The other morning I had some business to attend to in downtown Salt Lake City. Any time I head into the city I try to get everything that I need to do down there crammed into one day. I made the best of the trip. In my travels I managed to mix in some enjoyable stops that are worth mentioning.
^I brought some gear down to 2nd Tracks Sports. Ben Johnson is the shop owner, and an old friend of mine. Of course, just like all my friends, I am too busy to see him very much. Whenever I do it is always good for a couple laughs. As well as some killer deals on outdoor gear.
^The shop expanded in a big way last year, and it is still wall to wall gear at deep discounts. The 2nd Tracks Sports website says it best in describing what they are all about, "2nd Tracks Sports is the only outdoor gear consignment shop in Salt Lake City. We specialize in slightly used outdoor gear and new gear being sold below wholesale."
^Wall to wall deals.
^Good folks too, of all kinds. Ben and his dogs are helping me get my gear dialed in. The pups are mostly chilling, but that is how they roll. This shop is a must visit in Salt Lake City. If your a resident needing to buy or sell some gear, then this is your place. I can testify to some brand new "in the plastic" gear that I have there selling at deep discounts. I mean deep. If you wait until a pow day this winter, then you could miss them. When the Wasatch delivers 8 inches or more of powder, the shop does not open until 1:00pm that day. That is how I like my shop to be. So get down there this fall, and make it easy on yourself. Get some.
^Another good time stop in my day's travels was the grand re-opening of the Causwell shop. Very cool looking set-up down there. It is a true showroom. The boys down there do great work. I met up with Weston D and Shaun Raskin outside the front of the store.
^Weston was quickly perving the new Surface sticks. He is excited for the winter. I am with him all the way. You can tell that the riders are all starting to feel the pull of winter.
^Owner, Mike Schneider, is helping this guy, Matt, with some Surface skis. Kind of a funny story. I grabbed some lunch at Einstein's Bagels before going to the shop, and I met Matt sitting outside eating my lunch. I told him about the shop, and that I was heading down there. I was talking to Mike in the shop when Matt walked in the front door. I laughed when I spotted him, and I introduced them to each other. Mike showed him some gear, and Matt ended up getting a smoking deal on some Live Free fat skis for this winter. Very nice ski. I think he will be stoked on the purchase.
Good shops, and good friends, old and new. Gotta love the interactions, and the stoke that exists in shops like these. The air is crispy and the mornings are chilling off. The attitude and stoke are ripe in the wind. You can feel it when you walk into these shops, and into any dank ski shop across the country for that matter. These kinds of places are magic to people like me every fall. The energy inside is electric, and I for one am loving the vibes in the build up to winter. Very exciting.