'Insatiable' demand for ski gear as Northerners prepare for winter amid pandemic

It's a mixed blessing for sports retailers in Whitehorse — an early dump of snow, along with a growing appetite for COVID-19-safe winter activities, means demand for ski gear is way up.

The supply, however, is a bit lacking.

Ian McMahon, equipment buyer at Whitehorse's Sports Experts and Coast Mountain Sports, says there's an "insatiable need" for ski gear this year. 

"If only I was that popular right now," he laughed.

McMahon says his store still has stock, and is hoping for more to arrive in the coming weeks. But he says equipment manufacturers are struggling to meet demand, and a lot of gear is warehoused and shipped from Ontario or Quebec where COVID-19 numbers have been on the rise.

"There's been a few slowdowns in the supply chain ... in Europe, getting product over to Canada. And then there's some shipping slowdowns in eastern Canada," he said.

"I've reached out to lots of suppliers, the ones that I normally don't even work with. And, you know, their cupboards are empty."

Bill Stirling, co-owner of Yellowknife's Overlander Sports, is having the same trouble. 

"Most ski suppliers have no inventory to sell ... the whole supply chain is broken because of COVID[-19]," he said.

Stirling said he's waiting on two "fairly large" back-orders of gear.

"We don't know if we're ever gonna see that product," he said.

And it's not just skis, Stirling says — snowshoes and fat-tire bikes are also in short supply at his store. He's hoping to make up for any lost equipment sales this winter with clothing and other accessories.

Like Stirling, McMahon says he typically orders gear six to eight months ahead of time, so this year's winter order was placed last spring. 

"You can't really guess that that many people are going to hop into a sport when things sort of go at a regular pace most years. But in the summer I was already placing extra orders, knowing and anticipating that there'd be more demand in the fall," McMahon said.

He advises people in need of equipment to be flexible in what they want — while still making sure that it's appropriate for their needs. He says retailers in town are doing their best to replenish stock, but people could also consider looking for used gear.

"Use all your resources. Ask your friends, beg for it, borrow it — but don't steal anything," he said.

Ski club memberships selling fast

Ski facilities in Whitehorse have noticed a huge change this year — the local cross-country ski club has already sold hundreds more memberships than normal.

Tom Ullyett of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club says a huge dump of snow a couple of weeks ago certainly helped kick off what looks like a "blockbuster season." 

"It's just incredible. It's unprecedented ... It's just amazing the number of people that are out there," he said.

Sam Oettli at Whitehorse's Mount Sima says he's also "gobsmacked" by how things are shaping up for downhill skiers, as the ski hill has also sold more memberships than normal this year.

Opening day at Sima is still weeks away — on Dec. 4.

"But there's a good possibility that it might be a little sooner than that," Oettli said.