Lohman446
06-15-2004, 04:20 PM
I was just starting to look into a new pair of skis for next year as mine are getting outdated - and my initial leanings were towards K2 and there group - for whatever reason, understand that this was not fully researched yet, but I can't research everything and it seems to me that K2 and Head were the front runners at this time by name alone.
Now understand I ski for pure recreation, and any number of brands will suit my needs. When K2 bought WGP I was all for supporting a company that was supporting paintball. It was a back use of the WGP name, WGP had been important towards paintball, and to some degree a company I could respect.
Then I started seeing things - K2 and there "support" of paintball. To take WGP and the autococker, which others had "shown" to be possible and then protect great intellectual property rights of it to me was wrong. The Illussion and the Sniper 2 - very few people thought for a moment that WGP manufactured or had anything to do with the Illusion. Be it important or not, at this point I know where my next set of skis will not come from - and the gear I buy to go with it will be similarly effected. Does it matter? Likely not. My question is, does anyone else feel this way. I am not in this lets boycott them... however, when given the choice and quality issues are close, I am going to support the companies who's business practices and ethics exemplify what I want (at least when they touch on something I care enough about to notice). This is a personal decision at this point for me, what you do or what anyone else does I don't care nor do I think for a moment boycotting a company, as I boycott SP, makes me better than anyone else. My question is, does anyone else feel this way?
Am I going overboard, a lot of you may think so, and I would not blame you for one moment for that thought. The thing is, when I buy skis and it is recreation, it will be as much for name as anything else - the quality and performance of the skis I will look at will be so far beyond what I use them for as to not matter. They will have to meet certain performance criteria, but there are many skis that do just that. That being said, I am back to buying by name. If I am going overboard on this, it is my money I am spending and I see having every right to decide what company's product I spend it on based on whatever criteria I choose.
Now understand I ski for pure recreation, and any number of brands will suit my needs. When K2 bought WGP I was all for supporting a company that was supporting paintball. It was a back use of the WGP name, WGP had been important towards paintball, and to some degree a company I could respect.
Then I started seeing things - K2 and there "support" of paintball. To take WGP and the autococker, which others had "shown" to be possible and then protect great intellectual property rights of it to me was wrong. The Illussion and the Sniper 2 - very few people thought for a moment that WGP manufactured or had anything to do with the Illusion. Be it important or not, at this point I know where my next set of skis will not come from - and the gear I buy to go with it will be similarly effected. Does it matter? Likely not. My question is, does anyone else feel this way. I am not in this lets boycott them... however, when given the choice and quality issues are close, I am going to support the companies who's business practices and ethics exemplify what I want (at least when they touch on something I care enough about to notice). This is a personal decision at this point for me, what you do or what anyone else does I don't care nor do I think for a moment boycotting a company, as I boycott SP, makes me better than anyone else. My question is, does anyone else feel this way?
Am I going overboard, a lot of you may think so, and I would not blame you for one moment for that thought. The thing is, when I buy skis and it is recreation, it will be as much for name as anything else - the quality and performance of the skis I will look at will be so far beyond what I use them for as to not matter. They will have to meet certain performance criteria, but there are many skis that do just that. That being said, I am back to buying by name. If I am going overboard on this, it is my money I am spending and I see having every right to decide what company's product I spend it on based on whatever criteria I choose.