Sponsorship in Skiing, Wakeboarding, and Snowboarding

Getting sponsored is on the mind of a lot of riders these days. The rumors of who is getting hooked up, is it free or pro-form, and how they got sponsored. Well... we will help you clarify and give you an idea on how to get ahead of the other wakeboarders, snowboarders, or skiier on the way to sponsor land.

If you don't feel like you have the riding level or media skills of the riders on this page, it is all good. Remember, they had to start somewhere too, we assure you, it took practice to get to their level. Instead, come at us with a willingness to contribute to the scene and a want to be friends and we'll go from there.

The How To

We have broken this down to 3 sponsorship profiles and 3 levels of sponsorship. Tell us your style and your level of sponsorship to help us get an idea of who you are. Remember that you can be a bit of all of them, but try to pick your main characteristics.

There are 3 main sponsorship profiles

The Talent Method - This is the classic athlete type of sponsorship that we all know and it is elusive. In skiing, snowboarding, and wakeboarding this type of sponsorship is ultra competitive. Talent is awesome, but the truth about sponsorship we are all athletes here and if you bring some more stoke to the table, the well-rounded person will get that sponsorship. Keep reading...

The Trend Setter - This homie/home girl is friends with everyone, is always looking for new cool things, and loves chatting it up with all things on the board sports scene. This social butterfly style is key in sponsorship because you help us spread the stoke. Often times the benefits for the being the "Trend Setter" are better than if you only concentrated on being an athlete. Edits and media aren't as important here as being the homie/girl to everyone.

The Media Guru - If you geek out on showing the stoke through video and pictures, you are instantly a hub in the social scene in action sports. The media Guru is in the best position to know everyone in the industry and help spread the stoke. The media guru can be the filmer or the one getting filmed. Either way this is all about being creative and showing the stoke of how you see Skiing Snowboarding, and wakeboarding.

3 Levels of sponsorship

Getting your feet wet - This is the person just starting out with sponsorship. You need to pick a company that you want to represent and become their biggest advocate. Truth is, you probably will not be getting stacks of free gear here, but this is your foot in the door. Be a friend here. Buy some gear to help the company out, let them know you want to rep for them and ask if they can throw in some extra swag so you can share the stoke.

Every rider starts here and you can't get to the next level without starting here. If you are the athlete, you'll want to start doing edits. The Trend Setter works at the cable or hangs with the crew all the time. The media guru is setting up GoPro lines and just got their first DSLR.

The Value Trade - This level is a rider that is a little more seasoned. They have finished a few projects and have something to show for their effort. You are contributing high-quality media to the company you want to be sponsored by (using their gear), so they can use it on social media. Or you have helped connect your friends to get new setups. The important thing here is that you have already contributed to help the scene and the sponsor. In return, you get awesome pro form discount that makes getting new gear much much easier.

The Influencer - This rider has had a social media post go viral, has friends widely across the wake or snow scene, or has gotten some magazine coverage from their photos and videos. The mistake that many riders make is that they think this is where sponsorship starts. It doesn't, or at least the chances are steeply against. You have to have already contributed so much, that it just isn't realistic. Riders stuck on getting to this level without getting their foot in the door become disappointed and leave the sport. This is where you see ultra-talented people quit the sport that they once loved.

Match it up and tell us about yourself.

Now, you should have an idea where you sit with your sponsorship profile. The last thing you want to do is have a bio about yourself. It is just one paragraph that tells us who you are. Here are the things to include in your bio:

• Name, age, and where you live/ride.
• What other things do you do that is fun and rad?
• What is it about Prospect that makes you want share the stoke?

Here is where honesty is key:

If you claim to be a high end influencer, but your riding, media, or personality doesn't isn't professional, you'll never hear back. Now, If you are a beginner, and you are starting to do competition, or put together some edits over last season, we can make sense of where you are coming from. Fill the form out so that we can tell that you have the right expectation of your ability.