California Ski Company — Local services in Berkeley

TLDR: Don’t go there, the staff is too rude, and even misogynous. They won’t listen to your requests. They might try to sell you expensive equipment regardless if it’s the best for you or not.

The grey hair guy that’s usually there (not sure if he’s the manager or a co-owner) is absurdly rude and misogynous. For instance, I asked the colors of gloves and poles they had there, and this grey hair guy started laughing and said that skiers shouldn’t worry about “cute” colors for their equipment. He started making fun of my question and shared it with the other staff members, clearly disrespecting me.

However, since I’ve heard that this was the best place to shop ski equipment nearby, I stayed there, and decided to buy ski boots with them anyway. Even with the rude staff, I though it would be worth it.

Well… it wasn’t.

They sold me ski boots that only advanced skiers buy, and I specifically asked for “beginners going to intermediate” kind of boots. I wasn’t able to ski at all with those boots, but at first I didn’t understand what was wrong with them. One day, I went to another shop, one that was closer to the ski resort, to rent skis for that weekend. The staff in this other store mentioned how an amazing skier I must be, because of the boots I had with me. I then told them they were new and I wasn’t being able to ski with them, but I didn’t know why… they told me those boots are usually bought by advanced skiers because of the stiffness and, apparently, this store staff tried to take advantage of me because they are too expensive and didn’t make sense for me to buy it. You shouldn’t buy those type of boots unless you are basically a pro.

I went back to California Ski Company to complain about these boots, and the misogynous guy was there again. He laughed on my face saying there’s no such thing as “boots for advanced skiers”, he then ignored me and started dealing with my husband only. Asking things he should be asking me to my husband instead, then asking to my husband if I knew what I was talking about.. it was an absurd! They didn’t want to accept the boots back and this guy said to my husband (not to me) that my husband should tell me to try them for another season. I was right next to the guy. I’m shy so I ended up accepting being treated that way, smh.

I decided never to go back there again and deal with this guy. He’s always there (btw I found out later he’s not the owner, or maybe he is a co-owner? According to my husband who went there again trying to return my boots, the actual owner is actually nice! But he’s no always there, so.. people have to keep dealing with the rude guy. Yep… I refused to go back with my husband and deal with all the absurd misogyny again). I since then started going to another store where I’m treated wayyyy better, with respect! Is this too...

Store full of liers, worst service. Store manager is disrespectful to customers, Mel is a lier and robber. DONT BUY AT THIS STORE!!!

During my initial visit for ski rental, I was shown above average quality boots and skis within the standard package aisle. This display greatly influenced my decision, leading me to promptly pay the total amount, with the expectation -as i was told by the store staff- that I would receive equipment of comparable quality during my subsequent visit. Regrettably, the items presented to me on my return were markedly inferior.

My interactions with Mel added to the frustration. Although she seemed well-intentioned, her approach was disorganized, and I had to try on multiple boot sizes before finding a suitable pair (she offered a premium boot, without me asking for that upgrade). After taking my card for a safety deposit, she assured me no further charges would apply. However, to my surprise, she later disappeared, leaving the store manager to confront us with an upgrade charge.Though Mel offered an upgrade to premium boots without extra charges, this gesture was later denied by the manager, who also made a baseless claim that we had threatened Mel. This unexpected billing, coupled with an inappropriate comment from another staff member (made an unnecessary and sexist remark about a women's boot, dismissing my genuine technical query with a comment about its color) has left a sour taste. I now lament my choice to engage with your store, especially when considering the missed opportunities with more consistent and transparent establishments.

Additionally, I'd like to note that blocking customers, including myself, from your social media channels is highly unprofessional. Such actions reflect poorly on your customer service and demonstrate a clear unwillingness to address and...

I want to 5-star this place soooooo bad. 4 is still pretty good tho!

The experience is very efficient and well managed for sure. The techs are knowledgeable. The ski tunes are 10/10. Boot fitting is as good as your boot fitter is could be 11/10 could be 4/10. My skis always leave here looking and feeling fresh.

Here's why I gave a 4-star. The first time I came in for a fitting the boot fitter started to ask about my work etc, I deflected because I don't want to talk about my work, he continued to ask personal questions. I figured why not, whatev, the guy seems real and down to earth. I opened up. He got into the Kanye and elon musk Twitter drama circa 2020/21 and started to back up things they said. I started to feel really uncomfortable due to the nature of the statements that were made by those celebrities and how they targeted me in particular, then he started to patronize me. I became standoffish and aloof because I did not want to get into it. Left there with a weird fit and a weird vibe.

Since then, I've had some good experiences, nothing that made me feel uncomfortable like that. Their pricing scale increased, but I mean it's kind of a bad ski season so I don't want to fault them for that, you know? Everyone's just trying to make a buck. I will say though, I've put well over $500 into the fitment of my boots alone, custom sole and ski tech help. I have had to get three appointments to get them just right, but they feel good going into my second season with them.

I don't want to give them a review that would hurt their business, but I just thought this would be good to know. Recommend keeping things professional at the boot fitting stations! The last two fitters I've had over the past year have been super smart and helpful! I just caught a weird vibe from the...