1. How does this industry sustain itself economically? Is it a per-client industry? A
commission business? A non-profit (and if a non-profit, what do you know/understand
about how it is able to operate/generate revenue)? A sales industry? A grant or
government-funded business? How does knowing how a business generates revenue affect
your perspective of that industry? (If you don’t know, find out.)
The snowboard/resort and the skateboard industry are very similar because they are both sales industry. The only difference is the complexity of each industry. The skateboard industry is farley simple; it sustains itself on the sale of skateboards and clothing.The snowboard/resort industry, on the other hand, involves a lot more. Like skateboarding, snowboarding is sustained on the sales of boards, bindings, and clothing. While Snowboarding requires specific conditions which are expensive to provide, skateboarding only requires some pavement and possibly a free skatepark. This adds a whole new component to the snowboard industry, which is the resort industry. A snowboard/ski resort are a giant mixture of all different industry; from the food industry to insurance to marketing.
2. What is the general employee attitude at your internship? Are the people driven by their
work? Do they seem more interested in socializing/gossiping? Is there an air of respect for
the job and the people who do it? Do people see this as “just a job,” and if so, how does
this attitude influence their daily tasks within the job? Is this a job whose employees make
you want to be a part of it? Reflect!
During my time at Wachusett then at Eastern Boarder, I saw both sides of the spectrum. At Wachusett there were those who were interested in making Wachusett a great place for all its customers. While I was glad to see this in the industry, I was troubled by what I saw from the higher staff. Many of the higher staff spread rumors, disregarded the ideas and knowledge of others, and promoted their personal agenda. At Eastern Boarder I was lucky enough to see the opposite. I worked with a tightly knit staff of five who cared about each other and more importantly had a burning passion for skateboarding and snowboarding.
3.What is the goal of your industry? Customer
satisfaction? Expansion? Profit? Research? How do you know? Is it static, or does it
Change?
The skateboard industry is different from most industries because its goal is partially to satisfy customers, but also to keep a culture alive. The skateboard industry is not flushed with cash and it’s very rare that one is able to have a job soley the skateboard industry. People who devote time to working for skate brand, working in skate shops, or are professional skateboarders are not in it for the money,they are in it to make it possible for others to pursue the activity they love.
The snowboard industry is very similar to the skateboard industry in that it is about passion, not money. The resort industry, on the other hand, is a completely different beast. As many resorts grow larger they buy more resorts. Take Vail resort in Colorado for example; Vaile now owns Beaver Creek Resort, Keystone Resort,Breckenridge Ski Resort,Heavenly Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Northstar, Park City Mountain Resort, and Stowe Mountain. Based on this one could say that resorts are customer service and expansion companies.
4. Who inspires you at your job? What about him/her do you find inspiring? Who, if
anyone, disappoints you? Why?
At Eastern Boarder I was truly inspired by Dan Foley, one of the Eastern Boarder executives. During many of my conversations with Dan, my major take away was that the snowboard and skateboard industries are not at all flushed with cash and it’s very rare that one can make a living from working in either industries, but those who are truly passionate can make it work. I admire dan because of this passion to pursue what he loves over what could make him wealthy. I believe this is an important outlook that many forget.
5.Answer the following question in relation to your industry: Is there an endpoint to
learning at your job? Do you want there to be? Whatever you choose, explain your answer.
The only way there could be an endpoint to skateboarding or snowboarding would be if people were to stop skateboarding or snowboarding. As long as the two exist, there is no endpoint to either. Snowboarding, and especially skateboarding, are two activities that are affected by pop culture and part of pop culture. Pop Culture constantly changing, and therefore skateboarding and snowboarding must change with it. As long as there is still concrete and snow (not totally sure about that one) the snowboard and skateboard industries don’t have an endpoint.
6. Sometimes there can be a rather fine line between work and play. How does your
industry attempt to play? Is it productive? Should it (does it have to) be?
This question is especially interesting considering the skateboard and the snowboard industries are both based around activities which could be considered ‘play’. One of biggest takeaways from both of my internships was when you work in either industry, you’re not guaranteed to be skateboarding or snowboarding a large amount. In both industries it’s really about time management and planning. You’ve got to set and complete all the tasks that ensure your success before you can go out and skateboard or snowboard.
7. What does it mean to be an employee of a company/group/industry? Declare your
definition here. Then, reflect on it.
For the skateboard and snowboard industries, being an employee is someone who wants to improve the industry. When someone enters either industry, they fully know that this will not make much money and they will probably need another job to support themselves. The lack of money weeds out those who do not care about the activity and are just in it for the money. Someone who is an employee of either industry is incredibly passionate.
8. How would the world be different if your industry didn’t exist, or if it were to somehow
disappear? Speculate and ponder.
To be Frank, snowboarding is an activity that only a very small, elite population are able to participate in. You have to live somewhere cold and mountainous, have money to afford the expensive gear, and have parents who have free time to take you. Though there are some exceptions, there are very few kids who have the privilege to be passionate about snowboarding. Due to this fact, snowboarding has not made a mark on most of the population and hasn’t really affected pop culture much, the world wouldn’t be very different.
The idea of the ‘Outlaw’ is fetishized in Western culture. In the era of Spaghetti Westerns, Western culture was fixated with the idea of the lone cowboy. In many ways, the ‘Outlaw’ reflects of the rebellious spirit of Founding Fathers and is essentially just a renewal in American Patriotism. Spanning from the mid 1980s-today, the skateboarder has taken the place of John Wayne, Sam Elliott, and Clint Eastwood as the new outlaw. Skateboarding has immensely influenced pop culture and, especially, the fashion world. If skateboarding didn’t exist everything from the way people dress to the music we hear would be very different.
commission business? A non-profit (and if a non-profit, what do you know/understand
about how it is able to operate/generate revenue)? A sales industry? A grant or
government-funded business? How does knowing how a business generates revenue affect
your perspective of that industry? (If you don’t know, find out.)
The snowboard/resort and the skateboard industry are very similar because they are both sales industry. The only difference is the complexity of each industry. The skateboard industry is farley simple; it sustains itself on the sale of skateboards and clothing.The snowboard/resort industry, on the other hand, involves a lot more. Like skateboarding, snowboarding is sustained on the sales of boards, bindings, and clothing. While Snowboarding requires specific conditions which are expensive to provide, skateboarding only requires some pavement and possibly a free skatepark. This adds a whole new component to the snowboard industry, which is the resort industry. A snowboard/ski resort are a giant mixture of all different industry; from the food industry to insurance to marketing.
2. What is the general employee attitude at your internship? Are the people driven by their
work? Do they seem more interested in socializing/gossiping? Is there an air of respect for
the job and the people who do it? Do people see this as “just a job,” and if so, how does
this attitude influence their daily tasks within the job? Is this a job whose employees make
you want to be a part of it? Reflect!
During my time at Wachusett then at Eastern Boarder, I saw both sides of the spectrum. At Wachusett there were those who were interested in making Wachusett a great place for all its customers. While I was glad to see this in the industry, I was troubled by what I saw from the higher staff. Many of the higher staff spread rumors, disregarded the ideas and knowledge of others, and promoted their personal agenda. At Eastern Boarder I was lucky enough to see the opposite. I worked with a tightly knit staff of five who cared about each other and more importantly had a burning passion for skateboarding and snowboarding.
3.What is the goal of your industry? Customer
satisfaction? Expansion? Profit? Research? How do you know? Is it static, or does it
Change?
The skateboard industry is different from most industries because its goal is partially to satisfy customers, but also to keep a culture alive. The skateboard industry is not flushed with cash and it’s very rare that one is able to have a job soley the skateboard industry. People who devote time to working for skate brand, working in skate shops, or are professional skateboarders are not in it for the money,they are in it to make it possible for others to pursue the activity they love.
The snowboard industry is very similar to the skateboard industry in that it is about passion, not money. The resort industry, on the other hand, is a completely different beast. As many resorts grow larger they buy more resorts. Take Vail resort in Colorado for example; Vaile now owns Beaver Creek Resort, Keystone Resort,Breckenridge Ski Resort,Heavenly Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Northstar, Park City Mountain Resort, and Stowe Mountain. Based on this one could say that resorts are customer service and expansion companies.
4. Who inspires you at your job? What about him/her do you find inspiring? Who, if
anyone, disappoints you? Why?
At Eastern Boarder I was truly inspired by Dan Foley, one of the Eastern Boarder executives. During many of my conversations with Dan, my major take away was that the snowboard and skateboard industries are not at all flushed with cash and it’s very rare that one can make a living from working in either industries, but those who are truly passionate can make it work. I admire dan because of this passion to pursue what he loves over what could make him wealthy. I believe this is an important outlook that many forget.
5.Answer the following question in relation to your industry: Is there an endpoint to
learning at your job? Do you want there to be? Whatever you choose, explain your answer.
The only way there could be an endpoint to skateboarding or snowboarding would be if people were to stop skateboarding or snowboarding. As long as the two exist, there is no endpoint to either. Snowboarding, and especially skateboarding, are two activities that are affected by pop culture and part of pop culture. Pop Culture constantly changing, and therefore skateboarding and snowboarding must change with it. As long as there is still concrete and snow (not totally sure about that one) the snowboard and skateboard industries don’t have an endpoint.
6. Sometimes there can be a rather fine line between work and play. How does your
industry attempt to play? Is it productive? Should it (does it have to) be?
This question is especially interesting considering the skateboard and the snowboard industries are both based around activities which could be considered ‘play’. One of biggest takeaways from both of my internships was when you work in either industry, you’re not guaranteed to be skateboarding or snowboarding a large amount. In both industries it’s really about time management and planning. You’ve got to set and complete all the tasks that ensure your success before you can go out and skateboard or snowboard.
7. What does it mean to be an employee of a company/group/industry? Declare your
definition here. Then, reflect on it.
For the skateboard and snowboard industries, being an employee is someone who wants to improve the industry. When someone enters either industry, they fully know that this will not make much money and they will probably need another job to support themselves. The lack of money weeds out those who do not care about the activity and are just in it for the money. Someone who is an employee of either industry is incredibly passionate.
8. How would the world be different if your industry didn’t exist, or if it were to somehow
disappear? Speculate and ponder.
To be Frank, snowboarding is an activity that only a very small, elite population are able to participate in. You have to live somewhere cold and mountainous, have money to afford the expensive gear, and have parents who have free time to take you. Though there are some exceptions, there are very few kids who have the privilege to be passionate about snowboarding. Due to this fact, snowboarding has not made a mark on most of the population and hasn’t really affected pop culture much, the world wouldn’t be very different.
The idea of the ‘Outlaw’ is fetishized in Western culture. In the era of Spaghetti Westerns, Western culture was fixated with the idea of the lone cowboy. In many ways, the ‘Outlaw’ reflects of the rebellious spirit of Founding Fathers and is essentially just a renewal in American Patriotism. Spanning from the mid 1980s-today, the skateboarder has taken the place of John Wayne, Sam Elliott, and Clint Eastwood as the new outlaw. Skateboarding has immensely influenced pop culture and, especially, the fashion world. If skateboarding didn’t exist everything from the way people dress to the music we hear would be very different.