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binding swap kerfuffle

KustyTheKlown

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i feel somewhat burnt today for sure, but the very existence of an independent ski shop here always has made me happy. and this isn't in manhattan, or even hip brooklyn. its in bay ridge by the verrazano bridge. its a family business in a working class part of brooklyn that has been there for decades. its the exact kind of business i like to support. theyve mounted skis for me before with no issues. this was a bad incident and i think a shop who deals with more skiers like me/us and equipment like mine/ours would have had a better outcome, but i'm still glad they are there and won't stop using them for more standard fare.

i'll continue going to them, because my other local options are REI and Paragon, which are giant stores staffed by transient teenagers. at least at the bay ridge shop its been the same guys working there for years.
 

ScottySkis

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Emiplllos
They run lots of buses to ski Hills
I never used them for anything other than getting me from NYC to ski Hills
I spelled the name incorrectly for a reason
 

Not Sure

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mount yer own fucking skis..... ain’t that hard.

He's a Lawyer ....Seriously different people have different skills and Touring bindings are a bit more touchy to mount . There's a confidence level involved ,if you think you mounted them correctly but you might second guess. Lots to screw up some ski mfg's want screw holes tapped and others not .

Just take the old skis and drill holes all the way through the bases and voila there's your jig since there trash .
 

KustyTheKlown

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I live in a 500 sq ft apartment. I don’t have a work bench or tools. And I don’t want to ruin new skis learning to mount them, ever.

Drilling all the way thru the old ski is a good idea. Too late now. Oh well.
 

deadheadskier

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i feel somewhat burnt today for sure, but the very existence of an independent ski shop here always has made me happy. and this isn't in manhattan, or even hip brooklyn. its in bay ridge by the verrazano bridge. its a family business in a working class part of brooklyn that has been there for decades. its the exact kind of business i like to support. theyve mounted skis for me before with no issues. this was a bad incident and i think a shop who deals with more skiers like me/us and equipment like mine/ours would have had a better outcome, but i'm still glad they are there and won't stop using them for more standard fare.

i'll continue going to them, because my other local options are REI and Paragon, which are giant stores staffed by transient teenagers. at least at the bay ridge shop its been the same guys working there for years.
I get where your heart is at. I feel the same way. There are a number of independent local ski shops near me in coastal NH. I've tried like hell to support them, but all of them have let me down in one way or another over the years. Mounting failures, boot fitting incompetence, bad tunes, you name it. And I'm 90 minutes from prime ski country in NH, so you'd think the shop quality would be decent. They aren't. The one I liked and supported the most in part because the owner is a long time head, I had a heart to heart with him a few years ago. He basically said he doesn't have the staff experience or tools to offer the level of service someone like me wants and that he'll never be a highly technical shop like you'll find in the resort towns like Stowe, North Conway, Killington etc. His primary business is convenience for mid level recreational skiers, but stocks some higher end gear because there's a lot of wealth in the area and some of those rec skiers have it and aren't afraid to spend it even though they ski groomers at Loon ten days a season.

Ever since that conversation, the only money I spend locally is on seasonal rentals for my 4 year old. Those shops won't close because I spend all my money up north these days. Same is true for your Brooklyn shop. We aren't their target market. Soccer moms with money sending their kids off to Hunter or Gunstock are their market.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

BenedictGomez

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Have you lived in Florida?

How long have you live in nyc?

You don’t know what you’re talking about!

I'd suspect he is correct.

When I lived in the city I never took my skis to any shop in NYC on the educated belief their turnover would be massive, the work quality would be a Russian roulette game, and the prices all significantly higher.

Always did stuff at a few Mom & Poppy VT shops, or at the mountain itself. Contrary to popular belief, I've routinely found resort prices for basic ski work to be cheaper than average, and with very knowledgeable staff.
 

tumbler

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Tying back to the other thread about buying a ski place. Having the ski place lets you have a relationship with the local qualified ski shop near you that is very worth it. We have ours and it is great.
 

kingslug

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I used to get a tune once in a while at REI when i lived in the city..thankfully i dont live there anymore and have the room to do tuneups..i woukdnt mount my own though.
And touring bindings..even the technical ones have come a long way and can be used every day..my friends out west have been doing it forever..i dont use tech bindings though.
 

KustyTheKlown

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ah got it. yea i used to predominantly use frame bindings (the barons, and some salomon guardian 16s) but i've gravitated away from those and my DPS and Kastles both have look pivots/rossi fks now, which are my gold standard for a resort binding. so low profile, so light, such a dependable release with the 360 degree heal piece. all i wanted was to keep the barons on one set of skis so i could have the ability to tour if the opportunity presents it.

my issue with having work done in vt under my current arrangements is that i never ski the same place 2 days in a row and i'm usually staying down in town (waterbury, manchester, rutland depending on where i'm skiing), and i wake up on sundays at 6:30 AM to get to the next place, generally something further south and close to home. so its never easy to drop off on a saturday and pick up on a sunday morning.
 

jimk

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mount yer own f'ing skis..... ain’t that hard.

LOL. I just paid a local shop $80 for a remount job like Kusty had done. I ran into someone I knew working at the shop and he's probably lost all respect for me now :oops:

I could talk to you for hours about ski area trail layouts, terrain variety, snow conditions, history of skiing in the US, itinerary planning, budget travel tips, etc., but don't ask me to mount bindings on a new pair of skis without messing up the job:)
 

KustyTheKlown

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there's just no risk v reward for me there. if i do it well, cool i've mounted the bindings. if i screw it up, not cool i've ruined an $800 pair of skis. i'll gladly pay a reasonable price to let a professional do that.
 

jimmywilson69

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That sucks... Especially when you have a shop that you trust and then they break that trust. It sounds like the owner explained it pretty good, and I think you understand it.

If this guys is worth anything, he'll make you whole this weekend with the season rental for your lady. If they don't then unfortunately it's probably time to go somewhere else.

My local shop is great and I trust them 100%. A simple mistake like this though would absolutely ruin that for me. I'm very fortunate to have 2 pretty good shops here in Central PA within 10 minutes of home. the shop I don't frequent has let me down, numerous times. I basically don't go there...
 

crank

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I would have told them on the first phone conversation to not do anything until you had a chance to make a few calls. Then you could have picked your stuff up and taken them to a shop, probably in ski country, that could mount the bindings.

I find that high volume shops are less likely to want to do work that is not cookie cutter than mom and pop shops in the hills. I have had similar issues with a popular local store that I no longer do much business with. At least they didn't try to sell me bindings when they couldn't figure out how to mount my Freerides.
 

KustyTheKlown

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yea I know. It happened fast. Def should have told them to hold off. I don’t even need the black crows for Colorado Xmas, I’m bringing the kastles. I can’t be too upset bc I did tell them to proceed, that’s on me
 
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