BY DYLAN SEALE

In the heart of every mountain town, ski shops are the true glue that holds these communities together. Without these shops, who’d help throw local rail jams, host the next ski movie night, or fix your bindings after they explode for the third time this season? My guess wouldn’t be Curated.com.

It's time we come together to support these local shops like our very lives depend on it. However, there's one small problem... these shops usually carry the same boring brands we can just find online. It’s time for that to change. It’s time for these shops to start carrying the independent brands that we forum-dwelling summer haters want to see most. Surely there must be an easier way for these local shops to find the brands skiers look for the most?

Why ski shops can’t source gear from independent brands

First off, I want you all to know that it’s not always the case that ski shops don’t want to carry products from independent brands; there are usually other factors involved. For example, brands are often discovered at trade shows or by sales reps visiting shops. However, for an up-and-coming brand, it can cost thousands of dollars to table at a trade show, and sales reps often ask for hefty commissions that a brand with thin margins can’t afford.

Even if an independent brand does manage to get in touch with a shop, the shop's desired order is often too large for the brand to fulfill. This puts the brand in a tough spot: they know they can make money on the sale, but banks still find it too risky to offer financing to manufacture a run of skis.

In short, this is why brands that focus on profit over people continue to succeed in the industry. It’s the independent brands that bring innovation and diversity to the market, and we need to find ways to support them so they can thrive alongside the bigger players. Only by doing this can we ensure that the ski industry remains dynamic, inclusive, and full of fresh, exciting options for all skiers.

The Solution

Small brands need a tool to get their products into the local ski shops that care most about their communities. If strong partnerships between independent brands and local shops are formed, I guarantee we will see a ski industry filled with more variety, quality products, and stoked riders. How do we do this? My solution is to create an online marketplace that only indie ski brands and shops can join. Here, local shops can discover new brands and make streamlined payments for products their customers love. When an order is too large for a brand to fulfill, we can offer financing to help the order get fulfilled. Sounds great, right?

Luckily, a marketplace like this has already been built, and it's called The Outdoor Wholesaler. Brands like Paradise Skis and Board Budder are already listing products, and it's only a matter of time before we see these indie brands and more stocking the shelves in a shop near you!

If you have a ski brand that you wish you could see in your local shop, feel free to send them my way. Also, if there's a local shop near you that's always supporting the ski community (hopefully by sponsoring Rail Jams... we need more rail jams), send them my way too.

ABOUT DYLAN SEALE

As the founder of The Outdoor Wholesaler, Dylan is passionate about strengthening relationships in the outdoor industry. Since he started park skiing, he realized that some of his favorite brands were not always found in the local shops he liked to support. That's why he is setting out to create a marketplace to directly connect independent ski brands with a network of local ski shops.