Somehow I lucked out and found a place to live that's walking distance from just about everything that could possibly matter to me, and that includes what is probably the premier ski and ride shop in the desert.
Ski Pro is stocked better than the ski shop I frequent in Colorado, and unlike the Colo stores, Ski Pro wants to move stuff: Sales, sales and more sales. I just picked up a ski suit for my kid that was marked down from $175 to $59. It's still the middle of the season, folks. They also appear to have a great selection of skis and boards, but that's a once in a blue moon type of purchase for me. Suffice it to say that they are stocked up with just about everything I could imagine needing for my wintertime hobby. And they are basically in the backyard of the Biltmore.
As far as the help goes, it's about average for this sort of business: No more subservient or attentive than absolutely necessary. These guys and girls are from a background of leisure and are working in a leisure business. Most probably come from the sort of middle-class families who can afford to ski. Asking them to be smiley and super-attentive is contrary to the spirit of these places--it's like expecting surfers to wear suits and ties. At least they didn't seem stoned, paranoid and semi-hostile-- like most ski shop employees in Colorado.
So check it out, and hang loose about the service, dude . . . Way . . .