Only two booths have stopped me from taking pictures at ISPO despite the tradeshow’s strict no cameras policy. One was Nike’s considered line (who cares, right?), but the other people who aggressively stopped me was the company I was shocked to see with a functional booth—the LA based ski company Ninthward.
If you’re not familiar with Ninthward, then you probably don’t waste much time watching skiing on TV. Their team’s been gathering impressive wins on signature model skis for a couple years, but Ninthward has yet to deliver a pair of skis to the public. For the last two years Backcountry.com has met with Ninthward at SIA and placed orders, but their hyped skis never arrived.
At SIA this year, Ninthward’s booth was a tiny closed off box with only a small sign and a piece of cardboard taped over the top corner so no one would be able to stick a camera up there to take a picture. Inside they had a poster of Rory Silva passed out on a couch with the real Rory Silva passed out on the floor beneath it. In the cooler next to his feet someone’s cell phone floated along with a bunch of empty cans. They didn’t have anything to show for skis, and the story was that they’d cut the bases of all their 2006/07 skis upside down, so they had 800 skis that said Ninthward backwards—another year with no delivery. Either it was a clever lie to make a bunch of businessmen look like idiot stoners, or the company really can’t do a single thing right.
So why were they at ISPO with a full set of skis to show, but went to SIA empty handed? It looks like they might want to continue building hype by becoming a Euro ski brand before they begin selling in the US. The guy who owns this company must be sitting on a fat trust fund or have some investors who really trust him. It has to be tough to make skis for three years without actually selling any.
ByRocky Thompson
I think they’re just a bunch of retards
ninthward is retarded, and this statement “The guy who owns this company must be sitting on a fat trust fund” whether the author meant it or not is actually 100% true. The owner of 9’s father is some rich a$$ dude from Cali.
Two things there, Rocky.
1. “Only two booths have stopped me from taking pictures at ISPO despite the tradeshow’s strict no cameras policy.”
And your point is? Seriously. Why begin a rant about Ninthward with a complaint that they are adhering to a strict set of rules? After reading the first and most critical part of your blog, it’s already not worth reading because you don’t yet have a true argument. But yet, I read on…
2. “Their team’s been gathering impressive wins on signature model skis for a couple years, but Ninthward has yet to deliver a pair of skis to the public.” “It has to be tough to make skis for three years without actually selling any.”
Soooooo, Rocky. I ride a pair of 06/07 190 First Bloods myself, and I’m most definitely part of the public. In fact, I bought them from a ski shop online.
So, why is it again that you even wrote out this blog entry? Sure, Ninthward has, and will continue to encounter many problems associated with plain bad business savvy, (some would say overly) aggressive marketing schemes, and the standard indie company manufacturing mistakes.
But Rocky, your blog focused on all the wrong issues, and is incredibly misleading… in some parts, it’s downright false. So, uh, do some research, and stop making shitty arguments? I know of thousands of pree-teens on a certain website that could have produced a more impressive and genuine argument for a Ninthhward bitch-and-moan fest than you…
NEWSCHOOLERS.COM B!
Rocky and Joel - Please name one of the so-called “impressive wins” that this “team” has gotten ever. Talk about misleading. I don’t recall anything truthful ever coming out of the mouth of anyone involved with that junk show…including this notion of “impressive wins.”
Nick Greener, US Freeski nationals? Impressive enough for you, ‘Joel II’?
ninthward will kill you
Ive rode a single pair of 170’s butterlicious for 2 years in a row, not one problem…….. Best park skis ive ever riden. And they have been available for 2 years now for the public, just becuase backcountry.com doesnt have it doesnt meen the public cant get it….. Ninthward Owns, screw all u haters….
They’re killing it. They’re going to take over. Oh wait they didn’t get most skis in shops until the ski season was over. KILLING IT!
rocky, whats up with u? trade show booth not up to specs. no skis to backcountry? hey maybe it’s u. alot of ski orders are not written at ski shows. it’s a show, get it. you,ve got connections get a pair thru your pipeline and get your midwest arse up on the hill, skis are about skiing not trade show booths. or better yet ask the locals up in littlecottonwood who actually use ninthwards and find out whats really up. the tone of your rant is that you do know, and the incredible frustration of yet another gear company not doing it “the rocky way” is what keeps you typing instead of skiing. there’s an increasing lot of dopes like u- keyboard slaves who hope for world dominance with negativity the vehicle. maybe it will happen for u after all slc is stuffed full of marioni baloney believers. oh yeah i almost forgot i use the ninthward tha 187, mfg by five axis it’s an awsome pow ride, awsome rocky, and u still don’t get it.
being part of the “industry” Rocky, you should know how this works. There are only a handful of ski factorys in the world, smaller companies get the shaft when the Rossi’s etc. place big orders. The little guys get pused to the back.
NinthWard Skis were available 06/07 winter. They were delayed because the manufacturer did print some of the base graphics backwards. No biggie, all it was was a “9″.
I ski first bloods, and they rip, bought them pretty easily at the store. Looking to pick up another ski from them this winter (07/08)
The “F*** You” marketing and attitude is fine in my book. Have you looked through powder/freeskier lately? The other companies are so far behind in thier marketing it’s embarrassing to even look at 90% of the ads.
Get with it rocky.