Coalition Snow - Skis and Boards Made by Women

[Tricia]

@Andy Mink brought this article to my attention, about a couple women who started up a company to make skis and snowboards for women, by women.
First and foremost, good for them!
I'm excited to see women taking ownership of the ski experience and hope that they find the momentum and backing that they need to grow in the business.

That being said, there are comments made in the article that make me scratch my head.

“There is a reason we say we make women's skis and snowboards that don’t suck. Because women's skis and snowboards suck,” Gurecki said. “They are just like flimsy noodles, they have no performance, they don’t hold up.”

This is not necessarily true. I can name a handful of main stream manufacturers who make their women's skis on the same platform and with the same construction as the unisex line. Rossignol and DPS are just 2. Volkl has been known for their strong women's line with the Kenja, Aura, Kiku, and now the 100Eight.

I'm not sure what skis her husband bought her in 2010 (and why is she having him buy her skis anyway?) And why didn't someone flex the skis before a trip to Europe?

Their business plan and thoughts on what it will take to survive seems to be well thought out and realistic.

While Coalition Snow’s gear can help women navigate difficult mountain terrain, it will take more than nice gear for the company to survive the challenging economic terrain of the snow sports industry.

For starters, Coalition is a minuscule player in the approximately $4.5 billion snow sports market, according to Snowsports Industries America, a trade group.

That’s roughly the total dollars spent on gear and apparel, with much of it coming from an estimated 9.7 million alpine skiers and 7.4 million snowboarders.

Of those, about 41 percent of skiers and 38 percent of snowboarders are women.

The opportunity for Coalition is to grab some of the female market, especially non-beginners. Gurecki estimates Coalition needs less than one-half of 1 percent to attain its business goals.

I would write a review of these if a pair became available.

 

[Jilly]

One of the Diva's is an ambassador and has a few pairs to try. But the east needs snow for her to try them.

 

[kickerfrank]

Anyone who says they just need a fraction of 1% of the market to be viable tells me absolutely nothing. That's the case for everybody. There are hundreds of players all grabbing for some share.

What they should have said is that there is a niche in the market that needs to be fulfilled! That tells me more. Is there a market for this? My guess is yes.

It will be an interesting story to follow

 

[Dwight]

How about the Head women line. Redesigned and reformulated by female skiers?

 

[Tricia]

How about the Head women line. Redesigned and reformulated by female skiers?

That is one of the reasons that I feel that she is selling the industry short. There have been tons of advancements in women's ski gear, which has inspired a growth in women buying gear.
Head, is just one.

 

[cantunamunch]

Have you two figured out what ski she was on that she didn't care for?

 

[Tricia]

Have you two figured out what ski she was on that she didn't care for?

Actually no.
My thoughts are.

• If you're the sort of woman who takes ownership of a ski building business today, then - Why was your husband buying your skis just a few years ago?
• Why didn't someone hand flex the ski before buying it or making a big trip with it?

I'm pretty sure I'd have a good sense that a ski was a "noodle" by flexing it, even without skiing it.


Again, I'm not trying to harsh on her business but there are things in the story that make me scratch my head.

 

[Tricia]

Anyone who says they just need a fraction of 1% of the market to be viable tells me absolutely nothing. That's the case for everybody. There are hundreds of players all grabbing for some share.

What they should have said is that there is a niche in the market that needs to be fulfilled! That tells me more. Is there a market for this? My guess is yes.

It will be an interesting story to follow

This is a tough market to get into. Having a broad market group is essential to success. Like the net you're casting to a broad group of skiers looking to make nice turns.

 

[SBrown]

Yeah, they came on Ski Diva and got a little pushback but also a lot of support. There are plenty of women's skis that don't suck and aren't flimsy noodles; and if you need even more than that, there are unisex models. I think it's a bit of a straw man. However, I also think there could be a market for such a company; I just don't quite agree with the mission statement.

It's just tricky territory ... you are grabbing a seat at the table in a male-dominated industry, which is great, but somehow making it all by women, for women ... isn't it a mixed message? If women don't need anything different than men, then, well, why are you separating yourselves? Because you have cooler graphics? Well, uh, isn't that "pinking it"? Like I said, tricky territory, as always. I do like their graphics. And I like bomber women's skis, too.

 

[cantunamunch]

Actually no.

Ah. It's an interesting thought experiment. I came up with candidates from Armada, Dynastar, Elan and Salomon. The exercise is made most interesting by the dates - 2010/2011 is just one season after rocker/early rise starts trickling down to narrow skis.

• If you're the sort of woman who takes ownership of a ski building business today, then - Why was your husband buying your skis just a few years ago?

Yeh, that one was a bit interesting - it sort of requires us to squint and imagine a scenario such as where hubby buys a surprise ski online for her birthday or something, based on his own impression of the mens ski.

Again, I'm not trying to harsh on her business but there are things in the story that make me scratch my head.

Fershure. And the raging disdain for existing womens' skis is frightfully convenient for her business model.

 

[SBrown]

This is a tough market to get into. Having a broad market group is essential to success. Like the net you're casting to a broad group of skiers looking to make nice turns.

This is what I wonder about. I mean, how many OG Dakotas did Blizzard sell? They changed it (removed metal) the very next season. And that was a huge player in the industry, with lots of outlets to sell. And they are still dumping those 5-yr-old skis on internet sites. Then again, Coalition probably has pretty low overhead in comparison.

Coalition does fill a niche, as far as I can see, being all-women. I think plenty of women will support that, as evidenced on Ski Diva. But I am not sure the Venn diagram is big enough to work ... the favorite ski on Ski Diva is something like the Black Pearl, which isn't exactly a charger.

 

[kickerfrank]

this is just a general question regarding start ups. But what would it take to use your hard earned money on a pair of skis from a relatively unknown company. Take Coalition for example. And let's say you had a fun time on their skis and they are a solid product. Would you say thank you I had fun but I'm going to buy a Vokyl?

Some people are very positive towards small businesses and will go out of their way to support. But most people will still gravitate towards what they know and are comfortable with. At the end of the day what do you commit to?

 

[Tricia]

this is just a general question regarding start ups. But what would it take to use your hard earned money on a pair of skis from a relatively unknown company. Take Coalition for example. And let's say you had a fun time on their skis and they are a solid product. Would you say thank you I had fun but I'm going to buy a Vokyl?

Some people are very positive towards small businesses and will go out of their way to support. But most people will still gravitate towards what they know and are comfortable with. At the end of the day what do you commit to?

This is a great thread topic on its own.
I have no issue buying from a small guy if the product is good. In my experience, there are many who have been lazy in design and construction, therefore the product is inferior. Lets face it, its our hard earned dollars and we want a product that will do what we want and hold up.

The industry has seen a few small brands do it well and grow in an intelligent way.
Example DPS:
Remember when DPS started? They've done a good job of expanding their line intelligently and growing in to ski shops, supporting the guys who support them.
I haven't loved every DPS Ski that I have skied but I loved a few of them enough to put my money on the table.

 

[AmyPJ]

This is what I wonder about. I mean, how many OG Dakotas did Blizzard sell? They changed it (removed metal) the very next season. And that was a huge player in the industry, with lots of outlets to sell. And they are still dumping those 5-yr-old skis on internet sites. Then again, Coalition probably has pretty low overhead in comparison.

Coalition does fill a niche, as far as I can see, being all-women. I think plenty of women will support that, as evidenced on Ski Diva. But I am not sure the Venn diagram is big enough to work ... the favorite ski on Ski Diva is something like the Black Pearl, which isn't exactly a charger.

I tend to agree with you. There's a pretty wide spread of skier ability on that site, and I don't think the % of those who want a "hard charger" is great. I'm definitely interested in hearing how Volkgirl likes them. She seems to like burly, big skis and yet she demoed the Sambas last year and loved them. Seems like a ski like the Samba might be overlooked?

this is just a general question regarding start ups. But what would it take to use your hard earned money on a pair of skis from a relatively unknown company. Take Coalition for example. And let's say you had a fun time on their skis and they are a solid product. Would you say thank you I had fun but I'm going to buy a Vokyl?

Some people are very positive towards small businesses and will go out of their way to support. But most people will still gravitate towards what they know and are comfortable with. At the end of the day what do you commit to?

You HAVE to get those skis out there on skiers feet, in different areas of the country. And you have to provide top notch customer service.

 

[Tricia]

This is what I wonder about. I mean, how many OG Dakotas did Blizzard sell? They changed it (removed metal) the very next season. And that was a huge player in the industry, with lots of outlets to sell. And they are still dumping those 5-yr-old skis on internet sites. Then again, Coalition probably has pretty low overhead in comparison.

Coalition does fill a niche, as far as I can see, being all-women. I think plenty of women will support that, as evidenced on Ski Diva. But I am not sure the Venn diagram is big enough to work ... the favorite ski on Ski Diva is something like the Black Pearl, which isn't exactly a charger.

Blizzard is an example for sure, while three of their skis are brought up in this discussion.
The Dakota on the super strong end of the spectrum, which didn't sell well for them, to a point where they dropped it from the line (I still miss my Dakotas).
The Black Pearl, which is on the softer side, directed at the woman who is the progressing intermediate, on the verge of being advanced, or lighter weight skier who doesn't want to bend a stiff ski. The Black Pearl is not only the #1 selling women's ski but its the #3 selling ski in unisex and women skis combined. That's huge.
Then we have the Samba, which is a great ski for someone who's ready to bend the ski and wants a one ski quiver to go on trips. The Samba sells pretty well but still is no where near the sales of the Black Pearl.

That being said, how much of a market is there for the niche that Coalition is reaching for?

@kickerfrank - I haven't been on your skis yet, but I like the way you're doing business and reaching out to your target audience without being obnoxious about trends others are following.

 

[jmeb]

@Tricia -- FYI if you miss your Dakota's, STP has the 13/14 very cheap (most tuesday have a 20% off clearance) if you're looking for the 177 size.

 

[Tricia]

@Tricia -- FYI if you miss your Dakota's, STP has the 13/14 very cheap (most tuesday have a 20% off clearance) if you're looking for the 177 size.

I had the 170's.

 

[Monique]

I was going to say what Susan said - there was a pretty lively discussion on Ski Diva, and I felt like Jen was unfortunately very defensive about the legit points that were raised - the same things Tricia was asking about. Longer skis for women that aren't softened down - how *does* that make them any different than unisex / men's skis? I mean, I want more women to be involved in ski design and manufacturing, so I would be on board just for that, but the marketing confuses me.

 

[Lady_Salina]

Well I have tried many many women's skis (Kiku, aura's, All the head line (fat thang) etc and wasn't overly impressed. They were either guys skis with a pretty top sheet (which I don't mind being girly but I won't pay more for the same thing) or they just didn't impress me. Too soft, not torsionally stiff enough, heavy as a guys with no advantage, not as nice performance as the high end slalom ski. Does anyone even make a high end race ski for women? I can't find it. I was completely shocked when I liked the Head Great Joy and that was why I bought it. The head rep had to practically beg me to try them instead of a guys lol. So there's one i like now. But I can't say I have been happy with the women's skis I've tried. Often too short for my weight and ability.

 

[Lady_Salina]

Must say I love the looked of them. Love the peacock graphic and the matching sweater. The leggings are a bit much though. At the prices being shown right now i'd be interested and they come in longer lengths.