Where'd all the skis go?

Bluebird Day

New member
I ventured into three ski shops over the past rainy weekend to kick some tires and noticed that the "ski wall" at each shop was less than 50% of what it had in prior years. Clearly, the shops are ordering less skis. I was looking for a new fat ski to take out West this year (demos are getting too expensive), and there were none to be found. I guess I will rely on the internet for skis, as I've bought my last two pair that way.
 
The specialty ski shop is nearly extinct in SoCal. I'm sure online sales are competing on a national basis. But mix in the 75% snowboarder ratio among the younger generation here and few shops have the customer base to maintain a good ski inventory. My new Head Jimis will not be mounted here, but on my first Mammoth trip.
 
Keep in mind, too that in the current economic climate a lot of manufacturers are slimming down their lines, not only within brands but also across commonly held brands, e.g. Rossignol/Dynastar, etc.

The Internet distribution channel has been one of the few bright spots for ski hardgoods over the past few seasons.

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