I find myself mulling the ‘better product does not necessarily equal more successful’ thing again of late.

Call it the Beta paradox. As in Beta as in Betacams. The fact that the format does better quality isn’t gonna save your market share if people just get more used to VHS, first. Or if, mebbe (tho’ this may be urban legend… dunno) the porn industry decides early on its their format of choice.

So Betacams had/have their space in broadcasting. But in mass market consumer level? Gone and never really was. VHS ate its lunch, never mind actual quality.

The occasion of my mulling this is my trying to get a new set of Flows for my board.

I’ve mentioned these things before. Flows. Reclining highback bindings, with this cable gizmo that snaps ‘em up.

They’ve got, if you ask me, huge advantages over their vastly more common competition, the standard strap binding.

Advantage the first: way more comfortable, especially for guys like me with highish arches and feet that stick out a long way—and this, by the way, was the reason I first got into ‘em: straps were hurting me. But notwithstanding that my feet are mite lengthier than some, I’d expect you’d find something of the same almost regardless of your anatomy. Just consider the difference between a strap that goes over the top of your arch (truly, a brilliant idea, he said ever so sincerely) and somethin’ built more like a glove for your foot.

Advantage the second: you can get ‘em on fast at the top of the lift. Yes, there is a level of skill you must attain to pull this off smoothly, but honestly, it’s really not much, and more on that in a bit.

Advantage the third: consistency. Once you’ve set ‘em up for the day, that’s your setup. No screwing around with the ratchets every time you put ‘em back on. They will feel the same, dawn to dusk.

Disadvantages?

Here’s the funny thing. I haven’t noticed any of those, yet. There’s a rumour they can open in deep powder; this hasn’t happened to me yet, and honestly, looking at ‘em, I begin to wonder if this is at all likely. Or, rather, if it’s some nasty, unwarranted smear started by evil rivals.

And, okay, they’re a smidge more expensive. Can’t say it’s an over the top more thing, tho’. Just hey, a little more, really. And seriously, so worth it.

The other thing, that skill thing, this one really begins to puzzle me.

‘Cos it is the thing comes up in the chatrooms, when you mention Flows. Folk sayin’, oh, man, what, I have to stand to put ‘em on? Wow. What a drag. All my buds sitting on the snow, doing their thing, and I’m gonna be the one who stands?

Erm…

Yeah.

As in: yeah, why wouldn’t you want to be the one that stands? Best of all, when you get to the top of the hill, and there’s like sixty boarders sitting on their butts outside the lift, you reach down, snap it up, and you’re gone. First to the trail, that many more seconds of your riding not wasted, on every run, sitting on said butt? That much less time sitting on yer butt in the snow and/or ice in the cold? That much less wear and tear on yer pants?

And seriously, it’s not that hard to learn. Give it half a day, you get it. I can put mine on sliding on edge on ice on a substantial incline, if I have to. Seriously, the only thing annoying about putting on the Flows has nothin’ to do with them. It has to do with deking around all those guys who are still sitting there on their butts, popping out in front to find a place to do it and go. When those guys aren’t there, I can cruise out and onto the mountain ‘bout as fast as most skiers. And I begin to have this dream of the day when all boarders wear these things, and no one—not me, not the skiers, has to worry about tripping over all those guys sitting around, screwing with their ratchets.

But it seems unlikely to be. ‘Cos right now I’m trying to find a pair to replace the somewhat worn ones I’m now riding, and there’s no one in retail locally that does it. Not here, not Tremblant.

Too niche, apparently. Straps, you can get anywhere. Flows, nowhere. Betacam paradox. Some places, they look at you when you ask and say ‘What’s a Flow?’

Philistines.

The good news: it may change, a little. Insofar as it turns out there was some snafu with the sales team lead to this silliness, at the final end. There had been a dealer in Ottawa, they got out of boards at the same time the sales team was being turned over; it kinda fell through the tracks. The word is, there may be a dealer here, again, shortly enough.

But even if/when they do, I figure: it’s probably still gonna be like Beta, all the same. As in: sure you can find ‘em, with some difficulty. You need a new cable, eventually you’ll find someone can handle this, if you’re in no hurry. But it’ll always be that niche thing. People got used to that other system, don’t know what they’re missing, probably never will.

And, anyway, in the meanwhile, looks like I’m going to the web. Again. And so much for supporting local retail.