In regards to women’s snowboarding the technology side of things have advanced to the point where they’re completely on par with mens. No longer are boards shrinked and pinked in hopes of sucking in a girl by offering her some visual stimulus. There are so many companies taking a true women’s perspective when creating products that it’s starting to become inconceivable that someone would perpetrate that the women’s segment is still highly over looked.

But such is the case with Alex Masterson over at Bitch Boards. It’s people like this that hone in on people that can be easily persuaded to believe something if you present it as a fact and use fear as the driving persuader. This method is called F.U.D (Fear , Uncertainty, and Doubt). It’s a typical method you’ll see people use when pushing a product on anyone whether it’s a car or a snowboard. Make the person believe the competition is inferior, convince them that they won’t ride as well with it, and get them to doubt that the competition is making a reliable product. It’s a bull shit method and a huge sign that someone has uncertainty in themselves and their products.

Here’s the statement so you can judge for yourself:

“Most women’s snowboards are heavy (sometimes over 12lbs), awkward to control, poorly constructed and decorated with cutesie little girl graphics. BitchBoards® snowboards are made for women. They are extremely lightweight (under 6lbs), easy to control, reinforced with carbon fiber for a stable ride, have medium flex so you can take it anywhere on the mountain, shaped for a woman’s lower of center of gravity and smaller feet, and have closer set inserts for a more comfortable stance. Plus, they have beautifully feminine and strong photographs as the top graphics.”

If you’re still questioning the level of uncertainty in themselves I highly recommend checking out the responses that were generated on a post regarding them over at Deserts Don’t Snow. Absolutely amazing that the mindless drones that bought into this were asked via Facebook to retaliate. To me and I assume I’m not alone that shows how insecure they are with their company. For your perusal on this subject I also recommend checking out what Ashley Swanson has to say as well as an older entry from yours truly.

Now which companies are actively trying to push the boundaries of women’s snowboarding both technologically and in the media? There are a few that I feel have a strong presence in this and are doing it correctly. These are company that took the ball and ran with it.

Burton is the most notable name in snowboarding and has the largest presence. Ask someone who doesn’t snowboard to name a company and 9 times out of 10 it will be Burton. With that in mind, they have the market presence along with the site of mind to push women’s gear. Look at who is left on their team, they’re there for a reason. Now look at their gear line up, there is something for every type of rider. I feel that K2 comes in second to them because of the Women’s Alliance. This was a great idea on K2′s part and really opened the door to make some of the most solid women’s products out there. Plus they were the first company to offer up multiple camber options to women. These aren’t the guys that are shrinking and pinking decks.

Smart marketing that doesn’t try to discredit other companies goes a long way as well. Rather than utilizing fear they’ve gone after the fun approach. Seriously who wants to support a company that uses fear when you’re doing something that’s fun? I look at what Pom Pom wax is doing, they took a completely universal product and made it fun for women. It’s absolutely genius marketing to take something that is androgynous and put a spin on it to sell it to the sexes.

This is only a small percentage of the companies that are actually helping with the women’s market. But unlike the stupidity of Bitch Boards they are pushing technological progression as well as riding progression and the image of women. So if you’re in the market for a new female product avoid the bull shit marketing of a company like Bitch Boards and look more towards the ones that actually are doing something for it.

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