona13]

Or you could embrace the farm to table movement.

Wood and fiberglass is sourced from local family farms, slow roasted and pressed over a hickory wood fire, slathered in an old family epoxy recipe then placed in a hot box until golden brown and crispy.

I'm salivating and unknowingly reaching for my wallet all at the same time. I'll take two with an extra side of mayo please.

[Timberridge]

"Rerun skis"

1. Wizard Explosivs
2. Original Black Buddah Gotamas
3. Legend Pros
4. Pocket Rockets (with robots)
etc

^^^ You could spell it Explozivs like the Bolex watch?

Rerun skis?

I'm salivating and unknowingly reaching for my wallet all at the same time. I'll take two with an extra side of mayo please.

The big money is in franchising the concept.

[shroom]

still waiting for my official response

[dtown]

I like the term "lifestyle business"...because my lifestyle involves making enough dough for my wife to not work and raise our kids, be able to vacation as we please, live a comfortable lifestyle and have great benefits. Sounds like all of those are involved and even though there isn't a yacht I guess I can look at the upside of not having to dock it or pay for maintenance and upkeep...yachts are for posers anyway.

[bigdude2468]

i'm in just so i can make the benny beater no go bro model
and dascunt i'm butthurt youre fired ono nazi model

I was reading this thinking it would be perfect for SFB, sire enough he jumps in. SFB clean out the family room and set up a ski factory. Hell, I'm retired, what else better do I have to do than make skis?

[skifishbum]

Ski

[raisingarizona13]

Ski

So I think what you mean is that owning a company and building skis would cut deeply into your skiing time? Ya, that's probably correct or at least if it was a successful company.

[mcski]

I for one applaud bluehouse for their forthrightness about the biz, but how the fuck did you ever test skis without a yacht?

[bigdude2468]

Ski

Point taken

[SKIORFORGETIT]

Bomber Skis

[Lindahl]

I for one applaud bluehouse for their forthrightness about the biz, but how the fuck did you ever test skis without a yacht?

Ask Icelantic... er, nevermind

[Bluehouse]

still waiting for my official response

Cher/Hillary/Rosie


Some questions I've received via email or haven't responded to yet:
Any existing debt? - No, also no existing contracts or anything that would tie up the new owner.
Can we talk? - If anyone is truly interested we can schedule a phone call and go through details and additional questions
Past sales? - I don't have the exact details and will have to confer with Dan but our best year we sold over 1000 pairs.
What about past warranty issues? - Current warranty policy is case by case. New owners will not be required to honor and past warranty. We will send out an email blast to all customers when the ownership change occurs and help show support for the new owners and explain any details about warranties the new owners want. Our warranty rates have actually been pretty low after talking to other companies. The fewer park skis we sold the lower our warranty rates.
What's up with the website? - In November we had an issue with an outdated Magento install that we never bothered to fix. It should be a pretty quick fix.
Can we assume your current lease? No, we don't have an existing lease. Items are in storage.

The factory is not entirely turnkey right now. We put most of our equipment in storage several months ago and scrapped some of the items that were old or not worth storing. There are minor items that will be needed to get up and running.

[Gray Lab]

Rerun skis?

Rerun reference without the dance? WTF?

FIFY:

[2ndTracks]

Rad idea!
Hope it keeps the brand alive!!

[Eluder]

Like rich guys are only rich cause they never too a risk? Risk is how most of em got rich.

Im going to go with no.

[splat]

I'll try to catch up on some questions and give some additional thoughts.

First, there is no requirement for the new owners to keep our existing business model. Brands evolve and businesses pivot. Once the hand off occurs the new owners are in charge.

Second, the ski industry is crazy hard. For most small brands it ends up being a lifestyle business that supports small salaries but not much more than that. Almost every year we have been in business we tapped into our lines of credit. The business will take cash to continue to run and we want people to be aware of that. We don't have any debt from the business which has been fortunate but we also don't have a bluehouse yacht we spend our summers on.

Hey, you guys - right fucking on! Everything you've said is absolute truth. It costs money just to maintain a place to keep all the equipment. No better way to find some creative energy than to put it out there like this.

I've been talking to people about reviving pm gear's best models if we can find some guys who'd like to do some carbon on wood layups. I still owe a couple people skis and need to deliver. I'm sold on the carbon skis we've made. But to make them right, it's expensive. Not a lot of people want to pay what the skis are worth in carbon. If someone wanted to press some Lhasas in glass with wood sidewalls, I prolly wouldn't be opposed. Engineering and molds are around, got topsheets and bases. I got mad carbon skilz and vision, so I'm in if it works.

[Skidog]

Im going to go with no.

Yeah well you'd be wrong. I'm not going to troll the internet for examples for you. Plenty out there. The fact some of you think money only comes from existing money are plain stupid. My parents are a prime example. Won't get into details but bottom middle class upbringing and became self made millionaires. Took risks to start their own thing.

I don't think that bluehouse will make anyone millions, but to say its not worth a risk to someone is just pessimistic bullshit.

[concretejungle]

A lot of Outdoor co's that are bleeding money are owned by rich dudes as pet projects. I can name a dozen off the top of my head. That's what SIJ was getting at, not that it's necessarily the smart thing to do for ROI, but the fun thing if you have enough money not to care whether you're profitable or not.

Only a dozen? Shit, I got a paycheck from a couple and you're a mountain pass away from a repeater. The repeaters are funny so while I'm here fuck GoLite and whatever bullshit company the former owners are trying to start now. As someone who worked for a couple of these I've got no problem with the rich person time waster. It is funny when people not in the industry find out that company X has never made a profit.

This is a sweet idea and hopefully someone can take advantage.

[fastfred]

Yeah well you'd be wrong. I'm not going to troll the internet for examples for you. Plenty out there. The fact some of you think money only comes from existing money are plain stupid. My parents are a prime example. Won't get into details but bottom middle class upbringing and became self made millionaires. Took risks to start their own thing.

I don't think that bluehouse will make anyone millions, but to say its not worth a risk to someone is just pessimistic bullshit.

nice, most people sit around telling you how it is and how it should be, using all their smarts they got with some degree, but they never put their dick out on the line, they would never go into business for themselves, just work for the man, they think everyone who does go into business for themselves has some sort of trust fund, some people are just risk takers with a dream, at least they try

[Canada1]

nice, most people sit around telling you how it is and how it should be, using all their smarts they got with some degree, but they never put their dick out on the line, they would never go into business for themselves, just work for the man, they think everyone who does go into business for themselves has some sort of trust fund, some people are just risk takers with a dream, at least they try

In my Job I work for and with some of the with some of the wealthiest. I find repeated stories of how they lost everything and then risked it all again and again. It's motivated me to risk everything a couple times, but I haven't had the big win yet!