The Biggest Snowboard Companies On The Slopes
Matthew Martinez Quick Links
The world of action sports is rapidly growing in America and around the world. Not only are there competitions like the X Games and Nitro Circus, but there are even action sports that are making their way into the Olympics. Once a hobby for kids to practice around the streets and at small skateparks, action sports are now becoming a thriving industry. There are many large corporations that are latching onto this idea of the lucrative action sports market, able to create massive companies that cater to the younger generation.
When it comes to winter sports, snowboarding is where a lot of the money in action sports is made. Many large corporations have started sponsoring winter sports events, and television coverage for these companies is widespread. The amount of money made yearly off of the winter action sports is enormous. Not only are there many large companies, but they continue to grow, and with the addition of snowboarding into the Olympics, world wide recognition of the sport is growing more and more each season. Whereas skiing was just a thing for the upper class, it has not spawned its own subculture of younger individuals who want to go big.
As in any industry, there are naturally a few companies leading the way, as well as a couple of behemoths. In winter sports, there are a few companies that stand out above the rest. We have compiled a list based on revenues, widespread recognition, and growth. These are the top companies that are making waves in the ski and snowboard world. They are the big dogs that keep the industry moving with innovative new products, amazing video parts, and great outer wear, arranged according to revenue in 2012.
Capita - Revenue: $5.5 Million
Capita is one of the edgier snowboarding companies out on the market right now. Their boards are geared towards the street rider or snowboarder who loves the park. Their company goes for the boarder who is looking to push their limits, and has a fairly edgy style about them. This snowboarding company has been around for a while, but embraces all of the new trends in the snowboarding market, like reverse camber. Captia is going to be in the snowboard game for some time to come.
Nitro - Revenue: $8 Million
When snowboarding first took off, it was very much associated with the skateboard scene. That community was largely synonymous with the Grunge lifestyle, so it makes sense that the Nitro snowboarding company was started out of Seattle, widely considered the birthplace of Grunge. Nitro is known for its great boards, as well as the eye-popping graphics on their products. A solid product line, as well as its ideal geographic location, helped Nitro on the road to the success it enjoys today.
Never Summer - Revenue: $10 Million
Never Summer is one of the most innovative snowboard companies in the market today. They were industry pioneers, championing the reverse camber. Reverse camber has completely changed the world of snowboarding, offering more responsive boards that cause less leg burn than traditional cambered offerings. With this innovation, Never Summer saw amazing revenue coming in, proof that out of the box thinking leads to great things in the action sports world.
Forum - Revenue: $12 Million
Forum Snowboards is no longer with us in 2013, but they earned a place on this list for helping propel snowboarding to the place it enjoys in modern winter sports culture. Forum created some of the most widely used outerwear that was worn not only by snowboarders, but by skiers as well. Forum played a big part in the style of winter gear that skiers wear now, and were one of the first well-accepted snowboarding clothing lines with skiers.
K2 - Snowboarding Revenue: $36 Million
K2 is a giant sports company that has been around for over 50 years. They produce skis, rollerblades, scooters, outerwear, and much more. It has been said by many snowboarders that K2 isn't with it when it comes to current trends in riding, but even if that is true, you can't argue with the more than $30 million dollars in revenue the company has pulled in from their snowboarding division alone. K2 snowboards are great for beginners, or for those that want to go with a bigger company that offers a great warranty program. This is a company that has created some amazing snowboards, though they haven't always gained the traction of some of their competitors. Their company has been one of the biggest names in the winter sports world for many years, and they continue to elevate their profile among experienced snowboarders.
Burton - Revenue: $100 Million
Burton is easily one of the biggest snowboarding companies of all time. Since the beginning of snowboarding, they have been behind some of the best technologies on the market. They have been on top of not only the best snowboarding hardware, boards, and bindings, but snowboarding outerwear as well. Much of the company's revenue comes from their clothing line, which has found a foothold among snowboarders and skiers alike. Still, though the clothing is where Burton makes its money, it is behind some of the best boards and bindings on the market. After riding on a Burton snowboard, it is easy to see why they have such a massive pull in the marketplace.
Volcom - Revenue: $332 Million
Volcom is one of the industry giants in the action sports world, most famous for the clothing line it created when it first came into existence. It wasn't until recently that it decided to start making snowboards, but the Volcom name allowed it to quickly become one of the leaders in the snowboard industry. Their boards are some of the top boards in the game, and it is easy to see why, the boards offering a stylish and high-quality ride for snowboarders looking for something flashy and functional.
DC - Snowboarding Revenue: $498 Million
DC shoes began in 1993, and soon became one of the top brands in the world of action sports. There were acquired by Quicksliver in 2004 for over $80 million, which proved to be a great buy for Quicksilver, as DC is now a multi billion dollar a year company. DC made nearly half a billion dollars in revenue in the 2012 snowboarding season alone. They have been one of the top leaders in the snowboarding market place for some time now, with their line of snowboarding boots a huge part of their revenue, and have been able to capture a huge part of the snowboarding market on the strength of their name alone.
DC is quite easily one of the worlds largest action sports companies, which has bled into the snowboarding world. They are one of the largest snowboarding companies in the world, due to their strong marketing campaigns, their parent company, Quicksilver, and great business practices.
