The glass ski boot- a Cinderella story

Christian comes in to work the kickoff sale every year. He has been in the industry for a long time and is a master boot fitter. He has also developed into a close personal friend of mine. In 2004 or so, on a typical Saturday sale afternoon, we had four or 5 boot fits going at the same time. Lot's of employees working as well as a store full of customers. Christian finished up a boot sale and was ready to help the next person in line.

Heather had come in with two friends. She was in to buy ski boots. Christian was available and helped her. By the time the boots were sold every person in the shop know that there was some serious chemistry between the two of them. You can guess the rest of the story! Heather gave birth to a wonderful baby girl last week. She is named Catherine. I thought that naming her after the boots would have been cool. What do you think about a baby girl named FR9.5? I guess Christian and Heather didn't like it either. Anyway, congratulations to the three of them! Certainly the best and most important boot fit of Christians life.

Around here we continue to move towards the anniversary sale. Thursday was typical. We re-merchandised the base layer items. I got Jennifer going on sale signage which she will do at home. Goves were received, more helmets came in. Boots were re shuffled as more had arrived. Typical day right now. The bigger picture is going well also. Staffing is coming together. The boxes keep coming and it looks like most of the gear will be re on time.. I don't know where I can display all the skis. I don't know where to store all the back stock boots. The store is looking like a person in clothing 2 sizes too small- bursting at the seams. Perfect!

The web site is also looking pretty ready (I like our site and hope you all do too). The web is becoming a more and more important aspect to advertising, so I have invested a fair amount of time and $$ into the site the last few years. It's fairly complete per my list of changes/additions/revisions. I have a few pages that are ready but not live as I typ these words. I can live with that. They will be on line in a few days. The site will be getting a lot of hits right now due to our sale flier finding customers mailboxes. I also did an "ad" on the SFGate site that will direct them to our web page. Google analytics will tell me the traffic counts on the web site, but in the end the proof is in the pudding. The sales numbers for the reunion sale are what really count. That is the true test.

Meanwhile the preparations continue!

The boxes keep coming...

It was Friday. I had worked all week. I thought I was getting ahead and planned on taking Friday off. I thought Friday would be ok. Ship dates from the manufacturers were August 1st. So I went to up to the Napa/Sonoma region to do a three day bike tour with a few friends. A last Hurrah. We do it every year. Good times. Friday in the Hotel I turn on the cell and there was a message from Royal Robbins. Lot's more boxes. Gave me something to think about the rest of the weekend.

The boxes keep showing up. We keep opening them. John and Martin were both in today. They took the shop's interlocking mat floor apart and cleaned it well at the car wash. It lives in the workshop under and around the stone grinder. They also did a first round of cleaning on the floor that lives beneath the mats. Not a pretty job. Tomorrow I will scrub from hands and knees and put it back down with the two of them. Can't wait.

I worked with the web master today to do some final tweaks to the "new look" web site for 2009/10. Hope you all like it. Let me know! I also got some of the sale info up on the site. Final tweeks to the postcard that will be mailed in a few weeks were reviewed. Tomorrow I will download the mail list, clean it up, and forward it on to the printer. The postcard will be put to bed. Actually it is not a post card. It is the first "folding" ad I have sent, so I am a bit nervous about it. More money, but more room to give particulars about the sale. Better I think? We shall see.

Got a few promo things going as well. They seem to be ongoing and about 20% get implemented. You gotta hear it all and wade through and discard the other 80% however. Royal Robbins wants to partner with some "cross pollinating" in our ads and promos. I am going to give her a few lift tickets for a raffle to start with. No big deal. I have to meet with the UC Berkeley Ski and Snowboard club as well. This is a long term good relationship but is high maintenance since they change leadership every year and there are other entities involved that are sponsors. Destination 1440 around the corner on San Pablo does the snowboard side. We cover the ski side. Works out fine, but finding dates that work for three groups takes a bit more time every year. It adds up, ya know?

Anyway, that is it for today's report. No cool or interesting stuff came in (unless you are into underwear or socks). Tomorrow is another day and who knows what it will bring? Not me- and I own the place...

Back to the Salt Mines

"Hi this is Tina from Royal Robbins" she said, "we just took in six big boxes for you. When can you come get them?"

And with that sentence my summer ended. As I said in my last post (way back in April), it had been a long and successful year. I was checking out for a bit. I did the golf, fish, mtn bike, and ski road trip. Thirty four days and 4000 miles of driving. Then I did more of the same at home for another month or so. Awesome.

Now I'm back and ready. It's our 20 year anniversary so this one is going to be extra special. I called in John and Martin to get rolling. We started out in the back shop and are doing the usual mods to incorporate new equipment. A new boot sole planer with vacuum means another table to stuff back there. John and Martin are on it like evil scientists. John brings in large power tools in boxes. I hear loud noises like a maniac dentists lab. I'm sure it will be fine.

Meanwhile I have organized the game plan to be ready for the sale. Marketing plan with postcard. Signage needs. All the new cool items we will be receiving added to the point of sale database. Sale price sheets made up. All sale pricing into the computer. Staff and manufacturers reps called to get work commitments for the big sale. Renew basic supplies like staples and pens. There lot's more but your bored already!

Then the boxes come. Between August 1st and August 25th we will get about 80% of the inventory we will be getting for the ENTIRE YEAR. We will be packed to the ceiling with about 600 pairs of boots, 250 pairs of skis, a few hundred helmets, gloves, socks, wax irons...everything. And we have to count it, price it, display it, merchandise it, and back stock excess stock. By 8/29 this has to be done and looking good for you to walk in the front doors. The first year it was daunting. Now I know it is possible and that we will (somehow) get it done.

Here we go!

I will keep you posted as we go along...

Oh, and Martin leaves tomorrow for Mt. Hood to ski race. A bit of general training and then the summer race that kicks off the master racers season. He always comes home with some points that give him a good head start for the year. Here's hoping this year is no different!

Lazy Days of Spring

We have a closing date now for our little summer respite. Our last day for the season will be May 3rd. After that the staff will be heading to Bend Oregon to ski at Mt. Bachelor for a bit. Our traditional trip has been to Mammoth but we decided to change things up this year. The director of Marketing at Bachelor sent us an email with some very attractive lodging and lift rates so we thought- why not?

Right now is a weird time at the shop. Business is very slow when temps outside are in the high 80's. We always have Lot's to do on my lists, but it is hard to get motivated. After going hard all year, it just seems like it's time for a break. That break is coming but it is still a few weeks off so we try to stay motivated and stick to the list of chores. But we get spring fever too and so we lallygag quite a bit along the way. I will admit that this year I am probably the worst offender too!

Overall we had a great year. Business was up a bit from last year making this our biggest grossing season ever. We anticipated more sales in a number of categories so are carrying over more inventory than I would have liked in a few areas but overall I am very pleased. Thanks to all of you for making this a great year. Even more thanks should go to my fantastic employees. Without them I would have very little- they are the best in the business!

After Mt. Bachelor I will keep recreating for a month total trip. There are no real plans but to carry my skis, bikes, fly pole, tent, and golf clubs and see what happens. I will spend a few days in Boise with some ski folk that like to mountain bike. I need to end up in Missouri for a family reunion. I'll pick up my dad in Montrose Colorado on the way. Sounds like fun to me! I will be back in the shop during June. It will be good to get away for a bit, and then I am sure it will be good to be back.

See ya then!

It's all about the boots...

Snowcovers in Vancouver and Whistler is one of the most advanced boot shops in the industry. They are also the distributors of the foam liners and other products that we sell. They sell fit products and back shop tools that are the best in the business. This group of products is called the Soze group. Over the last year or so I have been talking to them about their philosophies and drooling over some of their tools. They have a boot summit each year at Whistler which has been impossible for me to attend but this year the destination was Salt Lake City which was feasible. John and I traveled there with Jarrod who is our Salomon sales rep and now sells the Soze products as well. Jarrod is one of the good guys. I decided the event would be worthwhile and I thought it would be more fun to road trip than to fly. Good call Greg, as we had a great time! We boot fitted and skied with some serious professionals. We learned a lot and we partied hard with our peers. We had my car towed, skied four days (two powder days), stayed in Sandy at a good friends house, had a great social event, and learned a heck of a lot about boot function and biomechanics within the ski boot. Awesome right? Awesome and then some! I feel like John and I just got back from 4 days at Boot Camp. At 8:30 am in the meeting room, the first day started like this: Pete says “It dumped last night so lets ski and then meet again at 11:00”. Yahoo! Utah powder for all! What a way to start the event! Jarrod provided skis for the trip so I spent the day on some Salomon Rocker skis. Wow! 130mm under foot with a big rockered front end. Fantastic! I skied great and had an amazing time. After the rumpus of a powder celebration in the morning, fit theories were then put forth by the hosts in a lab environment. More fun than skiing? No, but almost! Modifications were done to individual’s boots, and then the afternoon “on snow” session was used to evaluate the changes. Round table discussions were ongoing. Most attendees were already on board with the company, it’s theories, and products. I can’t blame them. Everything was first rate. Overall, I was very impressed with the company and its products.

We also got a visit in at Dale Boot. Dale makes boots right there in Salt ake City. The address has not changed for decades, and they make an interesting boot. Seeing the big plastic injectors and shll molds was a first for me. Their method for hand making custom liners was a new one too. There are the marks of a mad scientist inside this facility! Mike and Adam were very nice to give us the tour. A few other people from our trip that need a shout out are- Jay from the Sozo group. Very Impressed with the man, the mission, and the motivation. Jay is a man with a vision and a plan. He reminds me of my old bike shop partner Dave Bekowich. Both men speak with intelligence and conviction. Ernie from Bootworks in Park City- Ernie, Thanks for the space and the mentoring. You are THE MAN and only you should wear the optic-grab in public. Pete- Thanks for the good time…see you this summer in Boise. John from Colorado Springs- I hope you found your Oakleys…Sorry! Larry- I’ll be mum and not embarrass you. Linda (from Greenwoods in Boise- go see her there if you are in the area)- You weren’t too bad for the token female bootfitter -LOL. Let me know when you want to move to California. I would love to have you on board here! Brian- From Fischer Tech Rep to Shop Owner/Partner is a great move. Good luck in Frisco! Jeremy and his Dad- I would love to visit your shop. You are as technical as it gets. Thanks for the tips. Glen- Dude, No more backwards skiing- OK? That was gross! Willie, Newt, Marielle and Ross- Thanks for letting us hang out. We really enjoyed the time together. Willie, next time you are coming with us. Mandatory. J-Rod- You might make it in this business yet. Thanks for the great trip!

All of the sudden "POW"!

Well I have been terribly remiss in blog work, but I have a great excuse...right in the middle of the ski season, POW! hit the Sierra and I have been chasing it ever since. First, we had Demo days in Mammoth with deep powder at the end of last month. It was the first time in a number of seasons that we have had demo days for the next years gear in deep powder. Most years it is hard to evaluate powder skis. This year it was hard to evaluate carving skis. Temperatures around zero and abundant snowfall made this a great year to ski everything super wide. John, Peter, Becky, Paul Karst and myself all had a few days of powder bliss. This was great as there are so many new powder skis out now with "reverse camber', "no camber", "rocker", "semi rocker", "full rocker" and the like, that it was important to get a feel for where this market segment is going and what really works and what doesn't. Then it was off to Utah to ski with my best friend from High School. He brought his son and both my kids came. We stayed with a close girl friend from both High School and Chico State. The three (out of four) musketeers were back together! We skied at Snowbird and got to spend a day with Peter Keelty (realskiers.com), as well as great days with our host family and each other. Hot tub, Snowbird, 6 demo skis waiting to try, and great company. Life is good! One day back, and it was off to Reno for our spring buying show. John and I went and drove over Donner summit last Monday night just before it closed. Driving through a nasty storm we got into Reno at 2:30 after a few hours of whiteout navigation. The show was different than it usually is. The economy has the industry in a stir and everyone seemed nervous. Retail tactics will have to change, and distributors are going to struggle. Nobody is going to avoid the realities of the world economic situation. It's a changing world. None of us is really in it for the money anyway, however, so a lot of people (vendors and retailers alike) were absent from the show on Wednesday as they figured skiing was more important. Can't blame them! John and I hammered out a few contracts and now it's up to me to place all the orders. What to do. what to do... how will next year be? I don't know about the future. All I know is skiers will keep skiing and we will be there to take care of them. I am still unpacking, but soon enough I will post photos of Utah and talk some about next years skis.

Leaving Las Vegas

Typically when I go to a trade show two things happen. One is that I have a great time doing business and "playing" amongst my peers. The other is that I come back totally excited about the new products and worked up about the sport and the entire industry. I usually come back thinking that it was the best trade show ever. Well, this was not the best trade show ever. After 34 years in Las Vegas it is a shame to have this be the curtain call. Why? Because the industry is not in great shape, and many people at the show were depressed about this years business and worried about next season.

We are having a good sales year, so to me it's more or less business as usual around here. Outside of my little CalSkiCo cocoon however, the ski business has taken a big hit. Ski sales in particular have been poor. There are predictions of businesses failing at both the retail and wholesale end of the industry if next year is as bad as this. Many reps said that this is the worst year for the industry that they have witnessed. Some of them had been to all 32 Vegas shows.

So, a bad business climate leads to sour business men and women. This doesn't help with the general mood of the show. There was still a lot of good socializing but not with the usual enthusiasm. There are a lot of people that you meet and like over the years that you see at these shows. It is always good to see people like Wanona from Sports LTD in Redding. Hanging out at the Kastle event one night with the owner of Viking Ski (Chicago) was fun and interesting too. The highlight was probably Moroccan food with a great waiter and wonderful belly dancers. Martin and I went with Dan Dixson (who was our Fischer rep last year and our Head rep this year). Dan is one of the good guys and has become a good friend.

If you know me well, then you know that if belly dancers with friends is the highlight of the show, it wasn't a wild show for me. And generally this was the case for most people I think. Reps would be talking to you about business strategy for next year instead of their cool new products. Behind their eyes you could tell there was some fear. Businesses will be ordering less for next year. Would their product be the one to be left out?

Anyway, as I said, we are having a good year at CalSkiCo. My biggest obstacle has not been the economy but the weather. Always the weather for snow farmers! If we get some good dumps here we will finish strong. If not, we will have a weak last third of the sales season.

And so it goes. Farewell to Las Vegas. I feel bad for the dealers that are struggling this year. I hope that next year turns around, but I fear that this economic slump is not going to be quickly fixed. I am not entirely sure why we have not been impacted as much as most, but I have a pretty good idea. A good part of it is our fantastic loyal customers. I will adjust the buy for next year and play to our strengths a bit more (knowing that there will still be a lot of this years product out there next season). And in the end it will be all about the amount of snow that we get. It's always about the snowfall levels.

So it's goodbye to Vagas and hello to Denver. One thing is sure. Denver will have more snow than Las Vegas. More snow is always good.