Hello Readers. Nathan Schultz besides being a long time friend of mine is the one who makes this website possible. I put up pics and stuff - but Schultz is the man that made the site, and who continues to run the site. Thanks Nathan... here is an interview with him regarding his new project and other things...
PV = Pete Vordenberg
NS = Nathan Schultz
PV - Nathan… you’ve raced most your life, you’ve coached, you’ve run clinics and training camps, built race teams, and more – why go retail?
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NS - For years I have been doing software consulting as my primary job with all of the skiing stuff on the side. It is really kind of funny because when I
started looking at this seriously, no matter how I spun it, it always came
out that I would be working harder and making less money. That is not the
usual formula for success.
The reason I'm doing it is that I have a unique vision of what XC retail
should be and there are some opportunities locally and nationally that just
won't be there forever. Adding retail and stone grinding to my formerly
part-time coaching and camps projects allows me to dedicate myself to what
I'm passionate about and do all of these things right.
into the distance, Schultz and Simons NZ 05.
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PV … what sort of goals do you have with BNS?
NS - We have a lot of goals, but basically I want to be involved with helping
people enjoy the sport. I have been fortunate to spend the last 15 years of
my life skiing all over the world and I want to be able to give pieces of my
experience to others so they can find new ways to enjoy skiing. I've picked
up a lot of esoteric knowledge over the years and I'm excited to put that to
a constructive use. Whether that is taking people to New Zealand, helping
someone figure out waxing, training, equipment or getting them fit to gear
that is perfect for them, it's fun to pass that experience along.
Another big goal of mine is to stay focused on what we do well so everything
that we touch is world-class. The reality of the XC ski business is that it
is a small, seasonal, niche sport. Most of the time the overhead of
employees, rent, etc. makes a true cross-country specialty shop a financial
impossibility. I don't want to be distracted by selling tennis rackets or
sleeping bags because I am not passionate about them and therefore I can't
add value to them.
We've done some unique things to reduce our overhead and be able to focus
entirely on selling things that we add value to. Unfortunately, we are not
going to be able to compete with the big volume players on price, but we
know there are enough people out there who appreciate the value we add and
find our expertise and service is worth the small extra cost.
As an example, our ski selection process takes a lot of extra time which
adds significant expense to the process. We look through a lot of skis to
find the ones that match our criteria for what makes an exceptional ski. We
are considering a large number of characteristics and a ski not only has to
match what our experience says is a great ski, but it has to fit the person
precisely. We don't sell skis that are "close". When you look at the end
product, yes it costs more because it we're spending on average 30 minutes
to get one pair of skis, but we feel that what we're selling is a bargain.
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Nathan Schultz
PV … where does BNS fit in the cross country community? Is it a simple retail
shop or is there a trap door in back with guys sitting around plotting to
take over the world?
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NS - I haven't found the trap door yet, but we are definitely searching hard for
that secret passage to world domination. I am out to steal everyone's
customers, HA HA HA HA HA. All 8 of them.
It's funny that you mention that because I've already drawn the ire of
several other retailers before we are even really open for business. It's
unfortunate that some are going to view what we're doing in that way because
I am and always have been out to build the sport. It is frustrating to have
done all that I've done for the sport and still have people think I'm out to
get them.
It has been really encouraging that most people get it. I'm excited that
the long-term relationships I've had with my closest competitors is allowing
us to work together. I have worked closely with Neptune Mountaineering,
Devil's Thumb Ranch and Snow Mountain Ranch for years and they have been
very supportive of us and are sending people to us to grind skis. Will I
take some ski sales away from them? Undoubtedly. But I will also be out
there making people excited about the sport and hopefully bringing in ten
new ski sales for every one they lose.
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Carl Swenson, Law Student at the UofUtah. So you think you got strong legs?
PV … you have been involved in so many aspects of the sport and on many levels, where do you personally want to see the sport go and how do you see BNS fitting in to that vision?
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NS - Boy, that's an easy question.
I want to see the sport grow healthy again and I think we are on our way.
The junior teams have made an incredible step up in the past ten years and
the overall level of professionalism in coaching has improved immensely.
There is a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm there and we are seeing the
results in the latest generation of skiers that has matured into World-class
skiers.
I still see many challenges, though. We need to patch the demographic hole
that appears between the ages of 25-35. The Junior community is healthy,
the masters community is healthy, but there are not enough young adults who
stick with the sport.
The community of skiers is strong and I think that now the missing link is
infrastructure. Coaches' Education, strong clubs, strong sponsorship that
will support athletes as they mature into peak age. We need to have more
high-level racing and we need to have a North American World Cup swing of 6+ races every year. We are a long way from there. I think there are people
in this country who could make those things happen, but we're all pretty
burnt out. It is exciting to see the new programs like CXC stepping up to
this level.
Where I have succeeded in the past has been making people excited about the
sport and doing things that need to be done. Boulder Nordic Sport will
support the local community, racers and events around the country that we
feel are focused on building the sport. I, personally, want to continue
making things happen in areas where they need to happen. Coaches'
education, events and helping USST however I can. I am excited because BNS
allows me to devote myself to these things more and I know that the effort
we expend supporting the sport is an investment that will pay off well.
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Storm coming. NZ 05.
PV … What’s going on in the Boulder and front range area ski community? Is it growing? Is the growth mostly youth, masters or cyclist-in-off-season? Are
they all into skating or is there a roots crew?
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NS - I don't know; I've been sitting in my basement on the phone in front of my computer for six months. If you ever want to explore the depths of
workaholism, start a retail business with an on-line component and stone
grinding operation all at the same time.
The Front Range is growing rapidly and the ski community is adding people
and professionalism. The junior club in Boulder is strong and growing with
an active group of parents pushing development, CU just won another national
championship and DU is nearby and re-energized with some new skiers and
coaches. There is an enormous women's group that meets every week during
the winter to ski and socialize.
Rocky Mountain Nordic is gradually building some programs and support around Colorado, and we are finally bringing all of the different groups (juniors, college, seniors, masters) together.
Skate skiing is big. Huge. There are so many cyclists, runners and
triathletes in this area that we could probably do just fine with them
alone. Boulder Nordic Sport's home is inside Boulder Cycle Sport and I used
to race bikes professionally so we have a lot of strong links to that
community. Boulder Cycle Sport was voted the best new bike shop in America
for 2005, and we are excited to ride that vibe and help make skiing
accessible to people who are just finding the sport. I just have to steer
clear of confrontations with convicted dopers in North Boulder Park.
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Dave Chamberlain putting some bend in the poles.
PV … BNS is close (in name only) to BS, did that concern you at all?
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NS - Shhh, you said you wouldn't bring that up. I saw that Clinton interview on Fox last week and I learned some things about handling hostile interviewers, so you better watch it.
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self portrait. Bliss... NZ 05
PV … What can a BNS customer expect?
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NS - Bliss. Hand me another softball, would you?
No, seriously, skiing should be fun and we aim to make it so. As I said
before, our goal is to add value to everything we sell, so clients should
expect world-class service and expertise and they should expect to learn
something useful with each purchase. Our store, web site and camps are all
unique experiences and we will be working hard to continually improve them
and keep them fresh.
This is a pathetic cliché, but people should expect the unexpected. We're
loading up my entire stone grinding operation which includes two 1700lb
stone-grinding machines, a heat box the size of a small car, wax benches and
tools and dragging the whole entourage up to West Yellowstone where Zach (Caldwell) and I will be grinding and doing service work in a rented shop space across from the trails.
Despite being completely overworked, we are having a blast creating unique
fixtures for the shop and I guarantee you that you have not seen a
cross-country ski shop like ours before. There is this place outside of
Boulder that recycles construction and industrial waste and it is our gold
mine. We have an iron shop across the street from us that is fantastic - we
take all sorts of crazy pieces in there, tell them how to put them together,
and the next day we have a unique new fixture. We'll have to post some
pictures on bouldernordicsport.com once we get everything up and running.
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Schultz and Simons. NZ 05.
PV … Are you looking for your customers to come from Colorado, Rockies, West, Nationwide, worldwide?
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NS - Our local community is strong and very supportive of us and that is what
made us launch this thing. I did this with a group of small private
investors who are passionate about the sport and saw the need for a quality
shop in the area. Our home is here in the Front Range and that is a big
part of who we are and what we are doing.
Colorado is also a big part of our plan. There are a lot of good shops
here, but it is still under-served overall as a lot of business leaves the
state. We hope to fill the niche here and help all skiers who want the
highest level of service and fit.
At the same time, there is a big need for high-quality ski service in the
Western US. We have partnered with Zach Caldwell's Engineered Tuning to be
able to provide the highest level of quality in that area. It is a perfect
match because our abilities complement each other well and geographically we
are set up perfectly to cover the entire country. Even if we stone-grind
every cross-country ski in Boulder, it would take me about 50 years to pay
off the machine I bought from Zach, so luckily there is a big enough market
out there in the West to support a world-class service operation.
So far with our hand-selected ski sales we are about 50/50 with locals and
people from the Western US and Alaska.
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Night skiing in June, Crested Butte, Colorado at a camp that Nathan put on and I helped coach. Fun time!
PV … You started racing in the mid 80’s so you are a bit young perhaps to make any claims on the evolution of the American cross country skier, but what in your eyes does the American cross country skier look like?
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NS - America is a big place and I think that one of the reasons I enjoy skiing so much is the differences that you see around the country. The community is
so diverse that it keeps it entertaining.
Although, maybe diverse is a bad choice of words. Demographically
homogenous, but a wide range of personalities. An entertaining range of
personalities to say the least.
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PV … Beyond BNS what does Nathan Schultz have going on these days? Are you training, planning some races this winter, still coaching, doing any
computer work…?
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NS - Not much these days. I basically work and play with my family a little bit,
but that is it. I was sad that we had to cancel our New Zealand trip this
year so I could work on the ski shop. I had to curtail most of my
extraneous projects to focus on the task at hand, so we cut our event
schedule down to Thanksgiving Camp and New Zealand 2007. I'm expecting to be working pretty much non-stop until Christmas, but then hopefully I'll be
able to back off a bit.
I am still racing for FSx and my big priority this year will be the Birkie.
Needless to say, my training to this point has been less than ideal, but I
am making an effort to get back into the swing of things.
We run a training group here in Boulder and that is fun because I can live
vicariously through the athletes we coach and they drag me out to stay in
some semblance of shape. I also have a number of enthusiastic coaching
clients who are out there doing some impressive training given their jobs
and they are inspiring me. I think I will start getting back into shape
tomorrow....
But mostly, there is so much exciting stuff going on at the shop and endless
possibilities that I'm pretty much happy doing what I'm doing for now. I
certainly can't sustain this level of intensity for too long, but things are
great for now.
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Boulder Nordic Sport
www.bouldernordicsport.com