Top 5 Fridays: June 30, 2023
Welcome to a very unique Top 5 Fridays! Matt McGinnis, your favorite Top 5 Fridays author and ski industry news connoisseur is on vacation in Europe right now (Hi Matt!). With Matt away, that leaves things up to Bob and I, which could get interesting. Luckily, there's a lot going on at SkiEssentials right now, so we'll start with that.
1. First Ever SkiEssentials Warehouse Sale
That's right! We're opening up our warehouse to the public on July 22 and 23. This idea has been floating around for a while now, and we’re excited to finally open our warehouse to our beloved customers. It’s hard to describe what to expect, but let’s just say this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. If you’ve ever visited our brick-and-mortar locations in either Stowe or Killington, what you’ve seen there is just a small fraction of what you will experience at this sale. Not only will there be a vast product selection and huge variety, but you’re also going to find some of our best prices ever. How can we do that, you might be wondering? By allowing customers into our warehouse, we’re eliminating the cost of order processing and shipping. While that might not sound like much, it enables us to offer the same products to you at a substantially lower price. Seriously, it’s going to get really exciting around here.
While we certainly understand that many of our customers aren't geographically located in a convenient place to visit northern Vermont on a whim, we hope many of you are able to attend. In addition to the discounts and special deals, we'll be hosting a free BBQ during the lunch hours on both Satuday and Sunday.
This is an in-person-only event. The prices we’ll be offering will not be available at Pinnacle Ski and Sports, Basin Ski and Sports, or on SkiEssentials.com. Everything is on a first come, first served basis. While we’re well stocked in inventory, there will undoubtedly be skis, boots, boards, and other equipment that’s in high demand. When those items are gone, they’re gone.
2. 4th of July in Stowe, VT
If you happen to be in or near the Stowe, VT area for the 4th of July weekend or holiday, there's plenty of exciting things happening. First, we have a big Independence Day Sale and Customer Appreciation BBQ at our Pinnacle Ski and Sports location. Winter apparel 50% off or more, skis and bindings 40% off, then there are some really obscure and wild deals like $10 on Tecnica shoes and $1 logo wear. On Tuesday, the July 4th holiday, we'll also be hosting a Customer Appreciation BBQ from 11 AM to 1 PM. This coincides with Pinnacle being the finish line for the World's Shortest Marathon hosted by Stowe Vibrancy. If you're in the area, we'd love to see you!
If you're in the area, but happen to miss the sale and BBQ at Pinnacle, look for us in the Main Street Parade! This will be our fourth year participating in the Stowe 4th of July parade and we've become known for being quite generous in our prizes and giveaways. Hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, candy, flags, beads, temporary tattoos, there will be an inflatable snowman involved in some capacity, it's going to be a great time. I might even give away a pair of skis. Or multiple pairs of skis. I might not do that, but you won't know for sure unless you're at the parade on the 4th!
*image courtesy of Outerbike.com
3. Outerbike is Coming to Killington
For those of you in the Killington area, this probably isn't coming as news, but we're looking forward to Outerbike in Killington from July 7-9th! Killington has become one of the premiere mountain biking destinations in New England with an incredible trail network utilizing the ski area infrastructure. The terrain and efficient access is already producing some of the best riders of the next generation, and we can't think of a better spot in Vermont to host an event like this. Okay, I mean, Kingdom Trails would be cool too, but from a lift access perspective, they don't have the same capacity as Killington. You can learn more about Outerbike and the participating vendors here. You can purchase your tickets for the event here. As someone who's attended Outerbike in the past, while it can feel expensive, they're really good at packing a ton of value into this event. Meals, gear and swag, 3 lift tickets, access to a crazy amount of bike brands, prizes and contests, and lots more. It's a great event. If you can't make it to Killington, Outerbike will be in Crested Butte August 18-20, Duluth August 25-27, Moab September 29-October 1, and Bentonville October 20-22.
If you are planning on attending Outerbike in Killington, make sure to poke your head into Basin Ski and Sports. As you should know by now, Basin joined the SkiEssentials family about a year ago. We've been having so much fun getting to know the staff down in Killington and further integrating our business models. We will continue to grow and evolve and are excited for the future. If you've never been in Basin, it's an awesome space and you should absolutely check it out. We'll also be running a special for any Outerbike attendees. More on that to come. If you're heading to Killington next weekend, have fun!
4. What's Coming in Content
First, we wanted to address what was meant to be this week's review, the K2 Mindbender 106 C. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, we were forced to push back filming on that review. Luckily, as I write this, there's an SD card sitting next to me that contains a nice conversation between Bob and Emily around this new ski. You'll see that on Monday, July 3.
In other news, I (Jeff) am headed to Whistler next week for 10 days of on-snow coaching with Green Mountain Academy. While I'll be busy with the next generation of slopestyle athletes, I'm certainly going to find time to check in with the SkiEssentials audience. There will be an abundance of talent out there, including pros from many of our brand partners. I'm going to try to work in some interviews, some fun stories, and whatever else I can find time to fit into the schedule. In addition, I'll also be chatting about some early, early 2025 skis! I'm not going to give anything else away, so you'll have to tune in to see for yourself. The best place to see that content is going to be our YouTube channel and Instagram account.
*image coutesy of Stowe Mountain Resort
5. Shannon Buhler New Stowe GM
Shannon Buhler takes over for Bobby Murphy as Stowe's General Manager. After 20 years of service with Vail Resorts, culminating most recently as senior director of mountain operations at Northstar Resort in California, Buhler will take the helm here in Stowe, VT as vice president and general manager. As we've seen in the past, Vail Resorts is quite progressive in the hiring and promoting of women in leadership positions, and that holds true in this most recent move. Additionally, Buhler is the co-lead of VR's Women and Allies employee resource group. Buhler will begin her Stowe journey staring on July 17th.
Welcome to Vermont, Shannon! We're excited to meet you and can't wait to work together. To learn more about Shannon, check out this post from Stowe Mountain Resort's social media team.
Edits of the Week
First up we have Swang On from Jiberish featuring the talented skiing of Ryan Stevenson
Next up, quickly becoming one of my personal favorites, we've got Czech Mate Season 2 Episode 3
Emil Johanssen Wins Again at Crankworx Innsbruck
Bob's International Childhood Hero