Silver Star Ski & Sport in Park City offers great gear and a knowledgeable staff
Helping people have fun is their top objective
Winter/Spring 23-24
Written By: Michael Heil | Images: Julie Shipman
If you’ve ever seen a pack of cyclists romping down Park Avenue behind a man wearing a drink-carrying sling that looks like hot dog, you’ve likely seen Todd Fischer.
“The Cruiser Palooza,” as it is called, is a (roughly) biannual event run by Silver Star Ski & Sport. The event brings together friends who have been patronizing the shop for the past decade and a half, along with newcomers looking to have a good time and get acquainted with the local community.
The Cruiser Palooza is just one example of Silver Star’s vibrant culture, which extends into the store, where you’ll find branded T-shirts displaying the face of Azalea, Todd’s dog, or a prize wheel that can get you 20 percent off — or cost you a six-pack.
When the weather’s warm, Silver Star Ski & Sport operates as a mountain bike shop. Its location at the base of Armstrong Trail provides access to some of the best terrain in Park City. In the winter, it becomes a ski shop, with a similarly perfect location at the base of the Silver Star chairlift. Next door is the historic Spiro Tunnel, which once served as a novelty chairlift in the ’60s and became known as the “skier subway.”
Long before Todd ever considered running a bike and ski shop, he worked for the development company charged with building the Silver Star area that was completed in 2008.
“It was one of the biggest developments that kind of went unnoticed in Park City,” Todd says. “There was always a ski shop component to be developed, but it was a new area and no one knew the traffic patterns. A bunch of established shops in the area looked at it, but each of them passed up the opportunity. The market conditions during the 2008 recession were unpredictable, and no one wanted to take on the risk.”
When Chris Conabee, Rory Murphy and George Bryan asked Todd if he wanted to run the shop, they offered to help with the initial funding. By August 2008, they had hammered out a deal and Todd went straight to work. “The space was in studs when I started and I had to build everything from scratch.”
The first Silver Star group ride was in 2009. “We wanted to promote the new shop and the area. The dog vibe kind of started that first year as well. [Vidalia] could come to work as long as she didn’t bite anybody. After a while, people started coming just to see the dog, and then we added Tallulah the Frenchie to the mix as well,” he says. Today, Azalea, [the new bulldog] is just as important to the shop as Todd is.
“I’ve kind of been known as the weird, beach cruiser, bulldog guy for 17 years now. It all started with Vidalia, and when she passed away, we still had Tallulah and then added Azalea.” While both original mascots are now gone, the leg-licking, fun-loving Azalea carries on the bulldog tradition. She may get people in the door, but it’s Todd and his team that make people want to stay — and keep coming back.
“We’re not trying to sell you something. We’re trying to help you have fun. We’re trying to give you a good experience. People who have fun are going to come back. They’re going to tell their friends. There are a lot of great options in this town. We may not always be the most convenient, but we’re here for our community. We’re all in. If we can just get people in the door, they’ll see that. They’ll see it in my staff, too,” Todd says.
Todd and his team don’t just sell top-quality skis, snowboards, and mountain and e-bikes, they live the outdoor lifestyle and know how to properly outfit their customers — whether they’re beginners or experts.
“When I came to Park City, this town was all about relationships. When people asked what you did, they didn’t mean for work, they meant: Do you ski or board? Do you bike or golf? It didn’t matter what was in the wallet or the checking account, it was all about what we could do together,” Todd remembers.
Despite all the hustle and bustle, the advent of online shopping and the overall change of pace, Todd has managed to preserve that small-town, relationship-based culture in his shop.
“We are in the business of fun. We’re all just out there trying to have fun,” Todd says. “And trust me when I say we practice what we preach.”
