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.

Show Time!

Well in the middle of the ski season all of us shop owners get together in Las Vegas. Wierd I know, but that is the location of the yearly Snowsports Industry trade show. This is the first time we will see all of next years clothing, gear, and accessories. Actually, we have seen bits and pieces already, and have been given some hints but this is the total candy store (see Jan. 8 post). I have always thought that Las Vegas is a strange place to have the show and next year after many years of Vegas we will be moving it to Denver. So this is the last hurrah. Casinos, smoky rooms, short pants at night, and beer cups around your neck with a string one last time. I always look forward to it. It is a great chance to spend some time with the distributors and sales reps in a casual environment. All thats missing is skiing. Next year all that will change. Next year instead of slot machines we will have the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. So Martin and I will be going down one last time. Martin is racing at Mammoth this weekend and will drive to Vegas. I will fly in Monday and meet him.

Having Martin with me has opened up a lot of opportunities. Being the Swiss Ski Meister that he is, he knows most of the company presidents from when they were sales reps or junior racers, and everybody loves Martin. The only drawback is that it is hard to make progress down the rows of vendors when every fifth person you see flags us down and wants to tell old skier war stories with Martin. Not a bad trade off though as I get introductions to all and a friend of Martins is a friend of thiers.

Another aspect of this years show is that there has been some shuffling of sales reps. We will have a new rep for Head, Fischer, Goode, Nordica and others. I will not know who our new Fischer rep will be until I get there. I had to make an appointment with the National Sales Manager to see the line. This may or may not effect my buying decisions from these companies. My attitude is that the product speaks for itself and a good rep only strengthens the brand. Overall I think my reps are a good bunch. Actually I think that ski company reps are all generally in it for the right reasons. They are not getting rich but they are passionate about their trade.

Anyway, that's my week upcoming. I wish I could enjoy the new snow in Tahoe but it will have to wait. Enjoy it for me please if you can make it up. Shortly after the show we will be trying to aggressively test all the new skis and come up with a lineup for next year. Not a bad part of the job. Actually a great part of a great job. Ski demo days, trade shows in Vegas, and days at the shop helping customers choose new toys and I have very little to complain about. I will try to bring back some juicy news for you on new products when I get back. Untill then wish me luck at the gaming tables!

I couldn't have said it better myself...

I was thinking about the Stockli Scot Schmidt ski today quite a bit. I had a regular customer interested in a Schmidt 178cm but we have none left. I have a Schmidt 188cm layaway that's getting "past due" in the back on hold. Hmmm... need to make a phone call. But that's the last one in the store. Brian (employee) wants one, preferably cheap (he wants our Stockli sales reps demo ski). As a favorite of mine I want one too, but I know I cant ski an "old" model. I own a ski shop for God's sake! We had possession of a 178cm Schmidt ski for the entire spring last year on loan from our Stockli rep. Brian and myself both fell in love with it. Now our rep needs to sell it and we both want it. But I have to let her go. So I went to bat for Brian. Got him the killer deal. Hopefully I will ski on her again one day.

I also spoke with Nicholas at Stockli USA about availability, show appointments, business trends and the like. Regarding inventory, not a whole lot left in the key models. Four 188's Schmidts left and that's all. The end of an era. He has some XXXL's which may or may not be the same ski as the Schmidt model in question with a different topsheet. Don't ask. His inventory of Stormrider XXL's is good. Rotor 76's were the number one seller so far this year. The movement next year is towards more "mainstream" skis (in my opinion) from Stockli. As a business owner, I think this may be a good thing. Stockli is at a level of excellence unsurpassed. The new skis are still at the same level. Just more modern in shape and flex. We will sell more than ever before. That's good. Everyone deserves a Stockli!

On the other hand, the Stormrider series has been the last holdout of "old school" flex patterns combined with semi-modern sidecut features. The past few years they have begun mixing more aggressive shapes and flexes into the line. I will miss the Stormrider XL and the Scot Schmidt pro model a lot. They will be the last of the "old school" models. We have about 10 pairs of the XL left and then it's the end. I am also sure that I will love the new ones even more. And in five years I will be writing an obituary for them too. So goes progress. I did a search on the Schmidts to say good bye tonight. Someone on a forum summed it up for me. His review of the Scot Schmidt(SS) is as follows:

Contributed by Goose Tuesday, 11 April 2006 The Stöckli Stormrider "SS" is basically a fattened race ski – a true pro rider ski not a commercial imitation - and true to form with this type they are a heavy couple of planks. Stiff as if they’d just seen Micha Barton step out of the shower and almost as good looking.

Model: Stormrider Scott SchmidtSize(cm) / Radius(m): 160/14.4 168/16.1 176/17.9 184/19.8Sidecut: 122-89-112Length tested: 188

Manufacturer's Description: "Limited Production Ski"

Ski-Review’s verdict:

Skier stats: 170cm, 70kg, skied since 4 and 7 seasons in the French Alps.

Snow condition: Ice to slush on piste, tracked crud off piste.

Not ideal conditions to test a ‘race stock’ off piste ski but I’ve always wanted to try this or it’s big brother – the Stöckli Stormrider DP – especially after I’d just been given the Stöckli Stormrider XL – a legendary ski. The start runs were icy but set an edge and just go. You have to stay on top of them because they are amongst the most unforgiving skis I’ve been on but they are a fast fish and truly stable compared to skis that pretend to be from the same stable (excuse the pun). When things get slushy they just plough through it and do the same in crud. Again, they need to be skied hard the whole way down. I guess the best way to explain them is that you have to get them up to a speed where you need to really concentrate and then they will perform. Prat about on them and you’ll go front side. They are designed to be skied fast with skill and don’t do anything else. I did manage to find some untracked stuff but not enough to really see how they performed, however I’m in no doubt that they would super G through the fluffy stuff with ease. The Stöckli Stormrider Scott Schmidt is truly an awesome ski, one that will do exactly what it is designed for, a true honour to ski it. "

I couldn't have summed it up better! By the way, a little more research found that the XXXL is the same sidecut as the Scot Schmidt Pro model but with the synthetic core and a 20% or so softer flex. Our customer opted to go this route and the skis turned out to be out fantastic. Ride 'em long and hard Guido! Thanks for the business.

Let the buying season begin!

Well you may or may not have done your gear buying for this year. We are about half way through our hardware sales and a little less than halfway through our expected clothing sales. So your buying may or may not be done for this year. For me as a shop owner, the buying season has just now begun...for next year! I spent a day in Sacramento yesterday looking at 09/10 products for the first time. Some lines I saw have deadlines of the 15th of this month. That's right, in about one week. I am only halfway through this sales season and I already have to start deciding what I will stock next year and how much of it I want to order. I have no idea how the weather will be from here on out. It could be drought or storm after storm. The economy could continue to improve or go back down. Yet the manufacturers want to know what I need for next year. No wonder so few people want to be in this business if money is the goal. It's a lot like being a professional gambler.

But you don't care about that and neither do I (well I do but it is secondary). What we care about is- What's New- What's hot? Well I am not one to whisper secrets, but Rebecca snapped the photo above with her iPhone in the Dalbello booth when nobody was looking. It's the new Tanner Hall Krypton. Wanting a stiffer boot than the El Moro, Tanner asked for and got a Krypton Pro level boot with the ratchet buckle on the cuff like the El Moro has. To make it even more wild, they did it in Rasta colors. So there you have a little tidbit of what's to come. Much more will be divulged after the big show in Las Vegas in a few weeks. I will tell no more for now because I need to get busy. I need to crunch some numbers and start making purchasing decisions. Let the buying season begin!

Happy New Year! I'm a tourist too!

Well after a few weeks with no days off, I knew the store was not open on New Years day, so it would be a good day not to work. The day before New Years was a Wednesday which is my normal day off. I hadn't taken a Wednesday off in a few weeks but it couldn't be too busy on New Years eve, could it? So I took an invite to go to Northstar. A friend would be there and had thrown out a loose invite. Mike is a former employee and current part of the "former employee cast of thousands" that will put in a day or two of work if you need it. He had just picked up his new Stockli skis. Mike is a super fun guy and he was ready to rip! I knew he did a ski lease every year. Why not, I thought? I called Mike to confirm after work on the 30th, and found that Northstar was the spot. The event would be taking place at the condo of a friend of Mikes and they had a bed for me (well, an air mattress, but I will typically settle for less). Without many more details I committed to being there.

So I skied between Christmas and New Years with "the masses" for the first time in many years. Thus began my "tourist" experience. I left late after doing some personal errands and met up with Mike. The main parking lot's were completely full. I called Mike. I got to park underground below the condo and unloaded my bags of gear onto a cart. I pushed it 15 feet to an elevator and pushed some buttons. The elevator door opened directly into the condo. Wow! Three families were in high gear. Six adults plus seven young girls between the ages of 4 and 14 were staying at the condo. And two dogs. And now me. So fourteen people and two dogs. Looked pretty fun!

The three families were friends from middle school contact. All were skiers. The condo was 3800 square feet with multiple (5?) bedroom suites with baths. It is right above Starbucks and has a large balcony overlooking the ice rink. The fixtures and furnishings were top notch. This is one of the nicest ski condos I have ever been in. Mike had a full Turkey dinner going. It just kept getting better!

The company was great. The vibe at northstar was outstanding. A cuban shared on the balcony with some good wine. Wild women dancing on tables with 4th graders. Howling dogs. Then the New Years count downs every hour. The bars afterward were kickin'. The skiing the next morning was wonderful. Nice grippy snow and short lift lines. I skied the Palmer skis but didn't ski well- just not my day to feel the groove. Frustrating but oh well. I got to ski with Mike who RIPPED his new Stocklis, I saw George and Miranda Crown who are great friends/ski buddies, I ran into several customers- which I always enjoy. One of the families I had wanted to ski with for some time which was fun (Sorry Kerleys- we will do more runs together next time I promise). And then, after lunch, I was done. The crowds had woken up from their long nights and hit the mountain hard. The lift lines were longer than I have seen in years. The snow was deteriorating. The road to home was going to be long and crowded. I opted to head for the village. I try to ice skate at least once during the holiday season and there was one right below our balcony. Hmmm...But I didn't want to drive home for hours in slow traffic by myself. A tough dilema. I opted to get out and down the hill and skate in Walnut Creek this weekend. I got home pretty quick and had a relaxing evening before having to work today.

Wow. A quick 36 hour window where I got to sit in on a week long multi family vacation at Northstar. At Northstar's busiest time of the year. Very much what many of my customers look forward to every winter and spend lot's of hard earned dollars on, but very different from my usual ski experience. I must say I had a great time. Northstar is crowded but with good reason. The village is first rate and the mountain is very well maintained. The Vertical plus plan, top notch (and inexpensive) ski school, and wide variety of optional activities make Northstar a first class family resort. Other than the crowded lifts, the crowded village projected a great vibe and I had no other complaints. Add more terrain to ease the lift lines and we could have a great family resort here. Northstar will never match Squaw (or most resorts) for steeps and deeps but they aren't trying to.

On top of that it is nice to do it first class from time to time! It is a nice change from my weekly efficient "turn and burn" trips with their packed lunches and no overnight aspect.

Thanks to Mike and his wife Carla for always making me feel welcome. Mark and Kim for the use of their fantastic condo. Matt and his wife for their good company. The kids were part of the magic too. All the kids were well behaved and the dogs were as cute as could be. I see what all you "ski week" revelers get so excited about. I'm not ever going to get a chance to ski much during this time of year (and am not that upset about it) but it was surely great fun and a fantastic way to spend time with friends and family.

Think snow, and a happy 2009 to all of you.

Now we are skiing!

I finally got to slide on snow! I went up Wednesday with employees Peter and Becky. We were joined by friends John and Amy. What a blast! Perfect timing! A great champagne powder dump the few days before with bluebird skies for us. We left at 5:30 and were on the mountain early. Great grippy snow on the groomed. Light powder every where else, but caution was needed off piste. The light snow let you sink to whatever was underneath, so we were mainly on the groomed runs.

I started out on my Fischer Race SC's to see if I remembered how to carve a turn. That worked out great so I did some runs on a Fischer Watea 94. Super fun and I was overly tempted by the powder and dinged 'em up a bit. I switched to a Watea 84 and WOW what a great ski. Tight turns, no problem. Let 'em run, no problem. Super fun and versatile. What agreat ski! We saw a few customers, and had a chance to chat with Jim from the Start Haus in Truckee as he was also stealing a bit of "fun time" while others toiled away at the shop. We all had a fantastic time. Get up there! I recommend it highly!

Since then it has been two days of very active retail. The hardcores are all getting their first turns and are coming by for last minute needs. Families are gearing up for Christmas skiing and buying gifts. Rentals are suddenly a part of our lives again. Racers are coming in for the next round of race prep work. New ski packages are lining up in the shop for mounting. I delivered a new ski to a customer in Lafayette this morning before work. It is a non stop torrent of diverse wants and needs. For the most part we are able to accomodate all. Part of the gig this time of yeare is that everyone needs it now. The ski packages are being used asap. The racers needed their gear for this weekend. Renters are wanting to have us set up and reserve their skis. Boot ditting must be done by their ski day or plane reservation (typically "tomorrow"). Tonight John and I were at work until 11:30. We mounted some skis for pick up in the morning, I did a custom insole with an electronic boot heater integrated.

Then we had some fun. JT is a regular customer that has a pair of Atomic SX-9 skis. Loves the skis but feels they are too heavy. He asked today if there was any way to replace his heavy bindings with a lighter pair of Salomon units. Yes! Or at least Mabey! I ahve been dying for someone to request this for a while now, as it is a common "complaint" about the Atomics of a few years ago. The problem is that the skis came with a plate that only accepted the Atomic bindings. A super light ski that is only compatible with a heavy binding should lead, in my mind, to us getting this request. It has been tumbled around in my brain more than once that there must be a good way to make this modification and I had some ideas. I told him I would work on it when I had the time. He wants them for a late January trip. So at about 10 o'clock I finished up my "need it now" work and rustled up a ski with the same system and John and I tore it apart and brainstormed. Very tricky to get the loads distributed safely on the extremely "not flat" Atomic top sheet with its "beta" profile. But we have some ideas. I will pick up some aluminum stock, and we can start fabricating our idea into a prototype to test. This will be interesting, and as soon as I have some free time again between dawn and midnight I will get back to it. I am thinking I may be able to grab a few hours here and there over the next month and if things go well, JT will have the trickest Atomics on the mountain. Stay tuned and I will supply a photo if it works out great.

For now, I am turning in for the night. Happy Holidays to you all, and get up and enjoy the white gold up in the Sierra!

I hope you're happy too!

Winter looks to be here finally! It should start snowing in Tahoe tonight. The resorts are happy, I am happy. I hope you're happy too. This means that business will ramp up big time. Expanded hours are now in effect, rentals will start needing staff, ski sales will explode. It's all hands on deck through the new year and beyond.

We are ready and able to respond to the surge. Rebecca (daughter #1, pictured above) comes back from Chico on Thursday and will be full time. Brian, Mitsi and Gabe get relief from school and will put in hours. Peter and Gary will add a day extra. Christian and Jeremy are both suddenly available to work some too. John Martin and myself will start with the long days as we do every year at this time. It's funny. I don't look forward to grinding insoles at midnight, but I have fond recollections of working late with Martin and John. Kind of a bonding thing I guess.

In any case, we are (to the best of my ability) well trained, organized, well equipped, and loaded to the rafters with the best ski gear available. Our Winter Sale prices are awesome and the signage is all dialed in. The skis, boots, helmets, bags, boots, and accessories look great. Everyone seems to think we have the best clothing selection we have have ever had- particularly for kids. Overall, I look around the store here a few hours before opening and I think we are ready.

Best of all- let the skiing begin!