| |
| SkullandBonesSkateboards.com Forum Index » SNOWBOARDS » a bit of history. |
|
Page 2 of 3 Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3 Next |
|
| Author |
Message |
| Mig |
 Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:27 am |
 |
|
Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 145
Location: Quebec, Canada
|
yoyo wrote: The foldable hiback for example; he should have gotten a patent on it, but had no money to do so.
Lofo is responsible for a lot of innovations that most snowboarders don't know about. He showed up to a contest in Vermont with hi-backs and next thing you know Sims and Burton are offering them the next winter. Here's a funny anecdote about the invention by LoFo of the foldable hi-back has we know it today: Because his boards didn't fit easily in his small car, a Renault 5, he sawed off his prototype hi-backs and bolted them on each side of the baseplates so he could fold'em and fit the boards in his car! 
He also was the first to make composite boards with p-tex and metal edges when all the big guys were still doing horizontal laminates with paint on the bottom, around 1981-82.
There was a great article in The Snowboard Journal magazine (RIP) about 5 years ago, or so, about the LoFo story vs Jeff Grell's. |
_________________
Mig
FullBag Skates |
|
| Back to top |
  
|
|
|
| yoyo |
| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 3:51 am |
|
|
ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 2194
Location: Germany
|
Mig wrote: yoyo wrote: The foldable hiback for example; he should have gotten a patent on it, but had no money to do so. The foldable hi-back was invented by french-canadian Louis Fournier aka LoFo.
Lofo is responsible for a lot of innovations that most snowboarders don't know about. He showed up to a contest in Vermont with hi-backs and next thing you know Sims and Burton are offering them the next winter. Here's a funny anecdote about the invention by LoFo of the foldable hi-back has we know it today: Because his boards didn't fit easily in his small car, a Renault 5, he sawed off his prototype hi-backs and bolted them on each side of the baseplates so he could fold'em and fit the boards in his car!
He also was the first to make composite boards with p-tex and metal edges when all the big guys were still doing horizontal laminates with paint on the bottom, around 1981-82.
There was a great article in The Snowboard Journal magazine (RIP) about 5 years ago, or so, about the LoFo story vs Jeff Grell's.
Thanks for the info.
As always, the 'big' pioneers did not invent everything you see.
Tom Sims mentioned the patent thing with the foldable hiback on Facebook, so I thought he was 'right'.
Nevermind...... Just got in an old first generation Sims Switchbalde with woodden sidewalls. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| nayturgirl |
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:13 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Apr 2008
Posts: 12
|
Wanted to post a contribution to the thread; here is the snowboard from 1963 that you mentioned...
=(SIMS)=
www.simsnow.com |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
| nayturgirl |
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:17 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Apr 2008
Posts: 12
|
auragreg wrote: It's a shame what happend to Sims. For being one of the first, the brand took a dive.
Did we? Maybe in perception, but everyone who rides our boards still likes them. Let me guess...where we are sold makes us inferior? Forget the riders we sponsor, the cause initiatives, and all the rest. Because you can buy our boards at a big box retailer, we must suck!
And yes, Tom still owns the brand. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| auragreg |
| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 7:59 am |
|
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 2382
Location: Highland, Michigan, USA, Earth
|
nayturgirl wrote: auragreg wrote: It's a shame what happend to Sims. For being one of the first, the brand took a dive.
Did we? Maybe in perception, but everyone who rides our boards still likes them. Let me guess...where we are sold makes us inferior? Forget the riders we sponsor, the cause initiatives, and all the rest. Because you can buy our boards at a big box retailer, we must suck!
And yes, Tom still owns the brand.
I think you misunderstood what I meant by the BRAND taking a dive. I never said the QUALITY took a dive.
Being a guy that remembers Sims as one of the big 3 (I owned, rode, and STILL have a Terry Kidwell) I believe that yes, Sims snowboards has declined in popularity.
I never said that the boards suck. BUT - if they are only available in a big box, that severely limits the customer base. To me that's sad considering the history of the brand. Limiting your boards to certain retail establishments leaves a bad taste to me. This includes BURTON and many others who use certain tactics to limit where their brand is sold.
I owned a shop a couple years ago and YES, I sold Sims the first year I was open. The next season, I couldn't sell Sims because of EXCLUSIVE agreement to sell Sims in a Big Box instead of small shops. Small shops are what started snowboarding. The move away from that is sad. Small mom and pop shops are continually being destroyed by moves like this. Especially in the snow industry.
It seems, just now, that the skate industry is starting to come around and BACK the small shops. |
_________________
I was born to love you. I was born to lick your face. I was born to rub you. But you were born to rub me first.
Support skateboard art/artists: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BurbSkateboards |
|
| Back to top |
|
| frenchie michel |
| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:26 pm |
|
|
Joined: 13 Jul 2008
Posts: 219
Location: camenbert
|
nayturgirl wrote:
Did we? Maybe in perception, but everyone who rides our boards still likes them. Let me guess...where we are sold makes us inferior? Forget the riders we sponsor, the cause initiatives, and all the rest. Because you can buy our boards at a big box retailer, we must suck!
And yes, Tom still owns the brand.
Tom Sims sold sims snowboard in 2002 at
a Denver group of sports who have also vision,lamar,airwalk, a lot of prestigious brand in the past, who look more interested by the historic names but for make what ?
Tom rent his name ok, but is not the director . now I don't talk of the quality , maybe they are good or bad ,I don't know. I live in France and that makes a good time that we can't see these brands sold here. but that I see , it's for me those brand have lost a lot in this change, less creativity, less developpement,less team, less dealer,etc...mass market
But I hope , a better futur for Sims , that is for me the best and the most innovating brand and Tom an awesome visionary in the snowboard history. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:16 pm
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
