Have you been skiing? I have!

Every year the local ski reps put on a Demo in early December. This is a "love and hate" demo. I love it and they hate it. I love it because I often have new employees that have to sell gear that they have not tried themselves. Until this demo opportunity they simply have to take my word for how the different skis perform. For this reason the shop owners insist on this event. Of coarse, I also love it because it is an opportunity to demo skis and I can never get enough of that! The reps hate it for a number of reasons. First and foremost is that they really wish that they did not have to still have their demo fleets available. The reps typically have to buy their demo fleets from their own company. After the last demo before the dealers have placed their orders in March they would love to sell their skis. They are "next years" skis and would go for top dollar. Also, their spouses would love to have enough garage space to fit a car in there. In addition the reps must give their skis to a bunch of yahoos in early December. Yahoo's skiing over light snow coverage on skis they do not own could mean a lot of maintenance on an entire fleet of skis before they can be sold.

The demo must be at this time in December because that is just when it works best. Earlier, and hiring may not be done, and there is not a good chance of snow. Later, and we are pushing up against the Christmas rush and shop owners cannot afford to let their staffs off to go ski. So there it is. Some years it is cancelled due to lack of snow. Some years it can be epic conditions. Most years it is just what we got last week- enough snow but early season conditions. So off we went to Reno.

With the event happening at Mount Rose we would have to leave at four in the morning to do it in one day. Therefore, we packed up and left after work on Tuesday night. The group was ten strong. The rookies needed to go. Someone needed to teach them how to demo skis. Being the man that I am I volunteered for the job. So that I would not be stuck with a bunch of youngsters, I had some previous employees along and a few friends that have demo experience. Also in the caravan was Erik Boone of Boone skis (http://www.booneskis.com/).

We arrived in Reno at about midnight at the casino. A nightcap was necessary. One thing led to another and we got to bed at about the same time that we would have had to leave if we had not driven up the night before. The end of the night came when the bartender would not fire up the mechanical bull for us. Looking back we should have tipped him better for probably saving all of our butts!

The wake up call came at 6:30, so we got up and had some breakfast and scoped out the weather. Ouch! The "Pineapple Express" that had been forecast looked to be in full swing. A pineapple express is a storm that comes from the land of pineapples. That means warm air and lots of moisture. Not ideal for skiing. Oh well, there was not a good option but to drive up the hill and check it out.

We got to Rose and there was heavy discussion amongst the reps. There was no precipitation at the moment at the lodge. Up top it seemed to be howling with 80-100 mile per hour winds. Mt Rose was deciding whether to even open up the hill. The reps were deciding if they should cancel the event even if the mountain was open. There were not many dealers there. Most local Tahoe shop employees certainly woke up, looked out the window, and decided to pass. Only a hand full of dedicated testers were there. Jim Fowler from the Start Haus in truckee is always willing and was there with bells on. From the Bay Area only Arturo from Mountain West in San Francisco was around that I saw, and a few REI type youngsters that I did not know. I pushed for them to have the event as we had driven up and paid for rooms just to be here. The ski patrol came over and said they would open- but only the Ponderosa Lift. Ponderosa is their beginner chair by the lodge. The reps looked to be less than psyched about that, but were given little choice. The Demo was on!

In a funny moment Chris Tiller (a Salomon rep) yelled out in his best Squawlywood accent "Dudes- boot up! I heard a rumor they will be opening Ponda in ten minutes!". This may not be KT22, but it was all we had, so boot up we did. And then we skied. Testing on beginner runs is hard. We got some things accomplished though. Wayne Wong was there with his Anton demo's so we skied them. The Antons blew the staff's minds. The rookies also got to see what we meant when we said the Blizzard Magnum 8.1 was "full of pop", and why we said the Peak 78 from Head was "intuitive and easy to ski". Plus they got to see the reps again and feel the bitchin' vibe of a ski industry get together.

And then it all came undone. The skies opened up a bit and Uler spit down what seemed like Elmers Glue. Sticky, sticky, sticky. A light rain combined with a less than steep slope meant we were done. We headed into the lodge for a few minutes to see if it would clear again. It didn't. So at 1:30 the reps began to pack up and we hit the road.

So now what?- I thought. Snow play? No there seemed to be a movement towards dry comfy clothes. Snow play was out. Go home asap?. No, that was no fun. And then I got an idea.

I had found out about a great little restaurant on the way down the hill in the Sierra Summit area that would be a perfect finale for this group. It is called The Rustic Table. I set it up so we would all meet there for dinner. "The directions are easy" I said, "It is the Laing road exit". I explained that Laing is like Lange of Lange ski boots. Others thought it was pronounced "laying" and chose to remember it with a different association. Hmmm...

We got to the restaurant a bit before it opened at 3:30. Luckily we got Therese's attention through the window and she let us wait inside. Therese is one of the owners and was just starting to set things up for the evening. Her husband Adam is the Chef and was still napping before the dinner shift. We chatted with Therese and her daughter. Some of us drank wine or beer in the lounge area. I put in a holiday DVD and the fire was stoked. The rest of the group was all together within a half hour and joined us.

Therese set up a large table and nine of us gathered around and enjoyed a multi course meal for the next three hours. Everyone seemed to be blown away by the Rustic Table. Most agreed that it would be a popular 5 star restaurant if it was in Berkeley or San Francisco. And the prices are good too. We got out of there at 7:00 and zipped down through the valley and back to the bay. The Rustic Table put a great topper to a really fun 24 hours. We played, we skied, and we enjoyed fine dining. All with a great group of friends and employees. What a great day!

Many customers know I ski each Wednesday and ask about conditions and the like. The actual skking last Wednesday was certainly terrible as far as conditions. On the other hand it was great to slide around for a few hours with sticks on my feet no matter what the conditions were. On top of that I had the company of some people I really like to spend time with. So when people asked me how the skiing was this last week I simply say "it was a great day!".

The Rustic Table is a great place to stop on the way down the hill for adults or families. It gets a big CalSkiCo thumbs up!

http://www.rustic-table.com/

43440 Laing Rd

Emigrant Gap, CA 95715 530-389-8900

Have you been skiing yet?

Have you been skiing yet? I have not! After weeks of anticipation. After a summer of waiting. After hundreds of customers talking about opening day. I think everyone has been skiing except me! We got the killer storm we needed for the shop to go nuts with rabid customers, and I could not take advantage. We had made plans to go to Oregon for Thanksgiving instead!

Actually the plans were made weeks ago. Elizabeth and I had "sponsored" our first Thanksgiving dinner while we were in college at Chico State. It was time to pass the torch. Since Jennifer didn't get much time off for the break, so Elizabeth, Rebecca and I drove up for a few days. It made sense when we planned it a few months ago. We would also be able to take in the Ducks football game against Arizona which looked to be a good game to go to. As it turns out, the Ducks are ranked #1 nationally and so it was an even better game to see. ESPN thought so too. Super fun!

We also hiked to the top of Spensers Butte in the snow, had a good Thanksgiving meal, got in some great family time with the girls etc., so no regrets at all. But I want to ski! Looks like this Wednesday should work. I gotta calm down...I will ski on Wednesday at Northstar. My time has come.

Business keeps rolling along. We have topped 100k for November which is a first. I remember when I hoped to do 100k in December one day. Now we should do it four different months this year- maybe five. Thanks for being such great customers. I appreciate it.

As usual I can only thank my staff. We now have 5 Masterfit trained master boot fitters. Gary and Steve were given the Master Boot Fitter aprons they have earned. I handed them over with little ceremony but a good amount of pride on my part and I think theirs too. They are both first rate fitters and the aprons are well deserved.

The rest of the staff is also going gangbusters. We have some new people and they have been "thrown into the fire" due to the early start. We had just wrapped up the reps training clinics and were about to begin the in-house training by category when the weather turned. Customers come first, and so...group training has been put off. Instead we have been trying to work with individuals or small groups of rookies as we can. It works even if it is not ideal.

Luckily the rookies are pretty sharp. A few are still a bit unsure of themselves in some areas but they are picking it up just fine. They remind me of new born horses. On their feet quickly albeit a bit shaky at first. They do not realize it, but they will be off and running on their own in no time.

It is exciting to see their joy at feeling "competent" at anything. Their customer service has been fantastic from the start which is a top priority, but they start out feeling a bit awkward with the products until they have some real knowledge. Success comes quickly however, and it is fun to see them grow. Bekka smiled like she had won the lottery when she fielded her first phone call all by herself. Charles was proud as a rooster when he sold his first pair of goggles without help. Yesterday Emili texted me when she sold her first pair of boots. That's pretty quick progress for the group. Ahh, the joy of learning and succeeding! Their energy and excitement is contagious too. It keeps me smiling and is a shot of youthful energy to all.

OK, so I guess it is time to drive in to Berkeley and see how the grizzled old vets and the bright eyed rookies did on "Black Friday" and then yesterday. Get up there and enjoy the snow. If you are at Northstar on Wednesday maybe I will see you! I will be the one with the big smile!

Gettin' all learned up

Well it is still that special educational time of the year. Clinic time! We have sales reps come in and talk up their products. They use power point presentations, sample cutaways, even some smoke and mirrors. Their goal is to get us psyched on the product they sell. My job is to help them help me to train my staff. So of coarse I end up interjecting at times to keep things in perspective. Overall the sales reps are very knowledgeable. They also know that we are on top of our game too, so they expect the discussions to get very technical. And it does. It is a fun time.

Also taking place in the fall is Masterfit University training. Masterfit does four locations with two days available totaling fifteen hours. The closest location for us is Reno. This year I took seven people. Yikes! That meant four hotel rooms of CalSkiCo employees up in Reno. In addition to the training, there are a lot of industry folk there that we know. Manufacturers boot techs, shop owners and staff from top boot shops. Basically all the boot geeks. It is kid of a boot geek party! In the past it has gotten quite racous at times, and we have typically been front and center. This year we didn't get as rowdy as we usually do, although one night an individual seems to have come home around dawn one night. Sorry no names will be given. What happens in Reno stays in Reno.

So john and I did the Masters Plus "Dark Arts" course as we typically do. Erle, Gary, Steve, and Daniel were moved up into the Masters level and Benelia took the Associates Plus offering. As usual the Masterfit crew were outstanding. Given that they really don't make much money doing their training classes, their spirit of doing this for the good of the sport and to fill an obvious need to create more good boot fitters is to be commended.

The Dark Arts class had I think ten students? This included Mike from Dale boot and Paul from Full Tilt. We know Mike quite well and have fully checked out his operation. I had only recently spoken to Paul on the phone looking for some technical information about his boots. He is the engineer in charge of design and manufacturing the boots and added a lot to the class. It was great to have someone on hand to speak up for the 3 piece shell designs out there. The group used a more open discussion instead of a conventional syllabus. The assumption is that we have all been around the block a few times and so it turns into more of a networking situation. "What have you guys been doing when you run into...." sort of a thing. It is a room full of tremendous talent and knowledge. It reminds me of how much I still have to learn.

I think everyone at the shop is energized about fitting now, so I will be spending time each day with the fitters to try to take the skills they have learned and ingrain it into their boot protocol. It gets me excited about boots too, so I spent more time boot fitting this weekend than I have been doing since we opened for the season. What fun!

Another boot note that happened this week was that I obtained a copy of the legendary "Red Book". At least it has become legendary to me. Sort of a grail hunting expedition actually. One of the really great fitters I have run across is Amy. Amy works for Superfeet. She was a head fitter at Any Mountain back in the day and went on to work for Superfeet. Over the past number of years she has read any and all books on the subject of feet, boots, and fitting ski boots that she could find. I asked her once what her recommended reading list was for me. Many of the books I was already familiar with. Her highest recommendation was "the Red Book". She couldn't remember exactly how to spell the Authors name but figured I could find it using the internet. She warned me that it was out of print, obscure, and probably hard to find. "but it will be worth it if you do" she said.

Well I looked and looked. Nothing coming up at all for "the Red Book''. I got a few footnotes citing "the foot book" by an author who's name was close to her guess on spelling. I called Amy's boss at Superfeet and got the authors properly spelled name. It was the one I had seen. It was called The Foot Book- Advice for Athletes by Harry Hlavac. But trying to find a copy? Nada. Zilch. Nothing. Boo!

So since then I have gone on line and searched for it used every few months. Probably 8 or 9 times in the last few years. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. But I was determined not to give up. Some of the guys at the shop heard me speak of my frustration over not being able to track a copy down. I was about ready this fall to call Amy and ask if I could borrow it. She had not been really keen on the idea when we first talked of it. She didn't want to let it out of her sight. I thought my sob story might soften her up. I mentioned I might call her last week in front of Steve. "Oh", he said "I bought a foot book". He knew I was on the hunt for the elusive "Red Book" and had seen a book on feet in front of the sweets shop near his house. They have a used book rack where you can drop off books or buy used books in front of the store. One of those neighborhood honor system deals. He figured it wasn't what I was looking for, but it could be, and another foot book is never a bad thing. He has purchased it. "Is it red?" I asked. "No, not really". "Oh well," I said" bring it in and we can check it out..."

Well ring up another one for karma or persistence or whatever. I don't care. All I know is that I finally have a copy of The Red Book! It simply said The Foot Book on the front cover. I knew that there were literally dozens of "Foot Books" with various sub titles from my research. It was a brownish red. "Maybe..." I thought to myself. I opened it up. It was unread. The spine crackled as I leafed through the first few pages looking for the author..and there it was- The Foot Book- Advice for Athletes by Harry Hlavac. "Wow, you got one" I said. "No," said Steve, "it's for you". So how do you like that? What a guy!

Well, I am off to bed now. It is a bit early for me, but you know what? I have some reading to do! Thanks Amy! Thanks Stevo! If I am running a bit late tomorrow, you'll know why!

Oh yeah- Fresh snow in the mountains! Keep doing Ulers snow dance and let's get this season rolling!

Excitement of a different kind!

I get excited this time of year. Anticipation of skiing has been building and I am eagerly awaiting the fist day on the mountain. This year is lining up to be an early start. First it snowed hard in New York state. Then Jackson Hole got a good dump. Now there is snow in the Sierra. We could be skiing as soon as this next weekend. All very exciting, but there is something else pulling at my psyche right now...

THE GIANTS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!

I played baseball growing up and through High School. I love to watch the game at all levels. I will occasionally stop at the little league field on the way home to see part of a game. I followed my kids High School team. I even "adopted" a girls fast pitch softball team over the summer (go Redwood Empire!). I saw all their games as they tried to play their way into the little league World Series. I catch some Giants games at the park and many more on TV. I even go to a few A's games. I guess that I am a fan but not a "fanatic".

This year has been different. The Giants were set to compete for the division title from the start. Then things went haywire. Studs from last year like the Panda and Tim Lincecum struggled. New faces stepped in and carried the team. Each day, week, or month had a different hero. Management pulled all the right strings. The Giants hung around all summer and then made a late push. The season was coming down to the wire and each game was agony. They won with pitching so the games tended to be close, low scoring contests. You could not relax until the game was over because one swing of the bat could ruin it all! In the end the Giants won the division. But barely. A last victory kept them out of a three way playoff for the post season.

The Giants did prevail however and then went on to dispatch both the Braves and the Phillies to win the pennant. The Philly series was an incredible micro version of the whole year. Winning each contest by one run with the game on the line until the last out. The sixth game had my stomach tied in knots until the final pitch was called strike three. What Agony! What ecstasy! If everything good must come with some suffering, then this was a sweet victory indeed!

Each year the Giants seem to field a solid team. They are in the playoff hunt most years. Some times they make it. Some times they don't. We have won a few pennants here in San Francisco but never a World Series. The organization has won World Series' in the past but as the New York Giants. Since moving here to San Francisco- nada. We are overdue. Is this the year of destiny? It seems to be so far!

I am not the only person who has been swept up by the Giants this year. On the radio talk shows the excitement mounted as the season wound down. On the streets people were talking. It went to fever pitch during the playoffs. Now on Bart or driving around on the streets, a giants hat will get a response. A nod. A thumbs up. A smile and a wave with a "go giants!" mouthed through glass. At the shop, employees and customers are both engaged with the teams exploits. My local Quick Stop Market is run by nice people from a country that is soccer oriented. They usually only watch soccer or the the news at work. Now they are watching Giants games and saying "how about them Giants?" when customers approach the counter. It is truly wonderful how a team can bring a diverse community like ours together. I hope we get to see the party grow into an even bigger and happier one as the World Series is played out.

I will go into work now for a few hours. Then I will knock off and drive to Tracy to watch the game with some friends. I hope that the Giants win. I hope that Tim Lincecum throws a gem in front of a national audience. I hope that Cody, or Buster, or someone more obscure will get to be the hero. My hope is not just for me, but for the whole Bay Area, and the entire Giants Nation.

I also hope we will ski soon. But right now my attention is on the Giants. For them. For me. For us all. Take some time and get involved. This is a rare opportunity to say you remember the World Series of 2010 and that special team. Then we will ski....

But for now...

GO GIANTS!

It's going off in New York!

Well, there it is. Whiteface in New York got pounded with snow and I have the photo to prove it. Christian sent me this. He is from "upstate" and so he got the "upstate update". I guess that means that we could be getting some fluff any time now. I still doesn't seem real.

Every year at this time we have been trying to NOT think about snow here at the shop because it can make you crazy. In August you know it is unrealistic. September too. Sometimes we ski in October, but not often, and never early in the month. Mid October you realize it is time to actually get ready. Now is the time. If they can do it, Boreal will open before the end of the month. When finished with this post I will go to the weather web sites. I have not checked much for a number of months, but now it is time to go for the first of a hundred or so visits over the winter. Time to start monitoring the Jet Stream. If it gets cold, Boreal will start blowing snow, and I need to know about it.

So far this month I have been trying to get the training and hiring moving along. Doing pretty good in both arenas I guess. I still want one more full timer, so if you know anybody...? I also have missed the last few weekends at the shop. A Chico State fraternity reunion and then a visit to Eugene to visit my daughter Jennifer have taken up the last two weekends.

Now I am anchored and entrenched until Thanksgiving or so. Thanks to having John, Martin and the rest of the staff around, I feel like I can take off like this. Normally I can. This weekend on Saturday however we had a sort of Perfect Storm. Due to a LOT of wierd and unforseen circumstances Martin was the only Employee available Saturday moring untill 2:00. Yikes! I almost cancelled my trip and ate the airline ticket, and had Elizabeth go alone. But I couldn't bear to let my daughter down, so I went. Good thing as Rebecca had taken the train up from Chico to surprise me. My birthday is coming up and this became my family party. Nice! Martin said it was fine. We had a good day but everyone politely waited for the reinforcements to show up before coming in. Thanks! We appreciate that!

So now I have to catch up a bit. I figure no days off for the next week or two and I will feel up to date! That puts us right on schedule for skiing on Haloween right? If the snow comes, I will be ready and so will the shop! So do the dance and pray to Uler. And Think Snow!

Looking out from within

OK. The sale is over. Now we are in the midst of getting the shop ready for the ski season. We meet two or three days a week. Martin gets busy all day in the back. Gary is available to work the weekends when we are officially open. I am in the office about 1/2 of the time and spend the rest downstairs. John gets most day to day stuff (customers popping in randomly or by appointment)done plus his ongoing projects. John is great about doing whatever needs done. And he can do anything. He knows all the procedures. He can fix what is broken. He also knows what I would do and he does it that way. Keep in mind that what John and I would do may be very different. That's a good employee. And a good friend.

Anyway, I ramble as well as deviate from my "ramblings", so we should move on. The point is that we are staying busy. I figured this to be the dog days as it usually is. Between the sale and the snow there is a lull, and I was looking to take advantage of it.

Well- so much for thoughts of bike rides and golf. The "to do" list is staying well ahead of the "done" list. I think at this point I will announce a few more days of "open for business" each week. We are officially open weekends 10-6. If we need to be at the shop two additional days each week, why not be open for business? The shop may be messy for "retail" as we receive our steady stream of goods, but I think we can benefit. Heck, we are averaging about $1500 in sales daily when we show up on weekdays right now, so why not just say OK, this is our schedule?

Oh, and the Parking Lot Sale went great. We grossed more in sales than any previous year. By a lot. So thanks! I again need to thank Christian, Gabe, and the rest of the "cast of thousands". In addition to our regular staff, they make these bigger events happen without degrading the expertise and/or customer service that I will not compromise. Also our sales reps that helped out. Thanks Reps! If the sale is indicative of how sales will be this year, we are looking good!

On the home front, I am once again without child. Jennifer worked through the sale and we drove her back up to Eugene this last weekend. This year she is out of the dorms and into an apartment. She and her room mates were SO excited to have their own place. It is all so grown up! Now she needs to nail down a job. She wants to work at Bergs ski shop. Bergs was named top shop in the Northwest by the sales reps. We visited and they seem very similar in approach to our shop here. Just bigger and with snowboards too. The employees she spoke to last spring thought she would be a lock to get a job there, but she has not gotten much response to her job application. "Time to start being a pest" was my advice!

So we continue to prep for snowfall. Then it is hunker down and get it done time. Between now and then, I need to do some hiring and we will have our staff training ongoing throughout October. Time is flying by and we will be skiing before we know it. Meanwhile, I will take a shower and then I am off to work. My shorter term goals (today's list) are to get the Mountain Hardware shipment received and tagged, call Orage about being shorted a jacket on the order we got in yesterday, catch up on mail, order printer paper and other supplies, finalize the proof for the new shop stickers, coordinate with Erik Boone about getting the press back into the shop, etc. until it is time to go home again. Then tomorrow will be more of the same. Lather, rinse, repeat!

One down and two to go

Well we got through the first weekend with flying colors. I thought my feet hurt on Friday? Well there is a new level of ache this morning. But I am not complaining. We did great business! On Saturday we did 56% more business than any previous opening day. Sunday was just a bit less in sales. We seem to just keep growing. With some great help it all went smoothly too. We had the regular staff, as well as a number of previous employees that lend a hand for events like this. In addition to the new and old Cal Ski Co staff, we got some great sales reps out there to do some retail. I think that much of the time the reps hang out and schmooze at these events. Donuts and small talk. Not this weekend! Dana from Blizzard/Tecnica recently moved from the race department where he dialed in athletes boots at the highest levels to working with retailers. Ingrid Backstroms boots last fall, fitting recreational skiers this fall to help me out. The Soze group distributes Conformable insoles out of Vancouver Canada. Our local sales rep was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, so they sent Steve Noonan, one of there management team from Park City. We have known Steve for a number of years now. He teaches some of the Boot Fitting classes that top boot fitters attend to find out what the latest tools and techniques are on the world cup circuit. Thanks to Steve and Dana, we had additional staff that was even more qualified than us on staff to help get the right boots dialed in on our customers feet. Thanks Dana and Steve! I think that they seemed quite impressed with the five staffers working the boot area with them too. They knew that John is as advanced as it gets. I think they were surprised to find the depth of knowledge they found across the board with the staff. Once again my staff made me proud!

Benelia mainly worked the clothing and bags in the Parking lot. This was the first year that someone outside was truly "selling" as opposed to soaking up the sun and doing security watch out front. Benelia contributed greatly to our numbers. Jennifer mainly sold helmets and clothing inside and ran the register. She puts all sales under her own employee number. This ensures that she will be the top sales person for at least a few months after she goes off to college. Sorry Jen, you can't fool me!

I mainly worked the ski wall. I sold a lot of skis. I don't know that I sold the most however. Christian, Erle, Gabe, John and Martin kept walking customers out after they finished with their boot fit. They grabbed skis off the wall and walked them up to the counter for Jennifer to process. They were selling the skis and boots at the same time back there. I would be talking to someone for fifteen minutes about skis and they would make the ski portion of their customers purchase in about three minutes. It is amazing how much trust is developed during the boot fitting process. Or maybe I am simply long winded...

Anyway, I am pleased and content. I feel that we offered outstanding prices and great customer service. Our product mix is top notch and my staff is exemplary. We had a lot of new customers as well as dozens of "regulars" that I know by name. Great to see both! Life is good! Now unfortunately I need to go back in today. John scheduled some boot fitting that was a bit complex for the sale environment over the weekend. Groan- no rest for the weary I guess. Oh well, there is quite a bit of clean up and organization to be done before next weekend anyway. I will find some time tomorrow perhaps for a little bike ride or something. See you next weekend!