BoardsportSOURCE

24/05/2024

NIDECKER AQUIRES 32, ETNIES, ES AND EMERICA: INTERVIEW WITH THE NIDECKER BROTHERS
Following the announcement of the sale of ThirtyTwo, éS, Emerica, and Etnies to the Nidecker Group we sat down with the three brothers Henry, Cedric, and Xavier to get the low-down.

Four generations separate the three brothers from the first Nidecker who applied his wood craft to making skis. Always family-owned, the Swiss company has influenced the snowboarding industry with a curated portfolio of brands, the result of thoughtful partnerships with passionate and innovative figures from snowboarding. Their latest acquisition is driven by the same values. Four decades after the launch of Nidecker’s first snowboards and the launch of Etnies skateboarding shoes, the two iconic companies come together in a match made of pure love of boardsports. Link in bio for full interview.

24/05/2024

SOLE TECHNOLOGY FOUNDER PIERRE-ANDRÉ SENIZERGUES ON SALE TO NIDECKER GROUP

Pierre-André Senizergues has breathed and lived skateboarding since his early teens in France. His life story is one of passion transformed into action. From designing some of the most iconic skate footwear on the market, influencing the sport, to championing environmental commitment in the action sports industry, there is no doubt that he is a doer. As he prepares to pass the baton, he has let his values drive his decision, seeking only likeminded partners. We chat to him about the growth of his company, the transition to the Nidecker group, and his vision for the future. Link in bio for full interview.

23/04/2024

🚨 COVER CALL 🚨

Who’s got the next Source SURF cover?

❌ - No current pro athletes
✅- Boardsports industry employees only
✅- Snowboarding only

Deadline Friday April 26th, 5pm CET.

Email all entries to [email protected]

Last 5 covers:
🏄‍♂️ 📸
🏄‍♀️  📸 
🏄‍♂️ 📸
🏄‍♂️ 📸 Atle Dahl
🏄‍♂️ 📸

22/01/2024

Around the show day 2 at

21/01/2024

Day 1 at with the One Eyed Monster

21/01/2024

When worlds collide. x at

21/01/2024

On the cover: (Mervin). 📷

In early January there is great sentiment in the air with brands and retailers alike. The UK is a particularly bright spot at the start of winter with many retailers reporting solid starts. Record breaking actually. There is a growing fear that the cost-of-living crisis that’s stung the UK for a number of months is finally catching up in Europe, with the dreaded 20% sale creeping in in December for many key European retailers. But this isn’t anything new and we’re all used to dealing with it by now.

Early season has seen solid snowfall in the Alps and events like DIYX and Rock A Rail are great November activations that give consumers stoke and introduce newbies to the culture and show just how fu***ng rad it is. Boarding a flight to the Alps with all the packable down t***s feels busier this January than it has since pre-covid and speaking with travel companies, snow holiday bookings are up with many customers booking earlier and earlier to take advantage of cheaper pricing. It’s cool to see more snowboarding brands actively targeting kids. We’ve been saying for years that we need to make snowboarding cooler for the kids, and not just something that Mum & Dad do. There’s a big void between 8–35-year-olds who need to see how fun and cool snowboarding is, and without them, it’s just us old dudes buying snowboards. Despite Burton’s Riglet efforts, the kids snowboarding segment had always been more of an afterthought for brands. Thankfully they’re seeing the light and are jumping on board.

This issue’s Big Wig is . David grew up as a Swiss pro snowboarder and after working at Billabong and then Salomon Snowboards, David is now brand manager at . Part of the Nidecker Group, YES has merged with brand-mates Now Bindings & Lobster Snowboards. The collective will take the name YES and we speak with David about the details of the merger.

Always Sidewaysmt
Editor

19/01/2024

10/01/2024

2024 is a wrap. Such an amazing gathering of the French scene with plenty of European big wigs in attendance for 3 days of testing in perfect conditions. See the whole gallery online now through the link in our bio.

05/01/2024

🚨 SOURCE WINTER COVER DEADLINE JANUARY 7th! Industry personnel … submit your snowboard covers before midnight on Sunday for your chance to be on the printed cover of Issue 119. Printed in English, French & German and distributed to every snow, surf and skate shop in Europe as well as every key brand HQ. SUBMIT ENTRIES THROUGH INSTAGRAM DM 📥

30/11/2023

issue 118 Big Wig Interview. Slash by GiGi owner interviewed for European boardsport industry print magazine BoardSport Source:

Gigi Rüf sits among the top table of snowboarding greats. Known for his expressive style which has now become iconic, Gigi has released revered video parts for the best part of a quarter of a century and still rides pro for brands including Dragon, Union Bindings, Mons Royale, TSG, Evoc and 686 for whom he has just debuted his new GORE-TEX 3L ATV Collection Pro model series. Not bad for a 42-year old father of two teenagers.

We’ll touch on Gigi’s pro career in this issue’s Big Wig interview, but it’s his snowboard company, Slash By GiGi – which becomes a teenager next year – that we’re here to talk about. As well as riding professionally, Gigi owns and operates Slash independently and we pick his brains to see how one of the greatest to do it runs his own board company.

Read the full feature at the link in Source Bio and Stories.

28/11/2023

Source issue 118 is out now.

On the cover: , EMEA Team Manager. 📷

Editorial by Clive Ripley:

Winter is almost upon us, as we leave a summer behind the industry will be only too pleased to forget. Nevermind the issues specific to our industry, the general economic picture continues to create turmoil in the business environment which for decades had been benevolently predictable. The tail winds of covid, followed by a ramp up of inflation from historic lows, a war in Ukraine and now the Gaza / Israel conflict all on top of continued global warming and the emergence of AI. Whoever can figure their way through this spaghetti junction without any hiccups will be a god. The fact is we are at a level of instability that most of us have not experienced before. So given this general economic uncertainty we can expect a cautious consumer, but at least they are still out there practicing the sports they love and buying product.

Continue reading through the link in our bio.

09/11/2023

Bataleon Snowboards, Amsterdam’s finest, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. SOURCE caught up with Co-Founders Dennis Dusseldorp and Danny Kiebert just before the festivities kick off tonight. Read now through the link in our Bio & Stories.

25/10/2023

WINTER COVER SUBMISSION OPEN.

You know the score, we only feature industry employees, no one that is a current pro snowboarder. Shop staff, shop owners, brand employees, yes … if you make a living from being good on a snowboard, you ain’t going on our cover.

We give our front covers to the unsung heroes of our industry.

Got shots? Someone from your office deserves to be on the cover? Slip n slide into those DMs

Swipe the last 5 years of BoardSport SOURCE Mag covers.

28/07/2023

ISSUE 117. On the cover: 🛹 .lem0n📷

Editorial excerpt:

An abysmal winter for snowfall in the European Alps, followed by yet another record-breaking summer of high temperatures across Europe. Poor snowboarding for most in the winter and pathetic surf in the summer. Warehouses are full of skate and surf product and soaring interest rates paired with the crippling “cost of living crisis” is just the perfect sh*tstorm we’ve learnt to endure in the boardsports biz.

Sh*tstorms are the norm, but something that always puts me at ease is the notion, it’s only boardsports. We don’t put our lives on the line going to work. None of us are having to strike for better working or payment conditions. None of us dread going to work. We get to surf, skate and snowboard daily. We’re all doing this for the love. And if you’re not, why are you even bothering?

Forever Grateful To Be Always Sideways,
Harry Mitchell Thompson
Editor-In-Chief

Read in full via the link in bio.

13/07/2023

Pro Snowboarder started Slash By Gigi Snowboards () back in 2012 and now entering their 12th year, the independently owned snowboard company is looking for investment to take the business to the next level. The Austrian-based company, owned solely by Gigi Rüf – who’s been one of the top snowboard pros for over two decades – is looking to increase its marketing firepower to help the brand take on snowboarding’s big boys. Hit the link in our bio for full details.

05/06/2023

On the cover: Team Manager, - Photo:

As winter 22/23 draws to a close, we complete another chapter in the boardsports biz annals. A recent history that’s been plagued by one major world or economic crisis followed by another.

First Covid and then the outbreak of war in Ukraine has set the tone for business in the past three years with myriad knock-on factors impacting how business is done.
We saw a surge in demand, shortage in supply, clogged harbours, meteoric rises in shipping costs and now the word on everyone’s lips... overstock. ( EU) sums it up perfectly in this issue’s Big Wig, “the combination of pushy sales reps, shops that based their future purchasing on unrealistic Covid sales and the late arrival of outstanding orders created the high levels of inventory in surfboards and wetsuits we see today in a lot of stores.” We also speak with new CEO about the company’s re-brand, their rapidly growing staff numbers and how they’re using ambassadors and social media to foster a community approach. Read full editorial and download your copy via the link 🔗in bio.

11/03/2023

❄️ Gallery, Day 2

Another day another STRT JAM, the crew moved on to spot 2 and naturally got it done with a heavy rider list and an even heftier crowd. Which city next…?

/ /

10/03/2023

🔥 Gallery Day 1

Snowboarding royalty have desecend on Helsinki for the 3rd rendition of STRT Jam, as you can expect.. it went off.

27/01/2023

Legendary Tignes-based snowboarding chalet the turns 25 this year. Working with endemic snowboard companies like Vans and Dragon for most of that time, Dragon Lodge has become a home away from home for snowboarders, skaters, artists and musicians and has become much more than just a lodge, it’s a snowboarding institution. We caught up with DLS owner John Bassett ()(issue 104 cover boy) to hear about a new partnership with and long-time friend of the Lodge, . Read the full article now in print issue #115, or hit the link in our bio.

24/01/2023

Issue 115 is OUT NOW! We’re out here at in Austria giving retailers and industry folk their print copy in person, testing products and shredding hard. On this issue’s cover is , TM & Operations Manager. Congrats to 📷 for his 3rd cover photo! Inside you’ll find in depth reports on next winter’s products for retail buyers (snowboards, outerwear, protection, snow safety, wetsuits & skate shoes). ’ is our BIG WIG interview. feature as our Retailer Profile and we have brand profiles & updates with , , , & . And as always we have national market insight pieces written by industry experts analysing the 2022 boardsports business for Germany, France, UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy & Switzerland. You can see the mag online and if you don’t receive a print copy, drop us a message here.

22/01/2023

Day 1 of 2023 is a wrap! Check the full gallery now live our website. Link in our Stories

09/01/2023

The European Alps had been starved of snow, but fresh snowfall greeted the first day of WINTERPO, now in its second edition at La Rosiere ski resort in France. SOURCE headed there with the One Eyed Monster in tow. Check the full gallery here and stay tuned for day 2’s recap coming soon. Photos by SOURCE Editor, .mt, full gallery live now via the link in bio.

26/11/2022

🏂 Zebbe Landmark, co-owner of .se 📷

After a few slow news years between the GFC and Covid, I think we’ve seen more disruption and change to the boardsports business model in the past 3 years than we had in the previous 10.

It seems every issue I’m writing about some new seismic shift to the boardsports business model. This issue we look into snow products and after what sounds like a bumper pre-order season for most last winter, the rocketing cost of fuel and inflation levels means we need to brace ourselves for a reserved PO season. But what’s the seismic shift? Pre-ordering deadlines. Snowsports have just one sell-in season, unlike surf and skate categories which have four. Trade shows have shifted forward trying their best to stay aligned with pre-order deadlines shifting earlier and earlier, mainly driven by the longer lead times needed in Asian manufacturing facilities for the apparel business.

But now snowboarding (incl. bindings & boots) POs are following suit. With the nightmares that brands have faced at manufacturers due to the perfect storm (logistics nightmares, raw material shortages, price increases) we’re hearing that snowboard companies are ordering next winter’s production run along with their samples order. That’s right… pre-ordering based off forecasts from retailers as early as October, which are then shored up a couple of months later. But these orders are still finalised much before March, where PO deadlines had sat historically for many years.

I must cite the line we’ve heard from retailers for years, and I paraphrase: PO deadlines are getting earlier and earlier, often brands asking shops to place orders before they’ve even had a chance to start selling current season’s products. Retailers left feeling overwhelmed, under supported and basically backed into a corner.
Alas, change is in the air. And it would seem an outdated March PO deadline is now redundant. I must say that I do like the sound of brands collecting provisional forecasted POs and then following up with a solid order in January. Necessity is the mother of invention…

Always Sidewaysmt
Editor

01/11/2022

Submissions for our snowboard issue covers are now open.

Scroll through our last 10 snow covers to whet the whistle.

📆 Submission deadline: November 8th, 5pm🚨

Applicant criteria: Industry employees only… retailers, brand employees, distributors, sales agents. Photo must have been taken in the past 12 months. Email submissions to [email protected]

20/10/2022

Down in the home county of the UK’s world surfing reserve, and during the first Covid lockdown, Wai Clothing was launched.

Despite launching at a time when visiting shops was non-existent, the brand has endured and is making waves within the Southwest’s surf scene. We caught up with the Founder & Owner of Wai Clothing to see what they’re all about and what they’re gonna do next.

Click the link in our bio to read the fu interview!

06/10/2022

Issue #113’s front cover goes to , who owns and runs in Cornwall, England. Izzy has wealth of industry experience for brands including Quiksilver, O’Neill & Nixon, which led her to starting her own agency four years ago. 

Now representing Deus Ex Machina, Pura Vida, Rhythm, Salt & Stone and Yogi Bare we caught up with our first female surf cover star to talk business. Read on via the link in our bio to find out how Izzy juggles being a new mum along with running her own agency.

We’re really stoked to feature Izzy on our cover, she’s one of our industry’s friendliest faces and as you’ll read, has a work-ethic like no other. Congrats on the cover, shot by for his third SOURCE cover!

06/10/2022

ISSUE 113 OUT NOW!

On the cover Izzy Keene from Izzy’s Agency – Photographer, Nick Pumphrey

Editorial excerpt:

The initial surge in product demand caused by Covid led to widespread shortages, but now the industry’s faced with a glut in many product categories. The Ukrainian war plus a Covid hangover in the Asian manufacturing, supply chain and logistics markets means product deliveries have been all over the place. Late deliveries across the board have led to unstable retailer inventories and combined with rising inflation and interest rates, retailers placed conservative orders for SS23. Once again, those brands with healthy inventories will benefit from in-season sales next summer. But a good healthy business is one that’s built on solid forecasts informed by strategic buying, so we hope to see a return to normality within the supply chain soon.

Read the full mag here.

SOURCE Issue 113 Out Now! BoardSport Source Issue #113 SEPT/OCT 2022 Download the Magazine English |Française |Deutsch Read the Magazine Online English |Française |Deutsch On the cover Izzy Keene from Izzy’s Agency – Photographer, Nick Pumphrey The passing of Britain’s longest serving Monarc...

17/06/2022

With revenues up 20% on pre-pandemic levels and audience engagement rate through the roof, we sat down with CEO to find out why. Logan joined the WSL from Oprah Winfrey (TV) Network in early 2019 as Head of WSL Studios and moved quickly on to become CEO in 2020. Coming from a background in media and content, Logan talks about their enhanced storytelling operations and why they are now leaving that to best-in-class documentary makers, allowing the WSL to focus on doing what they do best.

We discussed the WSL’s new European office in Portugal and Erik also explained the thinking behind the mid-season cut, which came into effect this year to mixed reviews. However with increased viewership figures and a partnership roster up 35%, Logan says the numbers speak for themselves. We spoke about the future of wave pools in competitive surfing and also asked Erik what WSL owner Dirk Ziff expects in return for funding the WSL.

Interview by SOURCE Editor, .mt. Link in bio.