Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2019 - 45

THE NORDIC SKIER

THE AT SKIER

THE SNOWSHOER

This group can range from the
über-athlete looking to train for
races to the casual outdoorist
who just wants to schuss
through the winter silence.
REACH THEM: : Knowledgeable sales
staff is mandatory. Scott O'Brien,
co-owner at Jackson, Wyoming,
based icon Skinny Skis says that
Nordic skis make up 85 percent
of the shop's ski sales and the
best thing they can do for their
customers is make sure staff is
on their Nordic game. He tells
his employees: "Don't fake it. If
you don't know the answer, find
someone who does. That customer may have way more experience than you."
HOT SELLERS: Erstwhile classic racers gravitate to the high-tech of
Madshus' Nanosonic Carbon
Classic Intelligrip Skis ($655;
madshus.com), which eschew
the need to futz with waxing,
and partner them up with trusty
Rossignol X-10 Classic boots
($275; rossignol.com) . The casual classic skier will be happier
with slightly wider, more stable
skis like the Salomon Escape
5 Grip ($179; salomon.com)
which pairs with SNS Pilot
Sport Classic Binding ($90).
For a reliable skate package, try
Salomon's unisex RS Skate
ski ($350) and comfy RS Pilot
Skate boots ($350).
BEYOND THE BASICS: Poles seal your
Nordic package-and can make
a big difference. Racers will shell
out for Leki's crazy light, stong,
balanced Strike Carbon poles
($340; leki.com). Leki's Carbon
Comp ($119) provide an econmical option, and beginners will
do just fine with the reasonablypriced Leki Lahti 2.0 ($60).

to take their resort, lift-access
skiing to the next level by heading into the backcountry. The
category covers a wide continuum: Some want to just tour a few
times during the season on boots
they mosly use inbounds. Others
will spend most of the season in
the backcounty. A small segment
will want to race uphil.
REACH THEM: John Weir, floor
manager and head bootfitter at
Bent Gate Mountaineering in
Golden, Colorado, instructs his
floor staff to ask the customer
"What type of terrain to you
plan on skiing in the next three
years?" to gauge how to help
them in the shop. He also suggests just starting with the boots,
the place where it's easiest to gain
efficiency in boot weight versus
downhill performance.
HOT SELLERS: The new Fischer
Ranger Free 130 ($799; fischersports.com) is versatile enough to
be a one-boot quiver and fits skinny, low-volume feet with a 99mm
last. For wider and high volume
feet, have the updated for 2018
Scarpa F1 ($700; scarpa.com)
handy. For women, Scarpa's Gea
RS ($795) provides all the power
of a men's boot with 120 flex, but
it's also light and built to tour, ideal for female skiers looking to get
aggressive in the backcountry.
BEYOND THE BASICS: Like a quiver of
skis for different conditions, G3
offers a range of climbing skins
with a bevy of specializations
ranging from steep approaches
to deep powder to better glide
($109-$199; genuineguidegear.com). Never want to wax
skis again? Apply the new DPS
Phantom ($100; dpsskis.com)
permanent base treatment.

ers are avid summer hikers who
would like to keep getting into the
woods in the winter. They might
also be looking for functionality:
Snowboarders who want to hike
to fresh backcountry lines.
REACH THEM: Vicki Oyster at The
Ski Haus in Steamboat Springs,
Colorado, asks her staff to help
educate potential snowshoers:
"We help customers understand some of the winter trail
etiquette when getting out on
their snowshoe hikes," she says.
"So often in our area, they have
to share the trail with skiers and
walk to the side of skin tracks."
Snowshoers need to consider
the load they'll be carrying, the
terrain they'll be on, and the
kind of snow they're tackling.
These factors will determine the
size snowshoe they will need as
well as necessary features, such
as a heel lifter or aggressive underfoot traction crampons.
HOT SELLERS: Crescent Moon's
EVA Foam Snowshoes ($180;
crescentmoonsnowshoes.com)
toss out the old concept and introduce a lightweight, cushioned,
and recyclable option to the market-it's ideal for rolling terrain.
Those headed to steeper slopes
will want the Atlas Serrate
($290; atlassnowshoe.com) with
its stainless-steel toe crampon
and tempered steel rear traction.
BEYOND THE BASICS: Here's something customers may need that
they don't realize they need: a
good snowshoe bag like the MSR
Snowshoe Bag ($40: msrgear.
com). It protects thier vehicle
from both the pointy ends of
snowshoe crampons and the wet
mess of snow caked on the shoes
melting onto those nice car seats.

WHO THEYARE: Don't limit them:

WHO THEYARE: This crew wants

WHO THEYARE: Most likely snowho-

THE SPIKE HIKER

WHO THEYARE: Here's a smart,
fairly inexpensive item that
does not require advanced
skills or expensive passes to
use. Anyone-snow shovelers,
hikers, dog walkers, ice fishers, casual explorers, and even
winter runners- who wants to
walk around in the winter over
slippery surfaces (not including
deep snow) will benefit from a
traction device for their winter
boot, runner, or commuter shoe.
REACH THEM: Jan Gunther, owner
at Gear West Ski and Run in
Long Lake, Minnesota, is a big
fan. "Ice traction is especially
important during the freezethaw cycle," he says. "This is the
time when you think you can be
out running or walking the dog
without extra traction, but it's
actually extremely slippery. I had
a friend who slipped on the ice
during her last training run for
the Boston Marathon and was
out an entire year with a broken
fibula. These options are a simple, low cost preventive measure
when there's ice."
HOT SELLERS: For in-town walking or running and casual hiking consider the stud or coil
style of ice-traction devices
such as Kahtoola NanoSpikes
($49.95; kahtoola.com) or
Yaktrax Walk ($20; yaktrax.
implus.com) and Run ($40)
models. For super-aggressive
traction the Kahtoola KTS
Crampon ($169.95) is basically
a light mountaineering crampon.
BEYOND THE BASICS: ATV and
snowmachine riders or others
who don't want toe spikes getting
in the way will want to consider
the heel-only coverage of the
Stabilicers Heel ($28.95) and
Yaktrax Heeltrax ($30). O.R.

Winter 2019/ OUTDOOR RETAILER 45
http://www.madshus.com http://www.sports.com http://www.rossignol.com http://www.crescentmoonsnowshoes.com http://www.scarpa.com http://www.salomon.com http://www.kahtoola.com http://www.atlassnowshoe.com http://www.implus.com http://www.leki.com http://www.gear.com http://www.dpsskis.com
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2019

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