CHARACTERS WELCOME
INTERVIEW BY MARK SEGUIN PHOTO BY BRYCE PACKHAM
DENNIS NAZARI
Tell the people of Utah about yourself, Dennis. What makes you excited to get out of bed every morning? The only thing that really gets me out of bed in the morning is a big POW day, and that’s regardless of how much sleep I’ve had. This is a big year for Salty Peaks. Five year anniversaries are rare in this industry, let alone twenty-five year anniversaries. What has been your favorite memory of the shop in the last twenty five years? Wow 25 years of memories and you want me to nail it down to just one? I guess it would have to be being invited on the 12 seat cat trip with snowboard pioneers Tom Sims, Chuck Barfoot, Dimitrije Milovich, and surf legends Mickey Munoz, Mike Doyle, Herbie Fletcher, Nat young, Joey Cabell, Mike Carnahan, Ray Santa Maria and Gerry Lopez. Having all these great minds and incredible souls together in one cat for 3 days of perfect bluebird and deep powder was as epic as it gets for me. Maybe it could be topped with a bigger cat and bringing along Heffner and few of the playboy bunnies. But there have been so many good times you could fill a book with stories about 25 years of Vegas trade show shenanigans and parties; another book with competing in contests, designing boards and road trips; another with experiences in documenting and preserving snowboard history; and then you would have another volume for shop life and all the drama that comes with retail and the 20 something’s that are in fact addicted to snowboarding. And you could fill yet another volume with all the events and contests we have put on over the last 25 years.
Conversely, what has been the biggest challenge? As far as consistent challenges over the last 25 years, hiring the right crew with a good snowboard knowledge and training them to be the best in the industry, but also getting them to stay in retail. After getting extensive training many branch out into other industry positions, or start their own business. Most often repping is a place some want to go, and most people that are reps today got their start at a shop. Some go on to be team managers, graphic guys, movie producers, even product developers and sales managers. So specialty shops help train industry leaders and shop credentials go a long way when companies are hiring for a position because having a perspective on the industry at specialty brick and mortar retail is crucial. Has there been a clear, defining moment for Salty Peaks in that time? Sure, several. I think the most notable was after 911 when I sat down with the crew and explained some drastic abrupt changes. Cuts and freezes to shop programs, team, and parties. Most thought it was an overreaction, but by the time other shops around the country, and right here in Salt Lake, realized they needed to tighten the belt, unfortunately it was around their neck and they choked. We saw the first thinning of the heard with more than 30% to 40% of the shops around the country going out of business or getting bought out by competitors at that time. What is the biggest factor contributing to Salty Peaks’ succeeding where so many others fail? I believe it’s always been the independent and individual minded approach to business and taking care of customers that drives the excitement for snowboarding. To not spend money you don’t have, to stay out of debt and to see a slower gradual growth, we always broke our own trail, never looked to others to tell us how to do things. We actually developed programs and ideas that have been used by others throughout the years like manufactures, rider support and the team concept, to product development and suggestions on how to improve products Define where the local specialty shop belongs in the puzzle that is the snowboard industry? Well like I was just saying, the specialty shops are the testing grounds for new ideas and trends that big box retailers can’t provide. You can’t be a true snow or skate specialty shop when you sell lawn furniture , camping gear and team sports; the level of expertise is just not there. You know the “I’ve ridden that board” testimonial
by the guy you’ve seen on the hill before. At salty peaks we don’t read canned sales pitches or product info off a computer screen by someone that’s never been on a snowboard like the online sales sites do. We provide a better knowledge base and true customer service. In Salt Lake we have 3 shops that have endured the test of time probably better than just about any other resort area, and a large part of that is because we push each other to do more and go bigger as competitors. Just like when you’re out riding with your friends you always have more fun and learn more when you ride with better riders. Riders in this area are lucky because Salt Lake has some great shops that bring a lot of choices to the area. The bottom line is the specialty shop that provides the “scene” and in some cases makes snowboarding more accessible
Every time I go into the repair shop at Brighton I overhear people commenting on “all those cool old snowboards” hanging on the walls over the stairs. What inspired you to start your vast collection? I have family members that were instrumental in historical documentation and my grandfather built or restored some of the coolest buildings in and around the Long Beach area, so I picked up an interest in history and realized it’s easier to document history as it happens rather than try to go back 20 or 30 years and piece it back together. So the snowboard museum and archives is intended to be preserved for generations to come to see where the roots of snowboarding started. Some of the coolest boards on display were saved by being pulled out of the dumpster back when we started the shop. The display at Brighton is a very condensed version of snowboarding history. I think Randy’s going to let me expand it to the other stairwell next spring.
Recently the “Free Alta” movement has had something of a revival thanks to some YouTube videos. What obligation, if any, do you think Alta has to let us ride the lifts? Do you think it will ever happen? Alta was the first resort I ever rode the lifts at. I have seen a lot go on with Alta since the beginning. There is such an old guard there with the “we hate snowboarders with a passion” attitude at Alta that it will take a lawsuit or other forced measure to make it happen. I remember Chick Mortensen (Alta head honcho) telling me that as long as he’s alive snowboarders will never be allowed at Alta just before he hung up on me! I know in the late 90’s Maria McNulty made an effort to make a case against Alta based on the fact that Alta sits on land leased from the forest service and their denial of snowboarders is discriminatory in nature. I know there have been discussions about this among the snowboarding legal community over the years, and I think someday it will happen. I have done many interviews over the years where I have pegged Alta as the last resort to allow snowboarding in North America. Today we are down to 3 resorts that don’t allow snowboards, including Alta. I don’t know Mad River Glen’s story, but it doesn’t really matter. They are on the East Coast so they don’t really count as a real ski resort in my book, and Deer Valley is such a poser resort that has the weakest terrain out of all the Utah resorts, I don’t think alot of snowboarders care to go there anyway when you have true world class terrain just down the street. Deer Valley is a bit to stuffy for my liking
Thanks, Dennis for taking this time. Anyone you want to thank or shout out to? Of course the hard working crew at the shop especially Kerri, Travis, and Randy, Zach and mop and anyone that has worked there in the past that didn’t get fired! All the manufactures that have contributed to the progression of snowboarding, Dimitrije Milovich creator of Winterstick and along with Wayne Stoveken who from my research are the first guys to ride a “true” snowboard with hands free surfing of snow, Jake Burton for all the investment he’s made into making snowboarding a