Start-Up Ski Company Manufactures 04/05 Freeride Ski Designed by Web Users
PM Gear, an Internet based ski and snowboard gear company announces the official release of its 2004-2005 Bro Model ski, designed and manufactured to meet the demands of skiers who contributed feedback via online focus groups and on-snow test sessions.
Reno, NV (PRWEB) November 4, 2004 -- Imagine an outdoor sports company,
formed and operated on the Internet by partners drawn together by a common
passion and bonded together by a surreal experience - collectively designing a
low-cost, high-quality snow ski with other skiers on the Internet. Sound like
the latest reality TV show? Not quite. But the challenge has been met and the
resulting PM Gear Bro Model Ski has already won rave reviews by field testers
riding Bro Model prototypes on the snowfields of Mt. Hood, Kirkwood, California,
and Ushuaia, Argentina ahead of its official release this week.
Constructed with dimensions and characteristics suggested by an online
focus group of advanced skiers, PM Gear has released the Bro Model in limited
production for the 2004-2005 winter season. Available only on the Internet at http://www.pmgearusa.com, the
Bro Model pays homage to the brotherhood of online skiers at Teton Gravity
Research’s (TGR) Internet community who helped design the ski on TGR's
discussion forums. TGR's online membership is comprised of numerous professional
skiers, freeskiing competitors, everyday alpine and telemark skiers motivated by
a passion for the sport. With input from this community, PM Gear settled on one
length for the Bro Model. The ski is available in two flexes to cater to the
wide ranges of capabilities amongst the skiers who helped design it.
The
ski, available in a 188 cm length only, was determined through an online poll to
ascertain which size big mountain ski would be right for the largest number of
skiers who prefer steep and deep off-piste conditions. In an unique twist to the
heretofore hush-hush tradition associated with new skis, the entire design,
prototype construction, and testing was reported almost daily via images and
discussions on the Internet. The Bro Model's topsheet graphic was designed by a
professional graphic designer who is a member of TGR's online community. His
numerous submissions for the Bro Model's graphics were displayed online to weigh
viewer's opinions of the art via reactions posted on forums.
“From the
beginning, our goal has been to make the ski that we know people like us have
always wanted: a fat, big-mountain ski that will rip all conditions, yet sells
for a reasonable price,” says PM Gear CEO Pat Keane. According to Keane, PM
Gear’s foundation is the Internet. “The people who own this company met on the
Internet and we do all of our business on the Internet. As active members of
ski-oriented forums, we had the opportunity and ability to build a ski designed
by and for the people we knew would buy it." The Bro Model is offered in a stiff
version and somewhat softer flex because the skier focus group expressed a
penchant for both flexes. "They told us what they wanted and we delivered," says
Keane.
The Bro Model is built to handle the most challenging terrain and
variable snow conditions with crisp responsiveness. For 2004-2005, the Bro Model
will only be available in a 188 cm length and tip-waist-tail measurements of
125-99-114. Built with traditional wood core and fiberglass construction, the
Bro Model is dampened by two layers of anti-vibration rubber to provide a
smooth, stable ride. Durability is enhanced with Rockwell 48 edges and extremely
tough black sintered bases. Leveraging its wide body and length, the Bro Model
offers ample coverage underfoot for maximum float in the deepest and lightest
powder but will hold an edge and carve on ice. With its wide shape and
semi-shallow sidecut, the Bro Model possesses the maneuverability of a shaped
ski and the flotation of a powder ski. The softer version is a top-notch
crossover that works exceptionally well for telemark skiing.
"The Bro
Model is a one-ski quiver," says Keane, who writes for top ski magazines and
pens a monthly column on at powdermag.com. "Skiers want one ski that excels in
all conditions, whether it is skied alpine or telemark. The Bro Model's light
weight is very backcountry friendly, but the ski is aggressive in all
conditions." He defers credit for creation of the ski to the help he got from
his Internet friends. "Most ski companies aren’t aware of the volume and quality
of real-time information exchanged through message boards and chatrooms,” he
says, implying that the demographics of skiers online are a force the ski
industry has yet to fully reckon with. “Skiers who frequent online forums
devoted to the sport will change the way we research and book travel, find
fellow skiers at local areas and abroad, and, in the case of the Bro Model – the
way we design and sell skis. We’re breaking trail,” says Keane "And in the
process, we're upping the threat level to skiing's status quo by evolving, via
technology, with the burgeoning memberships of Internet communities of skiers."
The PM Gear Bro Model ski is available at the retail price of $550. One
hundred pair have been made and an additional two hundred pair will be produced
to meet continued demand. For more details on ordering a pair of the limited
edition Bro Model, visit http://www.pmgearusa.com or email e-mail protected from spam
bots
About PM Gear, LLC
PM Gear was formed in 2003, to design
innovative outdoor gear and distribute equipment of exceptional quality at
affordable prices. The retail website, http://www.pmgearusa.com, offers a selection of top quality
snowsports gear and accessories including the original KevGlove, AJ Kitt Sports
Luggage, Big Agnes outdoor camping gear, Crescent Moon Snowshoes, and NEOS
Overshoes. New products are continually added.
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb174779.htm