Snowboard Brand Chat
Ok so I got a handle on where the animosity in other threads has come from after reading through another thread on here. Perhaps this thread can be where people debate the various merits of snowboard companies and who they support , respect and like. Please keep personal attacks out of this, attack the argument not the person or your perception of their intellectual capacity or lack thereof, I’m not a moderator in this section but I’m sure the mods here will keep an eye on things.
Personally I don’t understand the love for YES boards, never done anything for me and I’m never likely to buy from them regardless of how “core” they may be. Regardless of your ethics, morals or what have you, a company either makes a decent product for a price point people are happy to pay and they prosper or they don’t and they disappear into the annals of history so like so many others.
Call my morally corrupt but even when it comes to surfing, something I have done since age 7 I could care less about that sort of thing, I’m a consumer who has finite resources and I want to see those go as far as I can. If I see value in something I buy it, perhaps afterwards I might find out something about that makes me feel better about the decision such as it’s a core brand that puts back into the industry or the environment but generally speaking it doesn’t enter into my decision making process. Actually I have two Lib boards but their claims about environmentalism sound more like pandering to the PC crowd then any actual care factor.
Anyways discuss!
I look at a particular model in a particular year. If it fits the bill and is what I’m looking for, I buy it. Why limit your options?
I have brand loyalty to some companies because of good past experiences but it doesn’t mean I won’t look for better options if they are out there.
(This applies to everything, not just snowboarding).
I second Fledz’s opinion, exactly what I was going to say. Regarding the YES board, it just happened that I really like this YES Pick Your Line, don’t like the Greats though.
It’s been made fairly public why Chucky likes YES, Mizu has a intergalactically sized hard on for Flux which even despite his good experiences with their products defies explanation. I was very keen on Lib gear after having a great experience on the banana and watching the T Rice movies, I still think they make great boards but they have their shortcomings in my mind, well actually one that’s making me look elsewhere for other options.
I like Ride bindings, I don’t really know much about the background but I like the metal baseplate and heel cup arrangements, I don’t like the bulky plastic style that so many others use. I had all Burton outerwear as I thought it was a safe bet, that was until one of my pants ripped all along a seam for no reason, luckily it was replaced under warranty no issues with new ones. Since then however I have bought DC and Oakley outerwear and Analog even though I believe that’s Burton anyway.
If I like it and its made well, does what’s its meant to and looks appealing to me ( my board choice came down to graphics as the 2 boards I had narrowed it down to were virtually the same spec wise)
I tend to stick to well known brands, especially if others have had a good experience with them..
But as of now.. I currently have, a Roxy board (made my Mervin, so the same tech/manufacturing as lib, gnu, and never summer) and bindings (they use the fastec system), thirtytwo boots, foursquare and special blend pants, Burton, billabong, grenade and volcom jackets, Scott and dragon goggles,, pow, Burton and volcom gloves…
I’m eventually looking for another board.. most likely another Roxy.. (as i really love the one I have, and I have progressed so much on it) but I’m still looking at a few of the gnu boards too.. and most likely Roxy bindings.. as I’m going to get another colour in the same model as mine and put one on each board.. ( because I can) lol
I do understand why people get behind the politics of the brands and become biased towards some.. but I’m in it to have fun and that’s all that matters to me..
I’m head to foot and three layers deep Burton. When I first started riding in the early 90s, Burton had the best customer service by far. If something broke, you could rock into any store with a Burton sticker and they would give a new part / product no questions asked. That had me hooked on Burton gear. Unfortunately that got cut away circa 2000 for the W48 thing, which sux because you’re still stuck on a hill with busted gear. I don’t think Burton has the best CS anymore.
I buy Burton gear nowadays because I genuinely believe its the best gear on the market due to the massive $$ and R and D they can put towards developing a product. BUT…... only their premium products. All the other gear in their line up is on par with every other company,s kit out there and it only comes down to marketing.
Just my personal opinion.
Mr.h0z loves his Burton.. (his main gear set up is a Burton [ak] jacket, Burton pants, Burton hail boots, he has 2 sets Burton bindings, ( missions and prophecy re: flex,) and he just purchased the Burton genesis re: flex) and Burton gloves and is looking at another pair of pants…
But in saying that, he has 4 boards, 3 of them lib tech, and one stepchild,
And he has other clothing but rarely wears it, that’s more emergency back up or stuff he Lends out, ( thirty two pants, and Neff, volcom and foursquare jackets)
Then a smith optics helmet and goggles,
It’s been made fairly public why Chucky likes YES . . .
Why?
(I’m curious to know whether your perceived reasons are the same as my actual reasons?)
My interpretation of why (and it’s just that, an interpretation..)
Is that you prefer brands like yes, as opposed to brands like k2(that you mentioned in another thread) is because they reimburse their profits solely back into the snow boarding industry by producing for the snowboarding industry only, which makes the industry grow stronger and at a faster pace. ‘by snowboarders for snowboarders’
As opposed to what was originally a ski company that’s turned to snowboarding since the rise in boarders, to ‘cash in on the profits’ of what is now a relatively popular sport and due to them not solely producing for the snowboard industry… its quite possible that these profits will also go into other aspects of snow sports, eg. Skiing..
Just how I took it - I might be totally wrong?
The main reason I like YES is actually that out of all the boards I’ve ridden since I began snowboarding (that’s a LOT of boards), the YES Basic is easily the best all-rounder I’ve ever ridden. I do have ‘better’ boards for specific purposes, but no other covers all bases quite like the Basic.
Secondly, YES are a strong supporter of Boardworld - therefore they get my support in return. Naturally, I therefore find it reprehensible that anybody on Boardworld would deliberately and unjustly denigrate one of Boardworld’s sponsors simply for the sake of being a puerile, antagonistic cretin.
Sure, I also choose to support companies run ‘by snowboarders for snowboarders’ because it keeps more money directly in snowboarding - but not simply for the sake of it. If they made shit products, they wouldn’t get my support. There’s also the factor that I prefer to buy my snowboards from dedicated snowboard companies in much the same way as if I want to eat fish and chips (for example) I don’t buy it from McDonalds or Red Rooster.
I think Kmart and target makes best boards and clothing . You guys should try it
Hey don’t knock Kmart!! I buy my laze around the house and a few of my under clothing for work (singlet and tights, - cos I work in a cool room) from there and my work shoes.. cos the floor at works eats shoes.. I’m talking a pair every 2-3 months .. I brought a good pair ($120) and they didn’t wear away much.. but went mouldy.. (I’m in a deli and always have food scraps on the floor and they get soaking wet when I clean the floors.. soooo cheapo Kmart shoes it is!)
Lol!!! 
Tnx for telling me ur life story 
Life story…. bahahahah you have no idea
Its ALOT more than 5 lines of text on a forum haha 
Chucky my main thoughts as to why you liked YES were that you liked the board you have and the snowboard company side of things. I didn’t know they did much with BW, from what I saw at the shred Stepchild seemed to have provided boards for demo more so than any other, that was my perception anyways.
When it comes to brands that are by riders for riders or at least market themselves that way it seems to say to me to be one of two things.
1- Hey we may lack the quality, support and R&D of other more established “evil” corporate brands but rest assured you’ll be supporting grass roots core label which will in turn make you way more cool by association on the hill. This seems to appeal to the alternative trying to be different for the sake of it, customers who will get on their high horse about how much of a rad dude they are for supporting core brands instead of the evil empire that rapes and pillages and lives on the death star in a galaxy far far away who drink the blood of core rad dudes to maintain their youthful good looks and destroy the soul of snowboarding in one fell swoop.
2- It’s a marketing ploy by a major corporate brand that reeks of hypocrisy as they try to scratch into the market niche described in alternative 1 above.
I don’t particularly want to buy either product but if I had to I would buy the evil corporate empire product every time, they’re usually successful for a reason and I don’t like to bet but when I do I want to bet on a winner.
Chucky I’m not saying YES fits into either category. My opinions are just that, my opinions, I have some strong ones and I make no apologies for them, I formed them based on my own experiences and values, more often than not they are the opposite of the PC viewpoint as I don’t like sheeple.
Also giving a company a good rap as they support BW sounds a little bit like John Laws cash for comment scandal. For example if someone came on here looking for advice on making a decision between two different brand boards which are basically identical, brand A supporting BW, brand B with no affiliation, what would be more acceptable.
1- Members push Brand A as being the better board with no disclosure as to any interest in brand A
2- Members push neither over the other, tell it how it is in that both are great boards for the required purpose but if they go with Brand A they would be supporting a brand that supports BW.
For a number of reasons I would be pissed if I bought brand A in scenario number one and I think most people would feel a degree deception had occurred in that instance and no one likes to feel that way.