Lib Tech Rumors: Lib Tech Outerwear and Vacating the Mountain Center

Anonymous Shop Owner "I'm on the Lib tech crack train."
Me: "You're not just on that train, you my friend, are the engineer."

So yeah, I dare you to try and find a Lib tech banana board by the end of the year. Come when the snow starts falling whether the economy is tanking or not I be those boards are gone. Same with Gnu but lets focus on the psycho artistry that is the home of Landvik and Lynn. A few rumors are floating around out there regarding Lib and since rumors are the band-aid of all things action sports lets just get them out in the public for a proper healin'.

Rumor Number One: Lib tech is designing and releasing outerwear for the 2009 2010 season.
OK, this would be interesting and not all that weird. DC launched out boots into outerwear and is now releasing their first line of boards. NFA is coming back with a hardgoods line and if that isn't enough 32 is getting ready to release their first outerwear line up. That being said, if it's one thing I put faith in Lib tech to do is that they don't do things half-assed. They test something and they re-engineer and develop it down to essentials. It's pretty simple product management and overall they do a better job than the big boys at oh say.... Burton. I'm pulling that out of my ass but hey aren't all opinions going that way?

I would venture to guess they won't make anything high end but they'll tap into the Quiksilver resources for basic pieces and manufacturing. Quiks quality has been top notch the past few years. I wouldn't say the line is flawless but they do really solid in most sections. Last years 10K pant the Scorpion still goes down as one of my top five "best fit/function" pants for snowboarding. Plus their softswitch iPod plug in jacket was so simple compared Burtons Audex debacle it pains me. Lib + Quik ='s good stuff.

So is it true or false?
This one is true and confirmed by Lib. They are in the process of designing a small collection with Quiksilver.

Rumor Number Two: Lib tech is Vacating the Park City Mountain Center and Moving back to Seattle

I guess we can chalk this up to the Rossignol relationship falling to pieces. No big deal but another sign that consolidation doesn't always work. Companies like Lib that are successful should just be left alone. That, of course, is dependent on how you define success. In the case of Lib it's provably best realized that they are successful by continuing to create their own weird wonderful universe.

So is it true or false?
Yep, another true moment in the rumor mill. Lib tech is vacating the Mountain Center in Utah and heading back to the North West with a new facility.

OK, so you probably guessed I'm pro Lib. Yep, I like them and everything they stand for. Even though I'm fairly certain they really fucking hate me. I actually pay for Lib boards I like how they ride that much. So stay tuned Hopefully they keep doing their thing.