Is there anything better than finding a hobby you enjoy as a beginner? As a native Minnesotan, I've had a love-hate relationship with winter. I love it because it's beautiful, I hate it because I had nothing to do.. Until I discovered cross county skiing.
This year, however, everyone else decided /they/ wanted to discover skiing too. So when I called around to local ski shops, I was rushed off the phone because of low stock. Pioneer Midwest said they did have some beginner skis in stock, so I decided to make the trek out to Osseo.. Am I ever glad I did!
Small store and parking lot, but don't let this fool you. The unassuming exterior is not an indicator of the wealth of knowledge and kindness on the inside. When I entered, the sales people were assisting a few other folks.. But it didn't take long for at least two staff members to make eye contact and offer me some help. Within about 5 minutes, employee Ian was helping me pick skis. He was very professional and kind and listened to me as I rambled about being a beginner and paying for rental equipment..
Something I really admired about Pioneer Midwest is this "sizing/fit" platform, where he had me stand on the ski and made sure it was a good fit for me. The Salomon Snowscape 7 Vitane (S) was the beginner ski choice for me! Boot sizing (Salomon Vitane Prolink) was a little tricky, but he was grabbing sizes as I continued to need them. He was the perfect amount of patient but also confident in the things he was offering me - he didn't confuse me with questions about bindings, they got me set up with just a good basic NNN binding (Salomon Prolink Auto). Picking ski poles was nice, as he did give me an option between a more basic (and cheaper) pole, and one he recommended (Swix Quantum 6). I went with the recommendation.
Even though ski equipment pricing can shadow what I paid in total with the more professional equipment, Ian and the rest of the staff made me feel like I was still spending my hard earned money on a meaningful purchase. What I didn't know was that at my time of purchase (1/28/21), if you purchase boots/bindings/skis/poles, you get 10% off! That was a nice surprise.
I had to get myself a nice Pioneer Midwest drink pouch too.. I should want to rep a great store! read more