Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 54

BREAD+BUTTER / Hardgoods

Know Your
Skier
If you want to keep your core winter customers
happy and meet their needs, the most important
thing to determine is where they most want to ski.
by Doug Schnitzspahn
SKIERS ARE AVARIED BUNCH, BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, THEY

fit in pretty easy-to-determine personality types based upon
where they schralp the most. If you listen to them, the gear
you sell them will make their experience on the terrain they
enjoy better. The following three setups typify the three
types of skiers most likely to look for gear in your shop.

70/30

R E S O RT/ BA C KC O U N T RY
WHO THEY ARE: Meet your typical skier. This customer spends most of his

or her time in the resort. They bought a pass, they have a fairly steady
job or they may be a little older. But they also want a bit of adventure and
they love powder-so they will get in a few days in the backcountry. They
could spend a good amount of time in hike-to terrain in or near resorts
(think Palmyra Peak at Telluride or even out the gates at Jackson Hole).
WHAT THEY NEED: First and foremost, gear that works at the resort on the
groomers and in nasty bumps. This is where they will be most of the
time; this is where they will count on their gear the most. They will
also appreciate some versatility and equipment that adapts to backcountry use, but when it comes down to it, they can deal with a bit of
suffering on the skin trail if they are confident at the resort.
THE SETUP: Salomon QST 106 skis ($700; salomon.com), Salomon
T Guardian MNC bindings ($380), Salomon QST Pro 120 boots
($600); this setup is stable on the groomers while still providing lots of
floatation in powder. It's light enough for touring for everyone but the
biggest backcountry freaks and even reliable for heli trips. Columbia
Powderkeg Interchange jacket ($280; columbia.com) and pants
($250); this down-filled shell will weather chilly days and nasty winds
on the lift but still breathes enough for a long uphill slog. Smith Vantage
Mips helmet ($150-$270; smithoptics.com); safety always sells.
BEYOND THE BASICS: Think about adding on a resort pack such as the
Osprey Kamber 22 ($150; ospreypacks.com) that will work well on the
lift since this skier will want to pound runs sans breaks on powder days.

54 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2018

Photographs by Andrew Kornylak


http://www.salomon.com http://www.columbia.com http://www.smithoptics.com http://www.ospreypacks.com

Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018

OUTDOOR RETAILER - WINTER 2017
CONTENTS
THE PULSE
HEADLINES
MERCHANDISING
MARKETING
BIG PICTURE
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
CASE STUDY
IDEAS
BENJI THRASHER
GUY TROMBLEY
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
RESEARCH
FAMILY TRADITION
ROUND TABLE
THE STAFF RULES!
BREAD+BUTTER
SKI-PACKAGE SECRETS
ATHLEISURE
COUNTER CULTURE
THE VIEW
HOW I GOT HERE
#REPLIFE
FROM THE ROAD
BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - OUTDOOR RETAILER - WINTER 2017
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - Cover2
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 1
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 2
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 3
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - CONTENTS
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 5
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 6
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 7
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 8
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 9
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - THE PULSE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 11
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - HEADLINES
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 13
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - MERCHANDISING
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 15
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - MARKETING
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 17
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - BIG PICTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 19
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 21
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - CASE STUDY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 23
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 24
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 25
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - IDEAS
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 27
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - BENJI THRASHER
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 29
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - GUY TROMBLEY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 31
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 33
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - RESEARCH
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 35
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - FAMILY TRADITION
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 37
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 38
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 39
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 40
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 41
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 42
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - ROUND TABLE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 44
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 45
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 46
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 47
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - THE STAFF RULES!
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 49
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 50
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 51
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - BREAD+BUTTER
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 53
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - SKI-PACKAGE SECRETS
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 55
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - ATHLEISURE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 57
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - COUNTER CULTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 59
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - THE VIEW
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 61
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 62
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 63
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 64
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 65
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - HOW I GOT HERE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 67
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - #REPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 69
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - FROM THE ROAD
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 71
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - Cover3
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - Cover4
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