ABOUT SKI CONNEXIONS

About Barry Allison from Ski Connexions

Barry started his skiing career in the Ottawa area in 1987. After achieving his CSIA  (Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance) level III in 1990 he and some close friends decided it was time to head west.  What was originally planned to be a couple seasons wound up being 15 years! During this time, Barry achieved his CSIA level IV and became an active Course Conductor with the CSIA. He also worked full time as a trainer and supervisor with the WHISTLER/BLACKCOMB SKI SCHOOL. In the early Whistler days, it was not easy for any newcomer; he survived as many do as a “starving ski instructor”. He eventually took the advice of a friend and started working in a ski shop fitting boots. It didn’t take very long to figure out that one of the most important things in skiing was a good fitting boot that allowed your foot to function the way it should – what a REVELATION!

Barry moved back to the Ottawa area in 2005 and slowly began building what is now SKI CONNEXIONS. He spent quite a bit of time trying to find the resources that he took for granted in Whistler, in particular getting his boots fit the way they should be! He quickly found out that if he wanted his boots fit properly he was going to have to do it himself. After begging and borrowing tools at the ski shop, he decided it was time to get some tools of his own. He started with a boot punch to stretch ski boots, and eventually worked towards buying equipment for making foot beds and checking his alignment. At the time, no one in the area was doing it and many of Barry’s colleagues were curious about what he was doing and the impact it was having on his skiing. One ski boot punch in a friend’s boot quickly turned into a pair of foot beds and then an alignment. Within a short time, word of mouth spread and the purchase of more boot fitting equipment soon rivaled many ski shop in North America. What became apparent were not only the high standard equipment but also the high level of commitment and service that came with each SKI BOOT FITTING.

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Origin of the name

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Ski Connexions seemed like the perfect name for quite a number of reasons. The most evident related to the long-standing friendships that have been forged as a result of all of those years on snow. Whether it is in Wanaka, New Zealand, Niseko, Japan or here in North American, those connections will last a lifetime.

A second reason for the name relates to the simplest of comparisons: Your foot, your boot is your connection to your skis and what allows you to work on snow. Without a good fit there is no connection and your skiing performance will suffer.

Finally, there is the whole aspect of training. All of the best equipment in the world will not help unless there is regular and ongoing training. Training with Ski Connexions is paramount to improving your connection and performance with the SKIS AND THE SNOW.