SHOP TALK

There’s a lot of pieces that make up the ski industry pie. We on the media side of things, along with the talented writers, photographers and filmers who provide us with content, tell stories that aim to inspire. Athletes, with their stoke-inducing skillsets, fire us up to get out there and go skiing. Early-rising resort employees, along with the mountains they work on, give us a place to plant our butts on a chairlift to do what we all love. And innovative and ever-thinking brands brainstorm, design and manufacturer the latest and greatest gear to help make what we do possible, and that much more enjoyable.

But let’s face it: of all these important and symbiotic pieces, there’s one that’s arguably the most essential of them all: shops. Ski shops plain and simply sell fun. They point us in the right direction of the skis, boots, bindings, outerwear and accessories that will help us have the best ski day of our lives. They spend part of the season testing products, to determine which ones will work best for us. More often than not, while the rest of us are out enjoying the mountains, they’re inside, talking about skiing, as opposed to doing it. And regardless of what words or photos we publish, what videos are produced, what athletes are doing to push the sport, whether the resorts have fresh snow on the hill or not, or if brands have put forth new or familiar tools of the trade, it all starts on the ground floor: the shops… and none of the fun we have each winter would be possible without the service they provide us.

During these uncertain times, we want to encourage you to support your local shop, and much like social distancing, we should all be doing our part. So in an effort to show them some love, we’re launching a social media series that will highlight Canadian ski shops, what they’re up to during the current state of affairs, and what you can do to continue to support them over the summer and as we look ahead to next winter. Stay tuned to @forecastski for the first installment, which drops tomorrow.

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