Summit Mountain Sports
A store for skiers and backpackers.
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Summit Mountain Sports A store for skiers and backpackers.
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Where does the serious skier, snowboarder, or backpacker go in Tracy to get the top quality gear normally found in the specialty stores? They go to Summit Mountain Sports! Summit Mountain Sports, a specialty store and one of Tracy's Hidden Treasures. Located at 3240 N Tracy Blvd in the Longs shopping center near highway 205. Founded by Lance Neufeld, Summit Mountain Sports offers top-quality products from vendors recognized throughout the industry. I found Lance to be a refreshing change from the larger stores where a clerk can only point out the inventory available on the shelves. He is an experienced backpacker and skier who really understands the use of the products he sells and fully understands the advantages to using products that will last a long time. A few minutes speaking with Lance gave me a better understanding of the economies of investing in the equipment used for leisure activities. He helped me understand how many people think they are saving money by seeking discounts on the equipment we use for our hobbies, but then he told me about the false economies. He helped me to realize that the equipment is probably the smallest cost of an enjoyable hobby, and it is about the only component that will last a long time. After waiting months for a vacation, it makes little sense to spend the money on a trip to the mountains, food and lodging, only to have the trip spoiled by poor quality equipment that either falls short of expectations or fails under heavy use.
Lance brings a unique blend of experience and training to Summit Mountain Sports. He was educated at Arizona State University with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing. He was working as the manager of a large sporting goods chain store before realizing he wanted to own his own business, and to have more control over the products and services he provides. |
With his experience as a hiker, backpacker,
skier, and his involvement in snowboarding, he wanted to apply more of his
own expertise in selecting products. He wanted to make sure that people
visiting his store would get the appropriate guidance and products for
their needs. Large chain stores may sell or promote products based on special discounts for surplus products, special manufacturing runs based on store specifications, or inferior products intended to appear as the more the more expensive alternative. Although these lesser quality products may serve appropriately for the casual camper or backpacker, the quality difference may stand out when the user is a long way from home, when they become more serious about their hobby, or when they try to use the product for many years. Lance likes to say that the unneeded product warranty is the best one to have.
Why would a store carrying top-quality equipment be located in one of the older shopping centers instead of the busier ones with lots of foot traffic? The reason is that Lance provides ski tuning and repair services that could be very helpful to people traveling between the San Francisco Bay Area and the mountains. He placed Summit Mountain Sports at a location that allows customers to leave the freeway, drop off their skis for tuning, eat at any of the fast-food restaurants, and then pick up their skis and continue their trip to the mountains. Being located in a Tracy Blvd shopping center also allows his local customers to stop in either on their way in or out of town.
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Ski rentals, repairs, and tuning are important services provided by Summit Mountain Sports. Snow Skis can be rented by customers on their way to the slopes, or Lance can tune the customer's skis with the correct wax or edge for the conditions existing on the slopes or at a specific resort. Serious skiers want their skis tuned to the exact conditions and Lance is prepared to provide professional preparation when they stop on the way to the slopes. Lance has brought some of the most sophisticated ski repair equipment to Tracy. It would be necessary to travel to either Oakland or Sacramento to find the same specialized equipment found in the repair room at Summit Mountain Sports. Lance says they can do wonders for skis that have been damaged, but are not broken in half. He reports that one customer brought in a pair of skis that were so bad that he suspected it was a challenge to prove they could not be repaired. The skis were returned to the owner looking as if they were almost new. In addition to the highly specialized equipment, Summit Mountain Sports has one of the most skilled repair specialists in the area available to assist in repairing or rebuilding damaged skis.
If you are a backpacker, skier, snow boarder, or just looking for good quality camping gear, visit this Hidden Treasure of a store right here in Tracy. To locate Summit Mountain Sports, drive north on Tracy Blvd and you will find it in the parking lot behind Burger King between Kavangh and Clover. This shopping center is located right across Tracy Blvd from Food-4-Less. They can be reached at: 209-835-1683. Map Link.
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