hrlifestylemag_december2021issue_skibootlab-9-550?v=1

Fine Tuned Ski Days

Local Ski Bum Turns Lifelong Passion into Professional Ski Industry Services

KC McCallum isn’t technically a native, but his roots run deep and he has Colorado adventure running through his veins. The owner of the Ski & Boot Lab in Highlands Ranch, KC has a long history of skiing and working in our majestic mountains.

KC was three when his family relocated to Colorado from California when his father led the Mission Viejo group that developed Highlands Ranch. KC attended Douglas County Schools and graduated from Highlands Ranch High School, class of ’94. Like most Colorado kids, he and his brothers grew up skiing and outdoor adventuring.

Long time South Metro residents will remember Englewood’s Mountain Miser, where KC got his first exposure to the ski shop industry when he was employed there at age at 16. Mountain Miser introduced KC to the concepts of a small shop and staff with working knowledge of niche brands and innovative gear, along with a faithful clientele.

He left Colorado for college in Vermont, where he experienced the exceptionally different ski conditions of the East Coast. This refined his ski skills, and also created an appreciation for our soft, powdery slopes over the blue ice of Stowe. He discovered for himself the importance of a sharp edge and flat base, and how different conditions call for different ski tuning. 

After graduation and his return to Colorado, KC moved to the mountains to be closer to his favorite pastime. He began his professional ski industry career managing the high-end ski shop Gorsuch. Once back on the Front Range, he managed Sports Authority at Cherry Creek, then Colorado Ski and Golf. The disruption created in the industry when Sports Authority closed in 2016 created an opportunity for KC in two ways; the absence of ski equipment services, and the liquidation of machinery and racks needed to provide those services.

Additionally, all the relationships he’d built over the years, standing by the front door to personally greet customers at Gorsuch, collaborating with leading ski industry executives and buying teams at Sports Authority, or refining best practices at Colorado Ski and Golf, opened the door to step out on his own.

The Ski & Boot lab is housed in a former coal power equipment lab, which inspired the name of his business. In many ways, the services KC provides are very much like a laboratory, precise, methodical, with a little bit of mad-scientist passion. He personally hand-tunes all equipment that comes into his shop and loves to tell his customers about his fabulous equipment and process. In addition to servicing equipment, KC offers one of the best demo rental fleets around, including Atomic, Elan, Blizzard, Nordica, Rossignol, Volkl, and DPS. He also offers kids daily ski and snowshoe rentals

Seasonal work can be demanding, and balance can be elusive. Despite this, KC provides some of the finest workmanship and turnaround times locally. Most of his clients are avid skiers, who tune their skis frequently for specific snow conditions. In fact, for residents of the BackCounty Community, equipment can be dropped off at the Sundial House, and delivered back within 3-4 days.

Visit Ski & Boot Lab at skiandbootlab.com

Tips:

1.      Always start your day with warm boots. Boots don't have to hurt.

2.      Skis should be tuned every (5) ski days. More often for hard pack.

3.      Wax is temperature sensitive and should be adjusted for the time of year and conditions.

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