This might be a bummer or it might be good. Hard to know. Life Link has done a good job and we wonder how anyone in a few months can set up a customer service infrastructure to match the one that Life-Link has developed over eight years of distributing Dynafit. Of course there is always WildSnow.com to provide Dynafit info — perhaps we’d better ramp things up, Salewa might be depending on us! Also, if we can offer a word of advice to Salewa: Base your North American distribution in a top backcountry skiing city. You might be tempted by Denver or Boulder, but Salt Lake City, Utah is the only choice. Really. Dynafit rules in the Wasatch, might as well stay close to your throne.
Press release from Dynafit:
“Jackson Hole, Wyoming-Life-Link Backcountry Travel and Dynafit have agreed to end their distributor relationship after the 2006/07 winter season, announced John Krisik, President of Life-Link International.”“Dynafit was an appropriate fit for Life-Link Backcountry Travel, the synergy yielded positive results on all fronts, for each brand. After a fruitful 8 years it is apparent and agreed upon by both parties, that it is time for Dynafit to continue doing business on their own terms in North America. They have great product and we believe that Dynafit’s success will continue to grow under Salewa North America. As for Life-Link Backcountry Travel, we will now bring our focus back to the brand and our commitment to innovating, expanding and delivering the best backcountry gear possible, which has always been the core of our business” stated Krisik.
For the 2006/07 winter season all shipping, ordering and customer service functions will still be run through the Jackson Hole, Wyoming based Life-Link Backcountry Travel. Orders for the 2007/08 winter season will be taken by the newly formed Salewa USA, which is still in the process of hiring personnel.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
