Powder7
Address:
880 Brickyard Circle, #150
Golden, Colorado 80403
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 10:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Website: powder7.com
Email: info@powder7.com
Phone: (720) 674-5443
Powder7, like many great companies, got its start in a garage. Co-founder and owner, Jordan Jones started selling skis online out of his mom’s garage in 2007, and with each pair he sold, he reinvested in more skis to sell. Powder7 has long outgrown that basement space and is now located on the outskirts of Golden, Colorado. And while they started as a small e-commerce store, they now offer customers a chance to shop locally via their showroom, which is conveniently attached to their huge warehouse space. These days, Powder7 has robust business both online and in-store.
Powder7 is focused solely on what they know: skiing. With a huge offering of ski brands, ski services, and extensive employee expertise, Powder7’s staff prides itself on testing and learning as much as they can about the gear they sell. And while they have been solely focused on alpine skiing in the past, Powder7 is starting to branch out by selling telemark, nordic, and alpine touring gear.
The passionate and experienced staff at Powder7 will help you find what you need from their wide selection (they carry around 120 brands of hardgoods, softgoods, and accessories) of both new and used gear. And if they don’t think they have what you need, they’ll let you know and point you to the right store.
Powder7 also offers a ski trade-in program. One of Powder7’s biggest goals is to get more people on skis by making the sport more accessible and offering gear at a variety of price points. If you have been skiing for a few years, you likely have a pair of skis (or 10) that are currently collecting dust in your garage or closet. Instead of letting them sit there forever, trade them in for some new or new-to-you gear and let someone else enjoy the skis you no longer use.
Powder7 is built on a belief in inclusivity and accessibility, which they’ve branded as #skiingforall, and is why the owners, Jordan Jones and Amy Dannwolf, have built a shop with so many offerings and price points. Powder7 seeks to do more than just make money. Through choices like selling only plant-based ski wax, working with and donating to various nonprofits, and hosting community events, Powder7 wants to be a contributing member of its surrounding communities.
Brands
Powder7’s brand list is extensive, to say the least, and listing them all might take up a couple of pages. Powder7 carries products from over 123 brands including over 30 ski-specific brands, spanning the big names such as Volkl, Atomic, Salomon, Nordica, and Rossignol, to smaller indie companies such as ZAG, Fauna, Majesty, and many others. They also stock over 16 ski boot brands.
Aside from hard goods, Powder7 also sells a huge assortment of apparel and accessory brands. For a complete list, check out their website.
Services
Powder7 offers the “fastest ski tunes and mounts in the Denver area,” with a 48-hour turnaround year-round. Their shop utilizes a Wintersteiger automated tuning machine, in addition to having a crew of knowledgeable ski technicians. Services include alpine, AT, quiver killer, telemark, and monoski mounts, DPS Phantom Wax application, binding adjustment and testing, wax and tunes, skin trimming, and more.
Additionally, Powder7 offers a full range of bootfitting services, including building custom insoles and customizing ski boots. They also offer a bootfitting guarantee, which ensures that if you purchased boots from their shop, you receive all the bootwork you need to get your boots dialed. The bootfitting staff is Masterfit trained and includes several female bootfitters. Powder7 does require appointments to be made in advance for boot services including purchasing boots.
Powder7 also has a ski trade-in program that’s easy to use. If you have a quiver of skis that haven’t seen snow in a winter or two, head to their site, and fill out this form with information like year, brand, model, and length of your ski as well as the binding type and condition of the skis. The service is exceptionally customer friendly and in case you’re unsure what year or model, Powder7 provides images of the top sheets based on your responses. Once the form is filled out, they provide an instant offer. From there you can save the offer, and continue with your purchase and once they receive your skis, they’ll issue you a refund on your purchase. Oh and, they will send you a ski box with a pre-printed label (no added fees for this service) to make shipping your skis easy.
Ski Demos
Powder7 does not offer consumer demos. However, they do have a large “Shop Fleet,” which their staff uses to test skis and gain familiarity with the products. While this might seem irrelevant to customers, it’s worth noting that Powder7 is actively trying the gear they are selling. And they are working to offer more consumer demo days utilizing their Shop Fleet, so follow them on Instagram to stay up-to-date on future demo days.
Online Presence
Powder7 is well-known for its online presence, which isn’t surprising since it started as a small online-only retailer but has grown to become an expansive e-commerce shop that is also a fixture in its community. And Powder7’s website is more than just an e-commerce shop. Staff work hard to provide useful information to help make picking out skis more accessible. And with an active blog that includes information like ski reviews, Golden, CO breweries (including how to bike them in a day), trip reports, and their own buyer’s guide, their website is worth a visit even if you’re not in the market for new gear.
And if you’re looking to purchase, Powder7 makes it easy for customers. With in-store pickup options, a detailed ski selection filtering tool, the ability to ship your old gear for credit to be used in the store or online, or advice on how to get a new setup dialed, Powder7’s website is a clearly designed resource that helps make shopping for ski equipment more accessible.
Bottom Line
Powder7 is unique in its robust online shopping experience integrated with in-person shopping, services, and expertise. This model enables them to stock a really large selection of equipment appropriate for a huge range of skiers. So whether you’re a newer skier that has felt intimidated to ask questions at other ski shops, or if you’re a seasoned expert looking to bounce ideas off another passionate skier, Powder7 is worth an in-person visit if you’re in the greater Denver area or if you’re not nearby, visit them online.