Palmer's Summer Camp
20 key retailers head to Europe to tour factories.
9/19/98
By John Stouffer

It's not unusual for snowboard companies to invite their top retailers to a certain location to preview their product line, tour their factory, or just give them a major schmooze job to order the company's product. Palmer Snowboards is probably the first to invite 20 some odd retailers to Europe to reach this end.

The mission was simple: arrive in Zurich, Switzerland, gather everyone, and get on a bus to take a five-hour bus ride to Mitterberghutten, Austrian to tour the Palmer Snowboard factory in the morning. The next couple of days will involve heading to Italy to check out the mountain bike, motocross, and snowboard apparel company Dainese's clothing factory, then continue on back to Switzerland to get a rare tour of the Swatch watch factory.

The cast of characters includes some of the biggest and most prominant specialty snowboard retailers around the country including: Mountain and Surf from Sacramento, California; East Coast Sunsets in Chantilly, Virginia; the B-Side in Burlington, Vermont; Powder Pursuits in Steamboat, Colorado; The Snowboard Connection in Seattle, Washington; Shred Shop in Skokie, Illinios; Ski Market in Boston, Massachusetts; and Modern Skate in Detriot, Michigan.

Eric Budden, manager/buyer of U.S. Outdoor in Portland, Oregon has never been to Europe, but has been on other snowboard trips before. "I think it's great that Palmer has invited some of the key retail accounts to Austria to see their factory and superior construction process, and to help them prepare for future trends."

For more information about the Palmer Summer Camp, check out Snowboarding Business online to get regular updates from Europe.

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