Dray S.
Yelp
A real letter I wrote to Bob Gleason, President of Bootdoctors and Paragon Outdoors:
Dear Mr. Gleason,
My name is Dray Sterling and I just returned home from a short ski vacation with my son, Jake (12), in Telluride. We were on a father-son vacation to spend some time together - just the two of us (mom and sister stayed home) - and were having a great time overall. However, Jake was having quite a problem with the ski boots we had rented from another business in Mountain Village - so much so that it limited the amount of time we could ski each day because his feet hurt so much. Of course, having great, quality time skiing together was the whole point of the vacation.
After asking a few Telluride veteran skiers where to go for the best rental equipment and consultation in Mountain Village it was clear from the unanimous answers that BootDoctors would receive a desperate visit from us that day! We walked over to your Mountain Village location immediately.
Upon entering the retail side of the store we explained our situation to the nice, young lady who greeted us. She took us strait back to the rental area, asked us to complete Jake's skier profile on the computer and told us she would have us work with Bryce. Bryce smiled, waved from behind the counter and started chatting with Jake while I finished-up his skier profile.
By the time I joined them over at the rental fitting area Bryce and Jake were well into their conversation about Jake's boot/foot issues from the "other place", his skiing experience, skill level, goals to develop as a skier, as well his overall athletic experience, types of sports he enjoys away from the slopes (tennis), and other qualitative questions about Jake and what kind of guy he is . . . as a person.
After learning about Jake, the athlete and person, Bryce moved on to the quantitative stuff - foot measurements, height, weight, etc. - before picking a boot for Jake to try. I was not surprised at all that Bryce's first choice of a boot for Jake fit perfectly. However, I was pleasantly surprised that Bryce spent the time to explain to us why the boot he chose for Jake should be a great fit for his feet as he was placing one of them on Jake's foot for the first time. In 15 minutes, Bryce taught us more about ski boots and proper fit than I had learned during my 30 years of skiing. "This boot is 10 times more comfortable that the boot from the 'other place'", was Jakes comment when we asked how it felt.
I will summarize the ski an pole-fitting process by telling you it was just as thorough as that of the boots - excellent!
Jake's comfort and experience in Bryce's recommended equipment on the slopes the following day was the polar opposite of that in the "other place's" equipment. We had the best day of our whole vacation - controlled, comfortable skiing; great, quality time together; happiness; and memories that will last forever. In other words, Bryce did not just fit Jake in the right equipment - he taught us and expanded our knowledge about ski equipment. But more importantly, Bryce basically saved the last day of our vacation, he made a father and son have a great time together. He affected life!
We are so grateful to Bryce for being "Bryceless" and to you for the culture you have created at BootDoctors® & Paragon Outdoors.
My family will rent from BootDoctors again next ski season (multiple times if we get to ski as much as we wish) and I plan to stop contemplating the purchase of my own equipment and finally buy custom fit boots and some Wagner Custom Skis with killer graphics! The only question remaining is whether I will purchase from your Telluride or Taos locations. Hmm, such a dilemma!