# Where to buy gear in europe?



## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

Hi All,

Im planning on riding a few months in europe this year, and since all my gear is stuck in Japan and they wont let me back in, I get to buy all new gear, YAY!

I am hoping there is some suggestions for physical shops in the germany/austria/france/switzerland area that are likely to stock a good range of thirty two boots (chasing the new TM-2 wides) that i can try on before i buy.

I will likely buy my boards and bindings from the US and ship it over, but ill be on the market for helmet, gloves, googles, outerwear, the works for a 100ish day a year rider.

So please any suggestions for a shop that has good range of thirty two boots and decent boot fitters that can do custom insoles.
And any suggestions for shops that carry quality gear at reasonable prices. (my current equip is oakley googles, 686/volcom outwear, smith helmet, oyuki gloves)

I will probably be starting the adventure from Frankfurt and riding in Austria first, so anything between there gets bonus points!

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## Snowdaddy (Feb 2, 2018)

Unless you're buying a European brand/manufactured board?

Edit: isn't there some awesome riding to be done in Mauritania btw? Or is it too far south? You have the Atlas range somewhere around there if I'm not mistaken.


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## Snowdaddy (Feb 2, 2018)

.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

Blue Tomato have physical shops all over Europe including some south of Frankfurt. I've only ever bought from their online store so you might have to do a bit of research into what the individual stores actually carry.


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

Snowdaddy said:


> Unless you're buying a European brand/manufactured board?
> 
> Edit: isn't there some awesome riding to be done in Mauritania btw? Or is it too far south? You have the Atlas range somewhere around there if I'm not mistaken.


Are we thinking of the same place?


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

Snowinn is really good with EOS, just have to factor in postage. But you buy online. A lot of gear I've grabbed off them comes out Netherlands/Germany.


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

I will most likely buy Yes boards and Rome bindings.

Ahhh yeah I’m on the edge of the Sahara here, no snow here lol!



Snowdaddy said:


> Unless you're buying a European brand/manufactured board?
> 
> Edit: isn't there some awesome riding to be done in Mauritania btw? Or is it too far south? You have the Atlas range somewhere around there if I'm not mistaken.


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## jackychan (Sep 14, 2021)

May I know you guys will buy gears online / from shop / 2nd hand forum?


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## unsuspected (Oct 26, 2015)

Why buy from the US? Will be shipping cost plus taxes and customs tees.


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

I’m happy to buy in Europe if you know of a shop that will stock a 159 Yes PYL and 155 Yes Typo, probably go for some small Rome katanas with them. If I find somewhere that I can get them at reasonable prices it really does not bother me where I buy them.
Normally I try and pick up some gear around turkey sale time, usually works out cheaper then buying in Japan (where I lived before COVID).


unsuspected said:


> Why buy from the US? Will be shipping cost plus taxes and customs tees.


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## Snowdaddy (Feb 2, 2018)

Guyinashirt said:


> I’m happy to buy in Europe if you know of a shop that will stock a 159 Yes PYL and 155 Yes Typo, probably go for some small Rome katanas with them. If I find somewhere that I can get them at reasonable prices it really does not bother me where I buy them.
> Normally I try and pick up some gear around turkey sale time, usually works out cheaper then buying in Japan (where I lived before COVID).


Which stores have you already looked at?


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

We are detracting from my original post here, as finding a physical shop that sells a good range of thirty two boots and a good boot fitter is of much more importance to me then them semantics of where i will get my boards and other gear.

But as i am not yet in Europe I cannot physically try any shops. Only what i can find online, which has yeilded very little results for yes boards thus far. In saying that, i have not spent much time looking, no point buying a board until I find boots that fit me right.



Snowdaddy said:


> Which stores have you already looked at?


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

You'll most likely find the best boot fitters up in the mountains. You'll find the worst prices here also. Where are you looking to go in Austria? There's a couple of decent snowboard shops in St Anton and one in Mayrhofen that I know of. You also might find the best boot fitter in a ski shop, mostly fitting ski boots.


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

As a brief example, and i will say straight up i dont know if there is cheaper sites then blue tomato, but on blue tomato 2021 rome katanas are 379 euro, so about $450. Normally i would buy from evo and have my gear bundled and frieght forwarded to me, but on amazon US the same bindings are $322+$104 shipping, taxes and duties, which is $25 cheaper. Not much i know, but during thanksgiving day sales some really good deals can come up. I once picked up a rome mod camber for $313! ..... meanwhile when i do this in japan i save like 30% haha



unsuspected said:


> Why buy from the US? Will be shipping cost plus taxes and customs tees.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

sport conrad maybe?


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## Invaino (Sep 20, 2021)

Hey,

In France, you have two resellers who have decent stock and multiple physical shops across the country (Alps, Paris, Lyon, etc.). They also ship in other European countries.


Aux Vieux Campeur
Snowleader _(also does boot-fitting in all their shops)_


It seems that they have what you are looking for:
*Thirty Two TM-2*

https://www.snowleader.com/en/snow/snowboard-boots/men-s-snowboard-boots.html?fh_location=/is_in_stock={1}/manufacturer>{106141}&fh_view_size=20&product_per_line=4
Boots de Snowboard Hommes, Femmes et Enfants aux Meilleurs Prix

*Yes boards*

https://www.snowleader.com/en/snow/snowboard/snowboards/men-s-snowboards.html?fh_location=/is_in_stock={1}/manufacturer>{228}&fh_view_size=20&product_per_line=4
Planches de Snowboard Homme, Femme et Enfant : Burton Snowboard, K2…

--

If you don't find what you are looking for, you can look at Snowcountry which is a Dutch online shop only, but has a huge stock especially when it comes to boards. They do ship in all Europe.

*Yes boards*: https://www.snowcountry.eu/snowboards/snowboards.html?geslacht=65&manufacturer=1804

Hope it will help!


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

Oh thats a Great help! Thankyou very much!



Invaino said:


> Hey,
> 
> In France, you have two resellers who have decent stock and multiple physical shops across the country (Alps, Paris, Lyon, etc.). They also ship in other European countries.
> 
> ...


Oh thats a Great help! Thankyou very much!


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## bob2356 (Jul 13, 2012)

Guyinashirt said:


> I will most likely buy Yes boards and Rome bindings.
> 
> Ahhh yeah I’m on the edge of the Sahara here, no snow here lol!


I would get a list of retailers that carry Yes boards in Europe from Yes if you are committed to that brand. Same with Rome. If you need a wide boot you might consider Burton Ruler wide. There would be a lot more burton retailers.

Why Germany and Austria just out of curiosity? Very expensive. Get down into the Balkans and you are into $15 euro lift ticket country. My 5 day car rental in Montenegro just before coivd hit was 47 euro Total, not per day. Winter is the off season in the Balkan countries so everything is dirt cheap.

Lesser mountains for sure, but you can still have lots of fun and crowds are a joke. Like ski right onto the 6 pack at 10:00 on a Saturday morning You have no clue what the word crowds means until you do the Alps scrum during school holidays.

Atlas mountains in Morrocco east of Marrakesh have skiing.


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

Hey thanks for the reply!
I’ll have to check out the balkans sometime that’s cheap as! but for this year it’s Austria-Italy-France-Austria-USA-Canada, epic pass tour!

I did have a set of burton ruler wides a few years back, they fit great but were too soft for me and fell to pieces in about 20 days. For the last few years I have been running adidas superstars, which fit good with some stretching.
Pretty keen to try the tm2 wides, shame they are not making them in a lace up.

haha yes, I did a season in Whistler a few years back, I still have nightmares from pow days on long weekends.



bob2356 said:


> I would get a list of retailers that carry Yes boards in Europe from Yes if you are committed to that brand. Same with Rome. If you need a wide boot you might consider Burton Ruler wide. There would be a lot more burton retailers.
> 
> Why Germany and Austria just out of curiosity? Very expensive. Get down into the Balkans and you are into $15 euro lift ticket country. My 5 day car rental in Montenegro just before coivd hit was 47 euro Total, not per day. Winter is the off season in the Balkan countries so everything is dirt cheap.
> 
> ...


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## unsuspected (Oct 26, 2015)

If you want stiffer wide boots, Burton Ion wide or Adidas Acerra.


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## bob2356 (Jul 13, 2012)

Guyinashirt said:


> Hey thanks for the reply!
> I’ll have to check out the balkans sometime that’s cheap as! but for this year it’s Austria-Italy-France-Austria-USA-Canada, epic pass tour!
> 
> I did have a set of burton ruler wides a few years back, they fit great but were too soft for me and fell to pieces in about 20 days. For the last few years I have been running adidas superstars, which fit good with some stretching.
> ...


Odd about the rulers. I've been riding rulers 100 days a year for who knows how long, maybe 20 years or more with no problems and I'm a big guy 100kg. I don't find them too soft but I do a lot of trees and moguls and prefer a mid soft boot for quick turns and maneuverability. I just accept having a little less dig when it's hard.

Good on you mate. Sounds like a big trip. I'm just not a big fan of the alps and try to work around to other areas. Most of the Alps are like NZ, above tree line. Not my thing.


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## Guyinashirt (Jan 1, 2016)

Interesting, mine were a game changer when I bought them as they were the first boots I had that actually fit properly (I’m a size 7 4E). But the soles wore out super fast towards the outside of the boot causing my ankle to roll outward when I rode, with in a couple of weeks both tongues had collapsed at the flex point, making the boots like socks, and one of the lace channels (where it crosses the flex point) on both boots started to unstich, with one almost completely ripping out one day, lucky I saw that coming and had some duct tape with me. I too am pretty heavy, 90-95kg, 170cm tall with size 7 feet, weird combination.

100% will miss trees, but I’m sure I’ll get my fix in US/Canada later in the season 



bob2356 said:


> Odd about the rulers. I've been riding rulers 100 days a year for who knows how long, maybe 20 years or more with no problems and I'm a big guy 100kg. I don't find them too soft but I do a lot of trees and moguls and prefer a mid soft boot for quick turns and maneuverability. I just accept having a little less dig when it's hard.
> 
> Good on you mate. Sounds like a big trip. I'm just not a big fan of the alps and try to work around to other areas. Most of the Alps are like NZ, above tree line. Not my thing.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

Guyinashirt said:


> 100% will miss trees, but I’m sure I’ll get my fix in US/Canada later in the season


Most areas in the Alps have at least some tree riding to offer. Not like Canada or Japan but they're there if you look for them.


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## bob2356 (Jul 13, 2012)

Snow Hound said:


> Most areas in the Alps have at least some tree riding to offer. Not like Canada or Japan but they're there if you look for them.


The lower areas have some. Some. The higher areas with the best snow have at best a couple 100 vert feet at the very bottom. Alps are all about big mountain open bowl skiing like NZ. If that's your thing great. Hog heaven. The only catch is most of the Alps are glacial and you always need a guide to access the good stuff.


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## bob2356 (Jul 13, 2012)

Guyinashirt said:


> Interesting, mine were a game changer when I bought them as they were the first boots I had that actually fit properly (I’m a size 7 4E). But the soles wore out super fast towards the outside of the boot causing my ankle to roll outward when I rode, with in a couple of weeks both tongues had collapsed at the flex point, making the boots like socks, and one of the lace channels (where it crosses the flex point) on both boots started to unstich, with one almost completely ripping out one day, lucky I saw that coming and had some duct tape with me. I too am pretty heavy, 90-95kg, 170cm tall with size 7 feet, weird combination.
> 
> 100% will miss trees, but I’m sure I’ll get my fix in US/Canada later in the season


You from US/Canada or will it be new? I'm going back to North America from Australasia over the (northern hemisphere) winter working my way through Cape Town/Langebaan for windsurfing in December then onto the balkans (cheap,cheap,cheap) for a couple months ending up hitting Killington just as tne spring pass starts. No desire at all to rush back for Jan/Feb Vermont weather.


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## Etienne (Apr 2, 2021)

@ivaino already mentioned au Vieux campeur in France, they have shops in all major cities. Don't mind the multi sport thing, their snowboard shop are pretty good. 

Zero-G is quite the power house in Chamonix. Excellent sellers for all things backcountry related.

Most resort and mountain town will have a good snowboard shop, but you have to look for it and they don't always stock all brands. For gloves goggles etc. They will be more than enough though. 

Online shops you have Blue tomato, Snowcountry, snowleader, montaz, snowfarm... They all stock pretty much anything you could ask for. 

Envoyé de mon H8324 en utilisant Tapatalk


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