about us
We like sliding. Down snowy hills. A lot!
Such is our appetite for sliding down hills, we devoted many years
working in the UK ski industry to testing and selling skis and snowboards.
We also spent a considerable chunk of time learning about the complexities of feet and how to make them feel good in ski boots.
It seemed a terrible waste of "ski geekery" to be walking around England like human glossaries of ski terminology, so we headed to the Alps to practice more of what we preached. After many seasons sliding around other resorts, we settled in the biggest area of skiable terrain in the world; The 3 Valleys.
Wherever we worked, we found that our clients really appreciated genuine, honest user-knowledge of the gear, the kind of service that only comes from an infectious enthusiasm for winter sports and an understanding of exactly how precious snow time is for holiday makers.
Over the years, against a backdrop of globalised groups and ever expanding companies, the landscape of ski and snowboard rental has changed forever. Things moved on and the personal element disappeared. Not content with the service or quality of rental products now available out here in the Alps, we teamed up with a local French businessman with an unparalleled appetite for life and decided to go mobile. As a purely mobile business we can keep our prices down and still maintain superior quality of service and product.
There's something deeply satisfying about being able to hand over a brand new season's, perfectly tuned pair of skis to a client at a fair and honest price, knowing it's exactly the right ski, and were you to bump into them on the slopes, they wouldn't be able to wipe the silly grin off their face.
Our aim is simple. We deliver a superior quality of gear with exceptional service at a competitive and honest price.
The team
Once you hear that Buck used to earn himself a few dollars hucking off enormous cliffs, it's hard to believe he's the sensible one. A precise coordinator who knows the area like a local cabbie, it's no surprise that he'll be organising our deliveries this winter. His seasons of experience in the industry in Europe, Canada and even heli-trips to Alaska are probably more numerous than he likes to admit, as are his skiing skills.
Please do not feed cake to this member of slide candy! It's hard to fit boots with a belly full of chalet cake. Helen has a clear memory aged 8, of declaring in Chamonix to her father that when she grew up she'd be a ski bum. Well if all bums worked this hard we could pay off the national debt. Helen learnt her skills at Snow & Rock before heading alpwards, and has since added many years of boot fitting, ski and snowboard testing to her encyclopaedic equipment knowledge.
There's not much Vinnie doesn't know about ski gear, retail and the 3 Valleys terrain, having skied since the age of 3 and moved up into the hills more than 10 years ago. Come to think of it, there's not much he doesn't know. We're not too sure if he's human as he has far too much energy and spins more plates than a travelling circus. He's the man who has what you need before you even knew you wanted it. In his spare time you'll find him doing back flips somewhere with a shocking landing.
James is back for another year with Slide Candy and we couldn't be happier to have him. He'll be heading up the mobile team and overseeing the workshop after many years of ski servicing. In his spare time, Beedall will be found looking for the latest ski that he's lost on some powder hunting back country epic.
In 1980 Trevor took a year off from his studies to spend a winter working as a lifty at Mt Hutt Ski Area in New Zealand. He never looked back. He's spent the last 32 years groomer driving, patrolling and snowmaking there. That and the 12 years he's spent managing the busy Mt Hutt ski rental shop make him the perfect compliment to the slidecandy team this year.
