Viking Ski Shop — Local services in Jefferson Township

I recently visited Viking Ski Shop with my husband to get fitted for new ski boots and gear, and while the process started off promising, our experience quickly turned disappointing due to poor customer service and questionable sales tactics.

Boot Fitting Experience Bootfitter Mike helped us with our fittings. While the boots themselves were comfortable, the experience felt rushed. A concerning moment occurred when another bootfitter mentioned that my husband’s boots should not be heated due to the material, yet Mike proceeded to heat them right in front of us. We chose not to say anything, but it raised doubts about the care and expertise involved.

When selecting skis and poles, Mike showed us only the most expensive options without discussing other choices. My husband had to firmly insist he didn’t need the top-tier gear, but I was more trusting and ended up with pricier options. It felt like we were being steered toward the most expensive items rather than being provided with a thoughtful consultation. If Mike had taken the time to explain why the more expensive options were better, we might have been more receptive. Instead, the lack of transparency left us feeling pressured and misled.

Gear Pickup Issue The situation worsened during gear pickup. We went before work, expecting a quick process, but only my husband’s gear was readily available. After waiting for 30 minutes, we learned that my skis had mistakenly been bound to the more expensive pair I explicitly declined during our visit. The solution offered was disheartening—they suggested I pay an additional $50 to keep the skis I never wanted in the first place. Despite spending over $2,500 at the shop, they were unwilling to waive the charge for their mistake.

When I refused to pay, they offered to rebind the correct skis, but this would take another 20 minutes, and we were already late for work. Ultimately, we left without my boots and skis.

Resolution The only redeeming part of the experience was that a staff member delivered the corrected gear to our house later. While this was appreciated, it did not make up for the overall lack of professionalism and customer care.

Final Thoughts The rushed service, upselling tactics, and poor handling of their own mistakes left us deeply disappointed. For such a significant purchase, we expected a more customer-focused experience. Viking Ski Shop may have good gear, but their service fell far short of...

I have NO idea how many stars to give because my experience was so disparate depending on the human I interacted with during my visit. I chose 4 stars after really thinking about it because if you ask about one person it would be 5 stars, but another person it was 1 stars.

TL;DR: Based on my one time in this shop, I think this is one of those places that’s a Chicago institution. And if you’re down for a little weirdness, you’ll get great equipment that will serve you. I left after 4 hours with boots, skis and bindings that I feel strongly will be exactly what I was looking for for my skill level and ski plans.

Details: I called the day of my appointment 1 hour prior to my appointment time to see how their busy day was going (I. E. are you running late, do you want me to reschedule) and was told all was well and to head on over. When I arrived, however, I was told they were running late. So I’m thinking, 15 minutes wait. No biggie. About 1 hour into my wait, I asked a man with a long grey ponytail when he came to the front waiting area (he seemed to be in charge maybe? That’s why I asked him) what the status of their schedule was so I could make an informed decision to either keep waiting or reschedule. Before I could finish my sentence he barked “The situation IS that we lost one fitter, THAT’S what the situation IS.” And he said all this without looking at me. I asked him to please look at me as I’m hearing impaired and I’m not angry, just looking for info so I can make an informed decision. He then said less angrily, “I think about 20 more minutes.” I made it work with no drama but it was truly weird to wait for an hour with no info. Then, the man who fitted me for boots (a different man) barked directions at me, and repeatedly mumbled after me asking him to please speak more loudly or look at me when talking so I could see his lips. Nope. Okay fine. THEN he told detailed stories about his violent combat experience in Vietnam and his vast martial arts experience. When I tried to interact with him about what he was sharing, he cut me off. The stories increased the time the fitting...

Went into the shop to resolve foot pain issues that I always had while skiing. Art from the shop immediately diagnosed my problem as needing a custom foot bed to support the arches of my feet. I decided to drop $200 on their most custom footbed option and spent approximately an hour working with Art to get the footbed work done. We went through multiple iterations of the trimming and refitting process until I felt the fit was optimal and that I no longer experienced lack of support under my underfoot. I really liked working with Art because at no point in time did I feel like I was being rushed. I walked out of the shop feeling fairly comfortable and thought my foot pain was completely resolved.

When I arrived home and tested the new custom footbed in different scenarios (sitting, squatting, standing, and bending), I noticed the pain returned. I immediately gave the shop a call and Bob asked me to return to the shop to have them further take a look. Turned out that the width of the custom footbed was wider than the liner, which led to unintended compression of the liner's volume. Bob immediately acknowledged the fault and went on to correct the issue. The following weekend I tried the footbed in Seattle skiing non-stop for 4 days. I was elated that the ski boot has never felt so comfortable.

Looking back, I'm so glad that I worked with Vikings Ski Shop on my boot fit. They are extremely honest, helpful, and most importantly, experienced. Even though their service is on the expensive side, they will always work with you to make sure you are a...