PSA: Bay Area Mags

**freeskisquaw** · 02-16-2006, 09:35 PM

PSA: Don't buy from Helm of Sun Valley ski shop. I have been a pretty regular customer there for about 5 years and my dad has been going there for nearly 20 for various skiing needs. However, over the last 2-3 years, I have noticed a decline in the quality of service and overall attitude in the shop. Recently, I was grossly overcharged for some minor boot fitting work. (ie. 2 butterfly pads installed.) I was charged over $70 dollars for "labor", which consisted of me sitting around for 4 hours while the "bootfitter" busied himself with selling expensive high end boots to bay area gapers. After this and repeated requests to get some of my money back, they refunded me ~30 dollars. They told me that they would have a check for me the next day. They didn't. They didn't have it the day after that either. I went back about 2 weeks later and was told that they had no record of the transaction. I haggled them further and was treated really badly by a woman manager who tried to stiff arm me into leaving without my money. Eventually, I got them to mail me the check.

Moral: Helm sucks, don't buy from them.

Anyone else had similar bad experiences from this once good shop?

**skier666** · 02-16-2006, 10:35 PM

Freeski - As you would have guessed, my family has shopped there for most of my life as well. I'm in total agreement with you, their selection of equipment has declined year after year, but that's probably due to more competition (REI, Any Mountain, etc just down the street) and of course the Internet. I remember as a kid, my father telling me to stay away from the Expensive Wall - aka Volkl side. Fond memories of the place, but they seem to know less and less about skiing each year. However, I bet they sell a lot of patio equipment

**fluffballs** · 02-16-2006, 11:47 PM

Helm used to be the spot to get stuff, the quality has definetly gone downhill. I'm guessing you guys might be around my age, and obviously from the same area. I'm a senior in college, went to mitty.

**skier666** · 02-16-2006, 11:55 PM

Well, I'm a post graduate school, career-tangled, silicon valley born, Bellarmine educated dude, that ran into Freeski at Tower on Bascom one day....so I guess I'm a little older

**cj001f** · 02-17-2006, 12:02 AM

All the Helm stores I've been in have sucked since the mid-90s.

we will skip the Bellarmine minefield, except to say: high schools that recruit for sports suck

IE · 02-17-2006, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by cj001f

we will skip the Bellarmine minefield, except to say: high schools that recruit for sports suck

Haha, yeah! Proud Los Altos High grad here, fuck St. Francis!!!

And, yes, Helm sucks now, but so do REI and Any Mountain that are right over there, and so does Mel Cotton's over in San Jo for that matter. I don't actually know of a single decent ski shop in the area

.

**skier666** · 02-17-2006, 12:39 AM

For the record, I hated that place. All guys, tougher than college, ultra-nazi sports program....I ended up quiting playing football at the Varsity level because of the alum-fav-son coaching. Started playing club rugby as a senior, but then we had one of the earliest and longest ski seasons on record....so you can guess what happened to rugby.