Snow was falling steadily as I began my ascent to Brighton Mountain resort last month after wrapping up at a busy Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Utah. The mood in the car was elevated, as I drove along with several locals who were seeing their first real storm of the season. Up at the ThirtyTwo house, walking distance to the lifts, spirits were similar.? As I dove into the brand?s educational seminar on its newest line of boots and outerwear for 2013, it was apparent that the company puts a large emphasis not only on letting its sales staff and retail partners try the gear for themselves, but also takes their feedback into serious consideration as further tweaks are made throughout the development process?a? strategy that has become increasingly successful over the past ten years since it launched the annual Boot Camp event.
The yearly tradition was founded by long-time ThirtyTwo Marketing Director Brian Cook, who has seen the event through its infancy and attended every session since its inception. Celebrating a decade this January, the camp returned to its birth place at Utah?s Brighton. For Cook, giving retailers a tangible, hands-on look at outerwear and boots, and a chance to see how they work on the hill, is a key part of what ThirtyTwo represents. Retailers from across the country follow a few days of riding with a comprehensive presentation from the ThirtyTwo sales staff detailing each new product in the line, allowing them to make educated decisions about? next season?s buys.
For Ben Olson, owner of Damage Boardshop in Duluth, Minnesota, this year marks the third notch on his boot camp belt.
?It?s great meeting all the in-house dudes in person that I?ve been talking to over the years via phone or emails and then giving your input on the products,? says Olson. ?In this day and age it?s great to see a brand like ThirtyTwo listening to what real snowboard shops have to say about their brand and boot camp is a great way to accomplish that. ?Besides talking with company folks, I really dig talking with other shop owners from the different regions to see what?s checking and working well for them. You can bounce ideas off each other and then go back with some fresh concepts that will make your store that much better and help you survive during the rough times.?
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