For many people the news of Seth Morrison being cut from K2 was shocking. Most folks probably found out about this on Morrison’s twitter. On Wednesday, Sept. 14 Morrison posted this tweet:
Morrison is no longer listed on K2’s website as one of their sponsored athletes and he doesn’t list the brand as one of his sponsors on his website. All the signs point to the fact that he is on the hunt for a new sponsor. It apparently hasn’t taken Morrison too long to move on either, on Thursday, Sept. 15 he posted this tweet: 
The entire K2 marketing department has seen some changes take place in the past year or so and rumor has it that the brand has been struggling with the team they have at the helm at the moment. Morrison has been the centerpiece for K2 and his departure along with their marketing team might indicate that the brand is headed in a unknown direction.
Newell Brands purchased K2 along with several other brands, when it merged with Jarden last year. Newell is looking to discharge some of the winter sports brands that were inherited such as Full Tilt, K2 Sports, Line, Marker, Marmot, Volkl and many other snowboard brands. The question is which will be the first to be discharged, that’s something everyone will have to pay close attention too.
With all the uncertainty surrounding this topic, the future for K2 and the other snowboard brands is unpredictable. The corporate leaders at Newell have the the future of these snowboard companies in their hands.
“Ideally I would like to sell these assets versus simply walk away from them. Some of them are the kinds of businesses that would be difficult to sell and therefore, we should just shut down because they create no value for you (the shareholders) and they are a distraction for us.” – CEO Michael Polk said in a presentation at the Barclay’s Global Consumer Press Conference
After reading those comments it sure seems like there may not be a future in store for these snowsports companies, which could make things very interesting in the next few months in the ski/snowboard industry.
Morrison should have no problems being sponsored, he’s one of the biggest names in professional skiing and has the resume to go along with it. Morrison is best known for winning many skiing competitions, his appearances in many ski movies, as well as surviving avalanches and a helicopter crash, not to mention all the miles he’s tracked on the gargantuan Alaskan mountain faces.
Although this is a very shocking scenario, things are looking good for Morrison. Morrison’s reputation is going to land him a sponsorship with another brand in no time. The future for K2 on the other hand seems very uncertain. With their figurehead gone and all the changes in their marketing team things could get slippery for the brand.
Seth is a legend, but he’s older and has always been one of the more difficult pro skiers to work with. Finding a sponsor may prove harder than everyone thinks. And by sponsor I mean an actual contract, not just free skis.