These days, there are a million and one ski & snowboard sites, publications, and channels that are all vying for your attention. How do you figure out what gear is best for you in such a sea of information? Conflicting reviews are everywhere. Forums are full of people arguing about whether product A is better than B or not. The fact of the matter is that it can be nearly impossible to get a true indication of a product without having to sift through a whole lot of paid advertising, influencing, bias, etc. Who can you turn to? Friends and family that have used the same or similar gear would be a good start. They won’t steer you wrong. Beyond that, queue your friendly neighborhood shop! Small, specialized, independent retailers (like us, and many other shops across the country) spend a lot of time and energy on buying the right products for their customers. We have the opportunity to demo a huge range of gear, work with excellent brands and sales reps that help guide us through their catalogs, and ultimately, we spend our time on the shop floor talking to customers and getting a sense of what works for them. We provide ranges of products from trusted manufacturers so that we can provide the best on-hill experiences for our customers. Independent retailers are hands-on in all aspects, not just determining profit margins or bulk discount buying. So, if you have questions, direct them to your local shop. If they carry the products you’re interested in, they’ll give you straight answers about them. If they don’t, they’ll let you know why, and what would be a potential alternative. At the end of the day, you, the consumer, are what matters most to small retailers so it’s in our best interest to ensure you’re given the best information possible. Stop by your local shop to see just what you’ve been missing!
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