 Poster: A snowHead
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It would seem that Faction/Full Stack Supply Company are gonna shake up the ski boot business..............Why not, all for a shake up. But can they really enter into this market, given they don't actually make skis themselves, and Ski Boot production being waaaaay more expensive and specialised. There is a cool benefit. The Boot Candide skis with, The Salomon Ghost, is easily a serious ski boot, one that allows a great deal of customization and one that has it's feet are firmly printed in one of the most simple and ergonomic shapes of all time. The Salomon X2 "Race Boot". Candide has his mould, uses this boot, so we're told and it's easy to understand why. If Faction, or another business can make this happen, it is indeed a coup. Fingers crossed, I for one will be so chuffed!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Genius!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I for one would be delighted to find a manufacturer who makes a boot that fits my foot without a fitter's intervention!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I don't actually understand the opening post - what is the suggestion ? It's a collab with Salomon, a 3D printed boot or that Candide actually owns some moulds?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Was also at last nights investor event and think this is a great next move by Faction following what seems a successful launch of freestyle orientated apparel. No further details were provided about the boots. What was interesting to hear was that the ski industry in total shipped 40pct less skis last year due to Covid while Faction had a modest increase of 2pct with sales of their “flat tail” range (Dictator/Agent) providing stability during Covid. There wi probably be some turbulence in the market especially the small companies who were perhaps not as prepared as Faction. Should be a promising year for Faction as they continue to innovate with new products, perhaps make some fringe acquisitions, and return to the mountains of the slow Covid markets (U.K.). Also great film that will please both the park rats and Freeride adrenaline junkies. Lots of footage from Swiss and Dolomites and good focus on Swiss woman athletes.
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Certainly interesting when someone can take a "clean" view of an existing market to hopefully produce something that genuinely makes a difference.
"FSSC’s talented team on four continents and a track record of brand-building provides a perfect launch platform, as Head of Hardgoods Daniel Tanzer explains: “Our plan is to inject much-needed excitement into the ski boot landscape. We feel lucky to launch a brand with the fundamental goal of reducing our environmental footprint from inception. A blank canvas has enabled us to implement unique, high-performance solutions.”
From the above "Our plan is to inject much-needed excitement into the ski boot landscape" always gives me a fear in any discipline of manufacturing as to what the overall aims are.
For me, it's producing something that will generate real advance and subsequently people will look at it and decide for themselves if it's exiting. Pedantic view? Yes. But believe real development should hold sway with the marketing opportunities to follow, rather than developing excitement.
Too many times I've heard that as a front end development drive which turns to nothing. Hope they've the talent to bring some interesting technical advances to the market.
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Their ski range seems to be a lot more marketing than product innovation driven so wouldn’t hold your breath on them revolutionizing the ski boot industry. They do make good films though!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| ski3 wrote: |
| Hope they've the talent to bring some interesting technical advances to the market. |
Daniel's a good guy and been designing skis for a long time (for Scott before Faction, working with Jeremy Heitz and co). Be interesting to see what they come up with for boots. Could be a good business move to facilitate upselling complementary products to existing customers.
If I was launching a new winter/ski brand atm though I'd be doing something to make nordic/crosscountry cool. Similar potential to the booming bike market currently, especially as so many people are newly fitness focussed, and no issues with lift passes or corona rules.
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I must admit I'm sceptical - to produce your own boot range requires huge investment then you have to convince retailers to stock it because it fulfills a different need to what's already out there. The investment is largely why brands get recycled and the moulds carry over e.g. Flexon into Full Tilt or Garmont into Scott.
Plus every serious skier knows you don't buy on brand or what a pro wears but what is the best fit for your feet. Maybe some park kids can be persuaded to buy what Candide uses but the wider market probably can't.
Plus the established players have really upped their game in the last 10 years with combinations of plastics, tech compatibility even gripwalk for the casual user (let's gloss over the WTR dual standard). I think Atomic are even launching their own "full serve" boot with aftemarket quality liner, speccable booster straps etc
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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surely they are going to get the boots made by one of the big factories and are likely to be tweaking an existing design/mould?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
Daniel's a good guy and been designing skis for a long time (for Scott before Faction, working with Jeremy Heitz and co) |
Skied with him on an investor day just before he joined Faction. Some good stories about J. Heitz and seemed like a really nice guy. But he was the ski guy, not boots, so assume they are outsourcing and putting the growing Faction brand to work
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It will probably be rebadge or at a stretch an acquisition of an existing boutique boot maker. Full Tilt comes to mind who have created themselves a niche by reviving the Reichle boots for free stylers.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Ozboy wrote: |
| It will probably be rebadge or at a stretch an acquisition of an existing boutique boot maker. Full Tilt comes to mind who have created themselves a niche by reviving the Reichle boots for free stylers. |
Full Tilt is becoming K2 now too (K2 already owned them)
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| jedster wrote: |
| surely they are going to get the boots made by one of the big factories and are likely to be tweaking an existing design/mould? |
Well that's what I'd suspect but the hype of the press release is obviously intended to create a different impression. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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As said in the OP, i strongly believe we will see Salomon repurpose it's Ghost and QuestMax shells, Not sure, but it would certainly make sense.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Ozboy wrote: |
| It will probably be rebadge or at a stretch an acquisition of an existing boutique boot maker. Full Tilt comes to mind who have created themselves a niche by reviving the Reichle boots for free stylers. |
Full Tilt is becoming K2 now too (K2 already owned them) |
bit of an aside. Don't know if anyone heard it but there was a really interesting interview with Bode Miller on the Blister Gear podcast. In it he talked about Raichle Flexon and Full Tilt. The essence was that when he was a racer he was always interested in experimenting with flexons but sponsorship got in the way. He thought that the design would work well with his style of skiing (he really valued linear and directly forward flex vs overlap boots tendency to be stiff then give in a way that tended to increase edge angle at the bottom of the turn, just when he didn't want it - his explanation was really good unlike mine!). After he retired he got hold of some of Full Tilt's updated flexons (First Chair) and found them awful - couldn't understand how anyone raced in something like that. Then he got some Full Tilt Classics - essentially identical shells to the original Raichle and loved them. He concluded that Full Tilts evolution of Raichle (mainly making the last wider and in the process creating more lateral flex) had lost the secret sauce.
I found it particularly interesting as someone whose first ever owned ski boots were flexons and tried Full Tilt CLASSICs after a gap of 20 years from the flexons and found them brilliant for my feet and skiing (no parallel with Bode intended!)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| CH2O wrote: |
| As said in the OP, i strongly believe we will see Salomon repurpose it's Ghost and QuestMax shells, Not sure, but it would certainly make sense. |
One wonders why you couldn't have said it that plainly in the OP, rather than the riddles?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks for posting that. Very interesting! Wondered how they snapped up Candide. Still not quite sure why he left Faction to then struggle to do similar things elsewhere? Is there more to it than that? Sounds like a top guy though
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| BobinCH wrote: |
Thanks for posting that. Very interesting! Wondered how they snapped up Candide. Still not quite sure why he left Faction to then struggle to do similar things elsewhere? Is there more to it than that? Sounds like a top guy though |
Thanks both for sharing the podcasts - great listen.
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