Nicolas Muller Admits to Being Snowboarding’s Problem
It seems you can’t open Facebook these days with out seeing another an article about the poor snowboard industry and its dwindling budgets. What will the super pros do now? How will we ever exist without 40 movies a year explaining to us what snowboarding is? This week, the Board Sports Source poses the question “what does snowboarding need” to Nicolas Muller, who is currently struggling to fund his two-year film he feels will ” help steer the industry out of these troubled waters.” His answer:
It needs more of Jay Adams, of people who really live the culture and don’t sell out. You know now there are brand teams full of people who now have 300,000 followers on Facebook thanks to the Olympics. I’d rather have 1,000 likes from people that really care, rather than 100,000 likes from people watching for a couple of days during the Olympics. This is just my opinion, but there were phases where skateboarding looked like it was dead – but now look at it! If something’s real, it’ll never die.
In other words, Nicolas, who rides for Nixon (Tri-Atlantic Capital Partners and Billabong), Oakley (Luxottica) , Nike (NKE), and is rumored to be on the verge of riding for a wakeboarding company, thinks snowboarding needs to be more punk rock. Well, how about this. You don’t want to be a sell out? You don’t need funding for your movie. Ditch the heli, hike for your turns, craft your own no boards out of wood you found in your backyard, and film your two year project about your meth addiction and jail time, not your boarding.
From the sound of things Nicolas thinks people doing what he’s doing are the problem with snowboarding. To us, this all sounds like one big über entitled first world issue. Now, for the last time, is it fucking winter yet?
Read the whole interview here for even more glorious contradictions!
Until people can snowboard anywhere, anytime of the year, for free, please stop comparing it to skateboarding.
I work in the golf industry and all they are talking about is the decline of golf this past year… haha
I will tell you what’s NOT core, Adidas is selling those god ugly new boots for FIVE HUNDRED DOLLERS! Are you kidding me? But Eric Jackson wears them so it OK. The next person I see in line at the resort gets my edge to the side of that boot
Hey Yobeat. If you want to hate on Nicolas so much, why the fuck do you have the burton video on the top of your page for the last 4 days. Talk about sucking the corporate dick.
Snowboarding makes my life suck less. Fuckin labels Fuckin brands, it’s perfect as is, despite what Market trends may indicate.
Snowboarding makes my life suck less. Fuckin labels Fuckin brands, it’s perfect as is, despite what Market trends may indicate.
Companies are never ‘core’ what the hell is wrong with you guys?
Do you expect the brand to make our favorite pass-time what they want or are WE the ones who decide it?
Quit being sheep and fuck the major brands decisions on what our pass-time should be or is.
i see what you spittin on the hypocritical vibe nico is giving off but the truth is filming those $20k shots are the compromise he has to make to get paid to do what he loves. The company requires certain media from him for marketing and he’s gotta provide that while still having fun. of course the companies aren’t doing it to help a homie out but it’s business. They get theirs, he gets his. also stop it with the “if no one was sponsored the companies would not sell anything” they’ve built their brand already, that’s why coke and micky dees can stop advertising today and it wouldn’t really hurt their sales. once your name is out there people gonna buy the shit regardless.
oh, and staying “core” is great advice, if you wanna live in a van down by the river.
I totally understand what you mean by the prices… The thing is though,the fabrics and such perform better than what we were used too.The longevity of the boot is better too,making them last for season after season. But you are right.. $500 for boots is wild. BUT.. EVERY CO. does that,not just the one you mentioned.
WHO?
Vague catty rumors with no source, what is this E news?
I just want the 411. It’s not like taking some boat riding “chad” fathers money to keep the production line going will destroy snowboarding.
Absinthe were the best movies ever made?!?! Are you kidding me? Have you watched an Absinthe movie in the past 10 years?
You think the “right direction” is winch-in street gaps, follow-cam drones, heli-boarding, and butt-rock?!
Not to mention Primus songs, terrible street filming, and awkward as hell editing. Absinthe films feel about as connected to “core” snowboarding as you are to your brain, i.e. not at all.
I’d totally buy a toyota snowboard. I could ride it for 15 years and then sell it and people would still pay 300 for it.
i wouldn’t call cannonsburg dope. Maybe if you don’t live here it looks cool. Its not as great as it looks i can promise you.
YoBurton
I stopped giving a shit about what the corporations did years ago. If you really care that much about keeping snowboarding ‘core’ it’s pretty simple. Stop supporting the corporations. Know where your money is going. Also- BURTON is rider owned- RIDE isn’t. Know your history, and support the people who support you. It’s not very hard. Ultimately the corporations will show their true colors. Just like Nike did.
Yes I would like a source please. I was under the impression Arbor was one of the more respectable companies out right now so this could be a big deal.
Nike is a fucking disease that for some reason is successful in brainwashing kids into paying double the price for that swoosh and putting money into some wall street dickheads pocket. It blows my mind that so many pro’s are jumping at the opportunity to ride for Nike and Adidas. People say “oh well everyone involved with Nike Snowboarding is a snowboarder”. Well why the fuck are they working for Nike and not a less evil company? They can ride out their contracts all they want. I personally hope Jed, Nico, Austin Smith, and the rest of them are never able to pick up a boot sponsor again. Fuck them. Fuck them for bailing on snowboarding.
I feel the same way
If you live in Vermont, you are not a real snowboarder. Real snowboarders are about progression and being in Vermont is not close to places out west – any of them – so it is hard to consider burton or Rome real snowboarders. More like professional posers out to make a buck.
You don’t know shit jumbo douche poser
youre not core and im telling everyone
This brand fucked me up the ass
Hehe…butt rock. I like Fugazi personally. Primus too! Have you ever seen Les Claypool live? Incredible…..Anyways Absinthe, Kingpin, and Standard films are the killers man! At least the Absinthe guys still shoot on film too. I understand what you mean but Standard had to get out because there’s no money in making movies anymore. You have to take the sponsor money to stay alive. Nowadays anybody can make a film. I’m sure they are core to the bone too. But that doesn’t mean I shit on the guys who make some of the most memorable video parts ever!
The parent company is called motion water sports. They are handling the finances and credit apps for arbor, I know this because every arbor dealer had to fill out a new credit app this summer. Liquid force, a wake brand under the motion water sports umbrella is handling the international distribution for arbor. Not to mention after they started manufacturing boards in Dubai, the quality went down drastically. And they had waited until everyone already did their pre season orders to announce they changed factories.
yes yes yup i was thinking the same thing
yeas this is all true, but in any industry no matter what if somebody is making money it has to be capitalism. not all capitalism is bad. i like snowboard companies and would definitely support them, their logo, and them stacking some bills if theyre doing things right (maybe not nike but you get the point)
looked at a pair of Adidas boots today… nothing groundbreaking there. Very much mediocre actually.
nightmare is hella core check us out!!!!!!
More people should buy Technine snowboards
u mad.
This is almost exactly what i thought when i read Nico’s whine.
Snowboarding could use some fuck-you punk inspiration like Jay Adams (minus the homophobic murder sketchiness).
Actually we had one, and he left because of the bullshit.
Yobeat, get an interview with Scotty Whittlake.
The problem with snowboarding today is that everything is focused around triple corks and ridiculous spins on and off rails. Snowboarding is lacking style. Skateboarding still has the same tricks from before with more style and more flip tricks. Snowboarding needs to step back and look at what’s going on in the industry. Triples and 450s on and off aren’t stylish and look terrible. As a community we need to work on style and creativity.
wait… whats the problem in snowboarding again?
SNOWBOARDER MAG interview! Fuck yeah Scotty is the best!
except for all the shitty fucking knowbuddy riders
cant do that in montana
agreed, i dunno why anyone would dislike this
snowboarding is exactly where it should be at this point in time. There are parts of snowboarding that encompass big corporations and competition. So what. Isn’t that how skating is today? Then there is a side that’s “core”. Having that split separates the core side from the corporate side. It gives snowboarders oppurtunity to fight for their beliefs, giving it authenticity. People do it because they love it. You don’t start snowboarding because the money is there haha. You start because it’s fucking awesome and a gateway to a community of buddies to share the good times with. So let’s drop this bullshit about the faults of snowboarding and just ride.
Adidas boots would be the best in the industry but they actually have very bad flex retention, there is no articulation and the boots lose there stiffness very quickly.
retard
Brooke, seriously here. Your writing sucks. Who the fuck are you to put words in this guy’s mouth? Niko is a fucking legend. You’re just a cynical Pac NW cliche.
Nice rider but a faggot @ss for sure