Welcome to vpo.ca, your window to the best range of premium outdoor gear around!
Hi Folks
Spring is welcome to arrive now! It's been an amazing winter but... Its time to smell the dirt.
Like most, we have our to-do list of places to get to this year in the bush. There is a series of small alpine lakes above the hot pools on Halfway River, and several long hikes that involve crossing the Lardeau River. Snow should be gone up high by mid June to mid July. Until then we will stay closer to home and rack up some vertical. There are lots of trails that need brushing out.
Check out the selection of brand new state-of-the-art backcountry gear arriving at our stores. It's lighter and the best selection yet. A tough economy means our suppliers need to try harder to move the bar to get our attention - and they're doing it, bit by bit!
See you out there...
Here are answers to a couple common questions we get in our stores...
Q: Why don't all VPO stores carry the same brands?
Mostly we do- because we are focused on presenting great gear and there isn't an endless supply to choose from. But Nelson is different from Smithers, and Red Deer is different from Victoria. Buying decisions at VPO stores are made locally, like just about everything else in our stores. Since we don't buy stuff that doesn't sell, it's our customers who have different tastes from town to town, we just listen to you.
Q: Why does VPO sell so many different brands?
Because our strategy is to present great gear. Can one brand really compete across all categories, textile selection, design innovation, durability, style and fit of maybe 15 brands? Never! It is physically impossible to put the amount of talent and knowledge needed into one company to "win" across all categories. The constant march of innovation means that our suppliers are leap-frogging each other season by season. We adjust our buying to whoever is out front with the best gear because that's what our customers deserve: the greatest selection of the greatest outdoors stuff.
Q: Are Valhalla Pure prices competitive?
For 15 years, we have matched or bettered MEC pricing- on everything, everyday. And since all VPO stores sell at the same price, whether it's Smithers or Medicine Hat or Nanaimo- you get big box, big city, every-day low pricing every time you shop at Valhalla Pure. We refuse to engage in "pump and dump" pricing - this kind of sleazy pricing policy is like fishing for a sucker who will fall for a discount off a high sticker price. We like our customers too much for that.
Q: Are Valhalla Pure shops franchise owned?
Yes, each Valhalla Pure shop is owned by someone in your town (except our Vancouver shop is owned by our Victoria owners). What that means is that you don't hear that sucking sound of all the management and profits leaving your town. Our owners are your neighbours, their kids go to school with your kids and they invest in many of the same ways you do in your community. We're a great choice to keep your money circulating locally.
All for now, let's all get off the computer and go outside and enjoy the Valhalla Kingdom, wherever you are.
Cheers,
David Harley
New Denver, BC.
Dinghying guests ashore in Road Bay, Anguilla, British West Indies
Hiking in Selva Gardena, Dolomites, Italy
Touring out behind Rogers Pass, waist deep in the trees, -3c, 30-37 degree slope