Opening day was yesterday at Columbus' local ski/snowboard resort, Mad River Mountain and stomping ground for Olympic hopeful, Louie Vito. In spite of global warming's attempt to push it back until after Christmas, the folks over at MRM have been diligently making snow for the past week and a half. If you're a winter sports enthusiast like myself, be sure to check out stuff for your boots, knees, and wrists!
Edit: Speaking of Ohio snowboarding...CONGRATULATIONS go out to Louie Vito on his victory at the Copper Mountain stop of the snowboarding Grand Prix!
Owww look who uses SuperFeet (or at least used to!)
I'm a bit of a pack-rat...I get it from my mom, I think. Regardless, I have a really hard time throwing away old snowboard magazines. It's sad, I know, but I have a bunch from the mid-90's. When I get really bored, I flip through the old guys and laugh at how much technology and fashions have changed in the last 12 years. Last night, I was flipping through a Buyer's Guide from the 2001/2002 and noticed this article:
If Superfeet are good enough for a pre-pubescent Olympian, they're probably good enough for you (and certainly good enough for me).
Notes: -Re-printed w/o permission from Transworld Snowboarding (2002 Buyer's Guide Special) -When looking at prices, this was back when gas was just over $1.50
The leaves are changing, the stores are full of candy (except ours), which can only mean one thing: It's almost Halloween. I have to say, however, that the scary movies are probably my favorite part of this holiday with Celtic roots (known as Samhain, but pronounced "saw-win"). Sure I grew up watching Freddy Kruger and hockey mask Jason movies when I was five with my cousin, but I believe one of the best Halloween movies is "Poltergeist". That little girl was just plain creepy, especially when she says "they're here"(who watches TV static, anyway?) The point of this blog entry is not only to declare my love for cheesey horror movies, but to let you guys know that they, are in fact here. The pronoun I am speaking of, is of course, the Superfeet Black DMP. One of the very first blog entries was actually about this product and for a few reasons, it's ship date was pushed farther and farther back. You see, the folks over at Superfeet are very passionate about feet (weird, I know) and the products they sell. When the initial batch of Black DMPs arrived in Ferndale,Washington, they opened the box, laughed, and called their supplier and told them it wasn't good enough. Obviously their new supplier was able to get it right, which is why they finally shipped. Between the demand of initial orders and the hype that's surrounded this insole, I haven't even been able to try this, myself. Of course, the first day I put them on the shelf, both people that tried them on bought them! If you're in the Columbus area, I strongly encourage you to stop by and try them, as Superfeet will not allow us to sell this product through our internet store at this time.
When I think of Canada, I conjure up images of frothy rivers of beer, games of hockey played on ponds, and funny accents. While my passport might be from the United States, I grew up in Buffalo, NY. If you know anything about geography (and more specifically, geography of the northeastern United States) you would understand why I consider myself an honorary Canadian, allowing for me to verify the accuracy of the aforementioned stereotypes. One generalization that I had never made about Canada, however, was their competence in designing and manufacturing shoe insoles. That was until I tried some of SOLE's heat moldable custom insoles. I now have no problem adding SOLE Insoles to my list of "favorite Canadian things", right next to maple syrup and the lower drinking age (it's 19, by the way).
Now you're going to say, "James, what are you doing? Hyping up another insole? You made the Superfeet sound like God's gift to man in previous blog entries! What's all this bologna about Sole insoles?!" First off, I like that you said "bologna" out of a grocery store context. Second, I still love and believe in Superfeet's lineup. Don't get me wrong, the Superfeet are an incredible product and we will surely continue to carry them. However, since we've been open, there have been instances when, *gasp* not one model in the entire off-the-shelf Superfeet line fit a customer. This is where our newest addition to our off the shelf orthotics come in. In our quest of "improving the quality of life for our customers by providing access to the best sports medicine, orthopedic, products available" we have noticed that it is necessary to offer another type of shoe orthotic for our customers.
As you probably know by now, SOLE is a "heat moldable" custom insole. What this means is that you can either wear the insoles out of the box (which is recyclable) and over time, the orthotics will conform to your feet. Or you can expedite that process by popping them in the oven, pulling them out and standing in them. Personally, I prefer the latter. To see how simple the process is, watch this:
Much like the Superfeet line, SOLE has a variety of offerings based on foot type and application, which essentially affects the width of the insole and the thickness of the foam. B&A Sports Medicine Store will be initially carrying the "Softec Regular" and "Slim Sport". Personally, I like the "Regulars" for my running shoes, while the "Slim Sports" are awesome for my Doc Martens.
I have no idea as for the reason why Canada makes such a good insole. Could it be because they were developed in proximity to the University of Calgary, home to one of the most renowned researchers of the biomechanics of the foot and ankle, Dr. Benno Nigg? Could it be because they have so much free time while waiting for a doctor's appointment, not uncommon with a universal health care system? It's difficult to say. It is, however, easy to say that if the Superfeet haven't worked for you, then SOLE certainly deserves a chance.
(Softec Regulars)
Two additional things, a) In a previous post, I spoke about our "Green Initiative" and how, whenever possible, we would take necessary steps to limit our impact on this fragile planet. I'm proud to say that our partnership with SOLE is congruent with this program. The kind folks over at SOLE use vegetable-based ink on their 100% recycled stock for their print materials and Ecopac packaging, which is a corn-based petroleum product. b) Our SOLE shipment came! In store feedback with this product has already been pretty incredible.
Here at B&A Sports Medicine Store, we abhor laziness. It's probably why we don't like Porsches that much, as they have the laziest designers in the history of cars. Seriously, even their "newest" cars look very much like their "older" cars. The point is, we really like companies that refuse to stand still. Superfeet is one of those companies. It seems like every other week I'm getting a new letter in the mail about how they're changing this or that with their products. Most of them are minor changes, but I found something worth posting on the blog:
For this upcoming winter season (or "Summer" if you're in the southern Hemisphere) Superfeet will be releasing two new models, REDhot and hotPINK.
These two models, which are gender-specific will be replacing the Wintergreen model. Now for Superfeet's propaganda:
"REDhot and hotPINK provide the support, shock absorption, power transmission, and edge control your customers need for a full day on the slopes. Out full length Rebound foam allows for maximum forefoot flex, while our patented stabilizer cap gives the rearfoot the stability and alignment it needs to perform at its peak potential. In addition to the Adaptive Comfort® top cover by Outlast®, our new Air Weave technology layer in the forefoot efficiently regulates temperature, offering excellent heat management for all day comfort. The new models also feature Agion® antimicrobial treatment to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria."
The MSRP for these fancy dancy new insoles will be $49.99.
Basically- if the Berry/Orange did "it" with Wintergreen, the result, 4 months later (which is the gestation period for Superfeet, btw) would be REDhot and hotPINK (fraternal twins!)
While I'm not sure if we'll be carrying these particular model, I wouldn't be surprised if we did. If not...well then I guess you heard it here first.
Also in the land of Superfeet, the GREY insole will now be called the YELLOW (because that's the new color). Changes include a slightly different shaped forefoot and a couple holes punched in to increase ventilation. Check it here:
