New Volkl Kenjas skiing awful after first tune--and a rant about misogyny

[WaterGirl]

@GlassFast just to kill time between my zoom meeting this am, I googled OC Snow Sports and watched a few of the videos. Interesting. It seems they carry a lot of top brands/ boots/ skis. But I can see from the yelp reviews that the owner definitely has an issue. This shop is just so old school OC. lol. Sorry you had such a bad experience. Thinking the shop/ employees have attitude /think they are the bomb b/c there really is not much competition in the area.

 

[lisamamot]

Yep, that's him! I only take my daily driver and higher end skis there since he is pricey for full service, but well worth it for the sticks you're on all the time for sure. I was skeptical, but @lisamamot convinced me with her experiences there and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

Mike is the best. When I get a new ski I have him look at them; he checks to see if the bases are level and if they are not he does a "factory fresh" - it is expensive, but worth it. He does a 3/.5 edge on every ski unless you request something different, and the structure he puts on the bases is something to behold....seriously picture worthy, lol. He has done my Stockli Stormrider Motion 85, Blizzard Sheeva 9, and Elan Ripstick 94W and they ski incredibly after he was done. My husband waxes our skis throughout the season, and removes any obvious burrs, but any real work that needs to be done and they head back to Mike.

 

[tinymoose]

He does a 3/.5 edge on every ski unless you request something different, and the structure he puts on the bases is something to behold....seriously picture worthy, lol.

That's a sharp ski! That's what my SL skis are set to!

 

[lisamamot]

That's a sharp ski! That's what my SL skis are set to!

I know, right? I was super hesitant the first time he did that to a pair of my skis, but after I skied them I had zero qualms. To have my Sheevas bounce playfully through bumps and trees, but then hold a solid edge on hard New England groomers is incredible.

 

[GlassFast]

Guess what??!! I went to pick up my skis today and the guy who helped me, Ben, felt so bad for me he didn't charge me for the re-tune. He was so lovely. He listened. He went over what he did and said he'd be happy to talk with the OC Snow sports owner about the condition of my skis and what he had to do to correct them.

I was so touched. So if anyone out there skis Mammoth, go see Ben at Footloose. I forget who recommended I ask for Robert at Footloose, but that majorly helped. Apparently Robert no longer works there but Ben was Robert's protege.

Most importantly--they rode great today. As others mentioned--even faster, slicker.

Hearing all the support from so many of you really helped because those guys really got into my head. First half of my day I could really feel myself second-guessing my ability and that just isn't cool.

 

[liquidfeet]

Guess what??!! I went to pick up my skis today and the guy who helped me, Ben, felt so bad for me he didn't charge me for the re-tune. He was so lovely. He listened. He went over what he did and said he'd be happy to talk with the OC Snow sports owner about the condition of my skis and what he had to do to correct them.

I was so touched. So if anyone out there skis Mammoth, go see Ben at Footloose. I forget who recommended I ask for Robert at Footloose, but that majorly helped. Apparently Robert no longer works there but Ben was Robert's protege.

Most importantly--they rode great today. As others mentioned--even faster, slicker.

Hearing all the support from so many of you really helped because those guys really got into my head. First half of my day I could really feel myself second-guessing my ability and that just isn't cool.

So happy to hear your story end this way!

 

[Jenny]

Pretty nice/interesting that he's willing to talk to the other shop.

 

[Iwannaski]

My guess on why he said he’d talk to them? Ben knows what’s what. He knows that the guys at OC will only hear it in a deeper voice.

That’s a smart guy.
He probably knows as well that you’ll be back to him for stuff.
Smart.

 

[newboots]

This is great news! So happy for you!
And they rode great. Of course!

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

@lisamamot and @MissySki is SkiMD the place that removes the entire binding from the ski for anything they do to it? I imagine it has worked out just fine you or you guys wouldn't keep going back! I've been hesitant to go there despite hearing great reviews as I'm just not sure on the whole binding thing.

 

[lisamamot]

@lisamamot and @MissySki is SkiMD the place that removes the entire binding from the ski for anything they do to it? I imagine it has worked out just fine you or you guys wouldn't keep going back! I've been hesitant to go there despite hearing great reviews as I'm just not sure on the whole binding thing.

For a "factory fresh", yes, he removes the binding. No issues. I cannot imagine he does that for everything he does, but I am not sure. He works on stacks of race skis so whatever he does regarding bindings clearly doesn't negatively impact the performance afterwards. His background and experience are stellar. If you are hesitant, read his About and Testimonials:
https://skimd.com/about
https://skimd.com/testimonials

 

[WaterGirl]

@GlassFast that was me recommending Robert, he is extremely precise, technical, scientific and caring and we have had many cerebral conversations about skis over the years. His stint at Footloose was a comeback to the store, he really was ready to retire but came back last year. I would understand if he finally retired especially with COVID. I did see him recently at the XC track but didn’t get a chance to talk to him, so while I’ll miss him at the shop, I’m glad he’s finally getting some much deserved time off

so glad your skis are back to normal !!!!!!! And +1 for customer service

 

[GlassFast]

@GlassFast that was me recommending Robert, he is extremely precise, technical, scientific and caring and we have had many cerebral conversations about skis over the years. His stint at Footloose was a comeback to the store, he really was ready to retire but came back last year. I would understand if he finally retired especially with COVID. I did see him recently at the XC track but didn’t get a chance to talk to him, so while I’ll miss him at the shop, I’m glad he’s finally getting some much deserved time off

so glad your skis are back to normal !!!!!!! And +1 for customer service

Thanks for the advice to ask for him--im pretty certain that gave me some cred with his replacement--or at least a desire to live up to Robert's reputation.

 

[MissySki]

@lisamamot and @MissySki is SkiMD the place that removes the entire binding from the ski for anything they do to it? I imagine it has worked out just fine you or you guys wouldn't keep going back! I've been hesitant to go there despite hearing great reviews as I'm just not sure on the whole binding thing.

Yes indeed! I most recently got my edges sharpened as mentioned and I don’t believe the bindings came off then. I believe it’s only for the factory fresh and has something to do with getting a truly flat base in their process. You have the Sheevas too, I wouldn’t hesitate to try them out sometime. You can also email Mike or call to get an idea of what turnaround time is, it’s not a place you get them back overnight. Usually I’ve left mine for close to a week, so good to keep in mind to schedule around your ski plans.

 

[MissySki]

My guess on why he said he’d talk to them? Ben knows what’s what. He knows that the guys at OC will only hear it in a deeper voice.

That’s a smart guy.
He probably knows as well that you’ll be back to him for stuff.
Smart.

Completely agree, and he’s a good guy for it! My company has recently had a lot of workshops on diversity and inclusion, and a big theme of one talk was around being a bias interrupter. So basically when you aren’t the person being discriminated against in some way (be it due to race, gender, etc.) be the one who speaks up and uses your position to show others what they’re doing wrong and that their behavior is unacceptable. Shine a mirror on their biases. That other shop very much needs a wake up call from someone who can speak their language and that they would never dismiss the way they did the OP. Hopefully it will make them think twice next time and improve things for others, but their initial tone implies it’s also just as likely to fall on deaf ears.. Too bad there wasn’t someone else in the shop at the time to step up in the moment.

 

[liquidfeet]

Yes indeed! I most recently got my edges sharpened as mentioned and I don’t believe the bindings came off then. I believe it’s only for the factory fresh and has something to do with getting a truly flat base in their process. You have the Sheevas too, I wouldn’t hesitate to try them out sometime. You can also email Mike or call to get an idea of what turnaround time is, it’s not a place you get them back overnight. Usually I’ve left mine for close to a week, so good to keep in mind to schedule around your ski plans.

I thought Mike removed the bindings on every tune no matter what. That always seemed to be overkill. Glad to hear that he offers options that don't involve binding removal, simply because it means we can save some money and still get his expertise. It's a looong drive for me to take my skis to him, usually involving nasty traffic.