Sims 2011 Boards

Posted: 20 December 2010 01:18 AM

I am new to snowboarding. I only went a few times last season and I was trying to get opinions on what people thought of the Sims Brand. I have searched the internet and all I can find is burton fanboys who have never owned a sims and just hate the brand because of where it is sold. I was looking for an honest opinion from somebody who has owned one or does owned one. I was looking at the 2011 Sims Qwest,
As I said I am a newbie and I was looking for a beginner board that I wont have t replace next season, something that will grow with me for a while.

Here are the stats for the 2011 SIMS Qwest:
-Men’s True Twin-Tip Shape -
all mountain performance.
 
-EZ Rocker Flat Technology –
flat base with late rise on the tip and tail for worry-free, effortless turning and increased float in the pow.
 
-Full Wood Poplar Core –
a lightweight durable core featuring a 1 inch tip to tail carbon stringer in a 1S layup for maximum strength, snap and response.
 
-Bi-axial Fiberglass –
a lighter weight glass with softer flex characteristics for a more forgiving ride.
 
-UHMW Extruded Die Cut Base –
fast, durable, easy to repair base material.
 
-Rubber Foil Dampeners –
provide a smooth ride and increased bonding strength between the edge and the sidewall.
 

Posted: 20 December 2010 06:57 PM

Hi Dpforlife,

It’s funny you say that because Sims used to be the most “core” brand out there back in the day. Tom Sims really was the man, you can watch him ride one of his early creations in one of the bond films ft Roger Moore (can’t remember which one)... so brands go in and out of fashion. About 7 years ago… maybe longer Sims had some financial issues and the brand is now owned by Collective International who also own the brand rights to Lamar, LTD snowboards and clothing brands Airwalk and Vision Streetwear. Now I’m not exactly sure how they go about their business, they own the brand rights but I think they lisence the brand to manufacturers instead of actually producing anything themselves. I guess that means that Sims boards are manufactured by a big wholesale manufacturer who pays Collective Intl $40 a board (very rough stab in the dark, I have no idea how much they pay) to stick the Sims brand name on their boards. I’m not certain that is the case but from their website that’s how I understand it www.collectiveintl.com .

So the boards specs look great for a beginner and if you like the graphics then why not, but I don’t think the Sims of today is quite the same as the Sims of yesteryear. At the end of the day there are very few brands that manufacture their own boards, most are produced by the big factories like GST and Elan in Austria or some of the big manufacturers in China and Korea. In most instances a brand is just a name and a percieved image, the only difference being that people who have created their own brands from blood, sweat, tears and their life’s savings tend to put a bit more into their product.

Posted: 07 February 2011 12:15 AM

Yeah poor management killed some companies back in the day. I was a repeat buyer of Limited snowboards (long before they were LTD). My last Limited board was the Transition 157 (purchased the season they got bought out by Volant). Still think for its time that board was amazing and super fast and aggressive although not very forgiving when I swapped a run with a novice friend.  The industry is so different now adays, but I think with companies like Bataleon, Amplid, Yes etc. it’s on the right track again. My friend used to love Sims boards back in the day and I’ll admit swapping for a run they were pretty nice for their price range. It really is sad to see companies come and go or turn into a value brand, but from what I’ve seen much of it was poor management etc. and of course Burton and their world domination plot having so much marketshare would make it harder for small frys to compete. It was sad seeing in a couple years companies like Limited, Sims, Airwalk go from double page adds in transworld front and back cover to value big box sports stores.