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Skimo.co

Profiling Three Specialized Skimo Stores in North America

November 23, 2017 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Not long ago, all of North America was struggling to buy light ski mountaineering and ski touring gear. We were ordering online from Europe, dealing with language barriers, and hoping nothing breaks because the warranty process would be lengthy.
Another big issue was, getting our light weight bindings properly mounted once the gear arrived.
That has changed completely as today, there are three specialized light-weight ski mountaineering and touring shops in North America with both an online and brick-and-mortar presence:

  • Skimo.co in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
  • CrippleCreekBC.com in Carbondale and Vail, CO, USA
  • SkiUphill.ca in Canmore, AB, Canada

Over the last couple of months, we visited all three and found that while they have lots of similarities they also have subtle differences that make them unique. All three stores are full of similar gear and have people that share a passion for moving fast in the mountains and having fun, the differences become apparent as soon as you walk inside.
We like all three and we encourage you to visit them in person when you get a chance.

Inside the Stores

Skimo.co

» Online store at http://skimo.co
Skimo.co founder, Jason Borro, comes from IT background which translates into his store’s look and vibe as being very organized and orderly. His obsession with technical and engineering detail means that the binding mounting bench is basically the centre of the store.
skimo-co-ski-wall
Skis on the ski wall are alphabetically ordered by brand and then width, in general kept under 100mm wide. The variety and abundance of choice of very light gear comes from his passion for efficiency, whether that be writing code or skiing in the mountains.

Eric Bunce, second in command, setting me up with Aski demo skis.
Eric Bunce, second in command, setting me up with Aski demo skis.
People that work in the store are as equally passionate about the same things as Jason. This is perhaps no coincidence. The overall vibe is calm yet enthusiasm for light & fast is high. The store’s technical expertise is phenomenal.

Cripple Creek Backcountry

» Online store at https://www.cripplecreekbc.com
When you visit Randy Young and Doug Stenclik’s store in Carbondale, CO you quickly realize that while passion for light gear is definitely there these guys took a more “cowboy” approach – coffee machine and beer on tab reflects their social and high energy personalities.
ccbc-store-2
Each product in their store has a little more room than at Skimo.co and the whole floor is more loosely organized. The mounting bench is at the back of the store yet still very present and busy – it’s integrated into the bar! If you are into fatter skis, specifically DPS, then this is your candy store.
ccbc-store-1
Last winter, Randy and Doug opened another store in Vail but we haven’t had a chance to visit yet so make sure you do.

SkiUphill.ca

» Online store at https://skiuphill.ca
This new kid on the block was founded only this year and is a child of Joel Desgreniers (avid racer) and Gavin Harmacy (ski mountaineering practitioner). As rumor has it, Skimo.co is an investor in this venture so expect close collaboration between the two as they will try to fulfill every customer’s expectation.
skiuphill-store-2
Their brick-and-mortar store is located in Canmore, Alberta. This town is more known for alpinism and ice climbing but is a home to plenty of fit and fast people searching for lighter gear to accomplish bigger and faster days in the mountains.
The vibe and overall feel of the store actually feels like a blend of their two older siblings in US – very organized but also relaxed with an espresso machine handily available.
skiuphill-store-1
The selection of gear is performance and light weight focused, and just like Skimo.co they offer plenty of choice from boutique European brands like Movement and Ski Trab for skis. They also carry a sizable stock of trail running gear including shoes, running vests and clothing.

Service Quality and Community Involvement

As the article title suggests, we are talking about these three stores because they understand the gear they sell as well as striving to provide the best service possible. People in each store have a unique touch in different areas but in the end they share passion for the outdoors and skiing.
Furthermore, all three stores are heavily involved in their communities and committed to provide entertainment and learning opportunities for local enthusiasts and passing by travelers.
Visit them whenever you can and support the community, together it will grow faster.

Filed Under: Gear, Tech & Food Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, skimo racing gear, Skimo.co, SkiUphill

Two Winners of SkinTrack's November Contest and $250 Prize Packages

December 4, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Until the very last day, entries were coming in for the SkinTrack November Gear Contest that we ran from Nov 1st to Nov 30th. Today, thanks to our gracious partners we are announcing the two lucky winners.
november-gear-contest-sponsors

Prizes and the Winners

The  total value of each prize packaged was $250 and included:

  • SkiMo 8 racing vest from Ultimate Direction ($100 value)
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online for Hagan Ski Mountaineering gear
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at CrippleCreekBC.com
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at Skimo.co

From over 200 hundred participants the random generator selected these two winners:

  • Steffie who mostly skis and trains in Utah, USA
  • and Ian who usually skis in Vermot, USA

Thank you everyone for participating and congratulations to Steffie and Ian –  we will be in touch with both of you via email!

Next Contest

Keep an eye on SkinTrack’s social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter  – as we are getting already getting ready for another contest 😉

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, Gear, Hagan, Skimo.co, Ultimate Direction

SkinTrack November Gear Contest: Win One of Two $250 Packages

November 1, 2016 By Stano Faban

This gear contest is closed now. We will announce the winner in next few days.
Keep checking back as we will host another contest soon!

With support from these awesome companies, we want to help you get outfitted for your training and adventures in the new ski season.
Take advantage of this opportunity and make your ski budget last longer!

Contest runs from November 1 to November 30, 2016.

november-gear-contest-sponsors

Prizes for 2 winners:

Here are the contents of a prize package two of you will win:

We helped UD to design the new SkiMo 8 vest.
We helped UD to design the new SkiMo 8 vest.
  • SkiMo 8 racing vest freshly released by Ultimate Direction ($100 value)
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online for Hagan Ski Mountaineering gear
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at CrippleCreekBC.com
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at Skimo.co

That is a total value of $250 per package!

How to participate + Rules:

It’s very simple to get a shot at the prizes in stake:

  1. Enter the contest between November 1 and November 30, 2016.
  2. One entry per person.
  3. Answer all questions and fill out all fields using the form below.
  4. Two winners will be chosen and announced by December 4 (Sunday) on our website, and contacted through email.
  5. Each winner will win the prize package detailed above.

Let’s do this:

This contest ended on November 30, 2016 and the winners were announced here.

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, Gear, Hagan, Skimo.co, Ultimate Direction

Interview with Skimo.co founder Jason Borro: "Weight is a handicap on freedom"

October 2, 2013 By Stano Faban 23 Comments

Stano: First of all, congrats on opening Skimo Co – North America’s first absolutely specialized light skimo gear online store!
Jason: Thanks!  I am excited for the season, pray for snow!
Q:  You had the grand opening yesterday, October 1st. When did the idea of such a specialized store came to you? Why ski mountaineering gear? Will it be all light gear?
skimoco-screen-capSometime in the past few years, while hunting for specs on Skintrack or in the comments of WildSnow, it became evident that shopping for ski mountaineering gear was way too hard. I only have the passion to be a gear head when it comes to ski mountaineering; I would do a poor job with bikes or whatever.
Lightness is relative of course, but we aren’t carrying any skis or boots over 1500 grams this season.  That was more a practical budgeting decision than any magic number; I imagine it will creep up a bit over time.
But I don’t ever see us with 10lb skis, as that would dilute the focused experience for people who have realized that weight is a handicap on freedom.
Q: Where are you based?
Salt Lake City, Utah, North America.
Q: Oh, so you are in the same town as the online outdoor gear giant Backcountry.com. Why should one shop at your store versus theirs?
I recently read a quote from a BC founder saying how they regretted losing focus on skiing.  We won’t make that same mistake.  If you want to chat with an expert kayaker while looking at a dated stock photo, check them out.  If you want to be helped by a ski mountaineer, or you expect ski shop services like binding mounts and skin trimming, check out Skimo Co.
Q: Are you a ski mountaineer? Do you also race?
I’m one of those people that passes the summer doing any activity just to stay in shape for winter, when (barring injury) I ski 100+ days a season, mostly in the Wasatch backcountry. Peak bagging, powder lapping, technical chuting, I love all of it.
jason-skimoco-climbing
I race recreationally but unfortunately do not have the pedigree to seriously challenge a local Dorais for a podium spot.  I need lightweight skimo gear just to keep up with one on a casual tour!
[Here’s an interview with Jason and Andy Dorais if you don’t know who they are. Or even if you know.] jason-skimoco-skiing
Q: How long did it take to open the store since you really started to work on it?
It started with the hopes of saving me time while looking for gear, but I think it backfired.  It’s been more than a full-time job for somewhere around a year.  This is after spending my twenties honing software development skills in corporate America and Europe.  Hopefully other skiers can benefit from my sacrifice / stupidity.
Q: What kind of gear will you carry? And what brands?
I’ve been convinced of the benefits of lightweight gear for some time, and we are working with great partners who share the same vision.  Dynafit, La Sportiva, SCARPA/Trab, and CAMP are leaders in the space, and we also have great items from smaller names (at least in N.A.) like Hagan, Movement, Plum, Millet and more.
I hope we can become a one-stop shop for all things related to light and fast ski mountaineering.
Q: Will you be running any kind of loyalty program?
We were planning on launching with one, but it took a back seat to getting the product experience right. Our experiment with paid reviews (in store credit) is a step in that direction. We are currently more worried about getting gear in stock than getting it out the door. Dealing with fuzzy shipping dates and lost parcels are some of the many challenges we are learning how to overcome.
Q: I see that you have gear packages, that’s great people will save some money. Would you be open to let people customize these in the future?
I think package deals are a good way to get started with a new style of skiing.  We put a few together to help guide people into combinations that make sense, but certainly they are not one-size-fits-all. A customizable approach makes a lot of sense if we can safely navigate manufacturer restrictions on pricing.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
We pledged our first $1000 in sales to avalanche centers and we hope to do more in the future.  We can’t thank avalanche professionals enough for making our sport safer.  Let’s have a fun and safe season!

Check it out

If you haven’t checked out the new Skimo.co store yet you better do it right now. But you better have some napkins handy, drooling is guaranteed 😉
 

Filed Under: People (Interviews) Tagged With: Jason Borro, Salt Lake City, skimo race gear, Skimo.co, Wasatch

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About SkinTrack

Travelling through snowy mountains on skis is like flying… and experiencing life at its core.

Gear reviews, interviews, adventures, contests, skills, skimo training, race reports – we connect you to all things related to self-propelled skiing.

SkinTrack.com, created by Stano Faban, was born out of passion for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular ski mountaineering blogs in North America.

Recent Articles

  • Kilian Jornet Interview: About His New Foundation, His Own Environmental Impact, and How He Wants To Help Athletes and The Outdoor Industry To Protect Nature
  • How Fast Are Glaciers Really Melting? How Will This Affect Your Mountain Adventures? Interview with Pascal Egli
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