Official Ski Area Logo Merchandise

A snowHead

In North America, major ski resorts devote one or more entire stores to selling the subject. In late May, Mammoth even had a trailer full of it in the Stump parking lot! There is no end to the variety of stuff, good and (mostly) bad. One thing is certain: they make a ton of money selling it.

In Europe I've been to major resorts whose offerings consist of a sticker or poster at the tourism office (Val d'sere). A few approach the NA level (Kronplatz) but mostly you're out of luck. Yes, there are lame souvenir shops with "Dad went to (resort name) and all I got was this stupid t shirt"-type stuff, but that's not what I'm talking about.

This seems like a lot of low-hanging fruit, ripe for harvest. What am I missing?

A snowHead

I must admit I'm a sucker for memorabilia, you're right, sometimes it's hard to find so much as a t-shirt. I still own a killington black diamond tour 1992 t-shirt, (it was our honeymoon) and 2 from Sierra nevada in 1990. Mostly its been buffs and an occasional cap since then.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I have a Les Menuires baseball cap, Serre Chevalier mug and a Manigod t-shirt. Didn't pay for any of them though.

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@Scooter in Seattle, I have a Val d'Isere snow scene thingy.

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You want me to promote your ski resort? You'd better be giving me the merch for free or it be functional like the few baseball caps I've picked up ( though usually as new old stock in thrift/ consignment shops).

Euro resorts in general aren't as good at giving out free stickers such as those found at pass offices in N America and I guess most tourist offices have something in the way of t shirts and hats but like the contrast to many things American I guess they don't feel the need to be oveely commercial and in your face about it.

Possibly the best resort swag I acquired in recent years were a few packs of " memory ribbons" in the Hof. Really useful on various sets of keys.

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anything that attracts tourists in america has a tat shop... americans love tat.

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@Scooter in Seattle,
In Tignes a lot of the British owned bars do their own merchandise.

After all it is free

We asked if they had any stickers at Grandvalira in Andorra and they gave us eight for free! They've suddenly started doing merchandise.

Seefeld had some, which surprised me. Alpe d'huez appeared to only have cycling merchandise.

Allos tourist office used to give out free stickers but clothing etc was only sold in souvenir shops not by the tourist office - they probably didn't want the hassle of having money on the premises, storing stock, slowing down people who only came in to ask for the bus timetable etc.

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The 'Unplugged' store in the Val d'Isere Tourist Office Square has had some reasonable selections of tops, hoodies, mugs, soft furnishings etc. in past seasons. Generally not too bad and better than the "My Dad went too....." ranges Laughing

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The Tirol tourist shops in Innsbruck have some quite nice stuff – cycling gear, hoodies, bags, bottles etc. and it’s nicely designed rather than just a logo stuck on something generic. Pricey though – I suspect most of what is worn locally has been acquired as swag one way or another, but I’ve bought the odd thing as gifts.

I thought I'd found a place in Lech.....lots of very nice things, no official logos but a nice one....I took a couple things up to the counter and was asked if I was a member. Of what? The Arlberg Ski Club, whose members-only store I'd entered. Sigh...

I'm sure the lift companies are concerned about control of their logos and other intellectual property, for good reason. But for them to not want to maximize profit seems irrational, especially if others are doing so. And don't try to tell me Americans have a monopoly on the profit motive, that's not even a joke. Revenue from soft goods (in theory) could help with the bottom line in a way that keeps lift costs lower, or gets the lift fixed/replaced sooner etc. We want them to be profitable, just off of the other guy Toofy Grin

You know it makes sense.

@Scooter in Seattle, you're thinking about it wrong. US resorts are monopolies - the store, rental shop, cafeteria , on hill lodges are all owned by the lift co hence plenty of outlets to flog the same merch. Good ones will even let you buy that expensive sweater at the top of the mountain and have it ready to collect in the branch at the bottom as you leave.

Euro resorts the lift co have the ticket office and that's it for retail space. Even in say gondy complexes they own the biz premises are leased out.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Dave of the Marmottes, you are correct about over here. And, I suspect, about the Alps as well. But then, not to be argumentative, why don't more Euro lift cos just rent a space and sell stuff like Kronplatz's (in a base building) or Ischgl's (in town).

Hmm, do Euro golf courses sell official logo polo shirts and so forth like virtually all courses in NA?

(BTW thanks for your spot-on imitation of my late father with the thing about free advertising!)

A snowHead

I think there's also the thing about bragging and naffness. Every family reunion seems to be replete with a wardrobe of apparel in the US, while Euros in general probably don't feel the need to display where they've been skiing that winter to all and sundry or build a collection of resort t shirts. I guess a typical American recreational golfer on a tour of great Scottish courses would probably love a set of logoed polo shirts to casually wear around the clubhouse back home and the Scots being canny probably oblige at a price, I don't see Euros being as needy.

A snowHead

Kitzbuhel do all sorts with the deer logo on it.

Probably the closest thing to Lego in European ski resorts would be the Jagendorfer model ski lift sets. You can get lots of resorts flagship/iconic ski lift for those sets. I’d love to have a set, but they’re £££ for something that is a bit of a novelty.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Dave of the Marmottes, I'll give you that there's a cultural difference in this area, though there are plenty of shirts sold here to Euro folks. And while some scoff and say its bragging, which certainly can be the case, others might say they prefer a shirt that evokes cool memories, and which also occasionally starts a conversation, as opposed to something that does neither from H&M et al.

But remember that I said North America.....such stores exist at many Canadian resorts as well, and if you are saying Canadians are the same as Americans, well....since I brought up golf, I'll give you a mulligan on their behalf! Very Happy

My question, in your terms: where are the "canny Scots" in the ski areas? And if I'm getting your drift, you'll say "there aren't enough needy Americans to make the effort as profitable as you imagine". And I'm fine with that, because it is rational. I don't need to be right, just informed. Appreciate the discourse.

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@Scooter in Seattle, to be fair I'm part teasing you. I'm not a typical tourist but it's never occurred to me to buy anything from a Euro resort not least cos I could be back there next year ( or never at current rate of progress) I did buy a Booths' Cumbria Not Umbria shopping bag so maybe that counts as tourist tat wink

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@Dave of the Marmottes, all good here. For sure, places we'll return to are less special that way....which is a little paradoxical since we like them so much we're returning! I guess after the second time we've become "locals" and wouldn't be caught dead in tourist togs...

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We have only skied in Europe and generally go somewhere different each time. I like to buy a cap (hat) from each ski holiday with the resort/ski area name on it. A few years ago, say five, this was pretty easy. Now it is increasingly difficult and even the tourist tat shops just have general winter/ski logos. I have found a solution though. The co that does business cards online has another site that does custom embroidery on clothing and caps! down to single items. Some euro resort marketing depts. have downloadable logos to then use on the cap.

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After all it is free

I was a bit sad when I finally committed my old Mammoth tee-shirt to the ragbank - was only 20 years old and about 30 different shades of green different to what it had started out as, with Woolly pulling a fat Method on the back... Ahh, happy days.
Still got some other tees and bits dotted around - I regularly sup from my Fernie cup, and theres a hockey puck from Banff on the bookshelf.

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@Scooter in Seattle, your golfing analogy is a bit different to a ski resort, but I can see where you're going.

I'd say from my experience in UK golf courses, you'll find something with the clubs logo on it, my course for example I think there's pitch mark repairers (i'd question how many people actually use one, but that's a whole other topic), ball markers, head covers, and possibly some polo shirts with a logo on.

Some golf courses, and i'll use a local example, like Burnham and Berrow Golf Club which is a top ranking course across the country put logos on everything, and tbh it's so annoying. I don't want to buy golf balls with your logo on them, but they get a lot of foreign visitors who come over and pay silly money for a round of golf and want some memorabilia to take with them.

I bought a Morzine badge that you would sow/stick on to clothing or bag when I was last there, but that was purely to cover up a terrible logo on my avalung rucksack I have. It wasn't an official Morzine store, but they did sell a number of badges, signs etc. I can't say i've particularly noticed them before, but I've never looked out for them. I did buy some Lake Louise stickers when I was over there the other year, they're sat in a draw somewhere never touched.

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@AL9000, a knitted glenmuir sweater with a club crest on and the girls come flocking.

My Birkdale* brings all the girls to the yard
Ooh yeah it's better than yours....

*Muirfield/Portrush/Hoylake/Prestwick/Cinque Ports

(I don't do golf but golfers strike me as entirely the Kelis demographic, a bit too old for your modern pop rappers and perhaps Reggaeton but still in touch wink

)

You know it makes sense.

@Dave of the Marmottes, you might not do golf, but you clearly know some classic courses!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

My white The Masters* visor will have all genders on their knees begging to see the size of my inevitably massive todger!

(I can smell the man tears of envious awe flowing through the screen)

A snowHead

A snowHead

@AL9000, i'm envious, but less envious than a set of parents of a couple of girls I know from school. They have also been to the masters, but with their friend who is a member and watched from the clubhouse and have also played the course Shocked

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@swskier,

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Though the Kitzbuhel font looks like it was designed by a toddler on crack.

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I've got flachau stickers on my suitcases

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After all it is free

If someone said that the cachet and historical cred that accrues to Kitzbuhel from the Hahnenkamm sets it apart, I would agree. Most ski areas have a signature run, but nobody else has the Streif, and I bet 95% of the first time visitors try to ski it. I sure did, even if half of it was dirt and the other half mushy bumps. The town also appears to have achieved critical mass to support the high-end shops that the cars noted above visit. And Kitz does do a way-above-their-peers job on the OP subject.

Kitzbühel is certainly the only land-locked mountain town/village I've ever been to which has a yacht shop.
Also, a notice board / for sale board featuring an advert for a "La Ferrari" .

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