Internet Roundup: Tariff Talk, Behind the Scenes At The Uninvited, and More
Welcome back to another internet roundup. I'm fresh off a trip to Europe, where I was able to drop by the London Snowboard Asylum shop, and chat with some locals. The season over there is winding down, just like ours, but thanks to four indoor snow domes throughout the United Kingdom, a full selection of boards, boots, and bindings is still on display. It makes you scratch your head and wonder why the only place to shred indoors in the U.S. is in New Jersey.The snow is melting, but the writers are still writing. Here's some of the best stories you might have missed around the internet.
There's a lot of uncertainty in the world right now surrounding tariffs, but we do know one thing for certain: outdoor gear is going to cost more money.At least a lot of it is, anyway. Don't just take my word for it. Black Diamond Equipment Co. has already come forward and said that products will increase between 10-25% in price thanks to the global tariffs. Burton sources two-thirds of its products from far-east Asia, and is now scrambling to explore other methods of manufacturing. J Skis will cut 70% of its marketing budget to try and keep costs low, and perhaps the biggest bummer of them all, Goon Gear – the family-owned board company run by Lucas Magoon and his wife Tonya – recently announced that it will not produce boards for the 2025-26 season.Slush, The Magazine's Norm Schoff has been talking tariffs since before the U.S. presidential election even commenced in November. He followed that reporting up with a opinion piece that dropped last week that talked to people like Brad Alband, the founder of Autumn Headwear, and Jeff Richards, the brand manager for Nitro Snowboards.The roller coaster of implementation has made it impossible for brands to plan ahead. Schoff does a fantastic job breaking down the challenges that brands are facing, and the differences that are attached to different brands whose boards are made in different countries. 'Price increases are coming,' Schoff writes. 'By how much depends on the politics of an administration that has already proven itself unable to stick to specific policy. There is no long-term planning, only speculation and potential contingency plans.'
If you haven't heard about The Uninvited by now, where have you been?The third year of the street snowboarding contest by women, for women went down at Woodward Park City in April. Young gun Jess Perlmutter won it, and took home $15,000 in prize money. It was her third contest win of the season, and it was a beautiful site to see. Torment Magazine's Sadie Maeda broke down the entire contest. She shed some light on the women behind the scenes that might not get the shine they deserve, like the marketing team's Nirvana Ortanez and Abby Furrer, and announcers Kelsey Boyer and Darrah Reid. Then she brought us straight to the scene of it all. The way she writes about confetti cannons and cowbells help tell the story just as much as her description of Taylor Elliot's handplant, and Jill Perkins champagne popping lesson to Perlmutter.
Speaking of The Uninvited, head over to Snowboard Mag's website to read Mark Clavin's 1-on-1 interview with the 29-year-old. She's ridden at every Uninvited event that's taken place thus far. Clavin caught her while shooting with the Herschel crew in Riksgränsen.
A small ski area at the border of New Hampshire and Vermont needs help. The Beast of the East is giving it some.Killington Resort has donated $10,000 to Whaleback Mountain in hopes of repairing its chairlift. The ski area's only double lift had suffered a gearbox bearing failure back in February, and shortly after, learned it would cost $250,000 to fix it. Killington's donation helped Whaleback get across the finish line.Donations have come in from people in 34 different states and provinces, demonstrating that an international contingent chipped in. POWDER Magazine's Ian Greenwood has more on that story.
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HCAT Q1 Earnings Call: Ignite Platform Drives Client Growth Amid Funding Uncertainty
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The Ignite platform's modularity and lower entry price point were credited with streamlining the sales process and shortening sales cycles, especially in an environment marked by cautious health system spending and funding uncertainties. Burton noted that Ignite's higher gross margin profile and greater mix of technology revenue versus professional services are central to Health Catalyst's strategy, stating, 'Ignite is a more profitable platform than DOS with approximately 70% gross margins compared to approximately 60% for DOS.' Looking ahead, Health Catalyst's full-year outlook is shaped by continued migration to the Ignite platform, expectations for steady net new client additions, and ongoing market headwinds related to Medicaid and research funding. Management reiterated a target of 40 net new platform clients for the year, anticipating that most Ignite migrations will be completed by mid-2026. 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Ignite platform momentum: The Ignite platform enabled Health Catalyst to add 10 net new platform clients, with two-thirds coming from existing application clients. Management highlighted that Ignite's lower entry price and modular design have shortened sales cycles and increased conversion rates, especially in a cautious healthcare spending environment. Shift to technology revenue: New Ignite deals are contributing to a more favorable revenue mix, with approximately 80% of new client spend directed toward technology rather than professional services. This mix shift is expected to support higher gross margins and more predictable recurring revenue. Mid-market expansion via Spark: The company made early progress with Ignite Spark, a solution tailored for mid-sized health systems that have traditionally lacked access to enterprise-grade analytics. Management believes this market segment represents a significant growth opportunity unlocked by Ignite's modularity and pricing flexibility. 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Tariffs Force Goon Gear to Stop Making Boards
Businesses of all sizes are being impacted by the looming threat of tariffs. Goon Gear, the family owned and beloved board brand from pro rider Lucas Magoon and his wife Tonya, is the latest to announce Gear will not produce snowboards for the 2025-2026 season. An Instagram post from the official account, however, stated that the brand will get back to doing so sometime in the future. There will still be some fresh product drops in the fall of 2025, but snowboards will not be among them. Previous products have included t-shirts, hoodies, beanies, dice, can coolers, replica baseball jerseys, and phone cases.'After a lot of thought, we've made the tough call not to produce boards next season,' the post said. 'With unpredictable tariffs and rising costs, it's just too risky for a small business like ours.''Running Goon Gear has never been about money—it's about passion for snowboarding and this community.' The post went on to call for people to support small businesses. Whether that's the local farmer's market, mom-and-pop deli, or coffee from a local store, skipping the corporate machine can help the small businesses rolling during times like Gear has extended its reach into the community through its Goon Jam tour, which has aimed at connecting friends together for a day of snowboarding. There's no judging and a whole lot of fun. The past season saw the tour start in New York at Snow Ridge in December, make its way all the way to Lee Canyon Ski Area in Las Vegas, and back to the northeast, with its finale at Saddleback in Rangely, Maine. The Goon Gear love can be seen throughout the snowboarding world, but particularly in Vermont, Magoon's home state. The family-owned businesses are not alone in being impacted by the tariffs. At the end of April, Black Diamond came forward to tell customers to expect increases in the cost of already-exiting products.'Beginning May 5, 2025, prices on most of our products will increase 10–25% due to the recent wave of global tariffs introduced by the Trump Administration,' an email to customers said. 'Tariffs have dramatically increased the cost of producing our gear - by more than double in some Snowboards and J Skis, both companies that are based out of Vermont, are also navigating similar circumstances. Burton CEO John Lacy told the Bennington Banner that prices could increase between 46 and 145 percent.
