Category: Skiing

Trying to Understand What Hart Skis Moving from Wayzata to Ogden, UT Means

I’m trying to figure out the Hart Skis news about the company relocating from Wayzata, MN to Ogden, UT. At a high level, it sounds like they want to move to an area that’s closer to other ski companies and near where the freestyle skiing community is bigger.

If I watch the Utah news, I hear that Ogden spent $25k to lure the company there, and they’re excited about the new jobs that it’s going to bring into the community. They also can’t pronounce Wayzata, which isn’t unusual.

But, if I read the bizjournals article about the move, I see this:

The company’s Wayzata headquarters — merely a mailing address, Julie Farni said — didn’t have any employees, so no jobs will be lost as a result of the move.

Could someone explain to me how jobs can be created in one place – based on a relocation – without taking jobs away from the previous place?

Then there’s this:

She added that she can’t say for sure whether Ogden will become the company’s official headquarters.

Which seems strange. As of the 2nd of August, someone who appears to be very knowledgeable about Hart’s history and current news (and is posting from an Ogden, UT based IP address) made a zillion edits to the company’s Wikipedia page. And, among them was an update to the company’s HQ location. There is a lot of really interesting company history missing form that Wikipedia entry.

As far as I can tell, Hart’s Ogden location is going to be an office with meeting space for negotiating with other ski related vendors and retailers. They appear to be sharing a building with another skiing related company, Descente. But, based on Julie Farni’s quote, it sounds like they’re pondering off-shoring their corporation or something.

Dick Youngblood has some Hart history at the Strib from 2005 when the company was resurrected after dying in 1998. The company’s been through quite a few ownership changes and relocations over its on and off life.

So, does anyone know where Hart’s US distribution was before it was moved to its current location in Ogden? Clearly, it wasn’t on Lake St in Wayzata next to Talbot’s. I’ve been to enough ski distribution centers to know that all they really need is some dry warehouse space and really not all that much room so it could have been anywhere. Was their warehouse in Minnesota? Since they manufacture their skis in Colorado, Washington State, and Italy, my guess would be that they distributed them out of either CO or WA before this.

SkinnySki.com RSS Feed

SkinnySki.com is by far the best resource in the Midwest for updates on cross country ski trail conditions and race results. The only drawback: it doesn’t have an RSS feed. Until now.

This is experimental, but seems to be working so far. Copy/paste the following URL into your favorite RSS reader to get the latest SkinnySki headlines delivered directly to you:

http://feedproxy.google.com/Skinnyski-Headlines-by-TheDeets

Let me know if you see any hiccups with this.

33 1/3 Thoughts on My 33 1/3 Birthday

I turned 33 1/3 today, and decided it’s a good time to reflect back on the first
33 years and four months of my life and what I’ve learned. This was a quick
brainstorm, so I may have missed a few things.

1. There are a lot of idiots in the world, but the most dangerous idiots are the
ones who fake their competence. It’s much easier to work with people who know
their strengths and limitations.

2. While chicken wings go well with beer in the evening, they add up to few
hundred calories you don’t really need.

3. Home owners care more about their communities and neighbors than renters.

4. If given a choice, choose Laguardia when flying to NYC.

5. Try as many sports as you can when you’re young. They’re easier to pick up
and you’ll avoid looking like an idiot by running on a pop-fly later in life.

6. When cross country ski racing, hit the uphills hard, then find a pace where
you don’t go anaerobic for the remainder of the hill. When you crest the hill,
ramp up your speed.

7. If you’re not an uber-geek, seek out the advice of someone more technical
than yourself before buying electronics. You’ll be much more satisfied with your
purchase, maybe save a few bucks, and won’t be mocked when you have to call your
uber-geek friend for advice on how to fix the product you didn’t ask for advice
on before buying.

8. If you know more about the characters on your favorite TV show than you do
about your real-life friends, it’s time to kill your TV. If you have more TV
friends that real life friends, get help.

9. It’s great to workout with a different person each day of the week, but if
you’re drinking with a different person every day of the week, you have a
problem. If you’re drinking with the same person every day of the week, make
sure you’re working out together first.

10. Many big decisions are not as big as you may assume. Things like buying a
home or whether to take a new job are not lifetime decisions, so save some
stress by taking this into consideration.

11. Some of the most optimistic people you’ll ever see are at REI.

12. I have never, in my entire life, heard someone say, “I’ve been hanging out
with my friends too much lately.” but the opposite is often true.

13. Hitchhiking works.

14. Spend more money than you think you should on a camera, but less than you
want on a car.

15. If a restaurant puts their name on something on the menu, it’s probably the
correct order at that establishment.

16. Don’t give people unsolicited relationship advice unless you’re absolutely
sure it’s the right thing to so. Even then, don’t expect a good reaction.

17. Try to be the best at something. It makes for interesting stories and a good
narrative.

18. Run on windy days and bike on calm days.

19. Learn how to use a search engine. It’s not about what you know, but what you
can find out in a few keystrokes that matters these days.

20. Order creme brulee at restaurants because it’s too much work to make at
home.

21. Have your drink order figured out before the server arrives at your table for the first time. That’s what they’re there for.

22. The best Jucy Lucy hamburger is at The Nook in St. Paul across from Cretin
High School.

23. Your network administrator knows more about you that you really want to
know, but most of them are not abusing that information.

24. There is not a direct correlation between intelligence and income.

25. Don’t drink strong beers on hot days.

26. Don’t expect to see Mt. McKinley on a 1-day visit to Denali National Park.

27. Synthetic running clothes are worth the money.

28. Anyone can built a website these days, and most are total ghost towns.

29. Splitting entrees saves money and helps justify getting desert.

30. Get your own domain name so you have the flexibility to change Internet
service providers without changing email. Gmail is a close second based on this
justification.

31. Visiting countries recovering from wars is a good way to avoid tourists.

32. Minnesota sports fans are not as irrationally attached to their sports teams
at many Green Bay or Chicago fans, and that’s a good thing.

33. Golf has more players who are passionate about their sport – yet do nothing
to improve their game – than any other sport. Buying new equipment does not
quality as doing something to improve their game.

33 1/3. The SuperAmerica speedy reward card helps you earn points toward free
gas and hot dogs.