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For any question or inquiry, please contact our General
Manager at JF@Gords.com |
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Gord's Ski & Bike
2 Locations to serve you better!
[L1]
2 Donald St
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA | 204.284.2952
[L2]
1765 Kenaston Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA | 204.269.2952
info@Gords.com
1.877.GORDS.61 |
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| GLOPPENS |
| Photography by David Lewis |
Matt Coppens
Tech Shop Manager, Donald Store
At Gord’s since March 2004
Hard to believe that after JF Matt is our longest tenured employee... Matt has seen it all, having started as a bike washer and worked his way up (or down) the ladder all the way to his current position as tech-shop Manager for our Donald store.
Not only can the guy tune a fork and take care of our customers as well or better than anyone, Matt is also quietly turning into one hell of a mountain biker and one fine human being. Matt embodies absolutely everything that is Gord's and while Matt has never met Gord there is no doubt that our founder would have taken a liking to the one who also goes by the native name "Brushes with Death".
Here are Matt's interview answers:
Favorite 3 tunes to ski/board/bike/workout to: anything from Muse, Rise Against or Thrice.
When I grow up I want to still be biking and Snowboarding
How would you rate yourself skill wise, on a scale of 1 to 10 as a snowboarder: 6
How would you rate yourself skill wise, on a scale of 1 to 10 as a bike rider: 7
Best skier you ever ripped it up with is Jerry Todd (take that JF!)
Best snowboarder you ever ripped it up with: best > Danny Gibson... ballsiest> Joel
Best bike rider I've ever rode with is Dave Degelman
Favorite movie is Anchorman, Superbad, Super Troopers
Favorite beverage is Iced Tea
Lunch at the resort cafeteria: PIZZA!!!!
I would consider myself first and foremost ... definitely a biker (although the Unicyclist category was tempting)
The other sports I am passionate about include hockey and soccer... but don't play them except for fun
My greatest sporting achievement was landing my first 360 last winter... and Cleaning all the wooden features in Panorama
My favorite season is summer!
What I like best about working at Gord’s is the people
Most knowledgeable co-worker ski > JF
Most Knowledgeable co-worker bike > Kevin is opinionated but fun to chat with... JF knows ride characteristics... and picking bikes
Most Knowledgeable co-worker snowboard > Rowan.... and I guess Marc
What would you call your “home” ski hill > Spring Hill haha
My 5 favorite places to ride (summer)> The Forks... Whittier Park... Panorama... Kicking Horse... Single Track in Calgary (near Brag Creek)
My 5 favorite places to rip (winter) > Spring hill, Lake Louis, Fortress Mountain, Frostfire, Sunshine
In the summer I ride a Trials/Dirt Jump frame which shall remain nameless. and a Rocky Mountain Flatline, a Scott Peak (old school single speed commuter)
In the winter I rip on a Nitro Swindle 152
My favorite 3 winter products here at Gord’s are the Nitro Swindle, and Sup Zero snowboards. Raiden Blackhawk bindings. Mountain hardwear ultralight (redpoint-esk) jacket.
My favorite 3 summer products are the Commençal Absolut DJ bikes. Scott Scale 30 and Scott Gambler DH
My 6 day dream trip would be to Panorama but the lifts would be open for 15 hours a day and the drinks would be free!!!
I dream of one day owning an "estate" (huge freaking mansion) up in the mountains
Favorite binding: Raiden Blackhawk
My next jacket will be another Shell jacket (possibly a Scott one) in some bright ass color... or black... not sure
Favorite month for a snowboard trip: haven't been on a trip in like 6 years... so ANY month!
Not that we have any favorites but…
Sram or Shimano components > Shimano
Burton or Nitro snowboards > Nitro
The North Face or Mountain Hardwear outerwear > The North Face
Smith or Giro helmets > Giro for summer Smith for winter
Scott or Nordica skis > Nordica
Dakine or Camelback hydration packs > Dakine
Vitamin Water or RedBull > REDBULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peak Performance or Karbon wintersport jackets > Peak
Fischer or Alpina XC gear > Fischer
Patagonia or Icebreaker underwear > Icebreaker
Swany or Dakine gloves > Dakine
Smith or Oakley goggles > Oakley
Lange or Nordica ski boots > Nordica
Thin or thick ski/board socks > Thin
Scott or Rocky Mountain bikes > Rocky Mountain (only because I own a sweet one)
Ski or Snowboard > Snowboard
Interbike or Ski/Snowboard Show > tough one... probably interbike
Road or Mountain > Mountain
Full suspension or hardtail mountain bikes > Hardtail (except in the mountains)
Hot yoga or hot tub > hot tub...?
Helmet or toque > Helmet
Carbon or alu poles > Carbon
Rocker or non rocker > non rocker right now
Down or Primaloft > Primaloft
Mitts or Gloves > Depends on the use
Wax or Zardoz > Wax
Shell + Redpoint or insulated jacket > Shell + Redpoint
Lifter or flat > Flat
Muffins or donuts > Donuts
Beach or Mountain > Mountain, but only if Bikini's are appropriate
Thanks Matt!
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Matt Jasman and RT at Panorama in 2009
Photo: JF Ravenelle |
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO
LAND A JOB AT GORD'S?
The list of luminaries who make up Gord's Alumni is a long one, but that's mostly due to the fact that we've been around since 1961. We do have a tendency to keep our staff for a longer than your average shop and we're very proud of that fact. We like to think that it comes down to hiring the right people, providing them with an enjoyable work environment and a very large hot tub on the roof (we wish).
 When we hire staff there are a few strict guidelines that we follow... Little things like ethics, respect and walking the walk. We only hire folks who share our passion for the sports and activities we represent ... While we don't insist that our staff be experts skiers, snow boarders or bikers, we do insist that they posses a passion for those sports, that they get out and play and that they pursue a working
knowledge of the gear and clothing we offer ... and last but not least every Gord's employee must posses a desire to share their passion with our customers.
It comes down to CARING and we care. Sometimes too much perhaps but one can never go wrong with hiring dudes and dudettes who care.
Our belief is that if our staff cares, they will do what it takes to ensure your experience is a good one.
 The product knowledge part of the equation is something we take very seriously at Gord's and we spend LOTS of time money training our staff. From taking key employees to ski and snowboard tests to taking our staff to trade shows and paying for hundreds of hours of product knowledge meetings and seminars, we seriously believe in the old adage that states that knowledge is power... And we do everything
to make sure there is SOMEONE in the building that has an answer to your question, a solution to your problem or a suggestion for your next adventure.
 The last part of the puzzle is that we all genuinely care for each other and treat each other as if we were family (complete with sibling rivalry). Working at Gord's entails buying into our core values, values that come straight from Gord Reid himself: Do it right, don't sell crap, listen to the customer and get out there and do it so you can relate and educate.
The quality of the people who work for us is our greatest combined asset. Without them we'd be just another shop selling stuff but with them we're so much more than a retailer, we're Gord's Ski and Bike.
GOT SKI EXPERIENCE?
 Are you looking to buy your ski gear from someone who knows what their talking about? Looking to get some ski advice from someone who has, at the very least, skied before? How does 6 alpine ski coaches, 2 freestyle coaches, 3 ski instructors, 6 ex-racers and a combined ski experience of well over 120 years sound? Fact is that no retailer in central Canada has more ski-knowledgeable staff
than your friendly neighborhood Gord's Ski and Bike. Just take JF for example (pictured here skiing at Alyeska in Alaska), not many people anywhere have more ski experience than our President. No kidding, the guy has pretty much done it all including ski testing, racing, coaching, ski patrolling, ski repping and over 20 years as a full-time ski instructor in Quebec and Vermont. You want ski experience? Drop by our Donald store and let's talk white stuff.
RIDE MUCH?
 As matter of fact we do! Did you know that absolutely every staff member at Gord's Ski and Bike belongs to Gord's Bike Club? It's mandatory to ride! If you're an employee you ride. It's as simple as that. The sum collection of staff bikes is mind boggling. Believe it or not, we're not kidding when we say that collectively the staff own well over $90,000 worth of bikes (we don't ride crap).
From JF's Commençal Supreme Mini DH and Darci's Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC to Coppens' and RT's unicycles and DH bikes, we have our priorities straight: RRSP's are for other people.
WALK IT LIKE YOU TALK IT
I remember when I was a 12 year-old kid in Montreal, Driving up to our chalet in the Laurentians every weekend, driving past GM's St-Therese assembly plant and seeing hundreds and hundreds of Hondas, Toyotas and Fords in the staff parking lot, thinking how wrong that was. Why would you not drive a chevy if you were building Camaros?
 It's a matter of pride to us (and a pet peeve of mine) that we all ride and ski on stuff we sell. It's now an indelible part of Gord's culture. Except for the newbies who are given a year to flip their existing gear, we strongly recommend (and in some cases subsidize)
that our staff ride the brands and products that we sell.
It's simple: How else can we honestly tell you how a Scott Genius rides unless we've ridden one ourselves? Of course we do the ski and bike and snowboard tests. Yes, we borrow each-other's rides regularly... but nothing beats real-world ownership experience in order to relate to you what living with this product is going to be like... And that's why we insist that staff trash their Elans and hop on a pair of Dynastar's, It's called walking it like you're talking it. It's called integrity.
It's the way Gord would have it.
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