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The struggles of joke ski shops and new setups

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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
Since I've spent a majority of paychecks on gas and Backcountry.com i used my credits and black friday sales to buy Salomon Q98s and Salomon Warden MNC 13s, however being a teenager and having no money I had to stagger my purchases leading me to have a later than usual start to my season. 5 days ago I went to a local shop that i had used two years prior to mount my skis, although the Tech wasn't in the manager said everything was all set and i should see it in about a week. two days later i called just to make sure everything was going ok and i was told that the tech came in and everything should be done by the weekend which was a surprise to me considering the wait had been shortened by several days. However i was skeptical of the claims and i received a less than spectacular phone call saying the shop didn't have the Jig to mount AT bindings... so in a panic i called another shop and got connected with a far more qualified Tech who had been working for over 25 years at the store. after a 20 minute drive to the first shop and a 10 to the next one of the floor emplooyes informed me that the tech had left (45 minutes earlier than I was told on the phone) So now I'm praying that the Jig that he is 95% sure is right (Warden WTR jig) I will be getting my skis 1 night before I leave for the latest start to my season I've ever had. Anyone else have some horror stories to share?
Dec 11 2014 8:47PM
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rtl32
Posts: 679 - Karma: 1,161
Not really horrible but for some reason my skis this season are taking forever to get past customs in Canada, and I sold all the setups I had last year. If your up for a real horror story, I've skied three days (bout to be 5 this weekend) on really old 157 masterminds/rock skis,. Still skiing though, I have nothing to complain about!

Nothing compared to the stories about to be posted regarding broken legs the day before opening or shops fucking shit up and not compensating.
Dec 11 2014 8:54PM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
rtl32Not really horrible but for some reason my skis this season are taking forever to get past customs in Canada, and I sold all the setups I had last year. If your up for a real horror story, I've skied three days (bout to be 5 this weekend) on really old 157 masterminds/rock skis,. Still skiing though, I have nothing to complain about!

Nothing compared to the stories about to be posted regarding broken legs the day before opening or shops fucking shit up and not compensating.


Customs are really no fun some times, I've had to pay some pretty hefty unseen fees on Longboard stuff from Vancouver, but i can't wait to here some of the actually horrible accidents and mishaps that happened to everyone
Dec 11 2014 9:01PM
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Mr.noodle
Posts: 1361 - Karma: 4,651
I was getting my skis mounted and the shop said it would take a week to mount, they said they would call me when they are done. About a week after they said they were gunna be mounted I called and they said it would be another month.
It wasn't ski season but it still kinda rustled my jimmies
Dec 11 2014 9:19PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,011
That story doesn't sound like a horror. mounting them backwards and refusing to refund you full prise of the set up would be a horror story.

I'd say your first hint of a gong show was when the first shop told you it would take a week to mount your skis. If you aren't able to mount them yourself just bring them to the shop with a case of beer and they will be done almost instantly. The most you should probably ever wait for a pair of skis to get mounted is overnight. If a shop told me it would be a couple days to mount the skis I'd leave.


I don't have any stories myself that involve horror, but plenty good stories.

Brought a pair of haggard skis in to get a frankenmount, not actually expecting them to touch the skis. Sure enough - the tech and shop owner agreed that it would be a liability for them to do what I wanted them to - so we all agreed to just let me go into the back myself and do it on my own using their tools. I think it was a 4th mount with parts from three different bindings. Do what you gotta do sometimes.
Dec 12 2014 1:48PM
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louie.mirags
Posts: 6015 - Karma: 5,029
DrailThat story doesn't sound like a horror. mounting them backwards and refusing to refund you full prise of the set up would be a horror story.

I'd say your first hint of a gong show was when the first shop told you it would take a week to mount your skis. If you aren't able to mount them yourself just bring them to the shop with a case of beer and they will be done almost instantly. The most you should probably ever wait for a pair of skis to get mounted is overnight. If a shop told me it would be a couple days to mount the skis I'd leave.


yeah that is what I was thinking... I haven't had to even leave the store before they are mounted
Dec 12 2014 2:10PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5235 - Karma: 20,715
brought some schizo bindings to the local shop to get mounted earlier this week since it seemed like a lot could go wrong doing it by hand with those. First warning sign was that there were no twin tips in the store and most of the skis looked like rentals. Second was that at the counter they didnt even ask me where I wanted them mounted or open the box to check what binding they were, I had to bring that up as they were carrying them away. Came back the next day and they mounted them 3cm off, even after I told and wrote down where I wanted them.

I figured it was no big deal since they were schizos and I can move them, tightened a screw they left loose and waxed/detuned. Skied them tonight, turned out they didn't use a jig that they probably didn't have and didn't tell me about because they didn't bother to check what binding it was. And now one of my bindings is closer to one edge then the other. I could have done a better job at home (and at this point probably plan too)


should 3cm be enough room to remount?
Dec 12 2014 10:52PM
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Wrenn
Posts: 226 - Karma: 915
The only ski shop within at least 50 miles shut down for good, but they were shit anyways
Dec 13 2014 2:21AM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
Ah i was misreading the PDF from salomon. Everything was sorted out and they could get it done in a few days after i brought it in. the Warden WTR jig was the right one luckily but around where I live its hard to find good shops just because of the lack of business (Cape Cod MA) but everything is going pretty smoothly
Dec 13 2014 4:17PM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
Ah i was misreading the PDF from salomon. Everything was sorted out and they could get it done in a few days after i brought it in. the Warden WTR jig was the right one luckily but around where I live its hard to find good shops just because of the lack of business (Cape Cod MA) but everything is going pretty smoothly
Dec 13 2014 4:17PM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9215 - Karma: 5,398
Ski horror stories? I havent even skied yet and probably won't for a few weeks still. wat do.
Dec 13 2014 4:32PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51666 - Karma: 162,558
Where are you heading? Can you just get them mounted there?
Dec 13 2014 5:09PM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
theabortionatorWhere are you heading? Can you just get them mounted there?
Im just day tripping and I don't want to spend half my day in shop on the mountain
Dec 13 2014 5:17PM
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Mingg
Posts: 13978 - Karma: 49,320
When I got my current skis, the guys at the shop mixed up my boots with someone else's and mounted my bindings to fit some guy's.. The shop ended up getting a new pair of skis for me and got everything all sorted out pretty quickly. Luckily it was a couple weeks before the season started so it wasn't too bad.
Dec 13 2014 5:53PM
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judmaster77
Posts: 176 - Karma: 227
I got my skis mounted at a play it again sports and they didnt screw in one of my brakes, fell and the break came off and it took me over an hour to find my ski in the woods
Dec 13 2014 5:53PM
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caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
I wish there was a ski shop that operated like tirerack.com so those of us who live in the middle of nowhere and have limited ski shop access could get our skis mounted by someone who knows what they're doing and then shipped to us. I used tire rack to buy wheels and tires for my Suby and it was great, they came mounted and balanced I just had to swap them out. If backcountry or evo did this with skis and bindings it would be so sick.
Dec 13 2014 9:30PM
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B.Quincy
Posts: 1074 - Karma: 963
Connor_SullivanAh i was misreading the PDF from salomon. Everything was sorted out and they could get it done in a few days after i brought it in. the Warden WTR jig was the right one luckily but around where I live its hard to find good shops just because of the lack of business (Cape Cod MA) but everything is going pretty smoothly


Living in the cape as a skier, that must really suck do you at least live on the lower cape? Otherwise i dont know where you would go for a shop haha must take a while to get to the mountain too
Dec 13 2014 9:38PM
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crotchvent
Posts: 1527 - Karma: 2,184
caucasian_chadI wish there was a ski shop that operated like tirerack.com so those of us who live in the middle of nowhere and have limited ski shop access could get our skis mounted by someone who knows what they're doing and then shipped to us. I used tire rack to buy wheels and tires for my Suby and it was great, they came mounted and balanced I just had to swap them out. If backcountry or evo did this with skis and bindings it would be so sick.


There would be a lot of liability issues with that since they don't have the boot there. I imagine lots of mounts would get screwed up due to boot sole lengths being told to them wrong and what not.
Dec 13 2014 9:59PM
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caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
COOOOPThere would be a lot of liability issues with that since they don't have the boot there. I imagine lots of mounts would get screwed up due to boot sole lengths being told to them wrong and what not.


Well tirerack can do it without ever seeing your vehicle so I don't know why there would be much difference. Plug in your height, weight, boot model and foot size and the shop can figure out what the BSL is and mount them up.
Dec 13 2014 10:29PM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
B.QuincyLiving in the cape as a skier, that must really suck do you at least live on the lower cape? Otherwise i dont know where you would go for a shop haha must take a while to get to the mountain too


I live in sandwich so I either have to have to go to Puritan for most bindings, or drive off cape to REI or another reputable shop
Dec 13 2014 10:33PM
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crotchvent
Posts: 1527 - Karma: 2,184
caucasian_chadWell tirerack can do it without ever seeing your vehicle so I don't know why there would be much difference. Plug in your height, weight, boot model and foot size and the shop can figure out what the BSL is and mount them up.


They still can't tell the condition of the boot by that. That is where they could really get into some trouble.
Dec 13 2014 11:07PM
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Mingg
Posts: 13978 - Karma: 49,320
COOOOPThey still can't tell the condition of the boot by that. That is where they could really get into some trouble.


If you buy a complete set up(boots, bindings, skis) then it would work. But theres some obvious problems with buying a complete set up over the internet.
Dec 13 2014 11:09PM
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Gr0mo
Posts: 707 - Karma: 3,663
Finding a good tech around my way is tough. I know some shops around that are absolute garbage and charge insane fees.

Best tech I found was some rookie at sports authority believe it or not. Kid is ridiculously cheap for mounts and will get them done in 24 hours. Had 3 pairs mounted with em and he always is spot on. Also 15 bucks compared to 75 is a huge bargin
Dec 13 2014 11:33PM
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scott_Q
Posts: 147 - Karma: 196
when i went to pick up my armada ar7 with griffons the guy at the shop showed me a pair of them with a hole drilled through them and said they were mine and he couldn't get another pair in till next month but after 1 minute he said he was joking and gave me my pair...biggest scare of my life
Dec 13 2014 11:52PM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
Gr0moFinding a good tech around my way is tough. I know some shops around that are absolute garbage and charge insane fees.

Best tech I found was some rookie at sports authority believe it or not. Kid is ridiculously cheap for mounts and will get them done in 24 hours. Had 3 pairs mounted with em and he always is spot on. Also 15 bucks compared to 75 is a huge bargin


That was my first stop, the place that also told me 4 days after bringing them in that they didn't have a jig for them
Dec 14 2014 9:54AM
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Hugh_Conway_jr
Posts: 746 - Karma: 467
OP is disappointed that the local shop cant (or wont) mount all the shit he bought on-line quickly.

OP should learn to mount his own skis, or buy local.
Dec 15 2014 9:28AM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
Beetle_KillOP is disappointed that the local shop cant (or wont) mount all the shit he bought on-line quickly.

OP should learn to mount his own skis, or buy local.


not exactly just ticked they didn't inform me up front that they didn't have the parts necessary to mount them
Dec 15 2014 9:48AM
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Connor_Sullivan
Posts: 479 - Karma: 1,686
Beetle_KillOP is disappointed that the local shop cant (or wont) mount all the shit he bought on-line quickly.

OP should learn to mount his own skis, or buy local.


not exactly just ticked they didn't inform me up front that they didn't have the parts necessary to mount them
Dec 15 2014 9:48AM
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