Ski

Well, actually my hair's always been blonde/white/toehead since I was a little kid, especially in the summer. How does that figure into your pricing scheme? I'm sorry it offended you that I called the shop to find out whether the deal you posted was real.

Your Quakertown shop guy said that the Rome Solution boards were going for $390 all winter. Is that accurate? So after the local season is over, there's a brief window to grab one for 40% off? Good to know. Just have to time it right. Oh, btw, you are out of 158's and 160's, but he'll hold onto a 156 that's in stock. So 52 weeks out of the year, you can grab all sizes off eBay for $312, plus $25 shipping, while your's are $390, plus $23.40 sales tax. But, customers can grab one size for a few weeks at the end of the season, before they are packed away for $273, plus $16.38 sales tax. Quakertown is also a three hour, 180 mile round trip for anyone around here. That's a $90 drive, as far as the IRS is concerned. Is size as important in snowboarding as it is in skiing? Is that what you mean when you say "most people don't have a good grip on what they need" and "if you know what you need, are an industry expert, etc you have no need for a shop", because you can just sell newbies what you have in stock? EDIT: Again, you can blame me all you want for the trend that his been closing shops. But I have to tell you, I have had very little to do with it. I really could care less what happens to shops, but I'm always more than happy to help people get a better deal. I suppose if this were a pissing match, I'd suggest you be able to offer a year-round full selection at competitive prices, instead of saying "check and mate" over snowboards YOU DON'T HAVE.

Wow, so you're saying buying eBay gear is only good for skis? I don't know snowboard pricing, so I'd have to take your word for it. Skis come 30 to 80% cheaper. Wonder why they'd only be vastly cheaper for skis? Is your shop still open? If so, how about posting your prices on two or three high end boards you have in stock that someone could walk in and buy today. Either this year or last years. Let us all compare real prices.

I'll help you remember

Yep. And, yeah, Doug, that's my tat. My oldest talked me into it on one of our Big Island trips, from which I learned a valuable lesson: if you are getting a tattoo while on a surfing vacation, get it on the LAST DAY.

Just thought I'd post some pics from this am at The Hideout...temps were in the high-50's...I expect the snowpack to last another few weeks, although we might have to bring a shovel to keep it top-to-bottom by filling in a connector at the lower headwall...

"Plot Outline: In 2002, two rival Olympic ice skaters were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men's single competition. Presently, however, they've found a loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team."

Good point. Absolutely right. The 80% savings is for last year's models. I'm one of those crazy people that NEVER buys "next years" newest model, which, as you know, is often a graphics change. If it's a major structure change, then I wouldn't want it until I had a chance to demo it anyway. I'm also a little crazy in that I believe the vast majority of Pocono skiers are beginner to intermediates and don't have any particular need for "this years model"...not that many experts do, for that matter. Buying the newest model online will only save about 20 to 30% off of the shops... I never said BOOTS ARE ALL THE SAME. I said they all come from the same factory in Italy...that's a DIN related issue, as you know. The shells all have to conform. Informal poll? That's a little disparaging, considering I'm the one stuck having to help people actually use what ski shops send them out the door with. Ski instructors see the results of poorly fitting boots daily. They see the frustration, the pain, and the wasted money. Informal poll? Anyway, the next step for boot manufacturers is to begin to more accurately list sizing. Rather than have annual reviewers just say "medium toe box", etc...With proper information, the correct boot can be matched. A good bootfitter can do the tweaking, which is even more accurate after it's been skied for a day or two. The most amazing custom footbeds are done via the mail. The boot business is not a big leap, no matter how irresponsible shop owners feel it is. IDK, but think of the possibilities of being part of this cutting edge opportunity. It isn't just technology you are battling...the last glacier in Glacier National Park will be gone in 24 years...by 2050, the only skiing in the U.S. will be done on manmade snow. So, about Rob's Hummer collection...

Huh? I just went to the biggest (the first on the list) and clicked on 'snowboards' and it linked to 300 and some snowboards only: http://stores.ebay.com/BoardMerchant_Snowb...2QQftidZ2QQtZkm I usually buy gear in late-April/May/June. Also, going directly to the eBay shops isn't always the lowest price...sometimes it is, but surfing the general listings often turns up something lower.

Miniature is good, Dr. D. I end up using a champagne cork and a brush I cut in half for NASTAR days, since I don't take them back to my Jeep after a few race runs. I love the film cannister shakers you have for fluoro and use one for ASRA race days, but I take one of the less-easy-to-use tiny ziplocks for NASTAR, since I freeski afterward and hate any bulk. And, Doug, you can get by the whole state tax thing if you make your rap label a non-profit...you just have to be creative, like I am with all of my other dozen or so dependants on this MB.

Here are links to the four most popular eBay snowboard shops: ____________________ http://stores.ebay.com/BoardMerchant They have 328 snowboards in stock. ____________________ http://stores.ebay.com/Djs-Boardshop/Snowboarding.html ____________________ http://stores.ebay.com/BargainSports-net/S...html#snowboards ____________________ http://stores.ebay.com/Performancedownhill ____________________

Ha, Phil's gonna come kick yer *ss if you start trashing his 'Metron thing'.

We get lots of oil in our snow. It comes from the Areco guns---the one's that look like cement mixers. I have to bring a rag to wipe down my skis every time out, now that the snow layers have melted down. If you remember from last year, you can actually set our snow on fire with a lighter.

I also want to add---to this topic that many people think is a much-beaten dead horse---that my motivation is to find good, cheap gear for people that would otherwise not ski. I'm not a "disgruntled" ex-employee, as Rob has suggested. My negative work experience happened at Pelican over 25 years ago, as a kid...it's more of a funny old story to me. I think, though, that a ski shop owner might take some value in the voices coming from ski slopes, rather than just those that have already found his shop.

Yeah, that's the reputation of Dobermann boots, for sure. Rossi race boots are generally a narrow fit, as well. My foot is medium width and Atomic and Salomons are a good fit. The Nordica race skis are supposedly fantastic. I'm going to grab a cheap set of used slalom skis off eBay this spring and see what they're like.

Wow, that's all just waaay too much to even read. You guys got pretty hung up on boots not made to be walked in...but, uh, how else does someone heat them up and check real pressure points and get a real idea for what needs to be done? When I do a group lesson, I often ask about people's equipment and how long they were fitted...maybe you all want to believe you spend hours fitting boots, but, uh, no you don't. The average Pocono boot buyer tries on three pairs and spends less than 10 minutes in a boot they are going to have for at least five years--and often for their entire ski career. You guys are funny...holding onto the fact that people will remain ignorant in order to maintain huge mark-ups. People aren't that stupid. Remember the poll taken in the late 90's that showed 85% of people were not comfortable using their credit cards online? Fine, blame me. Hate on me. But what's that number now? There was a thread months ago in which I gave links to sizing charts for EVERYTHING you need to go skiing. It isn't rocket science to save 75% off of shop prices online. It takes a little effort, but so does driving to a shop...and so does spending an extra day or two at work to pay the difference. So I'm merely suggesting that local shops step up their online presense. Ski shops may have the worst websites of any business type I've ever seen. Most aren't updated, have any prices, or are anything but an electronic billboard with links back to the manufacturers. For example, go here and check out The Ski Bum: http://www.skisite.com/epic/shopsList.cfm?state=PA Click through to their site and look for a price on Atomic GS:11's...or Volkl's...or Rossi's... Do ski shops really think that the general public wants to walk into a store and negotiate for a good deal? Let me answer for the general public: NO! So you guys can yell at me all you want, but YOU guys are the one's that will suffer if you don't adapt to the new online competition. Support your local shop? I'd rather donate to my local library. Currently a sports photographer. Former ski instructor at some big places...current PT instructor at a tiny ski area. Also, part owner of a small ski area that has two lifts and a rental shop that is always in need of more cheap gear. I start with eBay, Schif. Then I often use the places that have eBay "stores" and also physical shops, like Emilios and Cupolasports. If you go to eBay and make your way to ski and snowboarding, just click around on some of the snowboards and look for shops that way. Once you find a place with good prices and lots of gear, just bookmark it. Sorry if I misundertood you.

Nah, my friend is repping for Nordica and has promised excellent deals on race stock gear. I'm not going to even consider any of his gear until he gets his *ss on this MB, though.

I bought my last four pairs of ski boots on eBay. Exactly what was your point? That buying $5 heel lifters is something special? You do know that practically all boot molds come from the same factory in Italy, right? Once people figure out that boot brands and styles come in different widths, just like shoes, then they'll be able to match their size. And, anyway, when was the last time someone walked into your shop and was fitted properly? When did someone put on a boot and walk around for more than 30 minutes? As shops continue to go belly up, more good custom boot fitters will find better business. You can call the whole internet price thing "crap", but would you buy a board from a shop for $500, or the exact same board online for $250? I don't call that crap...I call it common sense. Times change...there was a time when people thought buying shoes and clothes from the Sears & Roebuck catalogue was crazy and impossible. That was 1896. Don't hate on me for just pointing out what's happening. I didn't invent the internet. Jeff tells me Al Gore did.

Yep. Ha, I just drive skis...Dr. D's stuff makes them go fast. I'm not sure I make a very good customer, though, since I buy lots of his stuff cheap and give it away to all my buds. Eh, but I have always said where I got it...

I bought mill files, brushes, and a scraper a while back. And I got a small sample of the Fluoromax Cold, which seemed equivalent to Swix LF6 that I usually use. I can't believe the money I wasted on Cera F...$40 for 8 grams... So far, everything I've tried has been as good or better than Swix or Toko products. Hope you don't mind if we end up picking your brain a bit, Dr. D...

Wow, NO WAY!!!! Welcome here, Dr. D!

That's okay...there's still room on the podium for Ted to finish third.

Props to 'Dude for wandering up the Whiteface and knocking off 50 very good skiers to take a VERY respectable 35th in his GS, Saturday. The usual goal of PA racers is to beat 10, or so. Just tuning up to take on the fancy Olympic Gold Medalist this weekend, right?

Yeah, it really sucks that major discount retailer Costco now offers caskets at wholesale prices, instead of families having to pretty much pay what they are told during the worst of times. So why don't you "please keep arguing" on behalf of overpriced ski shops that put skiing out of reach for too many people. Denying that the internet exists didn't seem to fair too well for the three shops in the Trenton area that went out of business since we moved out of the area. Is "invaluable" another term for expensive?

Wow, you guys should have seen the great lengths Jeff went to test the binding release on my GS:11's...he put them on his boots, got them up to about 45mph, then crashed so hard he bounced off his head and skidded about 50 yards. Both skis released properly. I bet Nestors wouldn't do that for you.