A sure sign of brisk sales… we were 90 minutes into the 17th annual Big East Snowmobile Show here in Syracuse, New York, when we ran out of one-dollar bills. We thought starting out with a cool 50 would be a good, but our special rate here at the show is an odd number, and everybody is paying with larger bills!
The show has begun, and the pace is brisk. Some folks have stopped by the booth with compliments – others with complaints, but that all goes with the territory.
So who’s here this year as far as vendors? Well, you’ve got the big four manufacturers, obviously. If you want to see all of the 2011 sleds in one place, this is it. The ski industry is very well represented here this year – including the pioneer (USI), a strong local challenger (Curve Industries), a longtime player whose primary focus is other performance parts (Starting Line Products) and a complete newcomer (Split Rail).
There are a lot of performance guys here as well. Rich Daly from Dyno Port and Bender Racing stopped by our booth with some stories of his recent racing exploits, while one of the principals of the aforementioned Starting Line Products had a bit of trouble getting here – including an unscheduled night in a rough neighborhood in New York City. He’s here now – along with a couple of really hot sleds in their booth. Bikeman Performance came all the way from Wisconsin with some hot items as well – and we’re not just talking about Dani Medin – the model in Snow Goer’s SpeedGear department this year!
The early talk among the vendors is all about Klim. The premium outerwear giant has a monstrous, high-end booth designed by a company out of Las Vegas. The booth was put together for the first time ever for this show, and it looks better than the Polaris booth here.
Check back often this weekend – we’ll have updates frequently, including information on new products we spy here at the show. And, if you’re in the area, c’mon over to the OnCenter – it’s a really good time!