Somewhat Disturbing? - Topic for Discussion!
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:26 pm
So I was out with the Missus the other night and we ventured into Sports Chalet in Antioch.
I was looking for a new pair of sunglasses, and she immediately deserted me for the clothing section.
After not finding what I wanted, ok, not wanting to pay 230$ (YIKES!!!) for a pair of Kaenon's, I started to look around the rest of the store. Keep in mind that if you've never been to a Sports Chalet, it's basically a more upscale Sportsmart/big box sporting goods store.
Lo and behold in the far left corner of the store, what did I spot? A new Liquid Force Spectrum 12m kite. Inflated. Hanging from the ceiling.
My interest was peaked.
I walked back to that corner of the store and saw 2 kites, both 12's brand new in their bags, 4 kite boards (Liquid Force Drop 130 and 136) and four Harnesses, one in each size S,M,L, XL.
There were no footstraps/bindings anywhere near the boards.
Nor was there any disclaimer near the gear.
So I decided to talk to someone who worked there, and basically played newbie. "Wow I've seen that on TV" , " Looks like fun" . "It's probably just like wakeboarding, right?" , "How do you keep your foot on the board?" , " Do I really need a harness too?" etc. Basically, I got the worker bee to let me know that this was everything I needed and I could go out kiteboarding. To say that the employee was clueless would be an understatement.
Wow I was SHOCKED. No mention of lessons, trainer kite, etc.
Just 1200++ kite, a 120++ harness and a 500+ board. all you need.
Has Kiting gone that mainstream already? Or will, as I suspect, Sports Chalet end up selling these kites on clearance at what they paid for them?
Opinions?
I was looking for a new pair of sunglasses, and she immediately deserted me for the clothing section.
After not finding what I wanted, ok, not wanting to pay 230$ (YIKES!!!) for a pair of Kaenon's, I started to look around the rest of the store. Keep in mind that if you've never been to a Sports Chalet, it's basically a more upscale Sportsmart/big box sporting goods store.
Lo and behold in the far left corner of the store, what did I spot? A new Liquid Force Spectrum 12m kite. Inflated. Hanging from the ceiling.
My interest was peaked.
I walked back to that corner of the store and saw 2 kites, both 12's brand new in their bags, 4 kite boards (Liquid Force Drop 130 and 136) and four Harnesses, one in each size S,M,L, XL.
There were no footstraps/bindings anywhere near the boards.
Nor was there any disclaimer near the gear.
So I decided to talk to someone who worked there, and basically played newbie. "Wow I've seen that on TV" , " Looks like fun" . "It's probably just like wakeboarding, right?" , "How do you keep your foot on the board?" , " Do I really need a harness too?" etc. Basically, I got the worker bee to let me know that this was everything I needed and I could go out kiteboarding. To say that the employee was clueless would be an understatement.
Wow I was SHOCKED. No mention of lessons, trainer kite, etc.
Just 1200++ kite, a 120++ harness and a 500+ board. all you need.
Has Kiting gone that mainstream already? Or will, as I suspect, Sports Chalet end up selling these kites on clearance at what they paid for them?
Opinions?