I really think we're alright though.
I feel like the Absinthe premiere was a microcosm of where snowboarding is right now. Everything about the night was right; speaking with Justin Hostynek before the movie and feeling his passion about what he does, almost nonstop loud cheers, clapping, foot stomping, whistling and general chaos come from the crowd during each and every part, having Mike LeBlanc describe himself as impressed by aforementioned chaos during the film, and then to have everyone get together as friends for an after party (unfortunately, I couldn't make it to that part). The passion and stoke were utterly palpable and genuine. It was so cool to see everyone get so stoked for their fellow riders and friends.
That last part leads into one of the more awesome parts of the industry right now; the crews. Lick The Cat and The Under Dawgs are holding it down with a bunch of Utah locals. Right now, The Yawgoons are proof that you don't need expansive mountain ranges in your backyard to have fun snowboarding and make noise on an industry wide level. All these kids are having loads of fun, while also making some of the most difficult parts of it look really easy. There are so many other crews, mini crews and individuals out there that are killing it as well; the ones I mention above are just some of my favorites right now.
Like it or not, business is important to every industry. Business has the ability to potentially make or break an industry; both it's image and monetarily. If the wrong people get behind the wheel of some of the bigger businesses of "core" industries it can take less than a matter of months for the domino effect to set in and that company is blacklisted by the core kids, fair or not. Suddenly, that blank check becomes more and more valuable. That does happen, and it sucks. However, it also gives rise to people who don't want to accept and conform. Take Dinosaurs Will Die for example. I could try to sum up why they're awesome, but just go read the Hump Day that Sean Genovese did for Yobeat, I'm borderline rambling here. However, it doesn't have to be a snowboarding company to help out the snowboarding industry. Look at places like Cobra Dogs and Spedelli's. Snowboarders hiring snowboarders, snowboarders helping snowboarders. The food is really good too.
So I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that if you ignore the numbers of snowboard sales at Sports Authority and actually take a look at what makes the industry, the industry, it's in pretty good hands and generally going in the right direction. Will it stay that way permanently? Time will tell...
