After more than a year of hard work, I am proud to announce that Skimo Co is open for business!

Kindled from a passion for ski mountaineering, formalized during a layoff due to injury, and toiled on daily since, Skimo Co is a specialty ski shop that is singularly focused on backcountry adventures.

Our philosophy is simple. The best way to enjoy the Freedom of the Hills¹ is on skis, and lightweight skis let you enjoy more of it. Or to put it more succinctly, skiing is fun and light is right.

While our shelves are not yet fully stocked, we've taken great care in selecting equipment to aid you in your travels. We've painstakingly detailed and verified manufacturer specifications, so you can spend less time researching and more time skiing. Check out our product comparison tool for a sample of our efforts.

At Skimo Co, we don't believe you should have to navigate through a complex menu hierarchy to find alpine touring (or is it randonnée?) bindings that are compatible with tech fittings. Here, we just call them bindings. We even write articles about them to help you choose.

In addition, we want to foster a welcoming community for backcountry skiers of all abilities. Starting by offering a bounty for ski reviews, we hope to encourage the free exchange of information and opinions. You can start by calling us crazy in the comments below.

I am also pleased to announce that we have pledged our first $1000 in sales to the Utah² and Northwest³ avalanche centers. We recognize the amazing work performed by avalanche professionals around the country to help make everyone safer, and we hope to support more such centers in the future.

Last but not least is our most important pledge: to you, our customers. We will do everything we can to help equip you properly for your pursuits, be it winning a race or simply venturing past the ropes at a resort for the first time. Please let us know if you need any help finding the right gear or using purchased products. If you need a part, we will try to get it for you. If you have a problem, we will make it right.

Thanks for reading and have a safe season. See you on the peaks!

-jbo

1. Freedom of the Hills, The Mountaineers Books, ISBN 978-1-59485-137-7. Wikipedia entry.

2. Utah Avalanche Center, http://utahavalanchecenter.org/

3. Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center, http://www.nwac.us/