Skullcandy CEO, Rick Alden, Invents Strapless Snowboard Binding
Rick Alden, the founder and CEO of Skullcandy, shares his entrepreneurial starts when he launched the Snowboarding Jam Event Series back when he knew everyone with a snowboard on a first name basis. While having to replace defective binding straps, Alden had the inspiration to invent a “strapless” snowboard binding. Alden shows off his first prototypes and tells about his first ride without straps. Later he sold the company to Ride Snowboards for 50 percent cash and 50 percent stock.
This presentation is a keynote from the 2007 Young Entrepreneur Summit in Salt Lake City where Alden shared his passion for starting and building businesses. Also watch a second recording where Alden talks about the genesis and brand creation at his latest company, Skullcandy.
Skullcandy: The Genesis and Brand
If anyone knows his target customer, Rick Alden does. With seven years of promoting snowboarding events and the invention, launch and sale of a snowboard binding — and company, Alden has “hung out” with extreme sport athletes for 20 years. Now he’s built the successful Skullcandy brand with audio and cell phone accessories.
Alden shares the genesis of Skullcandy, the products and the importance of brand.
This presentation is a keynote from the 2007 Young Entrepreneur Summit in Salt Lake City where Alden shared his passion for starting and building businesses. Also watch a second recording where Alden talks about his inventing the first strapless snowboard binding and sold the product to Ride Snowboards.
Bluehouse Skis with Bamboo Core
Today’s skis are a blend of high-tech construction and art. So to hear that Bluehouse Skis had implemented a ski core based on bamboo seemed a bit “old-fashioned” to say the least.
Adam Hepworth and Jared Richards determined their dream job would be to build and run a ski company. So the former college roomates, designed the new skis and incorporated bamboo inside. This is is all by design since bamboo used in our cores not only gives extra pop but allows the skis to take on many of the same stiffness and durability qualities of carbon fiber at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, the bamboo was lighter weight and gives backcountry skiers a wide ski for extreme powder but shaves off a pound and a half off their load. Bluehouse Skis are ideal for the A/T skier, a park crew taking it to the backcountry, or a novice skier who is looking for an exclusive ski to flaunt on the mountain.
Marketing and sales are online through the Bluehouse web site. The team is active with their blog and has already incorporated community feedback in their latest skis.
Video
iPodDeer Valley Resort Uses Social Media to Promote Freestyle World Cup
When Deer Valley Resort wanted to reach the Gen Xer’s and Y’s to market the Freestyle FIS World Cup, they turned to social networking and new media distribution like YouTube. Erin Grady, Deer Valley’s Communications Manager, worked with the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau to create a short, 5 minute Video Podcast that could be uploaded to YouTube and linked to blogs, MySpace pages, and web sites where local skiers hang out. “We knew that the younger crowd gets a lot of their information through interactive mediums, so that’s why we selected social media and podcasting,” said Grady. Since the event includes free concerts from The Samples and The Wailers (the reggae band made famous by Family Man and Bob Marley) in addition to the freestyle competition, the web is a perfect medium to reach out.
Video was selected because watching some of the world’s most incredible winter sports athletes perform aerials, flips, and amazing moves is something that has to be seen. The video also highlights scenes of downtown Park City Utah which helps promote tourism for the Park City Chamber to those who want to use the web to see the destination and what is offered to those who visit.
Freestyle FIS World Cup is being held January 11 - 13, 2007 at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
The Canyons Ski Resort: Video Podcasts to Attract Visitors
The Canyons is a massive ski and snowboarding resort. Last year, The Canyons was the first resort to use Video Podcasts as a way to differentiate their resort from other destinations (View | Subscribe to The Canyons Podcasts). My personal favorite from last year is from the Quiksilver Canis Lupus Challenge — maybe because that run ate my lunch last year and it’s cool to see people crash like I did! As we learned from Dan Campbell-Lloyd and Libby Dowd, podcasting allows for quick and affordable content creation and distribution.
Armed with his HighDef video camera and wide-angle lens, Dan hits the slopes and documents the mountain, skiers, snowboarders, ski patrol, and more. Video was selected over audio podcasts because of the visual experience video provides — and this makes a lot of sense after learning 3 out of 4 skiers who book destinations from a resort’s web site select a location based on the photo of the day (powder, blue sky, terrain park tricks, etc.). Brad Baldwin goes on location just below the Saddleback Express lift where skiers, boarders, and snow patrol are hitting the mountain.
Listen to the ski and snowboard resort guide podcasts from Rocky Mountain Voices.
SkiUtah Press Conference Highlights Awards & Warren Miller Film
Nathan Rafferty, SkiUtah President, kicked off the 2006-2007 ski and snowboarding season at a downtown Salt Lake City press conference. All the resorts were there, including Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, The Canyons, Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Wolf Creek. Even some of the big-boy press like KSL (NBC affiliate) and KUTV (CBS affiliate). And of course Rocky Mountain Voices was there!
Items I found interesting:
- The USA and Utah both saw an increase in ski days in 2005-2006, about three (3) percent more days than previous year.
- Utah has a seven (7) percent marketshare of total ski days — Colorado has 20 percent.
- Average expenses per day about $260 (ah, yeah I feel that one)
- Utah Travel and Tourism spent $2.5M promoting winter in Utah
- Warren Miller’s latest movie Off the Grid featured Utah — and its great late-season powder.
- SkiUtah has started it’s own blog, written by Kent Hyden. He’ll treat the readers to a daily dose of what it’s like to ski more than a 100 times per year!
Also, the Utah resorts piled up the awards this year. Here’s a list of some of the mentions.
- Four of Utah’s resorts placed in Skiing magazine’s Top 25 resorts list:
- Alta/Snowbird (#2), Snowbasin (#10), Park City Mountain Resort (#11), Solitude #25
- Utah ranked #1 for Secret Powder Stashes
- The Top 30 Readers Poll named seven resorts: Deer Valley (#2), Park City (#5), The Canyons (#15), Snowbird (#21), Solitude (#25), Alta (#28), Brighton (#29)
- In a list of Top Resorts for Snow, six of 6 of 10 resorts are located in Utah: Powder Mountain (#1), Alta (#2), Snowbird (#3), Brighton (#4), Solitude (#6), Deer Valley (#8)
- Top 10 for Best Access included seven Utah resorts: Park City (#2), Deer Valley (#3), The Canyons (#4), Snowbird (#5), Solitude (#6), Alta (#8), Brighton (#9)
- In the Value category, four of 10 resorts belonged to Utah: Powder Mountain (#1), Alta (#2), Brighton (#6), Solitude (#9)
- Top 10 for Overall Satisfaction included 4 Utah resorts: Alta (#1), Deer Valley (#4), Snowbird (#7), Powder Mountain(#8)
- Four Utah ski areas were recognized in the best Weather category: Deer Valley (#1), Brighton (#2), Solitude (#3), Alta (#5)
- Deer Valley once again clinched the #1 slot for Grooming.
- In the Service category, Deer Valley ranked #1 and Snowbasin #3.
- For best Lifts, Snowbasin came in at #1 and Deer Valley #5.
- Best Terrain/Variety: Alta (#6), Snowbird (#7)
- Best Terrain/Challenge: Snowbird (#2), Alta (#3)
- Best On Mountain Food: Deer Valley (#1), Snowbasin (#2)
- Best Service: Deer Valley (#1), Snowbasin (#3)
- Best Terrain Parks: Brighton (#7), Park City (#8)
- Park City Mountain Resort was awarded Terrain Park of the Year for 3rd consecutive time.
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