Sportshaus — Local services in Bridgton

After my recent experience I feel the need to explainjust how happy I am with Sporthaus. This will run long, so the executive summary is that I received a level of service at Sporthaus that blew me away. Because of that I now have an SUP and paddle that I love, all due to the extraodinary service of the owner and staff. And no, I have no prior relationship with them and have received nothing in return for this review. Rather, this review is in return for what they gave me, service above snd beyond the call.

I am pretty old and have been having some balance issues, yet I really wanted to take up standup paddleboarding. At a lake house where I spend a lot of time there are two boards belonging to others who come up now and then. One is an inflatable and the other solid. I've tried both and fould myself terrified mot of the time and unexpectedly swimming fairly often :-(.

I went into Sporthaus on Friday. It's after Labor Day so things are a little slow. I asked if and when they would be "blowing out" old end-of-season inventory and was told we already are. I explained about my balance problem and told them the first priority was stability, followed closely by stability, with anything else being a distant third at best. They went though their "BadFish" line, explaining each model and I decided I'd like to try the BadFisher, a wide (36"), long (11.5'), and fat (6" nominally, although I expect it might be bit thinner). I'm not thinking of using it to fish but I like that it has three Scotty mounting plates, fore, aft, and a bit aft of center, by the side. It also has many drings, with a criss-cross elastic hold down forward and space to add another, or cooler, or a seat, or who knows what else aft. Oh, and a clever water bottle holder.

I asked about return policy and was told (quite reasonably), that after it hits the water they cannot take it back. But, they did have on for rent for $45 a day and that if I bought a board they would deduct the rental from the final price. And they could deliver it to the house I was staying, 20 minutes away, and pick it up the next day, at least 24 hours after delivery. True to their word, they dropped by the door an hour or so later. I tried it for about a 2-3 mile paddle and loved it.

This morning (Saturday) I called them, told them I loved the SUP, and would bring theirs back. They offered to inflate the new one, but I decided to go through the whole procedure at home to familiarize myself with it. It was a good call, but in the future, if anyone offers to inflate my SUP for free, I will take them up. I made the swap this morning. I asked if the paddle included was the one I had used, and they said no.

After a four mile paddle I decided that a) I love the board, and b) I hate the included paddle, I drove by late day and told them my reaction. To my suprise and delight, they offered to exchange the paddle for the one I used yesterday. I decided that rather than upgrade from something I hate to something I found so-so, I'd prefer something I loved as much as I love the board. They asked me what I was looking for and I told them "light weight" and a forward cant on the blade to give me more power at the end of my stroke. The paddle that caught my eye was, of course, the most expensive they had. They said that it was being heavilly discounted (end-of-season again), and then told me that they would also give me a very substantial credit for the one that came with the board. Done!. When I told them I didn't have the old one with my they said "No worries, no rush, next time you're around".

I could'nt be happier with Sporthaus and will be...

I bought a full snowboard package here, the sales staff were very helpful. I was a little bummed my $1500 purchase was put under the default preferred customer account and they did not make me an account in their system. Very little in the store is priced and there's not enough people around to chase down to ask about every item. And the hours could be better, I went there because their listing said 7PM closing. Now it's 5 most nights and 6 for a couple. Makes it hard to get there if I need anything. The listing says they were open till 6 Thursday (today) but they closed the door at 5, while I was there getting my liners heat moulded. I wanted to buy goggles and maybe shell pants but as soon as I was walking down the stairs they were closing everything down. I will say the snowboard sales staff are on point, they know the product and are extremely helpful. If not for them this place would probably only get 2 stars, all the manager level stuff needs work, it's new ownership so hopefully it...

Becca and Scott both know how to run a business and retain customers. I came in at the end of July 2017 and they were the absolute best. They sit you down and figure out your skier ability level and find out where you want to be 5-10 years skiing wise. They help you with theboot fitting and make sure they get you the correct boot without any issues (they have technology to get the correct fit). If there is anything concerning they tell you. The biggest thing is that they are honest and all about being trustworthy with customers. I know they are outside of the Mount Washington Valley Area of NH but it’s worth the drive to be sure you have the correct equipment. They even taught an expert skier in myself new things that I wouldn’t know otherwise. Please use Sportshaus because of their professionalism and the reliability of being sure they fit you with skis and boots in...