Skiboards.com plans for new sport to 'grow huge'
By Chris Parkes, The Boulder County Business Report

Boulder - Colorado and snow sports go hand in hand. Vacationers from around the world venture to our snowy peaks to ski, snowboard, snowshoe and sled.

For both the local mountain adventurer and the out-of-town thrill-seeker, the choice of snow riding had broadened once again.

Skiboarding, the sport that combines the feel of skiing and the technology of snowboarding, is quickly carving its way onto the slopes as the newest and easiest of all snow sports.

Sound like a passing fad? One that will melt away with the spring thaw? Boulder-based Web company Skiboards.com thinks differently, and so do many resorts hosting this year's United Skiboard Series (USS) - a competition featuring skiboarding's finest riders and amateur hopefuls.

"It's more natural, like walking on powder," Skiboards.com Director Doc Roberts said. "In one day a person can go from riding easy trails to expert runs."

Skiboards.com, the nation's largest skiboard retailer, is 2-years-old and growing with skiboarding's multimillion-dollar-a-year industry.

"We carry pretty much everything out there, and we're still adding more," Roberts said. "We have 16 manufactures that we buy from and also carry all skiboarding accessories like helmets and backpacks."

The Internet gives them access to all winter sport markets around the globe, while new technology and better designs are gaining popularity with consumers.

Skiboards resemble two mini snowboards attached to each foot of the rider. A pair of skiboards, bindings and boots costs less than ski and snowboard equipment, ranging from $99 to $400 for the complete package, which also attracts customers, Roberts said.

More speed with fewer injuries, greater mobility and ease make skiboarding a threat to the skiing and snowboarding industries, Roberts said. "We have the potential to make a serious dent in the ski and snowboard markets."

A worldwide, televised competition on the Fox Sports Network can help secure skiboarding's place in the lift lines across America.

In its second year, the USS tour will kick off the millennium in Colorado beginning in early January. Eldora Mountain Resort intended to host the event but indicated that such a large competition would be too taxing on its slopes.

"We're talking to Breckenridge right now, and we're still looking in Colorado as the first stop," USS tour Director Rick Stark said.

Not only will riders entertain the masses with high-altitude tricks and suicidal speeds, but also business will entice an excited, affluent crowd with a hot new product.

"The tour gives manufacturers a chance to promote their products on a highly professional level," Stark said. "We do sponsorship signings and things on the snow to help promote the sport."

The tour will also stop in California, Vermont, Canada and Japan.

Manufacturers such as Groove Skiboards, a California-based [manufacturer] will send riders to all five tour stops. Skiboards.com, [which sells Groove skiboards] will travel the continental circuit, skipping the competition in Japan.

Kary Perelmutter, president and owner of Groove Skiboards for six years, agrees that the tour is a prime spot to advertise quality skiboards.

"I get calls the next day after people see my riders," Perelmutter said. "The tour is great."

Perelmutter said the larger snow sport retailers such as Salomon and Dynastar make people aware of skiboarding, which allows smaller companies like Groove access to the more advanced rider.

"I swoop in behind the bigger companies as a more solid, aggressive line of products," Perelmutter said.

Skiboards.com is the nation's largest proprietor of the Groove line because the Internet is the driving force of Groove's business, Perelmutter said.

Business is cooking for Skiboards.com and Groove Skiboards, and so are tempers on the slope. The new sport is snubbed by snowboarders as "too easy," further complicating relationships at America's ski resorts.

Snowboarders get jealous at the rate skiboarders progress in skill, Roberts said. A novice skiboarder can ride tough hills that took a snowboarder year to master, he added.

"Quick and easy - it's the American way," Boulder snowboarder Jesse Green said. "Where's the challenge?"

Despite snowboarder's views, Roberts and Perelmutter expect to lure riders off their skis and snowboards into the next millennium.

"It's fun, quick and not very expensive," Perelmutter said. "This sport is going to stick and grow huge."

(Provided by The Boulder County Business Report Volume 18, Issue 13, Nov. 19, 1999)