While we do get into some indy brands along with boutiques here, I am not sure where you will find as much information on Renoun and Augment anwyere else. I would say
www.exoticskis.com is the foremost best source for smaller brands.
Phil, you are too kind I owe you a couple a pints for the shout-out!
.... We're up to around 446 different brands on the list now (besides the "Big 10") ...some deceased...others still alive and kicking..... We have only posted 206 comments about 64 different brands since starting the project in 2005, but we have fun doing it at we get to meet lots of funky, creative, driven people making skis of all types.
The ski industry has indeed sprouted lots of new brands over the last 10 years built in workshops staffed by 1 person, 5 people, families, 10 people...25 people...you name it.... Some are crude...some are gorgeous works of art, some are stunningly great, some are "meh".... it covers the spectrum. Some companies (Wagner, Folsom, Romp, DPS, ON3P, Moment, Praxis, Parlor, Liberty, J-Skis, Icelantic...and so many others) grow from "garage brands" or "hobby builders" to sustainable small manufacturing businesses with lots of credibility and products people love.
The "Big 10" brands can make awesome skis, with suberbly replicated high-quality in high-volume production, innovating every other season to bring new products to market for a consumer hungry for new toys. I love the new skis coming out of the big factories. The "indies" or "boutique" skis (I hate that term "boutique skis"...but others use it happily..oh well) can also produce stunningly fun skis with great quality and impressive durability, often offering customization big brands can't deliver to enthusiasts. The bottom line for our funky little crew here in Vermont is you can spend your money on the big brands and get great skis. You can also spend your money on the smaller, regional or even local brands near your favorite ski areas and get great skis. Skis from both big and small brands can make you crazy happy when you're out on the hill or backcountry, and having fun and being happy with your gear is the best feeling in the World for skiers.
Some ski designers and their companies outsource production to meet demands and bring their designs to market in a way they could not do alone. Outfitting a modern ski manufacturing facility to produce more than a few pairs of high-quality skis a week is VERY expensive and without funding partners and a business model to become sustainable without going broke creating a fully-outfitted factory. Most modern "indies" realize they can bring their designs to market in viable volumes reliably by using the expertise and facilities of OEM factories if they cannot or will not go into debt to build an on-site factory on speculation they can make a sustainable profit in [n] years. The factories love keeping their production lines humming year-round, and the designers can concentrate on R&D and innovation instead of keeping the inventory of wooden cores and Durasurf bases in synch with rolls of Austrian metal edges, rolls of fiberglass, carbon and Kevlar fabrics every week and fixing the planers and trimming machines when they go on the fritz. OEM builders like NeverSummer and Utopie in North America are doing a brisk business like their European and Asian counterparts manufacturing many brands we know and love with expert craftspeople in facilities designed to make great skis. With the right oversight and quality control, a small ski design company can bring awesome skis to market in a sustainable way without huge capital outlays and risky debt by outsourcing production to high-quality facilities with high-quality workmanship.
Other companies take pride in building everything "in-house" and that's a totally cool and an admirable goal with advantages and challenges all its own, and my hat's off to those brave souls for their courage and fortitude in a tough marketplace....but many survive and have built sustainable businesses with great skis. Many will even teach you to make your own skis under their supervision in their workshops so you get a great product built with your own hands.
The great part about living in our current era is you now have viable choices of the kinds of ski companies you want to support with your hard earned doubloons. When you pay your money to any ski company, big or small, it pays the salaries of people working at that company and their suppliers so they can feed their families. Despite all the craziness around us, this is still a great time to be a skier....never have we had a choice of so many great skis to suit any condition or terrain. Get out there and explore the brands you never heard of....most are actively doing demo-days and areas all over the World....hit their websites, contact them and ask where they have some demos happening...talk to them in-person and try their stuff!
and if a boutique gets big enough then it's a mass brand I guess.
