it's not really the gear that i have problems with, but the company itself. i guess i'm biased though because i've seen the differences in interests between various reps when we'd talk to them at trade shows. at the smaller denver regional show, the oakley guys didn't really show any enthusiasm when we were talking to them about the shop. we even had a guy with us who is/was sponsored by oakley and the reps still wouldn't make time for us. too busy with the specialty sports people, i guess. kinda shows you where their priorities lie. yeah we're not a big company, but you'll still get a sale out of us. after numerous phone calls to regional and national reps, we still didn't get any response or we got the run around, so we went with spy who was more than willing to help us even though we'd only stopped by their booth at the regional show for five minutes and didn't sign up or show interest in watching their presentaion. starting a shop really gives you insight as to how the whole industry runs and how different companies conduct business. i was really impressed with the dna reps who showed us everything they had for next year, and stayed for over an hour after the show ended to finish their presentation and talk more about the store. they were so stoked about the whole thing, and they were both at least in their 50s. i'd rather support the companies that support the sport and it's progression, which encompasses more than just the stuff you see out on the hill. current retail stores just don't see the direction skiing is headed and don't really market it like they could. just my thoughts though. you kids do what you want. i'm not trying to push anything on you, just telling a story.
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'That's what Punk is to me. The near final understanding that the world is ours, and that we only have to realize it to make it so.'
-Ben Bormann
