At the base of the Sierra foothills and as iconic as Lake Tahoe is Milo Auburn, one of Northern California's long remaining purveyors of all things of shred-and-destroy. Carrying Sessions and other snowboard culture brands, this shop, these guys, rule and are the last mandatory stop before the perfect ride 60mi later!
Many would argue Northern California as the most influential region in snowboarding. What is it about California man?! The snow? The women? The Après-ski?
Northern California just has so much to offer to all kinds of snowboarders. Tahoe specifically has anything you could ever want; from backcountry to well kept parks, its all there. Plus you get the Lake as the backdrop, so that visually just completes the package.
Milo recently moved from Lafayette, CA to Auburn, CA - why the move?
We just feel like the snow retail environment has been changing. We loved our Lafayette store and our loyal customers. We had a great home there for 15 years. But like everything in life, things need a healthy balance, and change is inevitable. So when Wendy told me she was retiring and closing BnM, by brain kicked into overdrive. I was ready to be out of the Bay, and I wanted the store to get rebalanced. The Foothills is a great place, and there is a much bigger “Snowboarder” population up here. Plus, there is a sense of community up here that I feel has been lost in the Bay due to its fast pace and insanely high cost of living. Its just a different dynamic. Auburn has really welcomed us, and we are incredibly thankful.
The landscape of commerce has changed dramatically. While ECOMM and direct-to-consumer overtakes in-store experiences what keeps Milo’s doors alive & well?
I think the last question kind of plays into this question in regards to balance. It is the difference between people who “go snowboarding” and 'snowboarders'. Snowboarders want to go somewhere and geek out with like-minded people on gear, their favorite mountain, and life in general. People come in here not only to make sure they have the tools they need, but they get a sense of community when they are within the confines of our walls. It is something that can’t be obtained by clicking a button.
What does the consumer get from Milo, instead of online or anywhere else in the area?
I can’t speak for what any other stores offer, or what they give or don’t give. But I can say that when people shop here they get honesty. Good customer service is an absolute must in today’s retail world. We try and take it a step further. Our staff is all close, it’s a family. We all help each other. We don’t have competition within the store. Customers see this when they shop here, and I believe they find it appealing.
First year back and you guys brought Sessions back in. Why?
Sessions is a true Northern California brand. It has been a part of our past and it is refreshing that it will be a part of our future. Not to mention Joel assembled the right team to push it forward. Milo and Sessions have a “like-mindedness” that just fits.
Sessions dropped a new tagline - Always Have Always Will - it seems like Milo lives and dies by that mantra too. What’s it mean to you?
It’s kind of a mantra that shows heritage and staying true. For Milo, its relevance is that we haven’t changed our mission from the moment we began. Live life, stay true, have fun. Always have, Always will.
Who’s on the Milo shop team right now? Any hot talent to look out for?
Right now we have a few dudes. Alex DeGuzman, Dan Danzburger, and Scott Thompson. These dudes not only rip, but they do so much more. They are true family. We will be adding to them as well. But we like things to happen organically. When the right fit comes along, it just happens. We also have a killer skate scene here. Tyler Blanchette, Justin Barrett, Carlos Ortiz and Jarad Cox are all crushing it. Plus they are extremely motivated and film constantly.
Farmer’s Almanac - how’s the snow going to be this year in NorCal?
It’s going to be another strong winter. I can just feel it in my bones. We have been getting Fall weather which is awesome and I believe it’s a good sign. Regardless of how much snow we get, we will be having fun on our boards. We love pow the best, but we can also have fun on grass features.
Any events? Promotions? Happenings readers should know about?
We have a few things planned. This Sunday October 9th we are doing a mini skate park tour with Lowcard called 'Park Hits All Day'. We will be starting at Power Inn, then heading to Mather, and ending with a BBQ at Auburn Park.
We also have a premiere planned for Union’s new movie Stronger which will be a blast on the 21st of October. We are also going to show Bode’s new project that night. We had a killer premiere for Fourth Phase last night at Knee Deep Brewery. It was insane! More to come as well.
For location, directions, store hours or just pre-season stoke check Milo Auburn at milosnowandskate.com
