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Announcing BIG changes in our tune shop!

The tuning shop at Shep’s has always delivered outstanding quality and service when it comes to prepping your gear for the best possible performance on the hill. This year, we’re making it even better. LOADS better!

Every winter, we strive to bring you the best performing, hottest new skis, boards, and gear on the planet, and people are hitting the slopes now more than ever. Our tuning wizard, Pete Kohlmoos, works his magic tuning, waxing, edging and repairing. To meet our own increasing demands while staying true to our promise of providing our customers with the best possible service and quality, we’ve purchased four new pieces of tuning equipment from Wintersteiger.

Known for their legendary quality and results, Wintersteiger produces industry leading tuning equipment that can be found worldwide tuning skis for the highest caliber of skiers. Shep’s expects nothing less for our customers. We want our racers on the best gear available, tuned to the highest standards. We want the fastest possible turnaround time to get skiers of all levels back on the slopes, and we strive to deliver cutting edge services that simply can’t be found anywhere else in our area. To do this, here’s what we updated:

Micro 71 Stone Grinder: An update to our existing machine, the Micro 71 is capable of tuning skis and snowboards of all widths with exceptional results. Need the bases on those powder skis fixed up? No problem! Board a bit rough after hours in the park? We’ll get it looking great!

Trim 71 Ceramic Disc Edger: With a specific machine for sharpening base and side edges of skis and boards, Shep’s is now able to bring you laser accurate performance.

Waxjet 93: Designed to deliver hot wax to skis and snowboards in a faster and more efficient manner, the Waxjet 93 provides a deeper penetrating wax to your equipment while using less materials. This translates to a better performing product while leaving a smaller footprint on the environment. It will also significantly speed up our tuning time, getting your equipment done and back to you in record time!

Drivetronic: By far, this is the machine we are the most thrilled to introduce to our customers! The Drivetronic is an alpine ski binding tester designed to do one thing: ensure each and every binding that leaves our shop is performing properly and in the safest manner possible. We want you to be safe and have equipment that is performing at its best. The Drivetronic, combined with our highly-trained ski technician, will allow us to do just that.

Not on the water yet? You should be!

As the lakes and rivers in our area continue to warm up with the great summer weather we’ve been having, you might find yourself dusting off your summer watersports gear for another fun season. Today, I thought I’d share a few quick tips for prepping your equipment to ensure a great, hassle-free summer on the water. Also, since we have so much amazing new gear here in our store, I figured I would give you all the details should you find yourself with skis or tubes or ropes that have seen one too many summers.

Before using waterskis, wakeboards, ropes, tubes, or any other watersport equipment, it’s important to clean and inspect them. Bindings and boots should be checked to make sure the screws and bolts holding them to the ski or board are fastened securely, and the boards themselves should have no damage or cracks. When checking the boots, also make sure the rubber, velcro, and lacing systems are in proper working order. As boots age, they become more susceptible to rips and tears. And remember: what was in good working order when you stored them the pervious season might not always fare well through the dry winter storage months, so taking the few minutes to double check your equipment always a safe bet. Lastly, ropes, when either at the end of their life, or not stored properly, can become brittle and break under the high loads placed on them when towing skiers, boarders, or tubes. A visual inspection of your rope is usually enough to reveal any fraying or dry rot that could result in a quick end to a day on the boat.

Hopefully your watersports gear is still in great working order and you can get out on the water soon! If it has seen better days though, or it’s time for an upgrade, Shep’s is the place to come. We stock a full range of waterskis, wakeboards, wakeskates, wakesurfs, tubes, and kneeboards from HO Sports and Hyperlite, as well as all the accessories you could ever need (from life jackets to ropes to repair parts). And thanks to our great HO / Hyperlite rep Rick Skinner, our already experienced, highly-trained staff just received a special two hour training covering all the new gear and latest technologies on all things watersports. Can we help with any questions you might have? You bet we can!

Wake board packages from Hyperlite starting as low as $299.00!

Ski combos from HO priced to move at $179.99!

With sizes in stock able to fit infants to the Incredible Hulk (almost), we’ve got the life jacket you need to look cool and stay safe. Prices start at $39.99.

With specific ropes for waterskiing, wakeboarding, and tubing in stock, and prices as low as $15.99, it’s time to stop using that same old rope for everything. You’ll get better performance and be safer in the process!

Need a tube? We’ve got ’em! From our $79.99 HO Sports Hornet to the four person Extreme XL, we’ve got loads of great choices to fit your budget and family size!

One last thing: now that you have that great new gear, you need to care for it. Our post from earlier this year will tell you everything you need to know!

Afton Alps Demo

A few weeks back, Robb, BT, TonyZ, and I made our way over to Afton Alps in Minnesota for the dealer ski demo. Most of the big names were there with next year’s gear, and for five hours straight, we put dozens of skis through their paces to make sure the gear we offer you next year is the best possible skis on the market.

While we each walked away with a list of personal favorite skis on the day, all four of us agreed on two as clear standouts: for the second straight year, the Salomon Q98 was a clear winner. Smooth, stable, able to ski anything by any type of skier – this ski just rips. The other favorite? K2’s Rictor 90XTi. An unbelievably stable ski, we couldn’t make it loose it’s grip in even the hardest of turns. That said, it was super easy to make turn any radius turns we threw at it, while remaining smooth the entire time. It was hard not to smile riding this ski.

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SIA Snow Show 2014

Last week, Robb, T, Rachel, and I traveled to Denver, Colorado for the annual SIA Snow Show to get a look at all the new ski and snowboard gear for next season. And I have to say it: we are excited!!! So much great gear to bring you next winter.

To give you a small peak into the show, as well as a preview into next year’s potential gear offerings, I snapped a few photographs during the show. Enjoy!

2013 Goals and Resolutions

Is this the year you finally run that 5k? Maybe lose those extra pounds? Perhaps try kayaking for the first time? Travel to Paris? Whatever your hopes and goals may be for the new year, the most important thing to remember is to take that first step. It’s never easy to start something new, especially after years and years of a certain lifestyle. You’ll find though, with a little effort and some determination, we adapt to new things fairly quickly. So in light of the new year, and because getting back into shape is always high on everyone’s resolution list, I thought I’d pass along a few helpful tips to keep in mind as you start your new journey.

1. Start small. If you want to get back in shape, running a marathon isn’t the best place to start. Try taking the stairs once or twice per week instead of riding the elevator. Maybe you can shovel the driveway instead of breaking out the snowblower the next time we get a dusting of snow. Heading to the gym isn’t the only way to get started on your path to feeling great, and there are tons of ways to get yourself in the mindset of leading a healthy lifestyle, oftentimes without spending a single dime. Just remember – diving in head first seldom works for most people, and will quickly leave you overwhelmed.

2. Be honest with yourself. If you’ve never held a tennis ball, planning to win Wimbledon later this year might be a stretch. The same goes for your goals, and it’s ok if you don’t know all the answers right away. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and going into a new goal or resolution with hopes too high will almost certainly result in letdown. Want to lose 20 pounds? Start by losing five and go from there. Reaching that first goal will provide a sense of accomplishment and great motivation to lose the next five pounds. Keep in mind that everyone who has ever achieved anything first had to start at the beginning.

3. Educate yourself. An old coworker from a former job had a sign hanging above her desk that read “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Without the proper knowledge, you’re far more likely to not find success in your new endeavors. Just as you wouldn’t leave on a cross country road trip without a map, you shouldn’t start a new goal without a good plan. There are tons of free resources available today to help you find the answers to your questions, and our staff is a great place to start. Made up of outdoor sports enthusiasts of all ages, we’re eager to help with any questions you may have.

4. Have fun and be creative. Getting into shape doesn’t have to mean countless hours at the gym. Instead, grab some snowshoes and enjoy the outdoors. Relive your youth and lace up some ice skates. Heck, take a ballroom dance class if that interests you. The main goal is to get off the couch and get yourself moving! Why? Have a look at this:

Sitting is Killing You

Remember, it’s often the small, simple changes that produce the greatest results! We wish you the best of luck with your new resolutions in the new year!