Why Supporting Your Local Snow Shop Is Good for You

Head to your local to buy snow gear this December pre-Northern Hemi trip. Here’s 6 reasons why you bloomin’ well should and the reasons may surprise you… 

1. GST savings

Buy your jacket, boots, pants or item over $300 and claim your GST back. Even as an Australian resident, not just tourists visiting here. You must travel within 60 days or purchase and be prepared to take the item as carry on luggage but it’s worth it for the savings. Get to the airport in plenty of time with your proof of purchase, check the list on the Tourism Refund Scheme here and get your GST back.

2. Price Parity 

It used to be a lot cheaper to wait and buy skis and snowboards overseas and Alex from Burton can attest to that. “Over the past couple of years, things have evened out and we get new stuff (and the best stuff!)  at the same time and not a whole season later anymore. The boards are brought in earlier and you really do get value for your money”. 

3. Service

Speaking to local staff allows you to ask all your curly questions about how a product fits. You can measure yourself properly and see if a size ten really IS a size ten, for example. Comparing products ‘on the spot’ is a time-saver and very valuable. 

4. Boot Fitting

The key benefits of getting boots in Australia are: 

 Local benefit – You can find someone with a good reputation and recommendation from friends and people in the know. It can be more difficult to personally know what a good shop is overseas and you can return to your home shop to have your boots tweaked by the same person. Ray, from Ortho Ski says, “we have a strong domestic market in Australia so bootfitters have the opportunity to learn what makes a boot fit right, rather than selling it and never seeing it again like they often do overseas where it’s a stronger international visitor market”.

Time saving – Ray sees a lot of skiers come into the shop before their trip because they don’t want to waste a day of their precious snow trip shopping for boots. “Don’t waste time on your holiday. Get your boots fitted here then take them home and wear them around the house a couple of times and get any issues sorted at your local shop. Don’t waste time fixing them on your holiday – use that time to ski!” Ray can also confirm boot prices are the same, “especially with the exchange rate at present and you get GST rebate when leaving the country soon after purchase”. Ray’s biggest take home point about boot fitting is really the podiatry angle. “Boot fitters have the unique podiatry aspect to really drive and understand the customer’s foot and how it will work in a ski boot, this is the biggest motivation for getting into the correct boot. Pick your skis for the terrain but pick your boots to match YOUR foot”.

5. Warranties

David and Deb from Snow bound can attest to retail snow stores stocking a ‘guaranteed selection of clothing with full warranty’.  Buying in-store guarantees it will fit you properly too. 

6. Small Business is in your hands

You’ve seen it through Covid, if you don’t populate small business and local stores they just CAN’T SURVIVE. The allure of overly cheap non-descript online brands sure is tempting…but it’s a short sighted solution. Once local stores are gone, you are dependent on online shopping in the hands of just a few large corporations. From then, you will have to trust they do the right thing by consumers once the ‘competition’/ democracy of small retail stores are gone…

Local stores provide employment and offer vibrancy to communities, often sponsoring local athletes and community events such as film nights, tasting nights, shopping nights, live music nights or services like ski hire, snow tyre hire  or tuning. “Value what’s in front of you”, says David from Snowbound. 

Be part of the solution and the community you want the world to be.

Ortho Ski locations for summer are:

1. Ortho Ski Melbourne, 41 Canterbury Rd, Middle Park VIC
2. Ortho Ski Sydney, at Balmain Sports Medicine, 118 Victoria Rd, Rozelle NSW
3. Ortho Ski Brisbane, at Snowscene’s brand new shop, South City Square, Shop 3/148 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba QLD

Wild Earth 

1. 25 Central Drive, Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast QLD
2. Shop 2/ 30 The Circuit Skygate Home and Life, Brisbane QLD

Snowbound 

279 Penshurst St, North Willoughby NSW

SX Snow

11/59-63 Captain Cook Drive (Enter off Willarong Rd) , Caringbah NSW